Clairvoyant Calamities: Fictitious Affectation
by XxXChiharu-Chan-1000-SpringsXx
Summary: Fret! Fear! Weep if you must, but do not stop! Leave pride by the wayside. Move forward with every fiber of your being, and you will begin to discover what you are capable of. Insignificant as you are, you will discover something that only you must do. That is the path you must walk.
1. Submit an OC here!

Welcome to my Mew Mew Submission story of epic proportions! I am going big! Here is the thing. This is an entry to ZephyrFiction's Best Mew Mew Submission contest.

So, I am going to need about, seven OCs. You heard it here first. Do not worry; I have a back up plan. I have already made all the characters… you know, just in case. (Because I am crazy) Actually, this story has a freakin' ton of OCs, as this adventure does not just take place in Tokyo. No, we are jumping time, and space, traveling to different realms and stuff like that. Mermaid worlds, the dark ages, vampires… the whole nine. But let's not saunter on the unimportant stuff.

What you need to do is make an OC, and pick an essence to be infused with. (If your OC sucks, or someone is a better character in the category for the power you've chosen, you loose.) This story feeds off your OCs, so I need you!

**.**

**_February 15, 2010:_** Hi, old Chiharu! Anyway, so I just wanted to put some current stuff on here to tell you guys what the eff I'm doing. Anyway, I've got all the Summoners I need, and I tweaked some people, meaning I put them in different categories and whatnot. That being said, I have all the Summoners I need and then some! ^_^ *cough* That means Chiharu is putting extras to use.

So, that being said, Chiharu is always taking minor-characters.

Like, give me a Celestial Being or a Cyniclon or something.

And if you want to get technical, give me an Enlightened One, or something. The possibilities are endless. XD

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_**May 19th, 2010:**_ Ah, I just want to put chapter slices on the first page.

- **Chapters 1-13: **Written last year. You'll find that I started the story in January, and I have an excuse for the shoddy narration! XD These are the chapters that are old-and pretty bad-maybe about January to... September-ish of 2009. Chapters 1-5 are the Kohana Arc.

- **Chapters 14-18:** Written last year, too. I think at this point in time, I started picking up some skill. The narration-at least to me-improved much a great deal... You'll see that everything improved-and at this point in the story, I think things are competent enough to read. *nod* And this whole thing is the Dark Ages' arc.

- **Chapters 19-ongoing:** Everything from 19 was written this year, and I think I'm pretty decent! XD;; At this point, everything is smooth. Improved a lot-and I CAN'T be bothered with rewriting the first 13 chapters. XD;; So sorry guys. You'll have to put up with my 14-15-year-old self... XD;; Because when I improve later, I'll be trying to re-write even THIS again. And some narration just... Can't be written again, man. Chapters 19-64 is the whole entire Dark Ages' saga.

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_**August 6th, 2010:**_ I've decided to put a world and a creature chart up here. See, the story is getting kind of big, and I wanted to put a list of the species and worlds we've been to or have seen in the Flashbacks. XD So without further adue~! Go check it out. For some triva, yo.

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_**November 25th, 2010: **_Added more information about the Land of Summons, and more Aeons. One more world. Uh, there's two stars next to the worlds that are actually a part of the main eight worlds, which means that the others don't really benefit the Summoners. But are still important all the same. I've also put the name of the temples next to said worlds and their meaning. ^^ Did anyone notice that the name of the temples are also the names of the Overdrives belonging to the Aeons inside of them? The Dark Ages' Abyssus Incendia temple is Latin for "Hellfire," the Overdrive for Evreet.

**.**

**_January 10th, 2012:_** Can you believe it? In just four days I will have been writing this story for _four years._ XD;; It feels like it's been much longer than that, you know? Wow, it's definitely amazing. The magic I had the first time when I started is still there, and we have a whole lot more ground to cover before CCFA's truly over. Very much so. Let's toast to these 700,000 words! I'm four years older than when I started, and I feel like I've grown so much as a writer with this story. Hopefully there's a dramatic showing of that in my work. XD;; To new readers, old readers, people who lurk and still read every single chapter each time I update-as invisible as you are, thank you so much for helping me along!

And for people who are just picking up the story now-good luck. XD;;; *shot*

* * *

_Tell me who'd have thought that we would be so controversial.  
And stand against the normal.  
Are we too outspoken, loud, and messing up the comfortable?  
Well we've been messed up also._

**Clairvoyant Calamities: Fictitious Affectation**

* * *

**-: Introduction :-**

The world has been plagued with an illness. This illness is called the Wickedness. The Wickedness is a big, floating monstrosity, which attacks people with no mercy. The Wickedness is a giant floating monster, resembling a cross between an enormous shark and whale. Every ten thousand years, a new host is chosen to become the Wickedness, and so are the new saviors of the earth. Meet the eight summoners of the Magic Wand, ready to kick Wickedness butt. However, that is not all that must be fought against. I am sure you must know that there are thousands of essences in the world. The summoners of the Magic Wand are just infused with eight different ones. They also have to control the other essences before the remaining essences kill them. See, if I told you everything, I would not have much of a story to write! Join the main protagonist as he/she/it journeys across the galaxy/world/universe, looking for he/she/it's partners, to bring down the threats! Yeah. The original Mews will not be in this thing, but Keiichiro and Ryou will!

* * *

**-: Worlds :-**

* * *

*** Earth: **If you don't know what Earth is I kinda feel sorry for you. The first part of this story takes place on it... First in some Japan place that starts with an A, and then the protagonists find some way to get to Kyoto, Japan, where she and her Guardian find two of their partners. And since this is Earth we're talking about, it's also home to Earthlings, correct? There's nothing really special to say about Earth since I'm pretty sure everyone should know all of the dynamics to it... Baw. Poor Earth. There's nothing special about it... XD

*** Royaume Rêveur:** It translates to "United Dreamer" in French. Royaume Rêveur is the home to the King of Essences, and all Essences reside there. It's a really beautiful, grassy place that has lots and lots of otherworldly flowers on it. Typically Essences come and go from from that place all the time, so there isn't many houses or things of that nature there. Essences are always born on Royaume Rêveur and have to stay there for a couple of centuries before they are allowed to actually leave and journey to other planets that may need them. Royaume Rêveur is the closest planet to Earth.

*** Spectra:** Spectra, named after what Celestial Beings call the "Celestial Goddess," is where the Summoner project began. Shirogane and Akasaka live on this planet as well as others of the Mew Mew team. Currently, it is unknown whether or not the rest of the Mews are alive. Spectra is a futuristic planet, its cities protected by invisible domes that keep out rain and snow. Generally, everything in Spectra has a sparkly glow to it... Like glitter. (Hey! Keep all the Twilight to yourself! XD) Other than that it's just a pretty, peaceful land with lots of cities and towns in it. Home to the Celestial Beings. Spectra would be the third farthest planet away from Earth.

**** The Dark Ages **(_Abyssus Incendia - Hellfire_)**: **It's exactly what it sounds like. XD The Dark Ages is a world that has a pseudo-medieval type set up. It's a monarchy, ruled by a king and a queen. Except they're both idiots, basically (this is coming from the author's outlook; you can take their behaviors as you will) and they've split their people up. One type of species lives in the city underground called Austere, and another kind lives in the palace in the sky called Aysel. Named after the idiot queen, of course. Austere's pretty run down, but it's impressive for a city thousands of feat below the surface. Aysel is a beautiful palace in the sky, so people go bird watching and all of that jazz. The Enlightened and Nocuous live here. Incidentally, this is prolly one of the most farthest-away planets from the Earth. Summoner Leyiko comes from this world.

**** Forsythia **(_Lunatic Vox Vocis - Lunatic Voice_): This planet is named after the flower forsythia. Forsythia is covered in those flowers. Forsythia are those yellow bushes you sometimes see outside of people's houses, and they've got like these small yellow flowers hanging off of each branch thing. Forsythia is a symbol of anticipation, and the world is the home to the infamous Archfiend, which is the equivalent to Satin. XD There's a lot of oceans and villages here, and there's a desert and it's pretty much all lush green and stuff like that. And guess what? Summoner Jessica comes from this world. Forests everywhere. I don't really know how far away Forsythia is for Earth, though. So yeah you don't get that. XD

**** Betsaida **_(Thor's Pango - Thor's Hammer): _Ah! Betsaida! What can I say about Betsaida? Summoner Nina comes from Betsaida, which is a peaceful world. Or, so it seems. What citizens of this world don't know is that there's underground black magic taking place... When a certain someone came here, she... They... Them... XD;; They kinda blew this world straight to hell, but it wasn't she/they/them's fault. More so a bitchy puppeteer that wanted to avenge someone. So, that being said, this is a really basic little town, full with nice people. Now if only you could tell the difference between what is reality and what is not in this world, because things get really trippy, fast. It's a world full with magic tricks and gag jokes. In all honesty, it's a very great comic relief from the stress bubble that is Forsythia. XD;; Unlike the previous worlds, only special people are granted with supernatural powers.

*** The Land of Summons: **Also called the Illusionary World. See, this world isn't so straightforward; just as the Summoners have to go through tests to get the Aeons to come work for them, they have to travel through what is called "The Passage of Illusions", which is composed of nothing but hot, flowing lava. There's loads of monsters and all of that fun stuff walking around (imagine trying to fight monsters while on top of lava). Yep, and beyond this hell of a simulation is The Land of Summons. A complex of crazy rooms and cities that make completely no sense, but the Aeons that reside here are pretty much scary. And the ones who have survived the trials must prove their worth to Queen Asura and King Leviathan. And while they don't fight you at the same time, as they believe in fighting fair, trust me. Queen Asura kicks _way more ass. _XD;; And she goes first. Just so we're clear, Aeon Asura is a six-armed woman with three faces: anger, benevolence, and joy. And Aeon Leviathan is a_ sea serpent._ You have been warned. XD;; This may be one of my favorite worlds. ^^

**** Sunda Mizu Mura **_(Millennial Senium - Millennial Decay)_: A land... Well, no, an ocean. This world is notorious for its mermaids, because it's a world of mermaids. Crazy, insane, batshit mermaids, but mermaids all the same. XD;; It means "Clear Water Village", and most of the time spent on this world is underwater. There is life on the surface, but so far no one has been able to tell whether or not that's true. This world is full with Lorelie and sirens... Actually, this world has more species then some of these worlds put together. There are Ceasg, a type of mermaid with an upper-body that resembles a human while the lower body resembles a trout, Enchantado, which is a dolphin-like being with the ability to shape-shift into a human form, Margygr, a monster with the head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish... Melusine, a being that resembles a human except has two fish-like tails instead of legs... Yep. Lots of mermaids. And they're all _insane. _XD;;

* * *

**-: Species :-**

* * *

*** Felinefolk: **They come from Forsythia and are a humanoid race that have descended from cats. They look like Earthlings but they've got tails that extend from their butts and a variety of ear shapes. Some Felinefolk are really, really curious because of this and have extraordinary hearing and night vision. Felinefolk are the racial majority on Forsythia.

Notable Felinefolk:

_- Lady Kaelyn_

_- Red_

*** Enlightened:** Enlightened have the ability to use energy from what they call a focal, which is a device inside of the brain that allows them to cast magic. They're from the Dark Ages, of course. Focal energy is what it's really called, not magic, but I get lazy sometimes. It's not really magic, if you get what I mean. They have the ability to levitate things and cause big-ass explosions at will. There's nothing that really sets them aside from Earthlings physical-wise, but they can use energy from their focal... Something Earthlings don't have or possess.

Notable Enlightened:

_- Lucrecia Scylla_

_- Princess Renata_

*** Nocuous:** These guys are also from the Dark Ages, 'cept they're not like Enlightened at all. They have focals, but they don't work at all, so they're pretty much powerless as far as being able to use magic goes for them. Yeah, they're pretty much down-casted because they can't preform magic, which is why they all are banished to live underground and are used for experiments and stuff like that.

Notable Nocuous:

_- Chase Kaluza_

_- Klaus Mataraci_

*** Celestial Beings: **They're from Spectra, and one-hundred percent of Spectra is of Celestial Beings. They are people with animalistic traits, be it cat or bunny. They can hide their animal-like traits or let them show... Though it isn't more than ears and a tail. Maybe whiskers or something like that. Every Celestial Being gets a pair of wings, no matter what type of animal traits it has. Only, they can't fly large distances with their wings unless they've "matured". Yeah. They can also transform into the animal that they resemble fully, and they do it usually to compress their energy so they can get into other planets without too much trouble. They eat stars._ Other _planet's stars.

Notable Celestial Beings:

_- Miyuki_

_- Moonlight_

*** Aeons:** Aeons are from the Land of Summons. Final Fantasy, anyone? XD It means_ life, being,_ or my favorite term, _age._ Oh. It also means _forever_ and _for eternity. _Aeons are beasts that help the Summoner out. Particularly the Summoner of Convene, for the Summoner of Convene is the only one that can tame and call them. Aeons are tricky little things; before they'll work for a Summoner, they'll fight them in order to gauge the Summoner's strength. Aeons are the spirits of once dead soldiers, meaning all of them have known death. When a Summoner calls them, their spirits manifest and they are called down to fight from the Land of Summons. And yes. They are pretty badass.

Notable Aeons:

_- Shiva_

_- Evreet_

_- Siren_

*** Dark Aeons: **These are the dark counterparts of each regular Aeon. They each have a red spot somewhere on their body to indicate that they are a Dark Aeon. They're called "Heretic Summon Beasts" as well, and each Dark Aeon has the word "heretic" in their names. e.g. Dark Shiva would be called "Heretic Shiva." Um. Yeah. These guys? _Badass. _XD;;;;

Notable Dark Aeons:

_- Heretic Shiva_

_- Heretic Evreet_

_- Heretic Siren_

*** Essences: **These beings have been alive since the beginning of the universe. They are what make everything go around and around and around. They're the reason for magic, for rain, for fire, for everything that happens to a person in their everyday life. They are the building blocks of life. Capture an Essences, and you have an unlimited amount of power. Most Essences only go by their basic names e.g. "Flower," for the flower Essence. Some Essences have human names, and some prefer not to be named. They're billions of years old and cannot die. They travel worlds, making sure the universe stays in peace. And they don't age.

Notable Essences:

_- Flower_

_- Water_

**Lesser Essences:** Though these are not Essences that have been born on Royaume Rêveur, they are the energy and will inside of a person. Celestial Beings can twist this energy up and use it as a weapon, given their chemical composition. Everyone in the universe has a Lesser Essence inside of them, but so far, only Celestial Beings can use it. This is _not _a species. XD Just clearing the air. XD

* * *

_But how can we be silent?  
When a fire burns inside us.  
'Cause we're a million strong and getting stronger still.  
They'll remember we were here._

**Clairvoyant Calamities: Fictitious Affectation**

* * *

**-: Major Character Sheet :-**

**Name**: (Not all names need to be Japanese)

**Body Characteristics**:

**Lifestyle**:

**Personality**:

**Likes**:

**Dislikes**:

**Hobbies**:

**Least favorite subject**:

**Favorite Crayon**:

**Favorite Pizza**:

**What the character would wear**:

**Clumsy or coordinated?**

**Fears**:

**Closest Person in life**: (This can be a relative, friend ect…)

**Theme Song**:

**Would your character drink a cup full of syrup, or egg yolk?**

**Dirty secrets**:

**Love interests?** (As in, what is your character looking for in a person?)

**How would your character react to**:

- **Inheriting $1 million**:

- **The death of a loved one**:

- **A natural disaster: hurricane/earthquake, etc**:

- **Being fired:**

-** Meeting an old friend or enemy not seen for years**:

- **Having or raising children**:

- **Being raped/mugged/violated in some way**:

- **An unexpected kindness or compliment**:

- **A serious illness such as AIDS or cancer**:

- **A flat tire on the expressway:**

- **An interracial relationship**:

- **Five minutes on local or national TV**:

**Essence injected**: (Look below. Just put the name)

1. **Time**: **TAKEN** This essence, according to ancient records, is the first power source of the planet. The summoner of time wields what we call a Magic Wand. With this weapon, the summoner can use time at will, bending and molding time whenever he or she chooses. This Magic Wand is a small, slender, light purple pole with a green diamond at the top of it. Wings surround this diamond, and a green ribbon wraps around the pole. However, you cannot stop someone from dying. You can change how they die, but you cannot prolong their life. The Magic Wand can hold other essences inside of it, making it a real threat when used properly.

2. **Shape Shifting**: **TAKEN** This essence gives the wielder the ability to transform into anything. Whether or not it is human or nonhuman. The weapon for this essence is a long blue staff, and incrusted in blue diamonds. It is called the Staff of Change. This is a nifty ability to have. (semi not true… but you get where I am getting at.)

3. **Fire**: **TAKEN** This essence gives the wilder the ability to manipulate fire. This weapon is actually an orb with fire within it. You can let your mind loose on how you are going to be able to use it! Anyway, this person can manipulate fire, spawning it out of hands, finger tips, ect...

4. **Death**: **TAKEN** This essence goes hand to hand with the time essence. The wielder possesses the ability to kill mercilessly. Usually, the one with this essence is somewhat crazy. The weapon? You have guessed it, a scythe. The scythe is duel bladed, and those blades reside on a black slender pole that is incrusted in red diamonds.

5. **Convene** **TAKEN** (Calling Beasts of Folklore): Yes, I like this one. The wielder of this essence can call beasts such as Shiva. However, this is not always the case as the one wilding this essence takes the longest time getting stronger. During the progression of the story, the summoner of convening is going to have to go to he/she/it's temple to get more beasts to follow he/she/it. The weapon? A ring.

6 & 7. **Water and Lightning**: **TAKEN **If you go for either of these, you have to submit twins. With water, you have the ability to heal, and with lightening, you have the power to obliterate. The wielder of water will have a fan as a weapon, and the wilder of lightening will have a top. (You know that spinning thing) Simplistic huh?

8: **Love:** **TAKEN **Whoever wields this essence will have this sort of appealing loveliness (for lack of a better word…) to them. With this power, you can will however to fall in love with you, or anyone else. Ya' know, if you get that experienced to control it, because love is an essence that is rather wild. Weapon? Bow and arrows. Upshaw!

Don't like those? You can also make minor characters! If there is one thing I like, it is exciting weapons! Milk jugs, paper clips, ect…

* * *

_We were made to start the riot, take on the impossible.  
And we will stay the giants!  
We are done with fake religion, fighting now to find the movement.  
Won't stop till we find it._

**Clairvoyant Calamities: Fictitious Affectation**

* * *

**-: Minor Character sheet :-**

**Name**: (At this point, I can accept crazy names)

**Species**: (Mermaid, Angel, Vampire, Imp, Little Person, Human, Other)

**Weapon**:

**Personality**:

**Attire**:

**Favorite ice-cream flavor**:

**How would your character react to**:

- **Inheriting $1 million**:

- **The death of a loved one**:

- **A natural disaster: hurricane/earthquake, etc**:

- **Being fired:**

-** Meeting an old friend or enemy not seen for years**:

- **Having or raising children**:

- **Being raped/mugged/violated in some way**:

- **An unexpected kindness or compliment**:

- **A serious illness such as AIDS or cancer**:

- **A flat tire on the expressway:**

- **An interracial relationship**:

- **Five minutes on local or national TV**:

* * *

Yeah, so, what are you doing reading this? Submit! Yeah, and the summary will be posted on the next chapter. :D Good luck and happy creating!


	2. I am THE Dreamer

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Yep, I've updated this story with a 5,908 word first chapter! Weird huh? Yeah. Boy, I am telling you, my document kept on acting really funny! It took me the longest to get everything situated with the formating. Alright, let me explain something.

At the start of every chapter, there will be a small flash back. When you see the actual heading of the title, that is an indication that the story has started, all right? Ok!

* * *

"Dear, you have to work on your spelling. You know you can not get far in life if you are misspelling the word 'minute'. I love you, but that is just how the world is these days!"

A small, pale girl rolled her eyes at this comment. In the girl's hands resided multiple papers. Her lips were curled up into an upside-down smile. The girl's emerald eyes blazed with hatred. She felt like she was being continually stabbed in the back. She tapped her foot lightly onto the floor as any normal six year old would, being that she was in the middle of a temper tantrum. The girl was armored with hats, scarves, and coats.

"Mommy, I hate you! One day, I'll become the worlds greatest novelist! You'll see!" The girl retorted, her hands on her hips in extreme smugness. The girl's mother could not help but smile at this action.

"I am sure you will. Remember to take your lunch to school this time, and please, try not to chew on your shirt. I love you!"

* * *

**-: Chapter One: I am THE Dreamer :-**

_I won't suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted.  
Surrender to nothing, I'll give up what I,  
Started and stop this, from end to beginning.  
A new day is calling, and I am finally free!_

Attack - 30 Seconds To Mars

Some things in life are truly annoying. Every single last detail that isn't answered is a problem to me. I run into questions every single day, and I never get answers. You hear that? Never, never, never, never, ever get answers. I deserve answers more then anyone else in the whole entire universe. That is just how awesome I am. Items should walk up to me when I need them, and people should just be doing stuff for me at my every whim. Why were humans built with legs anyway? Hey, we are the future right? So, if we are the future, I say get some damn elevator floors or something.

But no, here I am, in a freakin' hot room that is engulfed in fire. And you know, fire isn't very welcoming. Actually, fire is very intimidating. I have not been in contact with a type of wild fire like this before in my whole entire life. But of course, I know this is just a dream. That is right, a dream. I bet you want to know how I am so sure of myself, huh? Well, let's just say I am a lucid dreamer. You know, beneath elder trees, in full bloom I dreamt of her, the moon's twin sister? No? I did not think so.

Well let me tell you, my way is the way to sleep, my friend. I rest on a fluffy cloud with the sun as a pillow and a blanket of stars. Sensual and intuitive, I have the least amount of trouble learning how to lucid dream. Sure enough, my dreams are adequately vivid for me to remember. I don't like to boast, and oh, I was just being sarcastic about lying, but I have total control over my dreams. Well, sometimes I have total control over my dreams, but not this time. I can feel the heat of the fire threatening to melt my kidneys. I can feel the perspiration starting to build up on maybe fifty percent of my body. Heck, I can even smell the flowers outside this window I am next to. Let me tell you, the smell of flowers burning is horrible.

If this is what hell feels like, I'll pass on all this heat. Even if I do somehow end up down there, I am one-hundred percent sure I'll be catered to; eating nothing but ice cream all day. But now, I am not. I turned my head a little to the left, to be met with an apricot blur in the corner of my eyes. This freakin' smoke isn't helping me out, either.

"Hey, idiot! I told you what to do, so please, commence with the fighting."

I felt my eyes narrow. Idiot? Oh, I am an idiot? You are the one using simpleminded insults. I do what I want, when I want. The smoke around me was getting denser, more intense with every breath. All right, this is a very weird dream for me. A weird dream for other people would probably consist of tigers, lions… bears, even. Being the incredible dreamer that I am, all of those things are child's play for me. Now, not being able to have some sort of control over my dreams? Yeah, that is very abnormal. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give this dream a ten, without trouble, no questions asked.

Aside from the collapsing wood falling in unknown directions around me, I was able to hear another faint voice, different from the one I had heard before. Wait, is it even possible for a voice to sound reassuring, calm, and it have a smooth like texture? Well, it is soothing to hear, or something. The voice echoes my name, but I can't respond at all. For some reason I now feel motionless.

"Hey, Sayuri! Dodge ball!"

Then it hit me, literally. I was asleep in gym class. Go figure something like that would happen. My face met up with cold rubber, knocking me to the floor instantaneously. I heard a whistle being blown, and my eyes clumsily danced along the gym's mind-numbing beige-colored ceiling. I could hear the patter of people walking over to me, possible trying to see if I was all right. I don't need anyone's help! Once my vision was restored, the pain from being hit in the face with a dodge ball set in quickly.

"Oh my god, you got pulverized! You need some help, Sayuri?" said a cackling, feminine voice.

Murmuring, I curled into the fetal position. I cannot believe someone actually hit me with a dodge ball. Who has the guts to attack me like that? I wasn't going to get up anytime soon, and the loudening guffaws were not helping me, either. I wish all these people would just go away! Did they not notice that I was not asleep? No, wait I think I just said that all wrong. Oh well, I am about to condemn someone, now. Groggily, I arose from my fetal position, my emerald-green eyes meeting up with loads of unfamiliar faces. My well-groomed purple bangs fell against the sides of my round face. The two red ribbons that were holding up my pony-tails were now all dusty with gym floor dirt. I felt silly.

"Next time you get hit with a ball, Outtaike, I am writing you up," my gym teacher reassured me. He always had a problem with me snoozing in his class. Isn't it just perfect irony that gym is the only class I truly sleep in? I know that sleeping in the middle of a dodge ball game is dangerous, but sometimes, sleep just happens! I crossed my arms, my lengthy ponytails whisking around my legs. Fah, my hair is messed up too. Go figure, the bad stuff always happens to me! I dusted off my gym t-shirt, which had the letters 'Mukizu High' written on the front of it. If anything, this school is far from being flawless, like the name states. I mean, c'mon, we are on the academic watch list. For you simple-minded people, that means this school is mentally retarded. We suck. No, actually, they suck. I am too awesome to suck at anything. I gritted my teeth as a frown plastered on my face.

"Hey, Tanran, can't we all just get along?" I paused, a sneaky grin covering my face. "It was an accident, I swear. Don't get your granny panties in a bind."

Laughter ensued after that comment. I have to admit, I do have a quick mind for retorts. And yes, I do think before I open my mouth, thank you very much. I am just too clever for my own good! Tanran's brown eyes narrowed at me, an act that would probably leave any normal student quivering in fear. Considering his muscular build, he probably had an even more beefed up anger. Tanran put his finger up into the air slowly before turning his back towards me. If calling the guy by his first name wasn't enough to get me suspended, I do not know what else I can do to get me out of this crappy garbage dump of a school.

"See me after class," was all Tanran wrote me. Poor guy. "All right, let's get back to dodge ball."

I felt a lighthearted nudge in my ribs. My eyes met up with those of Tariku Kusabana, the principal's daughter. Immediately, I noticed saltwater tears in her eyes, her spiky blond ponytail hitting the back of her neck. She was one of the people laughing at me! My thin lips curled up into a smile as I returned the favor.

"Epic win, Reana!" she exclaimed, using the English name she gave me. Tariku can never stop being so freakin' physical. Nevertheless, I guess she is still my friend, so I can not argue with that. Still, pain hurts. I nodded my head nonchalantly before putting my hands into the pockets of my green uniform shorts.

"So, Tariku," I mused, getting into my normal station for dodge ball. "Whose ass do I get to kick?"

Tariku looked at me in a perplexed manor, before standing right next to me. Tariku's hand rose up to her mouth, trying to conceal giggles. This girl has a crazy sense of humor! But boy, Tariku is so gullible. My friend's finger then pointed across the gym to a particular raven-haired boy that I have grown to know over the few mouth of high school. I should have known. Suzuki Yokoshima, the freshmen class's sweet male siren. Yep, you've guessed it; he is head of Mukizu's choir. What I wouldn't give to get a hold of him, and choke him 'till he gagged out his voice box. Suzuki is nothing but a jerk face.

_Jerk face: (noun) a person who thinks they are better then Sayuri Outtaike._

Yeah, I think that is just about right. To that extent, Suzuki must kick the bucket. He thinks he is so superior to me. News flash, Sayuri does not have any superiors! Tanran blew his whistle, which indicated that this round of dodge ball was a go. There were six students on my team, and six on the other, horrible team. And on the horrible team resided Suzuki. He was my target, because I was sure as hell his target. Err… dogs will be dogs, I guess? Or is that the wrong proverb? Oh well.

Multicolored balls began to fly across the gym, and I dared not to even grip a dodge ball. I suck at throwing. I have no power in my arms. Nope, my lanky arms are good for nothing. I glanced to my partner, Tariku, who was like a god on the court. She was a secret weapon, if I may. She throws balls as if she is a man, practically. I kept an eye on the other team, who were just trying to pelt Tariku with balls. I stepped in front of her, catching as many balls as a could. Once the ammo was on our side of the court, the other team started to sweat bullets. Everyone on our team grabbed a ball (excluding me). We walked up to the half court line, looking our adversaries in the eye.

I scoffed for a moment, as Tariku wasnudging me in the side with a dodge ball. I took it out of sheer cockiness.

"So, are you just going to stand there all day, Sayuri, or are you going to actually hit me this time?" Suzuki chuckled. I swelled instantly with annoyance. He doesn't think I can hit him, eh? Just because my aim sucks, does not mean I can't deal damage! I raised my hand up dramatically, preparing to cream my opponent. However, as far as I can tell, Suzuki is an amazing dodger. I'll have to give him props for that. I snapped my fingers, giving Tariku the signal to start pelting on these people. Therefore, she did. Tanran blew his whistle two times, which meant that nearly half the team had been slaughtered. My eyes twinkled in admiration for my friend, which was answered back with an introverted laugh as Tariku scratched her back.

"Nice moves!" I commented, giving Tariku a high five. In the blink of an eye, I saw something flyingtowards me. No, it wasn't a bird. Heck, it was not even a dodge ball. This thing, was a slender purple rod of some sort, flying straight for my head! I did not even have time to react, because my body was so stunned that I couldn't make a move. My right hand started to tingle a bit before I crashed down onto the ground again. The smell of burnt chard filled my nostrils. Weird, this could be comparable to my dream. I had to find out what hit me, though! I scrambled off the ground as fast as my body could, only to be hit with a dodge ball. How is that possible? Tanranblew his whistle about five times, which made my head throb uncontrollably.

"Get out of there, Sayuri!"

Crap. This guy is pissed. He probably thinks I fell asleep again.

"Hey, Tanran! I had a nightmare! I dreamt of you!" I spat sardonically. Hey, I am good at that! At that moment in time, the gym bell rang. That was my cue to get out of gym while I could and change into my school uniform, so I could go _home_. Tanran already knew what to do. He just took out a red piece of paper and began to scribble on it.

"Detention, Outtaike?" he asked, but it sounded more like a statement. Bewildered, I nodded my head and put on one of my trademark smirks.

"As always, on Monday." I chirped. Tariku giggled once more. Sometimes she creeps me out. But she is my best friend Tariku, after all!

Tariku brought her bright blue eyes towards me in an amusing manner. "Guitar Hero?"

"Right on!"

After Tariku and I retrieved our belongings from the gym room's bleachers, we went to the girl's locker-room to change back into the standard uniform. However, the dirty looks Tariku and I were getting were nothing short of vicious.

"Way to ruin the fun, Sayuri. Maybe you should have Tariku over there help you to dodge balls."

Err, what? My head practically snapped towards Itasca Leonine. We never, ever get along, and as long as she keeps talking crap about Tariku and I, I am going to keep lashing back at her. However, the odd thing is, at this cruddy school, almost no one is afraid of me. So you know what that means? Yeah, I have to do my own dirty work, reminding people that I am Sayuri-freakin-Outtaike. I hate everything about Itasca. I hate her unbelievably straight, auburn hair and her perfect, polished pink nails. I hate her body, which has all the right assets. I even hate the way she smells. I hate vanilla fragrances. True, the stereotypical scale of this school is mind numbingly useless, but that does not mean I am simply going to back down.

"That isn't funny, Itasca!" Tariku shot back. Surprisingly, it is a good thing for Tariku to stand up for herself. Usually, she is scared of people like Itasca. I'll never be scared of Itasca.

"You know, I like you, Itasca, I have no taste, but I like you. I'd like to say I am glad you're here. Notice the like in that sentence, hmm?"

Itasca let out a girly sigh before her face turned three shades of pink. She sure did pick up fast. …Or slow. Whichever way works best. Yeah, I get the hint that not everybody in this school likes me very well? So be it. Like it or not, Sayuri is here to stay.

"You better keep your mouth closed, Sayuri. I wouldn't stick up for a retard, anyway." Itasca laughed. My blood boiled as Tariku sulked a bit. Tariku isn't the brightest crayon in the sixty-four pack, but man, that isn't even remotely funny. She is still a human. That doesn't make her any different from Itasca here.

"Someday you'll go far, Itasca, and I hope you stay there," I replied in record time. "Speaking of which, what exactly was I ruining, seeing as how you weren't even playing dodge ball at all. Is your family happy, or do you go home at night?"

The final bell rung, which meant that I was now free to rid myself of Itasca's presence. Everyone had changed, except for Tariku and me, of course.

"Why, you stopped Suzuki from playing dodge ball! I do watch dodge ball for a reason, duh. We all do. Watch what you say, Sayuri. Go teach your friend how to read or something."

Itasca started to walk in front of me, but oh, was I going to give her the proper farewell she deserved! I raised a fist at her, tightening it up so she could see what I was getting at.

"There is only one thing keeping me from breaking you in half. I don't want two of you around, got it? So unless you want to fight now, I suggest you go home." Yeah, I sounded chivalrous right there! Err… that is somewhat creepy.

"Oh sure! Go ahead, fight me. We all know goody-two-shoes over there is just going to get you out of every situation you come into contact with."

And with that, I surprisingly let the weasel go.

"Uh, damn straight?" I answered. I then turned to Tariku, who looked just as confused as I did. You see, Tariku's mother is the principal of this school, which is why I am more accepting of punishments from teachers and things. I don't take advantage of Tariku because of that, though. Death to anyone who says I do take advantage of her. That is a possibility, because she is my only friend, however. I don't need friends. Tariku and I traded our gym uniform for the standard green, white, and red uniform. Yeah, think Christmas, only greener. Add a green dress, a red tie, throw some plaid in there, put in some white stockings and brown boots, and you've got the worst school uniform, ever. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? My mind was stuck in pure thought as Tariku and I proceeded to walk outside. We are neighbors, so we take the same route walking home.

My mother knows her mother, yadda, yadda. As soon as Tariku and I reached the outdoors, I swear, on my mother's - grandmother's - sister's - somebody's grave that I was sweating waterfalls. I swear to god, it was at least thiry degrees Celsius out here. The sun was beatingdown on my head. Truly, nature was living up to its summer status. However, I don't think it has ever gotten this hot in Aichi Toyohashi. Yeah, I am the heart of Japan. Didn't you notice that? Alright… maybe you didn't.

"How did the temperature spike up like this?" Tariku carped, wiping her forehead. You know, that is a good question. It was twenty on degrees Celsius earlier today. I lifted my hand up to the sky. It seemed as if it was getting hotter too. Curse everyone with their expensive cars and parents to drive them wherever they want to go! We misfits have to walk home in this drenching heat! Argh! I feel sorry for the trees. All those leaves… they must be very hot.

"Sayuri… I hope you don't take what Itasca said to heart… she's just really..."

"I know. Please don't talk. It's too hot for words…"

I slumped over, my tongue hanging a good forty percent out of my mouth. You know when it is just so hot that you can't even breath? I couldn't even talk, let alone move. Walking was becoming almost unbearable. And you know, there was this searing pain in the side of my neck. Something is going very wrong here. Maybe we are being attacked by some kind of monster? Ok, disregard that. That was me-being-stupid time.

"Hey, Reana. You know Guitar Hero is waiting for us at my house right?" Tarikumanaged to beam, even through all this heat and stuffiness. I digress though; I am still hot! Anyway, Tariku can kill me in that game. Though I may have hand-eye coordination, I do not have hand-guitar coordination. Nevertheless, it is just a game. I don't think Tariku could beat me in anything else though, besides something physical. Which then, she could totally murder me in anything she wanted to. But for now, I am top dog. We had a block to walk 'till we reached our homes. That is a long way, especially in all of this heat. As I scanned my surroundings, I could see the flowers having a field day in all this sun. Stupid flowers. I get sick of seeing them every single day. Yep, Aichi Toyohashi is known for its flowers. Which is a good thing, but they don't have to be planted absolutely everywhere! My grip on my black leather suitcase tightened as I began to walk slowly. It is _too_hot! I might just collapse! How Tariku isn't hot is beyond me.

Unexpectedly, my nose started to quirk up a bit. A sickening smell made me feel absolutely noxious. I automatically began to sneeze in a series of twos. This could only mean one thing. My stomach dropped at the sheer thought.

"Oh, where did you come from, little guy?" Tariku squealed.

Cats. I took two steps away from Tariku with my free hand covering my nose. Those wretched meows and hissing noises are deadly. Still, Tariku held the cat in both of her hands.

"Hey, Tariku! Remember? I'm. Allergic. To. Cats."

She knows that I am allergic, and afraid of those things. On top of that, this cat was freaky looking. The fur on this animal was almost an apricot color, the cat was fat, and had a lot of fur. At the cat's neck, almost hidden by fur was a pink collar. Tariku looked up to me in disappointment. She really likes animals.

"But… but… he is so cute." Tariku limply responded. Shouldn't she know that I win majority of our arguments? Cats are weird and lethal, not cute. They are far from cute. If anything, they are monsters.

"Pardon me, but I am a female, thank you very much."

My eyes widened at that sound. What the? I know I am not going crazy, but who said that?

"Wow, boy you do like to meow a lot… are you hungry? My mom would let you get something to eat!"

Oh, crap… I am starting to think that that cat just talked to me. Or, maybe I can understand cat tongue? My god, what is going on here? Today just spun out of control in a sheer second. To test my hypothesis, I coughed into my arm.

"Err, are you a talking cat?"

"Meeeeow." (_Yes, yes I am. I can dance too. You want to see?_)

That was more then enough evidence to tell me to get my butt home as fast as I possibly could. Tariku gave me weird looks.

"Uh, I am not a cat, silly Reana." Tariku said. So, she doesn't hear this cat in all of its creepy talking-ness? I closed my eyes for a moment. This has to be a dream within a dream. I am still dreaming. I have to be.

"Oh no! Sayuri, watch out!"

My eyes opened quickly, only to be met with that apricot cat running towards me at inhuman speeds. Before I even got a chance to react, again, the cat sunk its incisors into my leg. I screamed out in agony, my hands swatting at the creature. It bit me! That little pest bit me! I instantly dropped my suitcase and grabbed the cat by its neck. I was going to throw it into a nearby wall, but Tariku sent me a sad look. Argh, go figure.

"Meow, meow, meow…"_ (Relax, this is just a ritual. I never knew that the next summoner would be_ _such a pain…. Actually, why are you so young?)_

My eyes widened. Ok, I have a good mind to start running. Now. Tariku grabbed this demon, and began walking while stroking its fur.

"You better hurry up, Sayuri. I've got band-aids at my house."

I sighed in defeat. I limped next to Tariku, trying not to look at the gash in my leg. Freakin' stupid cat. I'd give that thing a piece of my mind, if I could! The rest of the walk was awkward. I spent all the time glaring at my newfound enemy. But you know what the weird part was? I hadn't sneezed since that cat bit me. My face hadn't swelled up or anything along those lines. Yep this has to be a dream. We reached Tariku's house. I looked at my own house, and frowned at my mother's flowers growing in our front lawn. She likes those things. I turned my head towards Tariku, who had her hand on her doorknob, but had not turned it. Come on, it is hot!

"Hey, what is up? Let's hurry up and go in."

No response.

I scanned my area, and my mouth literally dropped at this spectacle. Everything was frozen in place! Seriously, the birds in the sky were frozen, the wind wasn't blowing anymore, and Tariku was in one place…. Everything had stopped. However, there was one thing missing from this puzzle. The cat was not in Tariku's care. I swiftly turned around and I saw the cat. However, this cat now had a pair of wings that looked like clouds. Now, I had two options. One: run like hell and never look back. Two: confront the evil that is this cat. Yeah, I wanted to choose option one, but my wounded leg forbade me from running.

"I am not a cat let's get that clear," The cat said in a dominant tone. "My name is Miyuki, and I am with the project that is going to change your life as you know it."

Flabbergasted by all of this, I threw my hands in all kinds of directions. "Change my life? I am calling the police!"

"Oh sure, tell them you have a talking cat abusing you. See how you fare." The cat hissed, its blue eyes narrowing. Smart mouth for a small animal!

"Just tell me what is going on," I coolly sighed.

"You are having spasms, or course." Rushes of déjà vu began to travel up and down my spine. What the hell?

"You do not have much time, girl. You are going to be attacked in, thirty seconds. Listen to me, and you will be fine. Just close that big mouth of yours."

"The name's Sayuri."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter."

"My name does matter, you weird animal!"

"I will not even try arguing with a human such as you. Just do what I say."

"We'll get along fine as soon as you realize I am God!"

"Stop being silly!" the cat shot. A smirk crawled onto my face. I crossed my hands. This thing thinks it can order me around? Silly creature.

"Whatever is eating you-- must be suffering horribly," I spat triumphantly. In that moment, everything returned to normal. The cat was in Tariku's arms, and all it was good. As soon as we entered her home, I breathed a breath of fresh air. Hah. No danger. Tariku turned to face me with a wide smile.

"I guess it is time to play some Guitar--"

At that juncture, a fierce fire shot behind Tariku and I, catching us both off guard. Words were taken out of my mouth instantaneously. The cat in Tariku's arms-- Miyuki-- flew up towards me, her eyes burning with resolve. Tariku shrieked in terror, instantly running upstairs. We are so lucky her parents aren't here right now. I followed her, jumping every second step. Tariku looked behind her, her skin turning pale as she glanced at Miyuki.

"He flies? Wait… what is going on?"

"I walk too," Miyuki remarked. Tariku's house was burning at an expeditious rate. I was sweating bullets. This isn't real, this isn't real! There is no way this is real!

"Transmission: this is Miyuki calling in headquarters. Shirogane, do you read?"

"What?" A gasped aloud. We now had nowhere else to run, seeing as how we stupidly ran into Tariku's room. Yep, a dead end this fate sucks. I could smell burning flowers, and suddenly, I could not move.

"Yep, I've found her. So, what do you want me to do?" Miyuki remarked once more. Gah! So many questions, not enough answers! I feel like pulling my hair out! Ravenous flames danced around the three of us, almost as if the blaze had a mind of its own. Tariku was totally flipping out beside me, tears sliding down her cheeks. It was freakin sweltering! What I wouldn't give to have some sort of water! That is what I need! Water!

"All right, girl, you are ready to be activated," Miyuki remarked. Activated? What does she mean activated? I am human, right? That sounds like something a robot would do! Oh man, I wish this nightmare would end!

"Extend your hand."

My head turned slightly to the left. I could hardly see Miyuki in all of this smoke. My whole body was hesitating. I couldn't quite grasp the control over my nerves system. I was scarred out of my mind. The flames were hot, my best friend was crying, and my leg burned like hell. I'll wake up soon, I know I will.

"Hey, idiot! I told you what to do, so please, commence with the fighting."

I tensed up at Miyuki's words. I heard that before. This isn't a dream. We could all die right now, couldn't we? Driven by nothing but fear, I extended my hand. Something welled up inside me, and apparently, the air around me stopped moving. Even though Miyuki was some kind of creature, I could still see her smiling.

"You've got the time?" Miyuki asked. I think it was a rhetorical question, but whatever. I feel a catch phrase coming on. I put a "c'mon" look on my face.

"Yeah, plenty of it. You got the place?" I laughed. I glanced at Tariku, who had collapsed onto the ground. I had better do something. A purple light shined from my right hand.

"Time Metaphase!" I found myself calling out. My whole body was engulfed in some type of purple ribbon. Roman numerals floated all around me. I was in such a state of awe that I incautiously touched one of the floating objects. The red ribbons that once held my ponytails up disappeared, and my hair was forced to fall delicately around my body. A violet headband rested on my head. This headband had green feathers coming from it. Gold bangles appeared on both of my arms, and a purple corset covered my chest. The ribbon on the back of the corset was huge. The purple ribbon laded gracefully on the ground behind me. Purple colored short-shorts appeared on my body. Black fishnets covered my legs, and to top it all off, I wore short black, simple laced boots. This was surreal!

"Magic Wand!" I shouted once more, throwing my hands up into the air. The same slender rod that I had met up with earlier fit snugly in my hand. Miyuki just studied me as if I was some kind of science experiment. I don't even think I control my own body anymore. I closed my eyes while and firmly held my newly found weapon.

"Spirits of light draw nigh and hear my cry. Evil rises and forms against me. Thine enemies harm for me harbor, and clamor that ill-deeds be done. Ill-deeds add to the iniquitous actions of them and their minions of dark. I beg thee, fold me in thy arms, whilst right be done and vengeances be bought!"

What the fudge? Was that actually me talking? I pointed my wand at the flames in front of me.

"Freeze!" I commanded. The fire stopped, and it looked like it was turning into piles of ash. Actually, I think it was burning out, as if water had been poured onto the flames. Or, time just passed faster for the flames, causing them to burn out. Whatever the case was, the fire was gone. I collapsed onto the floor. So much energy was taken from me. Miyuki then flew over towards me and landed on all fours.

"You dead, girl? Get up."

"Make me…" I muttered. This whole thing was this cat's fault.

"I don't make trash, I burn it."

"So… pick up your ashes and leave." I retorted, falling unconscious. My eyes fluttered open, but I soon submitted to the dream world. I am the dreamer, after all…

"Project one: Sayuri Outtaike, Summoner of Time, is completed Shirogane." I heard Miyuki mutter. I guess this is the start of my new life.

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**A/N**: sakuuya, hold your horses! Yes, I realize that Itasca has a very odd name, but that is essential to the plot later! XD Yeah, thank sakuuya for the beta everyone! Any questions? Comments? Review! Hey, I think you guys want to know where I got the idea for this story huh? It came to me in a dream! How cool is that? I love Sayuri. XD Yeah, no new characters yet, but mark my words, they will come! You guys ask too many questions!

The reveiw button is only a click away!

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	3. Antipode

**A/N**: Hey, I am still excepting characters, ok. If you look on the first chapter, I've updated the list of Essences you can make an oc for. Submit away, new comers!

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After running for what almost seemed like an eternity, a short, apricot-haired girl stood in one place along with numerous other people. Coughs threatened to erupt from her mouth, but she dared not to let them pass. She stood up straight with her hands next to her sides, her wispy hair blowing in the breeze. A man that appeared to be the commander of the group of teenage boys and girls standing in a single-file line walked up and down the formation.

The apricot-haired girl stood in one place for what seemed like an eternity. The sun rose; and settled into the ever-blue sky. Still, she did not move. Many of the people who were standing alongside her had ultimately failed, being eliminated for moving. This girl, however, could take the pain of not eating, if it meant she could obtain what she wanted.

"To stand still and think about nothing is truly an honor," the general spoke, walking towards the apricot-haired girl, seeing as how she was the last one standing. "You think you can compete with all of these people and become the guardian, Miyuki? Sunshine girl?"

Miyuki did not dare to open her mouth and object to her instructor, even though he was bringing his face closer to hers, causing saliva to slip out of his mouth and onto her face. Though she had the mind to tell him off, she knew that would be a very bad idea. Therefore, she just stood in one place still, following her orders until told otherwise.

"You think you can get some kind of retribution on the Wickedness? Little girl, the Wickedness has taken something precious from us all," he paused. "Boo hoo!" he mocked, bringing his hands to his face and wiping his eyes. "My family was wiped out! Sunshine, are you going to be strong enough to protect eight other beings from the damned monster? Are you willing to _die_?"

With the last line being said, a puddle of lukewarm saliva landed right on Miyuki's nose. Still, her cherry colored eyes stayed fixated on her superior, even if she flinched a little.

"Are you going to be worthy of Sir Shirogane's presence? Will you be the one to avenge Lady Momomiya's death? Answer me, Sunshine."

Miyuki's partly chapped lips managed to part slightly.

"Yes."

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**-: Chapter two: Antipode :-**

_What is the meaning of life?  
I've asked myself so many times,  
Is there a reason I'm here?  
I wish someone would make it clear.  
'Cause I'm living from day to day, feeling so far away.  
Maybe I'm not as sane as I thought.  
Keeping my eyes on You is something I've gotta do.  
Even when I don't feel like it._

Reason To Live - Zoegirl

I closed my eyes as I retransformed into my cat like body. Researching the life of Sayuri Outtaike, I've noticed that Sayuri's mother works in the evenings, which only plays in my favor. Sayuri Outtaike is now on the floor lying against her room wall, sleep. First impressions are very important to me, and judging by Sayuri Outtaike's big mouth, I see that I am going to have to do a lot of straightening of her personality. I think she has not yet realized that all of this magic is not a game. This is serious. People will die. Often, the first people to die will be those closest to her. If I can remember correctly, during the activation before this, the team consisted of adults and oneelderly man. The elderly man was the Summoner of Convene, and as far as I know, he was great at what he did.

I blinked a bit as I turned my head to scratch my neck. I decided to examine Sayuri Outtaike's room. I see she likes board games, seeing as how she has piles of them scattered around her room. Actually, as I look at this room, it is pretty organized. At least there aren't piles of clothes lying around. Though, the pile of clothes could have been extinguished by her mother. I have been informed that Sayuri Outtaike's mother is very clingy. Well, look, there isn't a television here in her room. That's odd…. What could be the cause of her corrupted mind? My eyes wandered to the multiple papers pinned to Sayuri Outtaike's walls. These papers were all short stories of some kind, but I would not take time to read them. Besides, the cackling of the thunder and rain hitting this house was more then enough to tell me to get on with my job.

Leisurely, on all for legs, I walked over to the still transformed Sayuri Outtaike. You know, I like her much better sleeping, rather than awake. However, I need to be careful around her when she is asleep. Sayuri is prone to more severe spasms when she is asleep, and if that happens, I might have to use more of my energy to become immune to those sudden bursts of energy. As I stated before, I am not a cat. The proper term is actually Celestial Being.

I extended my claws out and stared at them for a while. I examined the sharpness of them, moving my paw towards the light from Sayuri Outtaike's lampshade. A harsh strike of lightning hit the ground and the rain grew fiercer. Looks like Sayuri Outtaike is going to have to do more work, ne? I jumped into Sayuri's lap and nudged her cheek a little. When that didn't work, with all my might, I swooped my paw across Sayuri Outtaike's cheek, her eyes immediately opened and blood began to poor out of three parallel lines on her face. Her facial expression emitted nothing but pain. You do not get to sleep while you are a hero, because I did not get to sleep when I trained for this obligation.

"You ignorant cat!" she hissed out loud, grabbing me by the neck. I breathed an exasperated sigh. She doesn't listen to anything I say. She is going to die before I do, and that really is a shame.

"I am not a cat," I reiterated levelheadedly. "No, a cat isn't as smart as I am. I come from a different realm entirely." I paused, looking for some sort of response in Sayuri Outtaike's face. So far, I only saw arrogance and anger. It isn't my fault that she decided to sleep while she had a mission to save the world. However, I knew Sayuri Outtaike was plotting something inside that purple head of hers. Most likely, it would probably be a retort or two. Words won't do anything to my physical or emotional health. No, not this "cat".

"I know you have to be somebody, but why do you have to be you?" Sayuri Outtaike muttered, shaking me a bit. I looked at her with slitted eyes. She had better stop doing that. "Or in other words, please explain your situation to me in a human language… English please?"

I slipped out of Sayuri Outtaike's grip and walked on the indigo shag rugged floor. I see, explaining this to her is going to be equivalent to explaining Evolutionary theory to a monkey.

"Ok, girl, first off, I am a Celestial Being. I can live up to thirty thousand years, and I have trained a good ten thousand years to train you, girl."

Before I even got to finish my explanation, Sayuri managed to get up from the floor and stand a good four feet higher then me. Sayuri Outtaike thought she was sizing me up. That will never work, because, again, I am not a cat.

"Dude, I've got a name," she hissed. I know what her name is, but sadly, Sayuri doesn't have enough respect from me to actually say her name. I won't taint my integrity by staining my tongue with her name.

"… Celestial Beings are like you humans… in a way. We Celestial Beings are more intelligent then you humans. And we don't eat food. We eat stars, believe it or not, and stars are actually -"

"So, who the hell is Shirogane?"

I narrowed my eyes. I was just going to explain that to her. My great god…

"He is not necessarily our leader, if that is what you are implying. He could be compared to an intelligent noble man in your culture. Perhaps Yai Aragaki, the famous female actor. She is treasured and praised in your culture, right? Yes, Shirogane is the same, except he saved our lives… and your lives. I am bad at explaining things. Any who, Shirogane is the creator of project T.I.M.E. That stands for turbulent identification metaphase expedition. Coincidently, this project can be called S.O.T.M.W, or Summoners of the Magic Wand. For me to travel to this realm, I had to pick a body suitable to fit through the time turbulent linking our two worlds together. And that is how this strange cat form came to be."

I paused, making sure I had not left the purple haired teenager in a spiraling confusion. Actually, she was quite the opposite of what I had hoped her to look like. She was still exasperated, as usual. I do not think I am going to like having to guard this brat for who knows how long.

Sayuri crossed her arms, her bangles making clinking sounds. "So, you are basically a bad ass from another planet? Where the hell were you when I was getting owned by fire?"

I rolled my eyes. "You actually think I can do anything in this form? Stop being silly! Even if I could manage to turn into my original form, I'd haveto transform back into this cat form as soon as possible. I haven't gotten used to the physical coding of this world yet. I'd disappear if I transformed into my innovative grandeur. Now, let me move on to why you are now standing before me in a trashy outfit hmm?"

"Don't die early!" Sayuri jeered, lifting her foot up and pretending to step on me. Her face flushed and it was now a crimson color. I was still tranquil and composed.

"As I was saying," I said, my voice sounding a bit acerbic. "Shiroganeinvented this mechanism that extracts the pure energy from an Essence. An Essence is the most important feature in an every item in the worlds. Everyone has an Essence, and there a more than a one million, if not more, Essences in the world. For instance, my Essence is called the Miyuki Essence. Your Essence would be called the… girl's Essence."

Sayuri clutched her fists as she stared down at me with malice in her eyes.

"I'm not even going to get into a battle of wits with you. I never attack people unarmed, Miyuki." Sayuri snickered. I rolled my eyes yet again. She has a quick mind. Too bad it is wasted on silly retorts.

"As I was saying once more, Shirogane's right hand man, Akasaka, helped him work on another mechanism called Eagle Eye. Eagle Eye is a device that makes teams up based on personalities. You happened to be the leader picked to be injected with the time Essence. Whether that was a fluke, or intentional, I personally can not see anyone able to work with you."

Sayuri slumped her shoulders and lay sluggishly onto her bed. "Yeah, yeah, keep talking."

Not the response I thought I would get, but I suppose it is better then a retort. "Why yes, Eagle Eye. Now, I can not tell you everything, as I am forbidden to do so, but mark my words, the answers will come. Just be prepared for them, girl. I will tell you this, though: That fire you ran into a couple of hours ago… well, that was the Essence of fire. Coincidentally, a member of your team is supposed to havethat same trait. Getting back to the topic, more Essences like that are going to attack you now. Some Essences can even take human forms and live in any realm, world, or dimension they so choose. When they attack you, you must fight back and extert pure energy from that Essence into your magic so the said Essence will not attack you any more. If you would have exerted pure energy from the fire Essence you had encountered earlier, you would have had a small bit of power over fire. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Sayuri Outtaike sighed, and at this I flew to look at her facial expression. Her hands griped her hair, and she was really trying to get a hold of the new information I had just told her. After numerous seconds had passed, Sayuri Outtaike glanced at me.

"Oh, sorry, I thought that was rhetorical," Sayuri chuckled derisively. "Err, no. Can you turn that whole explanation into something a person like me can understand?"

"You. Are. The. Savior. Of. The. World. You are going to need these Essences to fight the monster that you were made to defeat. The Wickedness. The Wickedness is utterly indescribable. Truly, the monster is a menace to everyone. The Wickedness came into our realm, and, well, destroyed everything. It had killed almost everyone, nearly wiping out existence us off of the face of time. Shirogane's wife, Momomiya, was killed by this monster. Yes, you can only imagineour sorrow… but he gave us hope. Do not get me wrong, though, The Wickedness can jump dimensions without any trouble, despite its size, and it is controlled by aliens. All right, I think I am done."

"Finally!" Sayuri Outtaike exclaimed, jumping up and stretching out. "That was a good story, thank you kindly!"

"You don't get it, child! This is not a story! This is not make-believe, and this most certainty not a dream! The pilgrimage you are about to embark on is real!" I said, flying close to her head. "Don't you want to know about Tariku's heath?"

That sentence must have gotten to her, because Sayuri Outtaike's eyes grew as wide as watermelons. She slid on her heels and looked at me with pleading eyes. Through that narcissistic shell of hers lays the feelings of a true sentimental hero. Hmm… humans are bizarre.

"If you hurt one hair on my friend's head I'll…"

"Relax, she is ok. You see the collar on my neck? Have you seen Men in Black II?"

"No. What is that… some pie in your world? Don't even joke about that!"

I sighed. "Of course not, I don't even like pie. Any way, the collar around my neck is a memory swapper. It replaces memories with other memories stored into the collar. I swapped her memories, so she will not remember your transformation, or the fire Essenes. And Tariku's house is intact, thanks to your spasms. However, do not take this whole thing lightly as I have stated before, you need to be on your toes."

Sayuri Outtaike looked down at me with gloomy eyes. She finally got it in to her head that all of this was essentially real. It was about time she did, anyway. I left out a lot of very important pieces to this plot here. I know more then she actually thinks I know about her life; let's just say that. I flew around Sayuri's still body, now hearing the front door open and her mother calling her name.

"Clutch you fist. You'll revert back to normal," I said. Sayuri Outtaike looked at me with outlandishly treacherous eyes. Clearly she was taking out her pain on me, which was silly.

"When you were born Miyuki, something terrible happened. You lived. Please, leaveme alone. I am not listening to you. What are you going to tell me now, huh? Are you going to crack jokes about my mom?"

Ah, denunciation. Every human summoner is bound to go through this. She hasn't gotten this through her head just quite yet.

"You might not want to let your mother see you like that, assuming that you don't want to get a nice scolding from her."

"My mom doesn't scold me," Sayuri Outtaike snarled, rising up a quirked brow. No wonder she acts the way she does. Her mother apparently has no control over her daughter's actions. 'Clingy' would not be the word to use when describing Sayuri's mother, though I can't put my finger on an actual words to replace the word 'clingy' with.

"Look," I began, flying straight to Sayuri's face and looking her in her emerald colored eyes. "Whatever you do, do not let your mother know about this. That is an order, you hear?"

Sayuri Outtaike didn't give me an answer.

"Sayuri, honey? Are you in your room?"

I sighed. Sayuri Outtaike is truly a child. I heard footsteps, and Sayuri Outtaike clutched her fist, a whirlwind of purple air drawing in her hand like a tornado. The papers on her wall started to flutter in the wind, but surprisingly stopped once Sayuri Outtaike's mother walked into the threshold of her room. Sayuri Outtaike's mother was quite the facsimile of her daughter, or the other way around. Although I could not find her name in the data files. I could only find her data persona, which is uncanny. I stood in perfectly still, pretending to be a doll of some sort. After all, I have practiced in standing in one place before. Sayuri Outtaike grumbled a bit before looking in another direction, refusing to meet her mother's amethyst eyes.

"What is wrong… dear?"

"Nothing, I'm going to bed." Sayuri Outtaike muttered, falling into her bed and placing her hand across her eyes. The thunder and rain continued to exacerbate outside. Truly it was storming badly. Feeling defeated, Sayuri Outtaike's mother slowly backed away and hit the light switch on the western wall.

"Ok, dear… maybe you'll feel better tomorrow, ok? School will make your day brighter."

"Hopefully," Sayuri Outtaike spoke as her mother closed her door. I sighed. Tomorrow meant another day, with Sayuri Outtaike. Tomorrow meant another day to train, and probably be overwhelmed in the process.

* * *

This dream. This dream is different. Something isn't quite right. I feel frightened and replaced, but more then anything I feel sad. My stomach is turning and my palms are sweaty. I am fully transformed, and I feel so bad. Rage is flooding my veins and I can't stop my body from running in unknown directions. Three people stand in my way, and one of them has this extremely long black trench coat on. Miyuki is right next to me, screaming orders to me as if I'm some type of lackey! Hey, I am the star of my destiny! This cat goes on and on about how I am the freakin' savior of this world, and here she is, treating me like a sidekick!

Suddenly, I feel my stomach drop completely. I can feel a warm substance slide down my face. What the… are these tears? I am crying? Once again, I am having a weird dream. Go figure. Sayuri doesn't cry, ever.

"You… I'll never forgive you!" I yell, swinging my weapon violently all over the place. Chunks of my hair begin to fly everywhere, as a very tall female swings a not-so-forgiving scythe at my head! This isn't cool! Emotions are threatening to literally burst out of me. I am bruised, battered, and my hair is cut. Cackling erupts from another figure, standing a great distance away from us two. How did I get into this fight exactly? I want to ask a question, but I am at a disadvantage. It seems as though I am really fixated on fighting.

What is that emotion called? Oh yeah, greed. I want revenge so desperately. I am just so confused! Really, who can live like this? How can anyone live like this?

"Use the damned Essences, Sayuri! You have them for a reason!" Miyuki calls out. I hesitated completely, letting this woman get another attack on me. I scream out in pain, which is really unusual for me to do. Yeah, I'd hiss and complain about pain, but I am not the screaming type of person. That just isn't me.

"I can't, she's one of us isn't she?" I gasp, throwing my hands out, probably begging for mercy. No, Sayuri Outtaike never begs for mercy! This is a very bizarre dream! You know you are crazy when you beg for mercy in your own dreams. I could go ten-fold on this woman and end this fight right here if I wanted to!

"Go on, don't you want to save your cousin? She is not going to like being cooked slowly to death by --"

The last thing I heard was a hysterical grunt before my dream ended. Weird. My eyes fluttered open to be met with Miyuki's face three inches from my own. I instantly sat up, not really wanting to be slapped in the face again. I glanced out of my window and noticed that it was still storming outside. I am really getting agitated with Miyuki being here. Miyuki is an itch that I can not wait to scratch. She is a stupid cat who should just go back to her home land, which isn't earth! I am still sleepy, though. What time is it? What is the use of having cool powers over time if I cannot tell what time it is? Can I get a clock, please? How about some food? Yeah, I am pretty hungry. Why, I'd eat Miyuki right now, but I don't eat cat. I opened my mouth to say something, but Miyuki put a paw over my lips. What the heck is her problem?

"Don't say anything," Miyuki commanded, flying towards my window. Miyukithen looked over to me with widened eyes. Man, I am telling you, her eyes are really spine-chilling. No normal cat has pink eyes. See, this is why a loathe cats, and I say that with pride! Dignity, even. Look, all I am saying is that this chick really scares me, ok? I do not like Miyuki! I hesitated before getting up and walking next to the flying cat's side. I peered out of the window, and man, the water was like, four feet high out there! We had a flood? But when? The residents were not alerted, at least to my knowledge! So what is this, tell-everybody-stuff-but-me time? Why not tell me everything now, when I desperately need answers!?

"So what the hell, Miyuki? What is going on?" I exclaimed, clearly forgetting what Miyuki had just told me on purpose. Miyuki frowned, and then pointed a paw at me. What does this cat think she is doing? Why does she persist on ruining my great life? I mean, I've got a friend, and my mother is up to par on her daily duties. So, what gives!? Sayuri Outtaike doesn't need a guardian! I can take care of my own self, easy! She needs to hit the road before I show her the road with my foot.

"It is dawn, girl. Damn, apparently I miscalculated my observations yesterday night. I can sense it now."

I rolled my eyes. Does this cat expect to know every single thing?

"Why don't you go blow your brains out, Miyuki? You've got nothing to lose!" I paused, smirking wildly. "Look, I can handle all this stuff on my own! You are useless, and I am the one with the power!"

And I was right. I do not see Miyuki with a wand thing in her hands! Miyuki did not get chased by fire yesterday! Shoot, my life was at risk! You hear me? My life! I am way more important then Miyuki here!

"Sayuri, I am about to show a technique called tracking Essence jewels." Miyuki spoke rather quickly. "I stated yesterday that everyone has an Essence, correct? I believe you can do this technique. First, you have to concentrate and close your eyes. After that, I believe that jewels will float around you. Do not worry; they will not do anything to you. Human Essences will resemble two jewels linked together, while just plain Essences will only be one jewel. If that one jewel is close by, we've got ourselves an Essence to fight."

I grunted. Who does this chick think she is?

"I am not doing anything, okay? Stop toying with my emotions! All of this isn't real, got it?"

Subsequently, Miyuki cratched my leg at record speeds, causing me to bend over and shield myself from her claws. Now I am pissed. I snarled at her, making sure my rage shone through my face. This isn't funny! To hell with this cat!

"If you stop telling lies about me, I'll stop telling you the truth about you!" I partly exclaimed. Miyuki started to hiss at me. I could tell she was just as angry as I was. However, Miyuki did not have a right to be angry. Miyuki was invading my life! I swear if it wasn't illegal to kill animals, Miyuki would be deceased by now.

"You are the most outrageous human I have ever met in my life! All I asked for was for you to cooperate with me! Can I at least get that? Stop getting smart with me."

"Apparently not," I retorted. "Can I get my life back? Me, getting smart with you? How would you know that?"

"You're going to die."

My breathing literally stopped. I looked down at Miyuki, who looked just as serious as ever. Why would that idiot say something like that to me? What is she trying to do, kill me herself? I am going to have a heart attack, man.

"It is true," Miyuki mumbled. "You think I have no idea about what you are going through, or what you are about to go through? I know, girl. I am sorry, but a trained a good ten thousand years to guard you, and I don't even get paid for this job. If I fail as your guardian, I will fail everyone I was working to redeem. Please girl, pay attention."

My face turned three shades of crimson. That is it, I am about to be responsible for murder! I lifted up my fist, but the rain outside began to worsen. The wind fishtailed north expeditiously. Miyuki and and I traded glances before I nodded my head. So, I get it now. All this rain meant that there was another Essence. Looks like it is time to call the professional, eh?

"Time Metaphase!" I called out, transforming into my super-powerful self. I stood up in pride. Power filled my veins and I felt exhilarated.

"It is a little before dawn, isn't it Miyuku?" I said. Well, I really didn't ask her that. It was more like I was telling her what time it was because I am the summoner of time, aren't I? Yeah, I am so awesome! Miyuki rolled her eyes at me.

"Yes, yes it is. Now, we are going to have to jump out of your window -"

"No problem!" I interrupted, already fighting with the locks on my windows. I unhinged them, and jumped out of the window in pure glee. But you know, I forgot something that was on the ground. No, wait, I said that wrong. Remember when I said outside was flooded? Yeah, I jumped right into the now five foot deep water. So, now I had a problem. I cannot swim! I threw my hands up everywhere, begging Miyuki for assistance. Water was getting into my lungs, and my head burned! You know that feeling you get when you snort water? Well, I had that feeling. Miyukiflew above me, a what-the-hell look on her face.

"You can not swim?" She asked, almost dumbfounded. I could tell she wanted to laugh at me. No, what does it look like I am doing? I am drowning for fun, Miyuki? Newsflash, people do not drown for fun! Maybe they cut themselves for fun, but not drowning!

"Help… water… not my thing!"

I drifted into the street, and I then caught a glimpse at Tariku's house. It was like her house had never burned down to a complete crisp. Wow. Tariku's front door opened all of a sudden, and then rain started to get more vicious. Tariku began to walk out of her house, but she looked kind of peculiar. I mean, if this water hasn't distorted my vision, Tariku's eyes were desolated. She looked like a zombie, practically, and the water that should have rushed into her house was surrounding her. Aw man, she is a summoner too? Miyuki grunted before grabbing my flailing right hand. What the… since when do cats havethe ability to carry humans? My mouth formed into an 'o' as I glanced down at the water, which was getting much higher. I was totally drenched in water. Everything about me was wet, and it was still raining horribly on my head. I am telling you… as soon as I find this Essence, I am going to shove my foot so far up its ass!

"Does she always wake up this early in the morning?" Miyuki inquired. Err, no onein their right mind wakes up at dawn in the middle of a storm and walks outside in a five-feet-high flooding? Obviously, I am the smart one in this duo.

"No. Are you always this stupid, or is today a special occasion?" I complained. "Oh, so water seems to follow my friend around too, huh? Is she a summoner as well?"

"No. This has to be the work of the water Essence. Girl, remember when I was talking to you about Essences? An Essence can retain a human form. This is the water Essence at work here, and let's just say--"

"Holy crap!" I exclaimed. I looked towards my school, and hundreds of girls looking my age were just piled up in the front yard. Now, Miyukiwas right. There was this watery-looking guy standing in front of all the girls, smiling maliciously. He was fat, and he wore a suit thirteen sizes too big. I am going to kick his ass, because, ironically, there wasn't any fivefoot deep water surrounding anyone in this square mile. Miyuki flew lower, and I gladly let go of her paw. There I stood, looking all righteous and stuff. I clutched my hands before pointing my left index finger at this fiend. Miyuki stared along with me.

"Still being a pedophile, are we?" Miyuki mused in that negligent voice of hers. Pedophile? Wait, what?

"Hold it!" I yelled, throwing both of my hands out. "Pedophile? Are you serious?" I chuckled, tearing up a bit. Water being a pedophile? What kind of made up fairy-tale is this? Miyuki scowled at me and the pedophile guy. For some reason, his eyes were glued to me, which then made me stop laughing. Oh crap, it was true.

"The Summoner of Time is a woman?" He gawked. Miyuki flew in front of me, as if she was intimidating the dude. As if.

"As always, water Essence," Miyuki remarked. Say, do you think they know each other? I am about to find out!

"Miyuki, you guys know each other?"

"Sadly," Miyuki sighed. My attention was then drawn towards zombie Tariku, who had walked into this fat guys arms wholeheartedly. All right, it is time to end this charade! There will be no groping as long as I am here! Ha, groping. I was going to summon my magic wand, but in the corner of my eye, I saw the same flames that an encountered yesterday! Oh shit! Miyuki's head snapped backwards as the mumbled a series of curse words. No way, these Essences are jumping me! I pivoted out of the way as the flames lunged towards my legs. What kind of guardian lets fire attack me from behind, huh?

"Tri beam!" Miyuki exclaimed. She blew a little air out of her mouth, and then this rainbow colored beam lunged out at the flames, constricting them in one place. Wait, this whole battle is evading science. How can there be flames in a freak flooding? See what I mean? This has to be a dream. I turned to look at the water Essence, how looked like her was creepily getting to know my friend. I cringed.

"Hey, put my friend down!" I commanded. Of course the water Essence paid no attention to me and kept… fondling my friend.

"She's intoxicating, summoner. I would make you a deal, however. I'll trade her for you."

Urgh. That fat voice. No offense, but urgh. Not taking this guy seriously, I ran up to him in a recklessly. Next thing I knew, I was totally underwater. I freaked out immediately. I couldn't see an opening, and my lungs were bursting! Everywhere I looked, I could only see water. God damn… I am seriously about to die here. My eyes slowly closed, and I could feel my body drifting to this endless sea's bottom.

Now, I can see a guy. He is fairly tall, and well built, but he looks sad. Miserable is more like it. He is standing over a grave, his brown melancholy eyes shimmering with woe.

"It wasn't that serious… Kanashii. You could have talked it out with me. You could have…"

The guy then stopped talking, for whatever reason. This is beyond me. Another freaky dream. Man, I am ready to live here!

"You should never have never killed yourself over a breakup, Kanashii… everything would have been fine…"

The guy grabs a silver star locket from around his neck. You know… if I would have asked for an angsty dream, I would have asked for one! What gives!? Abruptly, I found myself still emerged in water, but the water wasn't moving. Hey, have you ever been in one of those ball pits? Yeah, I could literally push this water aside! Yes! Decent! Some how, through my diligent efforts to live, I made my way to some sort of surface. Now, I was standing in the same place I had been before I charged the water Essence. But you know, something was not right. I slowly cocked my head to the left, only to be met with the fire Essence, ready to pounce me on, and then the water Essence looked pissed, ready to pounce on me from the right. Miyuki was nowhere to be found. I am screwed!

"Hold it!" I exclaimed, stopping time. Cool, I can do that too? Awesome-sauce! Now, let me utilize this time.

"Magic Wand!" I cried out, my weapon appearing in my right hand. If I was paying attention to Miyuki earlier, I think I need to capture these Essences or something like that? Maybe if I beat them, I'll have control over them! Think Sayuri, think, you are God, you can do this right! I clutched my magic wand with both hands, as a very clever idea popped into my head. I took one step back and waved my magic wand vertically down. Time resumed, but guess what? I wasn't going to get mauled! The two Essences stupidly collided into each other, and once they did that, steam rose up into the air, causing even more rain to poor down. I sighed heavily as my magic wand began to glow. First, it glowed a serene cerulean, and then a frightening scarlet. Another day is saved by the incredible Sayuri. But wait… what am I going to do with all these girls!? I turned around in multiple directions, not sure what to do next. And then I saw Miyuki, laid out onto the ground. I quickly ran to her side.

"Hey, you ok, Miyuki?" I asked, all concerned. Ok, so I give into emotions! Miyuki looked at me, and then smiled.

"You're not so useless after all, Sayuri."

"Ok, give it to me straight: what happened?" You know what? Forget this, cue the sad music!

"You blanked out all of a sudden when you ran towards the water Essence, Sayuri. He toyed with your mind. After that, I accordingly did a guardian's job, reverting to my original form and causing hell. My power quickly waned, and here I am. You did well. Most summoners wouldn't stand a chance fighting two Essences at once."

Aww… she complemented me. Or did she?

"Do you want to die stupid, Miyuki?"

"What, here I am complementing you and you…"

"Spare me. Don't thank me for insulting you. It was my pleasure, you stupid cat."

"Insurable human!"

"Obnoxious mammal!"

"High and mighty girl!"

I narrowed my eyes. The rain just kept poring down onto my head. "Don't you have a terribly empty feeling in your skull? Looks like you have some memory swapping to do, Miyuki."

At first Miyuki gaped at me for a moment, then she looked up at the many girls lined up behind me. All is well that ends well huh?

"I am going home. See you later!" I called out, detransforming as I began to saunter home. Crap sacks, I keep forgetting that there is a five foot flood around here! Oh man… here we go again!

* * *

**A/N**: Phew... that was hard. And if you are reading this: GIVE SAKUUYA A COOKIE, OK? Seriously. I'll be mad if you don't.


	4. The Sound Of Silence

**A/N:** Damn it, this is the last time I am ever rushing a chapter like this **_ever _**again! You don't know how many errors I had to correct, and they were stupid errors. And, on top of that, when I got to the fifth page, my spell checker failed.

So, with all of that added with the additional stress to get this done on time and my ridiculously fast typing speed (eighty WPM) I failed this chapter. Don't worry though, sakuuya cleared everything up. It's all good. So, yeah, I promise O/Cs will be in the next chapter! Like you guys, Chiharu is ready to start foreshowing, even though I have been doing that for the last two chapters. (Early I know!)

* * *

"Dear, flowers bring me happiness."

"I know that, Mom."

"You bring me happiness."

"I know that too, Mom."

"I'll never ever leave you, Sayuri."

"I got it, Mom."

And with that last sentence, Sayuri left for school.

* * *

**-: Chapter Three: The Sound of Silence :-**

_Sometimes, I feel like I'm still dreaming.  
It seems like everyday, you're always on my mind.  
This is how we stay so connected, so connected  
over space and time._

Silverstein - Still Dreaming

Ah, those were the good old days. I used to walk through the hallways of my elementary school with my head held high. Yeah, I was the shit back then. Now, I was some kind of super-powered time bomb or something like that. I mean, I remember dreaming of being a hero in my awesome years, except I had all of the powers known to humankind, and yeah, I could _fly_. I fly all the time in my dreams…. You know, except for the unusual dreams I've been having lately. And you know what? Flying is cool. Period. Having the ability to control time sounds like an old man power. Why couldn't I have cool bacon vision or something?

So, here I was in my living room, slumped into the old loveseat we have had for years. My eyes were weighted down with fatigue, and I was still soaked. Guess what, though? I was detransformed. See, everyone thinks I am stupid or something, but I remember to do the important stuff! I clutched the TV remote as I looked at the news. Yeah, everyone is freakin' out because all of those girls were just lined up at the school in their pajamas. I got rid of that water, by the way. Let's just say the water when "poofy" because I used the fire Essence to turn the water into more steam. Ha, and who said I didn't pay attention in science class, hmm?

Yes, there will be no school today, as I predicted. Where the hell was Miyuki? I did not want to be attacked again! I hadn't seen her since I ditched her. And let me tell you, never underestimate the power of the doggy paddle. Yes sir, that was me swimming across the street with my butt in the air, muttering multiple random words. The doggy paddle saved my life. Yeah, go on, laugh at me. I bet you I won't be there to save your ass when you're being owned by fire and water at the same time while drowning in imaginary water.

Hold on, I just had a spark of sheer genius. I should have had those more often. Today, I would be the prankster that I was born to be. I was bored… wasn't I? I sunk down into the loveseat, rubbing my temples. Man, I was confused. All this stuff about magic and Essences was perplexing. Actually, I just wanted to go to school. I missed laughing and cracking jokes with Tariku.

"Sayuri… is there any particular reason why you are wet?" My mother asked in that sweet, concerned voice all mothers should have. At that point, I could lie to her. Why, I could tell her dinosaurs fell from the sky, and flying pigs transformed into flying cows and she would believe me. She believed everything I did and said to her. That was why I wish I had a dad of some sort. I mean, at least he would tell me when stuff I did was bad. But, as fate would have it, I had no father. Apparently, he was nothing but a dead beat. Yep, that is what my mom told me. And I didn't believe her saccharine lie. If she couldn't look me in my eyes and say that my dad was a deadbeat, I'd never believe her.

I glanced at her, my pigtails frizzing with every move of my head. Where the heck was she going, looking all professional with her black suit and suitcase?

"Who are you going to assault, mom? What… you were going to rob a bank and didn't tell me?" I complained, getting up from my seat and eyeing her with persistency. She smiled as she always did. My mom never contradicted me. She always just looked happy, like nothing I did got on her nerves. Hey, I'd be pissed if my daughter was implying that I was about to rob a bank with nothing but a suitcase. I mean, who is stupid enough to pull a heist without some sort of mask on? I mean, who is stupid enough to rob a bank without a mask? Yeah, there we go! Take that, Yai Karachi.

"Sayuri, I am just going to go handle some business. I'll be back before midnight, m'kay? I love you."

I cocked a brow. Where was she going? It wasn't like her to keep things from me. Ah, she's getting old. That's it. Yep she's going through a cranky midlife crisis. Why do all adults seem to do that? Pshaw, you're getting old, so what? Soon, you'll be kicking back and drinking Hawaiian Punch with death. Complaining is not going to get you anywhere. However, complaining gets me everywhere, because when I complain, I get pretty much what I want.

"Ok, whatever. It had better not be any illegal business, though! I don't want to have to bail you out of jail, Kohana!" I cooed, bringing my eyes back to the TV set. Hey, Tariku's on the TV, telling us what happened! I let out a giant cackle, which made my mom flinch. Sorry about that, mother! Wait till I tell Tariku that she was raped by water! That was a classic joke!

"So… can you tell us what all of you were doing at Mukizu High School? Where your parents aware of this strange sleep over?"

At first, Tariku looked like she didn't know what to say. Then, in all her dumb-blonde glory, she put her right finger on her temple. I wonder what Miyuki replaced her memory with?

"Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else."

Seriously, I felt like I had been punched in the mouth in a good way! My stomach instantly tensed up, and everything got _really_ silent. My eyes started to tear up, and I brought my hands around my stomach. That was the funniest thing I had heard all day! My laughter filled the whole house! I mean, I could barely hear my mother's petite "oh my" comment. And look at this! The announcer man did not know what to do. He's looking equally confused, and he was actually looking into the camera for assistance! Tariku was not going to live that one down, I swear! After a good five minutes of absolute silence from the TV, the announcer started to stutter before saying that he would be right back. Classic. Although I wonder… was that from Miyuki's memories? If so, I was going to embarrass her. Whose leg was she pissing on? My mom did not notice my laughing fit, because she was talking on her phone.

Interested, I got up and walked over to my mother, pondering who she could be talking to. I mean… unless she was discussing something about me, she would tell me upfront who she was talking to. Actually, she would tell me who she was talking to, regardless if I asked or not. Let's see… It could have been one of my teachers! Pfft, that was a stupid idea. It doesn't matter how many bad tests I got, my mom wasn't going to do anything about it! All she was going to do was tell me that she loved me in that meek mother voice of hers. You know, now that I think about it, that was somewhat weird. Usually, when kids get bad grades and stuff, their parents unleash hell. At least, that was what I heard floating around Miziku. My mother just smiled and winked at me.

While I am on the subject, all jokes aside, my grandmother supposedly got ran over by a car. Yes, my mother told me that. That was another reason why I don't believe her lies. If you are going to lie, at least lie the right way! Shoot. I was not dumb! If you ate my grandmother, that is fine with me! I won't go to the police and tell them that you murdered your mother, because we are cool like that. My mom brought her beaming eyes towards me while she hung up her phone.

"Dear… you didn't forget what today was?"

Hmm… maybe. I didn't know what she was talking about. I was not doing any homework. I mean, I hated school, and I still do. You see, I was allergic to stupid crap. I remember in elementary school that I was allergic to stupid stuff. I can remember being in class, and then my teacher would say Sayuri, stand up. Then she told me to spell kitchen. So I stood their and sounded the word out, like I was instructed to. You see, my teachers and I didn't get along with each other, period. I hated that teacher. Well, anyway, I sounded the word out loud. K-i-t-c-h-e-n. That is how you spell kitchen, right? Well, that was what I said. So the teacher nodded her head and told me I did a good job. Then she told me to spell knife. Therefore, I stood there and sounded this word out like the last time. I spelled knife n-i-f-e, because that is how it sounds. Then she said, "No, no, I am sorry, it is k-n-i-f-e."

So then I looked around the classroom, thinking how stupid this teacher was and as a result, I put my hand up and waited for her to call on me. She called on me and I told her with the way she spelled knife, it would be pronounced ka-knife. And I was right! And guess what? This is what she told me in front of the whole entire class: "The 'k' is silent." I asked her what the hell was she talking about, and I told her she needed to take that quite thing out and throw it out of a window. And right after class, I cut her with a ka-spoon! I know I am supposed to know this already, but can someone please tell me the purpose of the silent letter? Have you ever been able to use one in your own personal life? My name is Sayuri! It's spelled S-a-q-y-u-r-i! No sir, your name is Saqyuri! See, there is even a 'q' in it!

Now math? Math was the easiest subject in the whole entire world, because everything my teacher said, I could verify. My teacher always told me two plus two equaled four, and I would always look at my fingers. Two plus two does equal four! Then one day, my math teacher just flipped the script. My teacher said one day, "Three 'x' plus 'x' equals what?"

I had to call him out. "Did you know that some of them were letters?" is what I responded with. I mean, who was the idiot that put mother-freakin' letters in math problems? Do I give a crap what 'x' is? Is 'x' going to buy me lunch? No? I did not think so!

"So, what did I miss?" I asked, blinking a bit. My mother smiled sweetly at me.

"You are supposed to be at Okazaki mall today, remember?"

My stomach dropped. What?! I finally got a day out of school, and I had to spend it at the mall? Wait, I know that sounds all good and glamorous, but get this: I am in the choir. Yeah, that is right. Hey, I heard it looks good on your transcript, ok! Our choir sucks. Our choir is filled with a whole lot of girls who couldn't really sing. Ok, I can't really sing, but at least I could sing in the same type of pitch I was supposed to sing in! Those idiots screamed through songs. And our pushover choir director just let them scream like that. I mean, she was worse then my mother. My choir director had actually gotten her glasses smacked off her face, and she just let that crap slide. Now see, if that would have been me…. Well let's just say I would unleash holy hell. Anyway, the choir was suppose to be singing there today, and I, of course, had to be there, because I am second in command. That is right, I am second in command.

I know, I know: Sayuri, how could you be second in command? Like I said before, I can't sing, and of course Suzuki would be ahead of me. He was always ahead in me in almost every single thing I did, and it was annoying! Once, I got my English test back, and I scored a ninety. This dude scored a one hundred and twelve percent! What the crap…. Seriously? Was there any such thing as a one hundred and twelve percent? Now _that _was a rhetorical question. Please, I hope no one beats me with numbers and percentages.

"Yeah, I remember. I was hoping I could ditch that, ya know, Mother dearest?" I smirked, nudging my mom in the stomach. Now, here was the part where she said I could stay home. Watch and learn kiddos.

"Sayuri, time is what we don't have. Now please, I'll drive you there dear."

Whoa! That went all wrong! That wasn't what was supposed to happen at all! And whaddya mean we don't have time? I was full of it! But she didn't know that, did she? Would it have hurt me if I told my mother what I had become? Yeah, probably. Therefore, I wouldn't take any chances. See, Sayuri can be smart! But first I had to get out of these wet clothes.

"How long will you wait for me to change my clothes?"

"Don't worry dear; you can take as much time as you want. I love you!"

Man, she was wickedly nice to me. I ran upstairs with a sudden urge to wear something that was going to keep me warm. I mean, it's summer, but you never know what can happen. I don't know.... The ice Essence or something could be after me. Therefore, I grabbed a violet hoodie and threw on a random pair of jeans. There, I was all done playing dress up. I grabbed my brush and started to comb through my puffy pigtails. I hated combing my hair. It was just unbearable sometimes. I have to hold my pigtails with both hands because if I did't, I would get floor dirt on them, and that always sucked. After a couple of minutes of combing my hair, I ran downstairs and almost knocked over my mother. She just laughed at my accidental antic and patted me on my head.

"Don't kill yourself now… I'd be miserable if you did!" She beamed. Gah… I was not that stupid. I crossed my arms as I walked outside my house with my mother. Her eyes instantly flashed to the lilac flowers growing in our front yard. Yes, it stopped raining, finally. I breathed a sigh of relief as my mother put her suitcase down and knelled down to touch her white flowers. Now, I know certain people have certain inclinations with certain things, but my mother had a _fetish with flowers_. Was that normal? I mean, her name does mean 'little flower' hence Kohana, but man… she treated those flowers like pillows. I stood over her, trying to gather the good in flowers. Flowers were nothing but sun-stealing rays of crap. There.

"… I can't seem to smell the flowers any more," she muttered. "Something must be wrong…"

"Yeah, you can go to the doctor after I upstage everyone in the choir." I complained. My mother then grabbed her suitcase and stood back up before sighing. She took my hint prior to finally guiding me to her car. I hopped into the passenger's seat, eager to show everyone that Sayuri is arriving at this choir meet. The car ride to Okazaki mall was really tense and awkward. Usually, when we stopped at every red light, my mother would be all like, "I love you, make sure your seat belt is on!" or something, but she didn't say anything like that this time. Yep, she's getting old. I absolutely couldn't wait to jump out of the car and get into the mall. Kohana was uncanny. This was the first time I've seen her act like that. Speaking of weird, where the heck was Miyuki?

We came to a stop, and I was greeted with the whole choir, seven girls and one guy, to be exact. And oh, I was also greeted by my squeamish choir director. I got out of my mom's car and walked up to my teatcher. Now, I did not like any of these people in the choir. And I especially didn't like Suzuki. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could totally see him kind of laughing at me. Yeah, that is right, sorta _laughing at me_. I put my hood up on my head before poking my despondent choir director in the shoulder. She flinched a bit, and let me tell you, it was kind of upsetting to see a grown woman flinch. Especially one as heavy-set as Emi.

"So, are we going to go in, Emi, or what?" I cooed, narrowing my eyes at my director. Her glance met the pavement. Just then, everyone crowed around me and Emi. One of the girls that was in the choir had some sort of cat bundled up in her arms, and that cat looked suspiously like Miyuki. Except, you know, this cat had a big giant ribbon glued onto its head and lip stick was smeared all over its face.

"Meow!" _(You are in so much trouble! I swear, ______ , you will not hear the end of my rage!)_

Whoa, it _is_ Miyuki! Resisting the urge to laugh, I waited for Emi to respond. Wait a second, why did something in Miyuki's sentence sound left out? Oh well. I did not know the name of anyone in this choir except for Suzuki's name. I guess Miyuki was going to have to stay in the arms that held her! Anyway, how did Miyuki get captured? Isn't she like, a bad ___ or something? Whoa… what the? Did I just get mind raped?

" ___ It isn't nice to call the director by her first name," Suzuki spoke, clearly trying to find a way to annoy me. Ok… why the heck didn't he use my name? It sounds like he did, but then it is just… weird. Hey, maybe everyone is just toying with my emotions! He had better stop that!

"Seeing as how I didn't ask you, take your opinion and shove it up your _____ ."

Now this time, everyone blinked. All right, what gives? Why is everyone playing a game all of a sudden, and why can't I say what I need to say? Are you serious? I am ____ ____, for Pete's sake. What the ____? Hold on, now I can't _think _my own name? This is some _____ _____ ! I turned to Miyuki, hoping to find an answer. She still looked pissed, and I think she was about to take a chunk out of the girl that is holding her. That is right Miyuki, fight the power! Kill the Man!

"Ah, that's not really ladylike…" Suzuki added, putting a mischievous look on his face. What? Ok, so now this dude has just started a war. Be prepaired for bomb fire and gunshots!

"Yeah, well, at least I have a mother! You've got two dads and a chemistry set, _____ "

"Why do you keep doing that?" Suzuki mused. "Cat got your toungue?"

No, the cat is over there, doing nothing to solve this mystery. ______ Miyuki do something!

"Why are you so gay?"

"Why are you such a boy?"

"I see you tried to put make-up on, Suzuki, and failed."

"I could say the same for you."

"Touché, faggot," I said, cynicism dripping off of my tongue. So, while I was busy waiting for a reply, Miyuki jumped out of the girl's arms and walked up to me.

"Meow!" _(Stop your quarrelling! This is an Essence we are dealing with!)_

_____ . Man, why so soon? What Essense was she talking about? What exacty could make a person not be able to say stuff? Man, why is this so confusing?! The sun is beaming down on my head, but it isn't nearly as hot as it was a couple of says ago.

"I am Sayuri-freakin'-Outtaike!"

My head instantly tilted to the left at Emi. Everyone was really confused, and Emi covered her mouth, trying to make it seem like she hadn't just said my name! Hey, that is my line! Actually, hey, that is my name!

"I… I don't know what came over me…" Emi sighed. One of the girls sighed.

"Isn't Miyuki sopposed to be bad ass or something?"

My eyes instantly widened. Ok… that too is my line. Why does everyone want to be me all of a sudden?

"Who is Miyuki?"

"Does anyone else think weird things are happening?"

"When are we going to sing?"

Those questions floated around me. Miyuki looked serious. Could we see this Essence? I do not think so… so what gives…?

"Meow!" (_Try to transform, girl_!)

All right, now I am really confused. Skip that, I am insanely confused. Miyuki wants me to try to transform in front of all these people? Now, I have no clue how secret identities are soppose to work, but I am sopposed to conceal my super hero alias! When can I ever get a break from all of this super hero crap?! It's only been a couple of hours, and already I am getting mind hacked?! I opened my mouth up to at least try to transform, completely contradicting what I just said. Guess what? Absolutely nothing came out of my mouth. Miyuki sulked a bit.

"Meow…" _(Damn. There could be a slew of Essences responsible for this. If only you could stop time…)_

I sneered. Man, what is this, piss-______-off-for-no-apparent-reason? Gah! Man, I did it again! You know what… if I could stop time I would. Speaking of which, what about those spasms I was having? Didn't those trigger some kind of time warp paradox thingies? That is what I need! I didn't even care about the looks I was getting. If I am going to die like Miyuki says, I want to save my butt before anyone else's butt. There. Not knowing what else to do, my emerald eyes trailed down to the ground.

And then hell unleashed itself.

I kid you not. A small girl, probably ten years old or something, somersaulted over to me and grabbed Miyuki without a second thought. Now, Miyuki was cradled in this girl's arms. This girl had tan skin; and bangles on both of her arms. And let me tell you, these bangles were gigantic! I mean, some sort of cloth connected the two bangles together. This girl stuck her tongue out at me while she griped Miyuki with a firm grasp. She threw up a bunch of hand signs with her free hand before running off into the mall. What the...? Suzuki raised a brow.

"Sign language? Sayuri, was that your cat?" he asked, wanting to get into my business. Emi just looked at us while we gave her even more confused looks. I doubted that we were going to sing today. I wish I hadn't signed up for this. I mean, if we were scheduled to sing, I think we are dead close to being late. I pointed an index figure in the direction that that weird girl ran.

"Get that girl!" I commanded. When no one responded, I slowly put my hand down. Crap, they all must think I am crazy or something. Wait, did Suzuki finally say my name? If so, that means I can transform now! Awesome-sauce. I can't lose Miyuki, no matter how much I want to leave her in a ditch. Hold on, though… if I can say what I want to say, then I should be able to tell Suzuki off with no problems! Alas, I really need to get Miyuki out of her current situation. I mean, I don't like her, but I think she has suffered enough. So with that in mind, I dashed into the mall, trying not to bump into many people who where giving me bad looks.

"Hey, get the hell out of my way!" I exclaimed, now starting to push people aside. Oh, great. Here comes the fat security guards equipped with nothing but doughnuts and flash lights! I have to stop everything! Man, skip this, I am transforming! My hand started to glow that purple color I have grown to love. Everything stopped around me as I prepared to transformed.

"Time Metaphase!" I called out. As soon as I was dressed and ready go, I wasted no time in preparing to do something totally epic.

"Blessed water, I call to thee. I ask you to bless this place for me. Remove all negativity, purify, I ask of thee!"

Out of the blue, it started to rain hard inside this mall. I mean, it was utterly impossible, but hey, whatever floats my boat… I guess. I detransformed as people started to scream and run out of the mall. Riot, r-i-o-t! See, there is no annoying silent letter in riot! Way to go! Now if only I could find that girl. Just then, a cold wet, hand grabbed my shoulder. I unintentionally flinched as I turned around to see Suzuki, who was just as wet as I was when I challenged the five-feet-high floods in the streets. It was raining bad. Though I couldn't see Suzuki's face, as his brown hair was in the way, I could almost tell he was about to order me around. Pfft, what makes you think that I follow anyone's orders?

"Yokoshima-sensei wants us to go home. She said something about it not being safe here. C'mon."

My eyes narrowed. You know, this sort of personal space violation can earn anyone a kick in the chin. Lucky for Suzuki, I can't kick him in the chin because I have no idea how anyone can get their leg up that high in the first place. So instead of trying to kick him in his chin, I deliberately put on some kind of weird kind look on my face. I have no idea where that small chick went with my "partner." I am going to need some help here.

"I am looking for that cat. It is my cat, after all!" I said. However, there was no way in hell I was going to ask this dude for any sort of help. That isn't me. Sayuri doesn't ask anyone for help. I find out things for myself! Feeling flustered, I began to saunter ahead of my make-believe foe. And there I saw her. The tan girl was holding Miyuki, and she looked as if she was laughing to herself, but really, no sound was audible. Strange.

"My name is Silence! Let's play!" Miyuki saidin a childish voice. I burst out in laughter as I Suzuki looked at me with befuddled black eyes.

"Did that cat just talk?"

"I can walk, too!" Miyuki hissed. "Sayuri, this is the Silence Essence! Do something!"

Ah, so Miyuki is practically eating out of my hands, eh? I turned around to Suzuki and threw my hands out.

"Does that look like a talking cat to you? Then it is a talking cat!"

That explanation seemed to be no use, because Suzuki looked more confused them ever before. He sucks. I turned back to face Miyuki, who looked like she was about to say something else.

"Let's play a game, ok? I am an Essence, as your friend just stated! Cool, huh?"

I instantly smacked my lips. Who says cool anymore? The correct term is awesome-sauce. See, awesome-sauce doesn't have a silent letter it either. Awesome-sauce. Before I could respond, the silence Essence disappeared from my sight. That is never a good sign. Someone was about to be owned. I bet you any kind of money that I'd put Suzuki in front of me as a shield before I'd save his life! Suzuki took a couple of steps ahead of me before leering at me in the most bothersome way. It was like he knew something I didn't know, and he wasn't going to tell me what he knew. Actually, I think he was going to use this thing against me somehow.

"So, you are friends with a talking cat," he mused. "Whose leg did you eat to make that possible?"

"Not yours!" I shot back. "Look, help me get the cat and get out of here. I've got a mother at home actually waiting for me."

Ok, so maybe I lied just a little bit about my mom being home. But I had to lie! This dude thinks he is smarter then me. I then looked to my left to see Miyuki walking towards me, bad makeup adjustments and all. She looked nothing short of extremely pissed off.

"Back so soon, make-believe bad ass?" I taunted. Miyuki hissed at me, implying that I had better shut my mouth before I accidentally die.

"The silence Essence isn't really a threat." Miyuki said, with her tranquil voice. No human is that relaxed. But then again, Miyuki wasn't human now was she? I guess Miyuki wasn't done with her sentence, as she opened her mouth to say something else.

"Aw, I wonder which of you humans is actually better then that cat at being smart!" Miyuki said in an extremely childish voice. However, I was just too fixated on deciphering what Miyuki - err yeah, what Miyuki just said. I am way smarter then Miyuki and Suzuki, so there. I threw my hands on my hips.

"Uh, I am better, duh." I said, smirking a lot.

"Care to confirm that?"

"Gladly. I can write actual sentences. There," I ruminated. As far as I could tell, Suzuki doesn't write. But then again, this guy is so flamboyant that he probably likes to write poetry. Before Suzuki could ever answer, Miyuki sunk her teeth into my leg. Seriously, she did it with no warning and no apparent reason her actions. I to shake my leg. I swear, if Miyuki doesn't come off my leg I'll kill her!

Just when I thought all my attempts were for nothing, the weirdest thing happened. I transformed involuntarily, right in front of Suzuki. This is not awesome-sauce! In fact, this is horrible-sauce. Miyuki let go of my leg, blood seeping from her teeth.

"You owe me." Miyuki said, spitting out whatever traces of my blood was in her mouth. Suzuki didn't look as awestruck as I thought he would. Actually, he just stood there with his hand on his chin.

"Impressive," was all he said. Maybe he thinks my transformation was a magic trick? Either way works fine. But, what I really want to do is tell this these two what I really think of them! I can't stand either one of them! They both make me sick! I won't even bother to spell that one. But then again, I do feel like that word deserves a "no silent letter" comment. I was fuming with rage, and my hands were on my hips. I knew what I was going to say to both of them. I was going to kill two birds with one stone, as it was going to be fairly easy! I could feel my rage filling my whole entire body and I knew what was coming. I was about to go into an intense swearing fit.

"… I love you guys!"

My eyes widened. That is not what I wanted to say by a long shot! Nope, that was the farthest thing from my mind! I don't love them! I loathe them! Freakin' silence Essence! Stop messing up my speech and making me say things I don't really want to say! Get out of my head, and stop raping my mind! Miyuki already knew I didn't mean what I said, but apparently, Suzuki was having a fit of joy.

"Who are you talking to?" He chuckled, amused at my sudden outburst. I resented everything he did just then.

"Miyuki, please, how would I catch this Essence?"

"Nope! No cheating!" Miyuki spaid again. I sighed and brought my hand towards my face. And then, suddenly, I had a spark of sheer brilliance. I had been paying attention to Miyuki when she began to explain how to tract down Essences. Therefore, I decided to test it out. I closed my eyes and concentrated really hard on tracking down my enemy. And sure enough, Miyuki was defininitely right about all of those jewels appearing all around me. I slowly opened my eyes, and sure enough, I saw a single jewel, floating right next to me. I opened my eyes, but all I saw was Miyuki.

"This isn't breaking the rules, but Miyuki, didn't you say Essence can change forms?"

Now I think Miyuki wanted to open her mouth, but her darting eyes indicated that she wouldn't chance it. Instead, Miyuki just nodded her head. I slowly walked over to Miyuki and picked her up. Ah, so now I knew where my enemy was.

"What are you doing, idiot!?" Miyuki asked bitterly. She probably thinks I am going to do something ridiculous. She is the fool. I extended my free hand.

"Magic Wand!" I summoned, my trusty little devise appearing in my hand snuggly. No, I was not going to hurt Miyuki, even though I want to chop her little head off!

"Don't move, or risk the total annihilation of your skull," I said, placing Miyuki on the ground. Miyuki looked dumbfounded for a moment. I lifted up my foot quickly above her head, and I started to stomp away at Miyuki's head. Miyuki let out more than a dozen meows. She was unsure of what I was planning. After about fifteen stomps, I stepped back. Miyuki's newfound ribbon was stomped to absolute death. My magic wand glowed a bright white. Success! Now, I expected some sort of thank you, but the first thing on Miyuki's mind was to do something different. Miyuki rubbed her head on the ground a little bit before another white light shone throughout the mall. Don't you think that is a little too soon, Miyuki? She just replaced Suzuki's memory! Suzuki just stood there looking really confused and dazed. I thought he would at least complain about how he got where he is now.

My mouth gapped. "Man, Miyuki! Why did you do that! Suzuki knew something I didn't!"

Miyuki stared at me with exasperated eyes. "C'mon, did you really want him to know what you are?"

Ignoring what Miyuki just said, I laughed crudely. "Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else?"

Miyuki instantly tensed up. "I didn't say that."

"No one said you did, I am just saying if you did say that, you're a freakin' idiot!"

Instead of arguing with me, Miyuki actually smiled at me. "One of my close friends said that line. You know, you're kind of like him."

I left the mall, and Miyuki followed me.

"Are you trying to call me a dude?"

"Oh no, not now, Sayuri. We are not going to end this on a bad note. Not this time."

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't look at me with that tone of voice!" Wait a second, that came out all wrong! I quickly collected myself.

"If you have noticed, this notice you will have noticed that this notice is not worth noticing!"

Now Miyuki gave me a weird look before stopping. "Are you sure you captured the silence Essence?"

"Positive!" I answered. "Now c'mon, lets go eat some pocky."

Yep. This was a tamer fight than I expected. Buy why do I feel like I am forgetting something?


	5. Discreditable Redemption

**A/N:** Ok, before we begin.... The awesome-sauce of the battle you are going to read was only made epic by sakuuya! She helped me out! Yeah... that's all I really wanted to say here! XD

* * *

Justice. Honor. Confinement. These all meant absolutely nothing to her now. And the more Miyuki contemplated these words, the angrier she had became. The loud siren wailing in her ears made concentrating almost impossible. The hall she was in was now covered in a blanket of red light, and the light was a signal of a dire deed being done. Miyuki had a hunch of what could have been going on. One: someone was being attacked. Two: Somebody died, and somebody better had died, because if she had to wake up at three AM for nothing, she would be furious. Three: Somebody turned traitor, and Miyuki had a good idea who that could be.

Actually, Miyuki did not want to think someone betrayed the guardian training. The contract was quite simple. Once you signed up to train to become a guardian, there was absolutely no turning back. Once you signed that piece of paper, you gave your life to the world. While you were training, you learned classified information that couldn't possibly be taken outside of the program. Miyuki rubbed her eyes a bit as she started to leisurely meander down the hall, her long hair swaying slowly behind her. Being the short girl that she was, Miyuki really was not that intimidating. Standing at a good 4'9", she was often underestimated.

And to make matters worse, because she was a woman, she was automatically seen as that girl who wasn't ready for the path that she was trying to journey on. As a consequence, those kinds of accusations made Miyuki sick. But now she had a duty to fulfill. She was going to catch the rat. Leaning on a nearby wall, Miyuki closed her eyes slowly. What if her thoughts were right? Surely her partner wouldn't betray her.

"…Where are you, Gluttony?" Miyuki sighed quietly. Hopefully, her partner was just really slow at waking up. However, everyone suspected that he would turn bad. The more Miyuki thought about it, the more her mellow shield began to crack. The crime for turning traitor was death, and she knew that better than anyone else. Now, Miyuki was worried. Some secrets weren't told to all of the apprentices trying to become the supreme guardian. No, some things were to be confided only with the ones who knew the deep dark secrets in this horrible little game. No, Miyuki would not open her mouth even if it meant hiding things from the ones she cherished most.

Miyuki sighed and began to walk down the long, spacious hall. Her light footsteps began to grow even more softer--more unheard. That was when she figured that something wasn't right. Without warning, the floor under her feet collapsed, and while she was trying to find the cause of this odd happening, she hovered unto the air. Below her was what seemed like a black hole of some sort, threatening to pull her in. Miyuki gritted her teeth, as she was trained for this kind of situation happening. Only one person had the ability to pull something off like this.

"Gluttony," she said, his name falling from her lips. Only just a few feet away, Miyuki saw her partner. Gluttony was standing on the floor as if there wasn't a giant hole threatening to engulf everything in its way. Miyuki's eyes winded at the look on Gluttony's face, which was one of absolute vacuity. Miyuki instantly scowled, and whatever sanity she had was instantly thrown out of the window.

"You just tried to kill me? Are you that insane, Gluttony?"

Only the sound of insane cackling could be heard. Miyuki tensed up at this sight. This wasn't how her partner acted.

"Don't give me that," he muttered. "You knew, didn't you?"

Miyuki felt a drop of sweat roll off her forehead. Of course she knew.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me that I wasn't normal?"

"Oh, so I am required to tell you everything you need to know? Look, I don't know everything! What did you expect me to say, Gluttony? Nice work, now you're not one of us?

Bad move. Gluttony did not take a liking to that last comment. Gluttony's weapon was now drawn, and Miyuki knew that weapon better then she knew her own. At first it was kind of frightening to see someone hold a six foot spear, but over the years, she had grown to get use to seeing it almost every day. The wind picked up around Miyuki, automatically cutting her skin like a piece of paper challenging a sharp dagger. Initially, Miyuki shielded her eyes, but soon she realized that if she did nothing, she would die.

Gluttony was going to kill her. And after he was done, he was going to retrieve his 'friends'. This was bad. This was very bad.

"What, you're not going to fight me Miyuki? Why aren't you going to fight?"

Now Miyuki's blood boiled. Was he serious? Miyuki managed to fly out of the tornado-like wind. The black hole was gone, and now she stood on the floor again. She looked Gluttony in the eyes, to let him know that she meant business. Miyuki touched her ear and was welcomed with a deck of cards in her left hand. Gluttony smirked with glee.

"I don't want to have to hurt you… but I'll take you back with all of your limbs torn from your body if I have to!" Miyuki shrieked, but most definably wanted to say that sentence in a calmer tone of voice. Honestly, Miyuki stood no chance up against Gluttony. He was ranked best among the whole class. At a staggering five hundred people trying to become the guardian that would help protect the saviors of the world, she was asking to be smitten where she stood. Gluttony shifted his footing a bit, and that was more then enough to tell Miyuki that she better had finished this job quickly.

Gluttony was capable of destroying entire cities. No, he wasn't an ordinary Celestial Being, which she knew. However, she did not care about that. Miyuki threw a couple of cards at her adversary, but they quickly ricocheted off the insane man.

"That's it? You're stronger then that."

"And I thought you knew me!"

And with that, Miyuki ran up to the Gluttony, trying to land a good one him. Her efforts were futile, though, and ended with a flip to the floor. Miyuki slowly got up with her fists clenched. Miyuki knew a bad situation when she saw one, for she knew when to give up.

Despite every facility of reason she possessed screaming at her not to try to fight this man, the small woman knew that this had to be _her_ fight and no one else's. She knew Gluttony better than any of the other trainee guardians, and if anyone was going to take him down, it should be his—well, it should be _her_.

She held up another card, focusing all the fear and betrayal and rage boiling up in her into pure power. Miyuki screamed, wordlessly, and flung the card at her enemy. It scythed toward him, almost rending the air with its speed, and Gluttony looked surprised that Miyuki had managed to pull off something so strong.

"Hah, I knew you had it in you!" the madman chortled, using a gust of wind to push the card away from him at the last possible instant. But Miyuki's finely-trained warrior's instincts could tell that his boisterous tone was just a front, and that he hadn't let her attack get so close to him to show off: She had really almost gotten him.

Pressing her advantage, Miyuki launched herself at her former comrade. Gluttony was ready for the physical attack, though, and opened a black hole in one of the walls, pulling the unsuspecting Miyuki sharply to the side. The apricot-haired girl strained to escape the vortex's gravitational pull, but it was no use. She was falling sideways, which meant that her normal forward flight was useless, and she hadn't been expecting anything to attack her from the side.

__

Stupid, she chided herself as she cringed, anticipating the painful death that awaited her on the rapidly-nearing wall. _You underestimated him, and now you're going to _die_ because you were stupid and cocky._

But the gaping dimensional hole abruptly sealed itself, even as a gust of wind smacked her into the now-blank wall with the impact of a baseball bat and the force of a car.

"You didn't think I'd let you go _that _easily, did you?" Gluttony asked as he closed in on her, his tone patronizing. "Aww, you should know me better than that, darling! If I let you fall into the X-Zone, you'd last ten seconds, tops." His tone went from sickeningly sweet to steel-sharp in an instant. "And you don't deserve to die quickly, betrayer. _Why didn't you tell me what I was!? _Were you hoping that you could _control_ me, perhaps? Rein in such a powerful force, make him think that he's normal, _loved_, even, so you could use him as a weapon!? Well, I'm not falling for that any more, Miyuki!! Your corpse will be a perfect warning to anyone stupid enough to think that they can control _me_ with their lies!!!"

As Gluttony spoke, small, cutting winds like invisible scalpels formed around him, seemingly independently of his will. The little gusts of wind whirled madly around the combatants, slicing into both of them with equal fervor. Gluttony didn't seem to notice the small, bloody cuts being scored on his body, but Miyuki had already lost a lot of blood, and each new wound was like a little death for her.

"Wait!" she cried desperately. The howling winds died down, and for a moment the only sound that could be heard was the steady _drip drip drip_of Miyuki's blood on the floor. "I have..." she managed with some difficulty, "...a proposal for you." Gluttony seemed to come back to his senses somewhat, though the crushing wind pinning Miyuki to the wall didn't abate.

"I'm listening." His sudden composure was more terrifying that his hysterics. "But if you fail to interest me, darling," he said coolly, tracing a finger though the blood around Miyuki's mouth, "Your betrayer's tongue will be the first thing you lose."

_

* * *

  
_

**-: Chapter Four: Discreditable Redemption :-**

__

On a mountain he sits, not of gold but of sin.  
through the blood he can learn, see the lives that it took,  
From council of one.  
He'll decide when he's done with the innocent.

-"From Yesterday," 30 Seconds to Mars

Ok, remember that weirdness dream scale that I brought up a few days ago? Dude, I feel like I am loaded on narcotics or something. All of these happy colors keep floating around me. I mean, the colors are just there. But the colors are really warm, alluring and glittery. Let's see… there has got to be at least sixteen colors floating around me in this dream world. Purple, green, yellow, blue, red, pink, beige, brown, black, violet, gray, orange, periwinkle, raw sienna, and lastly, white. I am assuming that I control all of these colors, seeing as how I am floating in midair in an unknown void-resembling place. Or, this is what I imagine a void to look like, at least.

__

"Someday the dream will end…"

All right… I'm going off the charts on the weirdness-dream-scale thingy. Though I seem to have some control over my own body this time. I curled my fingers to test out my ability to move in this dream. Yep, I can move, but I am not chancing anything! I don't wanna fall down to a never-ending death! No sir, I'll pass on that. If there is anything Sayuri is afraid of, it is heights. Just the thought of me hitting the ground at a high velocity from the sky scares me. In fact, that is probably the only thing that _can_ scare me. That's right! So do what you will, weird dream! Come at me with everything you've got! Alright, maybe you can be calm about it. After all, I am sleeping. I rose my and up index figure at a snail's pace, taking my time to address this voice.

"Ok, go ahead. Keep talking. I mean, I've got all the time in the world y'know!" I grin. I can't wait to start saying that to everyone I meet. I'll be so conceited with it too. They won't know what I am talking about, and that makes it even funnier!

__

"Your pilgrimage starts now. It will all begin again… Lady Kohana."

Did this voice just call me by my mother's name? No, that isn't awesome. The name's always going to be Sayuri. Please, don't get me confused with my mother. I mean, we look nothing alike! I opened my mouth up, but I was unable to utter a word. Stupid dreams.

_"It will come. It will come soon. And thus the cycle begins. Tell me; are you competent enough to carry the burden on your shoulders? Surely time has been good to you."_

Uh, I see no burden on my shoulder. But just for good measure, I turned my head and stared at my shoulder. Nope. I see no burden. What does a burden look like anyway? It sounds like some kind of humongous bread, and I think that bread is nasty. A dumfounded look covered my face as my lips curled into a frown. Don't I know this voice from somewhere? Sounds like Itasca… only in a mellower echo-y voice. Oh man, I really must be going insane! Dreaming about my antagonists like this is never good. I blame Miyuki.

"All right, so my journey starts? That doesn't mean I'm going to stop dreaming!" I respond. And if this voice starts to argue with me, I swear I will punch the air! That's right, that is a promise, not a threat! "You can shut up now. I'm done. Let me wake up now."

__

"You can wake up anytime you want, Sayuri. Just remember, don't cry."

What the? When's the last time I've ever cried? And is this voice mocking me? I think it's trying to call me a crybaby? Trust me; I know a lot of crybabies. Oh wait a minute, that word has two meaning doesn't it? So, the voice is trying to say I complain a lot? Pfft, whatever! I only complain because people give me reasons to complain about! I mean, it's only natural! Out of the blue, the colors swirl around me and all I see now is darkness.

And so that's when I must have woken up.

I was sitting on a bench in the park, and it was dark outside. My internal clock was telling me it had to be at least evening. And guess what? I saw Miyuki lying right next to me, in a somewhat creepily adorable slumber. What the heck was I doing sleeping outside on a park bench? More importantly, what was I doing outside? I remember leaving the mall, and now, I guess, I got knocked out or something? Isn't Miyuki supposed to be my guardian? What is she doing sleeping?

I groggily rubbed any remaining sleep out of my eyes and turned to face Miyuki. I guess I should tell her about the freaky dream I just had. Since she seems to be the only one I can actually confide my dreams in. I don't even tell Tariku about my dreams, which is weird, because I tell her everything else. I think it's really time for Miyuki and me to start working together! Yeah, I'll see where this is going to take me. Miyuki was really annoying earlier today, and I hold really long grudges.

Miyuki hissed for a second, and I narrowed my eyes. Oh no, If I get to have the weird dreams, she gets to hear me talk about them! I started to shake Miyuki a little bit harder, and I was welcomed with her tail starting to swish back and forth. Gah, I hate cats! I hate everything about Miyuki! She's as stubborn as a mule!

"Err, hey! This isn't your time to sleep!" I yelled in complete aggravation. Miyuki lashed out at me for no apparent reason and sunk her teeth into my arm, causing me to jump up immediately and shake my arm like mad! I swear on someone's grave, this is the last time I am going to let Miyuki take a chunk out of my arm! I tried to block out the sound of the scary gnaws and quickly tiptoed to a nearby tree. With all of my might, I began swinging my arm into the tree, desperately trying to free myself from this idiot cat! Why does she keep biting me for no apparent reason! I am a human, right? What did I ever do to deserve getting bitten!? Little by little, Miyuki's grip loosened on my arm, and she fell to the ground. Miyuki looked like she was in a daze of some sort. I beat her that bad? Well, she shouldn't assault me like that, then!

"Miyuki," I sighed, closing my eyes and shrugging my shoulders. "Please, don't bite me again."

At first, Miyuki looked at me with mystification in her eyes, and then she scanned her surroundings. Oh great, she doesn't know how we got here, either. I was hoping she would know! So then, I guess it's time to make accusations! I pointed an index finger at my guardian. Why isn't she talking? That's strange…. Usually she'd tell me to stop pointing. It's not nice to point, is it? I don't think I got the response I was looking for, because Miyuki puked all over my shoes.

Now, you can only imagine my expression. Nah, I wasn't pissed. Heck, I was even confused. But I was furious! Yeah, that's right! I am in the middle of freakin' nowhere with cat puke on my shoes! The only thing keeping me sensible is the sheer thought of food. I am so hungry right now. I haven't gotten a chance to eat in like, ever. I grumbled silently as I picked Miyuki up by her neck and brought her to my eye level.

"Are you okay!?" I screamed; Miyuki looked at me with bemused eyes. She better not try to do anything sneaky. I'm asking if she's ok! That's like a token of my gratitude or something!

"Put me down," she hissed. Hmm, is that a challenge?

"What's wrong with you?"

"Did you understand what I just said, Sayuri?"

I smirked. "Alright, sheesh. You're PMS'ing aren't you?"

And after I said that, I think Miyuki gave me the most vicious glare I have ever seen in my life. The only reason why I put her back onto the ground was because I thought Miyuki would try attempt to bite my fingers off. So now, here I am, standing in the middle of nowhere with cat vomit on my shoes and a pissed off cat. Could this possibly get any worse? I dusted off my hoodie and sighed. Miyuki seemed perfectly fine, now that she threw up her lunch on my shoe! And you know what? This vomit is weird… it's all sparkly and stuff. Miyuki circled around me, and I think she was trying to find something on me. Miyuki then stopped in one place.

"Do you smell that?" Miyuki asked, her nose quirking up a bit. "That's a horrible smell."

I looked at Miyuki like she was stupid. You wanna know what I smell? I smell cat puke on my shoes! Yeah, it's kinda hard to concentrating on anything else! I stood in one place and attempted to smell what Miyuki smelled. Yuck, man, what the heck? All I smell is Miyuki's puke! I bet she did that on purpose, didn't she!?

"Why were you sick, Miyuki?" I asked. I had to ask. I wanted to know why she vomited on me.

"Normally, I have very good health, but that all changes when something bad is going to happen. It's like an omen of some sort. Sayuri, do you have any idea where we are?"

I shook my head. I was going to ask you the same question, you crazy cat! You are supposed to help me get the information I need, but instead you ask me for help? That is not cool! Actually, that's far from cool! That sucks! Losing my cool, I walked in a circle and threw my hands up in frustration. Why is it so dark outside? Don't tell me there is another Essence around here! Ok, this is getting really tiring! I'm getting so bored of this! I can't even sleep without some weird trail of water sneaking up and straggling me! Speaking of sleep… I have to tell Miyuki about that weird Itasca dream!

"Hey, Miyuki! Do you know someone named Itasca?"

Miyuki looked at me for a moment. Yeah, she knew her alright. I bet she's thinking of a lie as we speak. Or maybe she is trying to remember her? Either way, I don't like the fact that she's trying to hide things from me. You know, I've been lied to for exactly three days, practically. Why doesn't anyone want to tell the truth anymore? You know, more then anything, I hate liars. Liars think they basically have the upper hand, and they also think they are smarter then everyone else. Well, I don't have to lie. I can tell it to you straight, without any problems.

"What do you mean, Itasca?" Miyuki answered, her voice becoming sharper with every word falling from her tongue. Yeah, this cat is cranky. This cat is really cranky. Sometimes, I think I am the one that's over ten thousand years old… In which case, I should know everything! But sadly, I don't. So Miyuki, pick yourself up and start explaining things!

"I mean, there was this girl from school named Itasca talking in my dreams, obviously." I retorted, tilting my head to the left. Sometimes I forget that Miyuki is a mindless cat. Every time I talk to her, a little piece of me dies inside. Now, if only I could get a look at her normal form. That would make my day! I'd love to be able to relate to Miyuki in a normal way. I hate having to look down at this woman. Do you know how much pressure that is putting on my neck? Let's just say I can't move my head in certain ways without straining myself.

Subsequently, the leaves on the tree I hammered Miyuki into started to rattle. Miyuki and I quickly went on the defensive. See, we know when to work together, and we know when to drop the petty stuff. Actually, Miyuki knows when to drop the petty stuff. I just counter all of her pathetic attempts to insult me!

"Something's in that tree," Miyuki assumed, moving closer to tree. Did she think I was going to climb that? She better get her cat self up that tree! I motioned my index finger towards the tree, trying desperately to show Miyuki that I was not going to climb it. Miyuki's face still remained blank.

"All right, I'm cutting it down."

What? How are you, a little cat, going to cut down a tree? Someone was in that tree! You'd probably kill them!

"Fine, fine! I get where you are coming from Miyuki! Forget I ever woke you up! You're the most annoying cat I've ever met!"

"I'm not a cat, Sayuri. How many times do I have to say that?"

"Do you look like a cat?" I retorted. I think I've established that Miyuki is a cat. I mean, she has cat ears, a tail, and four legs. You. Are. A. Cat. You're an annoying cat, but you're still the same cat who has bitten me a total of three times. Clearly, you deserve to be executed. No one gets away with biting Sayuri Outtaike's limbs! I muttered a couple of things before I rolled my sleeves up. I stretched my body out a little before I got into a tree climbing position. Gee, I can't believe I am about to climb a tree….

"I am a Celestial Being, by the way, Sayuri. I don't want to have to tell you again."

What? You answered my retort about five minuets late. Why is Miyuki acting so slow all of a sudden?

"Hey, you! Shut up!" I shouted, gritting my teeth at the cat. I've had it up to here with this furball! Miyuki blinked, her blank expression not changing.

"Make me."

I stomped over to Miyuki and crouched down on my knees. "Is that a challenge?"

Before Miyuki could answer, something totally came at that tree, making me scream like I've never screamed before. Oh man, I bet I look like a real girl right now. I unintentionally picked Miyuki up and put her in front of me. I couldn't see this thing, but I could tell that this figure was definably taller then me. Yes, I believe it's time to run like hell and never turn back.

"Eat the cat! I hear she tastes like chicken!" I panicked, shaking Miyuki a couple of times. That ended up with Miyuki biting me yet again! And she bit me in the same exact place from before. Now, I started to flail around, and I think tears of utter pain started to rain from my eyes. Why did my guardian have to be a cat? Why could my guardian be a harmless bunny or something? They don't bite, right? And I'm not allergic to them! Which is weird… because if Miyuki says she's not a cat, then why was I sneezing out of my mind? She was probably lying to me all this time! I hate liars!

"Let go of me!" I implored, but Miyuki didn't loosen her teeth from my arm. Actually, I think she sunk her teeth into me even deeper!

"Hey, you need help?" I heard. To bad I don't know who said that! It's darker then darkness out here! …I know, that was a really dumb sentence….I stood in one place, and started to shake Miyuki more frantically. Normally I don't expect help, but If I don't get this cat off of my arm, pretty soon, I won't have a guardian.

"Help would be very nice!" I said, sarcasm dripping off every word. Don't you see I am in pain? You're not supposed to ask someone if they are in pain if they need help. Next thing I knew, I heard a loud whooshing sound, which Miyuki took heed of and let go of my arm. I was free! But wait… did my savior just scare Miyuki with a little gust of wind? Touché… I am going to have to start trying that some time!

"Sayuri…." Miyuki mumbled. "Something isn't right."

"You're damn straight something isn't right!" I hollered. "Do you have any idea how much pain you just caused me?!"

"Who, me?"

"Not you!" I shouted to the unknown person possibly standing right in front of me. "I'm talking to the cat! Get out of my conversion!"

"Well, you're in my backyard, so I guess I should know what you're doing in it."

My eyes narrowed. "So… you were sleeping in your tree?"

"Precisely."

Oh man, I really need to gut a look at this guy. Who does this guy think he is? I need some light! Miyuki would come in handy if she was like a miniature portable flashlight or something. As a matter of fact, this is the perfect time for Miyuki to straight tell me how to create light or something. Wait a second… why are we in someone's backyard? Where are we?

"Hey, guy, where is here?"

"Oh, that's easy! We're in Kyoto."

Miyuki and I winced at that statement… how the hell did we get halfway across Japan…. I extended my hand. A least I can give a proper greeting. I mean, I did kinda go off on this dude.

"The name's Sayuri Outtaike." I said with my trademark smirk. "You've just met the best person in the whole entire world."

"Nice to meet you then, I'm Kokoro. Kokoro Chiyu."

After that, I was greeted with a very firm hand shake. I swear on Miyuki's head… the next thing I know, something crawled all around my body. I don't know… It felt like some kind of surge. And you know what else? There was some kind of whirlwind of fire circling around us two. It was weird! Furthermore, my hand started to burn wildly. I quickly let go of this Kokoro's hand, trying to nurse my own back to heath. I swear, if I could tell you how fast Miyuki jumped on my head, I would. But I can't, because she was way too fast. Kokoro blinked a few times, trying to process what just happened.

"That was a negotiation." Miyuki said, invading our tête-à-tête. "Looks like we've found you a partner…"

Sweet. I get backup! Wait a second… hopefully this guy doesn't freak out…

"Partner? What do you mean, partner?" Kokoro asked. "And what was that fire just a few seconds ago? Was that you? If it was, I'm going to have to say that was the most amazing magic trick I've ever seen in my life."

I sweatdroped. This dude was serious….

"Nope, that was all you, I think." I responded, patting him on the shoulder. "So, why are you sleeping outside, in a tree?"

Seriously, I had to hold in my laughter. That sounds like something outrageously funny, and yet I am trying to conceal my laughter for a total stranger. What has gotten into you Sayuri…. Oh yeah… it could be the fact that this dude is going to help me save the world! Now there might be a chance I won't get my butt totally destroyed by random Essences! Yes! Kokoro shrugged and threw his arms behind his head indolently.

"My house is like a circus. My siblings run my room. 'Nuff said."

"How many do you have?"

I had to ask. I have to get my mind off of the you-were-sleeping-in-a-tree thought.

"I have nine. That's nine crazy kids to keep under control every night. You know when's the last time I've had a good night sleep?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Man, what the heck do I look like? God? Oh yeah, I am God. I forget things easily.

"Tell me about it," I responded. I opened my mouth to say something else, but my eyes fixated on a silver locket around Kokoro's neck. I've seen that thing before! In a dream! I know this dude! But then… who was that weird girl trying to kill me in my other dream? I haven't met her yet. Just the thought of meeting someone who tried to kill me is not making me feel so well.

"All right." Miyuki said, interrupting our conversation yet again. "I'm Miyuki, your guardian, Kokoro. You are the Summoner of Fire, I presume?"

Kokoro nodded his head, somewhat confused because there was a cat talking to him. I was confused too, at first. Wait, didn't Miyuki already talk to him? Why is everyone catching on so slowly?

"Moving on, the girl before you is Sayuri Outtaike, the Summoner of Time. She's your leader, and you will be following her on her journeys."

Now, before Kokoro could respond, object, or even complain, I swear, this small thing spider-like thing crawled next to my leg. This thing was the size of Miyuki, actually, but it was so nasty! I instantly ran a good six feet away from it. Miyuki sighed at me.

"Relax, Sayuri… is this how you want to present yourself in front of your new partner?" Miyuki said. I have no response! Bugs don't usually scare me… but when they're the size of a house cat, that's when you just have to do _something_. Kokoro stared at the bug before walking in front of it. Look at him… he thinks he's so cool! That thing's not human. Kokoro picked up his foot and smashed the thing, green gooey guts shooting out of it like a broken faucet. He then turned around and reassured me the thing was dead with a wholehearted "See? It's dead."

But that's when a bazillion of these things emerged out of nowhere and surrounded the three of us. I could hear Miyuki hissing from all the way over here! At least _you've _got back up! I don't think I can fight these things!

__

"The dream has been disrupted…"

My head instantly snapped. It was Itasca's voice again! What gives!?

"What are you talking about?!" I yelled out. "Answer me!"

__

"It all begins again…."

"These things," Miyuki began. "They're…."

__

"Starting with her…."

And lo-and-behold, the same woman I dreamt of not too long ago was standing right in front of me with the most malicious smile I've seen in years. In her hands was that same scythe from before. Wrapped in her free arm was none other then Tariku, who was in a deep sleep. For some reason, I could see perfectly. I clutched my fist, instantly turing into my awesome state. This time, it was personal.

* * *

**A/N:** It's about time I got this story moving. You guys are going to hate me so much for the next chapter. That's code for: Chiharu is planing something really dark. XD Oh man... the next chapter is _so_ much fun! And we get to meet a pimp! XD Well, I'll see you next time!

And if you can guess what I am going to do in the next chapter, you get a prize! XD Bye for now!


	6. Memories’ Lightwaves

**A/N:** Please, refrain from trying to kill the author, mm'kay? XD

* * *

Every practice was always something bad happening in the making. The three of them, Miyuki, Dogg, and Moonlight could almost never get a practice run completed without bickering or failing the practice run. During the teamwork exercises, the trio had all the teamwork skills of a pool of ravenous sharks, and all the communication skills of a group of deaf monkeys.

Well, to put it bluntly: Miyuki, Dogg, and Moonlight were a _horrible _team. In this particular mission, they had to find a way around their awfulness. They were all now cooped into a small room. In this room was a small, red button, plastered on the far right wall. Though there was almost _no _room to breathe, let alone _walk_, Dogg managed to saunter to and from the button. Miyuki sat on the ground Indian-style, probably contemplating to significant points in this mission. Moonlight was laying back nonchalantly against a wall, his arms crossed around his chest and his eyes closed.

Dogg wore a worn-out red boxing glove on his left hand . He didn't have another glove to accompany his other hand. Dogg began to fidget a bit with his boxing glove, his wide eyes twinkling in glee.

"Who puts a button in a room with nothing to do?" He carped, punching his right hand into his left. Moonlight switched his footing a bit, somewhat annoyed by that comment.

"This button is very important. We are not to touch it, and we are to protect it with our lives, Dogg," Miyuki sighed. "We haven't even been in this room for five minuets, and already you are thinking of possibly blowing up human kind."

When Miyuki finished her comment, Dogg began to pace even harder. Wanting to keep himself from falling asleep on the wall, Moonlight opened his sapphire eyes, his black hair swaying around his legs.

"So, Miyuki, how's it going with Gluttony?"

Miyuki's gaze instantly rose to the bored male. At first, Miyuki really didn't pay that comment any mind, but she was now interested.

"Hmm," she paused, just for a dramatic effect. "Why'd you want to know?"

Moonlight narrowed his eyes. "I'm just sayin'… I don't like that guy. Anyone who has the ability to eat the fattest lady on Spectra is obviously not stable. Are you sure he's--"

"Whoa! Hold it, man!" Dogg intervened, stopping his walking at last. "You can't just invade a woman's whole life, now! That isn't how you pull girls!"

A small chuckle erupted from Miyuki. Dogg was always the one who started the arguments within the team, even if his comments weren't made to trigger fights. Moonlight slowly brought his attention to Dogg, his expression seeping anger.

"Pfft, I wouldn't be talking about picking up girls, Dogg. I could definably pull more girls than you can, and you know that," he paused, throwing his hands up into the air. "Note the P.I.M.P: Professional investigator making money the right way. Trust me, if I wanted to beat the holy hell out of that flimsy excuses for a Celestial Being, I would. I bet you I could pull Miyuki before you could, anyway."

Dogg pointed his boxing-glove-covered hand towards the exasperated man. "She'd only want you because you're boring," he spat. "And you've got money."

This comment resulted with an eye-roll from our notorious pimp. "Uh, _so_?"

This whole conversation was nothing but amusing to Miyuki's ears. "So, I'm a gold digger now?"

"Might as well be…" Moonlight mumbled. Now, the mood that was once set in this room was now changed completely. Miyuki silently gasped as she and Moonlight exchanged glares. Dogg, surprisingly, took this time to walk closer and closer towards the button.

"No one said you had to like him, Moonlight."

"No one said I did!"

"Well then, stop talking about him every time you get the chance, hmm?"

"I will, you're just--"

Moonlight's sentence was abruptly ended, due to a siren being sounded off. All it took was fifteen minutes for the team to fail. And Dogg didn't stop pressing that button. In fact, he pressed it until the General himself had to force Dogg out of the room.

* * *

**-: Chapter five: Memories' Lightwaves:-**

__

Even now, I remember  
the dream I had the day you left on your trip  
Your cheeks...following the tears,  
I stretched out my hand and you disappeared inside the dark.

--"Morning Glow" - Aoki Mayuko

I knew exactly what was going on here. I've studied these creatures. These things were supposedly called Wicked Spawn, and these creatures were actually skin partials that flaked off the Wickedness and manifested into creatures. So, with that information, that must mean that the Wickedness was actually is here. This wasn't good. The Wickedness knew exactly who we were and where we were located. We were successfully ambushed. The Wickedness had to be somewhere close by, and I think I know just who the Wickedness was. I had my suspicions.

I deliberately told Sayuri not to let her guard down, and she ignored me. This was the starting point for my story. This was where my journey will begin. This had nothing to do with Sayuri. All right, the very first thing I think I wanted to do is transform. Yes, I wanted to be able to have fingers again. This was the right time to unleash hell, and I think my body's chemical molecular structure could stay together in this world. As far as the Itasca question goes, I've met an Itasca. However, I wasn't really well-acquainted with her. She died. Itasca was part of a program that made artificial Essences.

Itasca ultimately succumbed to some sort of unknown disease. Though, I can tell you this: she died like a Celestial Being would. Itasca Leonine exploded, killing about five people in the process. When Celestial Beings die, well, we blow up. It's actually quite hilarious. To think… I'm a walking time bomb, waiting to detonate. Well now, I feel really reassured. I'd basically die like a star, and I would give anything to die like that.

"How are we going to get rid of these things?" Kokoro asked, not really knowing what to do. I gritted my teeth. I hated to break it to him, but we were all going to have to split up. I closed my eyes for a moment, and I felt my self returning back to my normal body. I had gotten my short hair back, my pink leotard, and my pink boots. I was ready to fulfill my duty as a guardian. These monsters don't really get too feisty, unless the Wickedness pushes them to their absolute limits. I had no idea what Sayuri had gotten herself into. I really had to find the cause of all of this! I trusted that Kokoro could transform on his own…. Ah, but if he did, he'd faint just like Sayuri did. It was times like these that made me question if I should have signed up to become a guardian. …This was a ridiculous amount of Wicked Spawn. I… needed to put Kokoro some sort of shield. It was for the best.

So, deciding my next action, I quickly summoned my deck of cards. My power was a nice one, if I do say so myself. I think everyone needs a little luck on their side, hmm? As funny as this may seem, I do pretty nice magic tricks.

"Stay still, Kokoro," I commanded, holding a single card up to my face. "Listen to me… I'm going to put you in a shield. This shield will emit gases that will put you to sleep the first time you inhale them. Please, don't object to this. Seeing as how you do not have any real power over your abilities, and I have no time to explain your abilities to you, you'll have to cope with this. I'll explain this all later."

Before I even got a chance to execute my technique, Kokoro was quick to rebel. _Kids_.

"What about my family? Will they be ok?"

I honestly couldn't give him an answer. It pained me when things like this happen. If I had only been smarter about this, we could have avoided this whole situation. I will not tolerate anyone dying because I messed up. What kind of guardian was I if I couldn't even protect my assignments? It took everything I had within me to execute my technique, encasing Kokoro in an orange-colored dome. I also threw three random cards around this dome, putting up an extra firewall around him. I didn't know how long that shield going to hold out. Damn.

As the crowd of Wicked Spawn intensified, I drew four cards from my deck. I thought I was a little rusty to be doing my Roulette Wheel attack, but whatever I possibly carried out had to do _some_ damage to these things. My attacks run in multiple ways, but the most basic way is the value of the cards I wield. The higher the value, the more damaged I do to my opponent. I hate the joker card, which depletes me of all my energy. But, of course, I could always fight in hand-to-hand combat, but I had been in that wretched cat form for way too long. I couldn't possibly have good control over my limbs. Well, at least these creatures were weak. Now, I had to find the Wickedness. I owed that demon a favor. That was for you, guys. That was for everyone I left.

* * *

__

When I die, will they remember not  
What I did, but what I haven't done?  
It's not the end, that I fear with each breath  
It's life that scares me to death…

* * *

"Handicap match, General? You're sure these guys can take me?" Moonlight scoffed, eyeing the incredulous duo standing in his way. Actually, Moonlight's rage was more directed to Gluttony then it was towards Miyuki. The General watched the expression on Moonlight's face, practically reading him like a book. Miyuki sighed as she rubbed her head with her left hand. Gluttony, however, was the calmest one out of all these people. He slightly frowned while he twirled his spear.

"You know Moonlight, if you want, we could make this a one-on-one match."

Moonlight's nose quirked in absolute disgust. What made Gluttony think that he could declare something like that out loud, especially in front of the General himself? Moonlight took no hesitation in summoning his weapon, which consisted of big wads of cash, kept together in clips. Moonlight set his weapon on the ground, as Gluttony did the same. Miyuki just stood back and watched these two try to kill each other with the looks they were exchanging.

"All right gentlemen," the General said, his voice obviously showing signs of interest. "This seems like a very good match-up. Just don't cry."

Apparently, Moonlight had gone into a heated rage, running towards Gluttony with his fists ready to inflict damage. Some of Moonlight's long hair seemed to have disappeared. Though he looked pretty malicious when that happened. Now, little clouds of smoke floated around the Moonlight, making him smirk with satisfaction.

"I'm going to kill you, bastard." Moonlight sneered.

* * *

_Now, I understand  
the meaning of the promise we exchanged  
A shining, short-lived shooting star  
I gaze up at the faraway sky and smile_

* * *

She was absolutely scary. And she had Tariku in her hands. There. Those were two reasons why I should have kick her ass right at that moment. But, I was frozen in fear. I was absolutely petrified. It must have been something she was emitting, because I couldn't seem to move! Freakin' c'mon! Now wasn't the time for my body to crap out on me!

"Who the hell are you?" I found myself yelling out. This woman's face didn't even scrunch up. Actually, I think she wasn't appalled by the whole statement. Instead, she tilted her head to the side a bit, adjusting Tariku in her arms. Now, this really pissed me off. Argh! I was _really _aggravated! Why was all this hero stuff so exhausting? Was anyone going to consider the fact that I was basically dehydrated and hungry?! I couldn't fight like this!

"My name's Nobody," She said; in this icy voice. What? I instantly gritted my teeth. See… it looked like I had to go ten-strong on her. Though I couldn't seem to get over the fact that I was immobilized with fear. I mean, I was never scared of anything, and if you bring up being scared by that creepy thing earlier, I'll cut you. Concentrating on getting a good look at this woman, my eyes were quickly drawn to her really thick eyebrows. Pfft. I wanted to laugh _now_. You don't know how hard I was trying to conceal my laughter. This woman couldn't be native! There was absolutely no way she was from Japan. So, what the hell was going on here?!

"So, you're Nobody?" I smirked, my fingers twitching with adrenaline, even though I couldn't really move. My eyes studied the scythe she held in her other hand. I swear, if I had gotten cut with that thing, my face would have been the last thing she ever saw, _ever_. That was a promise. No one was coming close to me with that. "Then why the hell do you have my friend!?" I exclaimed, somehow breaking out of my panicky emotions, thus granting myself the ability to move again. Anyone who has tried to kill me in my dreams didn't deserve any sympathy from me! Instead of getting a completely sane answer, she curved her lips into a slight smile.

"Why are getting mad talking to nobody?"

Huh? But she had just said that was her name right? …Damn it, I was tricked! That was the worst joke of all time! And hey, you had all this time to make up dumb jokes, but you couldn't---and wouldn't---fight me? What good was looking like I was going to kick ass if I didn't get to kick any ass? I threw my hand out in front of me, ready to summon my wand. But then, this really short woman appeared in front of me, stopping me from doing what I do best.

"Sayuri, this is an order. Don't touch her," the woman said with a stern tone. "I'm upping my game," the woman finished, turning to the other woman who I was just arguing with a few seconds ago. You know what? This orange haired woman sounded a lot like Miyuki. Oh what the hell, I had already seen pretty much everything I wasn't suppose to see. This woman might as well have been Miyuki. Miyuki held a single card in-between her index and thumb fingers, holding it out for this crazy madwoman to see.

"Miyuki," I whispered. "You see who she has in her arms?"

"Yes. Sayuri, would you mind stopping time for me?" Miyuki answered, concentrating on the card she held in her fingers. You know, I was really getting tired of Miyuki bossing me around. I think I've already established that, but now I am reiterating it. Miyuki, you suck! But wait… would the enemy allow me to stop time? Hmm, I'll give it a try! Just like what I did in the battle with the water and fire Essences, I stuck out both my hands, stopping everything besides Miyuki and myself. I didn't know what she was planning, but it had better be good.

Miyuki waved her card in multiple directions. Now, I think she was trying to scare me. With a sigh, Miyuki looked towards me and flicked her card to the ground. "Sayuri… this girl is most definitely the Summoner of Death."

If that girl was the Summoner of Death, I swear I'd eat Miyuki. …She was not even native. How the hell could she have gotten here? I put a suspicious look on my face as I pointed an index finger at the woman frozen in front of us.

"Her spasms can, and in fact, _will _kill people," Miyuki began, sighing. "Keep her away from the city. I've put Kokoro in a shield, so the monsters can't get to him…. I do know how his family is going to fair."

What? Did that mean they were going to kick the bucket? Miyuki, why the hell didn't you put a shield around his house? It looked like I was going to have to take this mysterious woman out. Miyuki looked at me, her footing slowly changing. She looked up into the sky, and I guess I did too. What gives? There was nothing in the sky except for stars. Last time I checked, stars are not going to get everyone out of this fight alive. Unless, of course, Miyuki can send a comment crashing down to earth. And if she could, well, I'd hate her. _Forever_.

"What… what the heck are you looking at…?" I started, but I didn't really get to finish my sentence because something _really _weird happened. I mean, my ears were inflicted with a loud noise, as I think there was an explosion right in front of us. The earth cracked under my feet, causing me to fall. But Miyuki here, with her cat instincts and wings, stood in one place, not bothered by this. Time resumed, for some strange reason. Hold it! I call a technical foul! I swear to Miyuki that I didn't tell time to resume! At least, not at that time anyway! Tariku woke up clumsily in the mysterious woman's arms, flailing around and trying get away from her kidnapper.

The sky then kinda started to spin, and we ended up right in the middle of Aichi Toyohashi. There we so many people walking around us and some where really startled when we just popped out of nowhere. I guess it could have been the fact that there was some kind of woman holding a scythe in her hands! Tariku's eyes were filled with so much worry that I actually felt sorry for her. I knew what she wanted just by looking at her. So with that, I had summoned my weapon and pointed it at the woman.

"Sayuri! What-what's going on?!" she pleaded, tears rushing down her cheeks. Hold on… wasn't Tariku's memory wiped out? Miyuki, didn't do her job! Grah! Why were we so disorganized? I glanced at this thick-eyebrow woman with an exasperated look in my eyes. Oh yeah, I was gonna give her hell.

"Let her go." I said, random people now stopping to see what we were doing. Kokoro's dome was placed some yards behind us, which meant he was ok. Good. I didn't have to baby-sit. That is… if Miyuki didn't let me down. Before the mysterious woman even got to answer me, or respond to my jest, I think a vine might have shot from under the ground and wrapped around Miyuki's leg. Hold on… let me confirm that.

"Damn it! Sayuri, handle this on your own. I think I know just who the Wickedness is!" Miyuki said, summoning one of her cards and slicing the vine that had threatened to cut off the circulation in her leg. As soon as she cut the vine, some mysterious person in a black hood came out of nowhere and held a knife to Miyuki's neck. Oh crap, Miyuki was about to be wasted.

"Morta," The woman murmured, somewhat unwilling to say her name. Why did she want to talk all of a sudden? Could it have been the fact that the hooded bad guy had some sort of connection with this woman? Honestly, I didn't know who I should have attacked first. Should I have went for the hooded guy or Morta here in front of me? I had to save Miyuki. She's my guardian. I didn't think Tariku had any special abilities, and if she did, she would have used them by now.

"I'll kill you where you stand." The hooded guy answered. You know… That voice was oddly familiar. It was defiantly a woman's voice. Miyuki frowned intensely, but it was more of a please-I'll-kick-your-ass frown. In the blink of an eye, Miyuki was free from the hooded woman's grasp. Miyuki was beside me, her guard up. Hmm… I felt like I finally have some help now. Even though Miyuki was so short!

"Kohana," Miyuki panted, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead. "So, we finally meet, eh?"

Erm, Miyuki had best not be talking about my mother…Wait, what I'm I saying? Come on! My mother was far too nice to hold a knife to someone else's neck. The hooded woman pointed to Morta, and whispered a few incoherent words. These two did know each other! But wait, what's the deal with Miyuki calling this hooded figure Kohana?

"SAYURI!" Miyuki bellowed, throwing a few cards around the two of us. "Use the fire Essence, now!"

All right, I hesitated, a lot. That was when there was another explotion. But this was far worse. In fact, Miyuki and I had got caught in the fray. My hair floated into the air, and I swear, my eardrums literally busted. When the explosion stopped, my eyes widened at what I saw. The whole city was destroyed. Buildings were smashed.---But there were so many people lying on the ground. The whole city became a blanket of crimson and corpses. This sight was almost too horrifying to look at. I was trembling in my shoes, literally trying to force this image out of my head. This didn't make any sense at all. How did something like this happen? Who the hell were we dealing with here?!

Miyuki was just as disgusted with this as I was. Now she was pissed, I presume. I slowly looked at Morta, her face and body covered in blood. Slowly, I brought my gaze towards her arms. …You know that feeling you get when you start to cry? Your face reddens, your nose starts dripping and then tears come gushing out of your eyes like a waterfall? Skip all that. Tears started to instantly pour out of my eyes. It was the most gruesome thing I've ever seen in my life. She was… gone. But, not completely. I… couldn't explain it.

"The hell?!" Miyuki exclaimed, the shield falling from around us. She faced the hooded woman, looking like she was going to kill someone herself. "How can you control her spasms? Why would you have her kill innocent people like this? What the hell is your problem?" Miyuki hissed, throwing her arms out in disgust. Dropping my wand, I turned to look at Miyuki, my face wet with tears. I couldn't stop the tears falling from my eyes. I could bring her back! I swear, I didn't know how this happened, but I could bring her back!

"Miyuki, you better have some sort of information as to why Morta just killed all these people!" I yelled. Miyuki turned to face me, an exasperated look plastered on her face.

"Ask your mother."

My body instantly tensed up. Miyuki was lying. She was always lying to me! Not wanting to test Miyuki's theory, I ran up to the woman who held Tariku's… beheaded body. I had second thoughts about running towards Morta, the Summoner of Death. If I wasn't persuaded before that she was the death controller, I sure as hell was now. My stomach did rapid flip-flops and my palms sweated with every motion of my arms. Rage filled my veins, giving me all the encouragement I needed to show this woman no mercy. And for some odd reason, I felt like this has already happened.

Tears flew off my face as I balled my fists, ready to just up and fight this woman. I summoned my weapon, just because I had a second thought. But I was still going to swing my magic wand like it was a sword of some sort. As soon as I reached the woman, she grabbed her scythe with both hands, swinging at my head without mercy. If she could kill all these people, there was no doubt in my mind that she could kill me. But the sheer adrenalin rushing through my veins was the only thing keeping my feet in motion. I could hear Miyuki shouting orders at me, and the hooded woman just stood there, ominously waiting for something to happen.

"You… I'll never forgive you!" I shouted, swinging my magic wand as if it were a baseball bat of some sort. Morta was evading almost all of my attacks, and even the ones I landed on her weren't doing any damage. Chunks of my valuably-kept-up hair began to fall down onto the ground in huge quantities, and Morta was actually cutting my skin with her weapon. My arms were burning, my legs were on fire, and I didn't think I could actually fight anymore. And Miyuki just stood there, watching the whole thing.

"Use the damned Essences, Sayuri! You have them for a reason!" Miyuki called out. I hesitated completely, letting this woman get another attack on me. I screamed out in pain. This was almost too unbearable to handle. I had never been cut by a blade before, but it hurt like hell! I couldn't hurt her! Even though I wanted to kill her, I couldn't! I just couldn't!

"I can't, she's one of us isn't she?" I gasped, throwing my hands out, definably begging for mercy, and showing my willingness to admit defeat. Morta halted her attacks for a moment, looking at me with blank eyes.

"Go on, don't you want to save your cousin? She is not going to like being cooked slowly to death by --"

Morta grunted hysterically, and that's when I felt a sharp stab in my stomach. Being stabbed didn't feel good at all, especially when you're stabbed by a scythe. The hooded figure then started to laugh malevolently and pulled down her hood. Or at least, I heard a hood being taken off. Yes, it was that silent. I could even hear the blood dripping from my stomach.

"You're…" Miyuki began, her voice cracking with fear, probably because she couldn't save me. "…Her mother, right? Aren't you?!"

I wanted to see her face. I wanted to see this woman's face! All I could hear was the carcasses gushing out anything they still had left inside them every time she took a step. Then she looked at me with her cold emerald eyes and iniquitous smile. It-it was her. It was really her. My mouth slowly gaped at this. . . .sight. This wasn't my mother, but it was my mother! Impossible! This has to be a dream! This wasn't real!

"Tell her. Tell her everything," Miyuki said, her voice sounding forlorn. "Tell her, Kohana. Tell her what you are."

"Gladly. I'll tell her everything she needs to know!" This… this woman said. "Problem is, is she going to believe all of it?" The woman motioned her hand towards Kokoro's dome, and Morta slowly walked over to it. Yet, Miyuki felt unfazed, like she knew her shield was impenetrable. Miyuki was never a big help. No, Miyuki was never a good _guardian_. I was standing here with a scythe impaling my stomach. You were not a coach. Please, do something, Miyuki. "Sayuri, dear, what happened to you? You're hurt, aren't you?"

Now that was my mother's voice. But this wasn't my mother standing in front of me. No, this had to be an imposter. Just then, I heard a loud beeping sound. I felt my eyelids closing for one quick second, and now Miyuki held the scythe in her hands, looking at me with fathomless eyes. Really, I had no thoughts at this point.

"I'm the Wickedness. I am the one you have to beat. I am your adversary. I have always been your adversary. Every since you were born, you became a thorn in my side, or at least a bump in the road for me. You are a nuisance." She paused, laughing lightheartedly. "Sayuri Outtaike… my daughter… is this where you thought you would end up? Is this what you thought the last moment with your mother would be like? Look where we are!" She finished, throwing her arms into the air dramatically, as if she was actually enjoying the view.

"You want to know how we got to this point? I already knew what you were. I knew. I know everything about you. I know what you'll do next, I know what you are thinking of doing, hell, I even know what you are going to say. I'm the ultimate being in the whole entire universe. I can't be defeated." She cackled, enjoying my sadness in every possible way. The last Wickedness was gullible. The last Wickedness was weak. She was truly an old cranky woman, who died at my feet. Now, I am to take up her legacy. I'm not the mother you thought you had. As of now, I permanently disown you."

I-I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it. This monster, this creature that was capable of wiping out a whole entire city was not my mother! My mother loved me, damn it! Miyuki was the worst guardian in exsistance! Why the _hell _would she lie to me like this?! My mother, Kohana, loved me! She said she loved me every single day! Maybe Miyuki wasn't to be trusted at all! Grah! Miyuki looked at me with blank eyes as she held Morta's… or maybe a whole 'nother scythe in her hands, putting pressure into my wound. I couldn't see if she was wielding Morta's weapon or not. My vision was really bad right now. My mouth started to seep blood. I literally felt my body shutting off on me. There was only so much I could take. No matter what the cost was, I had to save Miyuki, Kokoro and Tariku. Tariku didn't deserve this! No one deserved this!

"Something wrong, Sayuri? I keep telling you over and over again," My mother snarled, her slitted eyes staring bullets into the back of my head. I couldn't even bring my eyes to look at her. I felt replaced. I felt lied to. My mother still loved me! I wouldn't believe anything else besides that! "That imagine of the sweet woman you remember, that wasn't me. We were always destined to fight in the Memories' Lightwave."

That's when the earth started to shake again. But this time, lots of white-purple flowers surrounded us. The flowers magically grew almost everywhere I could see them. And my mother? She now looked mutated. Her arms were some sort of leaf thing, and her hair matched the petals of the strange white-and-purple-colored flowers. There was still blood and bodies on the ground. My head was spinning. My body was burning all over the place. I couldn't deal with this. My lips started to quiver involuntarily.

"So, you----lied?" I said with petite breaths, my sentence barely audible for anyone to hear. My mother just smiled at me. That smile… that biased smile wounded me deeper than the scythe that Miyuki has in my stomach. She's smiling at me, just as she always has. I died completely inside. I had been so gullible. For fourteen years, I had been lied to… but I didn't believe it!

"ANSWER ME!" I hollered involuntarily, tears running down my cheeks. "You _lied_to me?" Now I was pissed. If this wasn't my mother, the who the hell was she?! Who had I been living with for the past fifty thousand one hundred and eleven says? Imppossible! She cooked dinner for me every day, and I never questioned the fact that my food might have been poisoned! I cleaned the house with her, not worrying if she is going to kill me with a bleach bomb of some sort. Heck, I even let her _take care of me _for my whole life! That gave her more then enough time to kill me. I couldn't believe it! I had been living with a murderer?!

"I've told you, Sayuri," she said, smiling maliciously at me. "I'm not 'Kohana.' I am the Wickedness. Do you understand? In fact, I'm not even real!" Now my head was spinning out of control. So my mother was a figment of my imagination!? Have I been going insane all this time? Was I so insane that I'd make up imaginary parents? No, no, no! I was not going to believe that! I was not going to succumb to this! I was not crazy! I was not!

"And yet, you are. You keep asking the same questions to yourself, drowning your sorrows and trying to avoid the truth in the most pathetic way possible. Why don't you just accept the truth, Sayuri? Let me be your liberator…"

"That shows how much you care about me!" I raged, my vision blurring from the tears accumulating up in my eyes. As my mother, I would have expected her to at least know things about me… But she _did_ know things about me when she wasn't this way! She knew _everything_ about me, in fact! She knew I couldn't let go of the things that I love. "I'm too persistent for that! Show me you're not my mother!"

I sounded so weird saying that last sentence. Who would say something like that to their mother? I was beginning to think this was all a dream. My mother slowly pointed an index finger at the ground. At first, I hesitated to look, but I soon found what she was pointing at. I was lost in a world of red. People were scattered everywhere. I knew that was the result of Morta's spasms, but this was horrible. Vines were tied around both my legs, and they were drenched in _my blood_. There was practically gallons of it. Then, suddenly, my sense of smell was totally bombarded with the smell of rancid meat and flowers. I felt like throwing up, but it really pained me just to think about anything involving my stomach. With a scythe in my stomach, I managed to look behind me, and I now could see all the destruction my mother had caused.

Miyuki! Please, snap out of it! I didn't think I could do this alone! I couldn't kill my mother! As my gaze traveled the heaps of corpses, it was heartwarming to know Kokoro was still encased in that shield of his, and Morta was trying desperately to destroy that shield. However, Morta's attempts to break the shield were rather weak compared to how she was swinging her weapon at me. And then I saw her. Tariku. Tariku. Tariku. At this point, I was trying not to go crazy. …But, I couldn't pull my eyes away from her headless body. It was like her head imploded. This is _absolutely_ horrible. I could bring her back, right? I-I, I could make everything right again, just like her house! I was sorry! Really, truly sorry! I'd get revenge, bring you back, or die trying!

"Then you shall die!" Kohana hissed, the vines constricting even harder around my legs. Honestly, I didn't feel the pain. My whole body was numb. I looked one last time at my mother with pleading eyes. Her manifested flower body was now inscripted in my mind. Like a Kodak moment the picture would stay in my brain, forever. "This is… just a game…" I whispered, as that was all my strength allowed me to do. "Please…"

I felt myself falling unconscious. I was not sure if I fell out, but I knew if I died, Kokoro would die, and Miyuki would die. With my last breath, I uttered one final sentence,

"…Help me, you stupid cat."

* * *

__

Am I supposed to be happy?  
When all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.  
You said, you said that you would die for me….

* * *

Sayuri absolutely couldn't _stand _the snow. Firstly, snow made the outside world very cold. Every time she ventured outside, her ears would start throbbing with a bitter pain. Summer wasn't a redeeming season, either. Hot weather brought around the many bugs that lunged at Sayuri's skin. But oh, how Sayuri _hated _the spring. Now standing in outside with her mother, a frown plastered on her face. Sayuri stared at the many flowers already in bloom. She blinked a few times, refusing to believe that her mother's bountiful flowers bloomed so quickly in the early spring. Furthermore, spring meant that the sakura tree in their back yard was going to start raining sakura blossoms.

That meant Sayuri was going to have to rake. How troublesome.

Sayuri frowned even harder as she leaned down next to her mother, grabbing a shovel. Sayuri's mother smiled sweetly at her while Sayuri sighed in disgust.

"Why do I have to do this?!" Sayuri complained, growing completely aggravated at her mother. Kohana just smiled as she resumed potting her plants. It thrilled Kohana when her daughter took part in all of the activities she liked to do herself. Kohana tilted her sun hat to block the sun's oncoming rays. She held some sort of white-and-purple flower in her hand and smiled at Sayuri, flashing her white teeth at her daughter.

"Oh, Sayuri! I just wanted to spend time with you, is all! You know time is what we don't have! I love you! See, look, this type of flower expresses my love to you! It's called, Memories' Lightwave."

Obviously, Sayuri had no idea what that flower was. Though she didn't need to tell her mother that. Kohana sometimes knew what her daughter was thinking, whether it was a coincidence or not.

"Memories' Lightwave is named that because it's been said that if you smell it, your memories will return to you, and you'll get a grasp on the truth around you. Every lie should be revealed after you smell it."

At first, Sayuri was confused, but then she thought about it. _A flower that can give you the truth? _She beamed to herself. _Sweet! Count me in!_

"Count me in, then! I'm ready to get some answers!" Sayuri beamed, potting flowers at a faster pace than before. However, Kohana stopped working all together, dropping he plant that she held in her hands. With one quick wrap of her arms, Kohana constricted Sayuri in a hug. Sayuri objected to this action, squirming around.

"Gah! C'mon, we're outside!"

Instead of loosening her manlike grip, Kohana tightened her hold. "Don't say things like that. I love you too much…"

* * *

_I Climb, I Slip, I Fall  
Reaching for your hands  
But I lay here all alone  
Sweating all your blood  
If I could find out how  
To make you listen now  
Because I'm starving for you here  
With my undying love and I  
....I will_

* * *

Dude, this scythe was so freakin' heavy to swing. I felt so weird! So very weird! I was not use to being a girl! And why did my chest feel so damn heavy? How could any woman possibly live like this?! All right. My arms were, in fact, _burning_. These little arms weren't built for someone of my status! I wanted muscles, damn it! I didn't want curves! …But I guess it is time for me to play the hero.

My name is Morta Cviba. Oh man, that sounded so wrong. So wrong. My goodness… I think this puts me in the cross dresser/gay category. Before anyone even _thinks _about cracking a joke, I was one hundred percent positive that I was not gay. Accentually, I was far from it. Oh jeez. This was all too complicated. I rested my arm for a moment, stopping my swinging. Miyuki could make some good stuff. I was seriously tired. This body wasn't build for a 'berserk' style of fighting. The flower bitch looked at me like she was going to beat my ass if I didn't keep swinging.

"What's wrong, Morta? Don't you want to see your dear cousin again? Don't you want to return home?

…

…

…

…She thought I was really Morta? Phew, I was beginning to think I was going to blow my cover. Phew. I did not mess up with my body mimic of her body… I think. What guy do you know enjoys being a girl? No.. don't even answer. Thought I did give myself a beauty mark under my eye. Oh my goodness, I was getting fruiter with every thought! I _had_ to get out of this body! Now what would have been a good response… I hear Morta's a pretty arrogant bitch….

Well, guess what? I'm not Morta. I nonchalantly leaned on the scythe that I had in my hands. Ah, yeah, I know leaning on sharp objects is dangerous, but I do it anyway. And frankly, I don't give two hairy meat balls about this body. I'm taking these guys with me back to HQ. Walking closer to this so-called Kohana, I dragged this extremely heavy scythe behind me. When I got close to the knocked out Sayuri, and brainwashed Miyuki, I stopped to inhale a huge breath. Kohana here doesn't know that I've taken the real Morta into custody. Ah, I loved the smell of ass-kickery in the evening. I swung my scythe over my shoulder, smirking as only a guy in a woman's body could.

Kohana tried to size me up with a malicious glare. Um, Morta is defiantly taller then her. Or, I'm taller then her. Well, _someone_ is taller then her!

"What do you want?" I sneered. I didn't even get a facial expression from this flower bitch. All she did was point at Miyuki. Weird. Maybe she had poor Morta brainwashed like Miyuki here? She probably wanted me to kill her. I walled toward the two girls. Wow, poor Miyuki… falling victim to a mind control spell. What had gotten into her? I put my hand on Miyuki's shoulder, returning to my normal state. I replaced my black trench coat with my regular attire: a white polo shirt, bandages on my arms, and baggy black pants. I could finally feel my hair hitting the back of my legs, which was a _really _good thing. Miyuki regained consciousness, and dropped the scythe in her hands, looking almost terrified. Then she turned to face me. And that flower bitch wasn't happy. Actually, she was furious.

"Moonlight?!" Miyuki gasped in complete horror. Oh yes, it's me. You've been slacking on your job, Sunshine.

"Nice to see you too." I said, unleashing my attack. Half of my hair disappeared into a fog. Hopefully, I could get this bitch so we didn't have to have another Wickedness attack. Kohana snarled, not happy with my magic trick. I enshrouded the people that I was supposed to protect, and we disappeared.

My mission is complete.

* * *

**A/N:** And this is what the second half of the title stands for people. How many of you thought Kohana was going to be the bad guy in this? XD None of ya! I guess if you're not completely flabbergasted by this chapter, the next chapter, in fact, SHOULD confuse you.


	7. Leave All Our Hopelessness Behind

The way this team moved was like a beautiful symphony. However, this symphony was not playing soothing music. Actually, this symphony was not playing music at all. If anything, this symphony was making frustrating noises. There were five of them, huddled around each other, trying to figure out a plan to escape the many Wicked Spawn surrounding them. It was moments like this that this team did _not _need. And with the goddess of Slaughter, Aeron, wanting them all put to death, they had _no _time for silly side quests and useless battles. Well… not running into useless battles did not go so well.

With a beige bow held tightly in her hands, the white haired woman readied to fire an arrow through the crowd of black creatures surrounding her. Her petite fingers fidgeted with the bow, her Cream colored eyes glittering in confusion. Did she even know what these things were? Would these creatures feel the effects of her arrows? She had no idea whatsoever. The woman quickly spun around, her colorless hair whisking behind her white wings. Standing behind the woman with angelic wings was another woman with particularly pointy ears. This woman's green eyes twinkled with malice, her hands out, ready to deal damage.

"Watch my ass, will you, Charmeine?" The eager woman remarked, inching her back closer to Charmeine's. Charmeine's expression remained meticulous, her grip tightening on her bow.

"Mind your tongue, Lorelei," Charmeine began in a smooth-sounding voice. "Stay benevolent."

Lorelei rolled her eyes in resentment. "You do know that I'm a witch, right?" She asked, clasping her hands together and imitated the shape of a gun. A red cloud of smoke erupted from her index fingers before a ravenous flame quickly overtook a large number of the black creatures. Lorelei smirked, feeling good that her attack was finally strong enough to slay _something_. Usually, Lorelei's low-level black magic attacks failed. Feeling the need to show off, Lorelei winked at a male not too far away from her, using his fists to bring down the Wicked Spawn.

Too focused on combat, the silver haired male paid Lorelei's antic no mind, and that made her pout.

"Aw, c'mon, Kuro, you don't have to be like that! What, is Chione keeping you busy?" Lorelei sighed in defeat, quickening her attacks. Charmeine inhaled hugely, trying to block out her partner's obvious need for attention. Quickly, Charmeine made up her mind. If she were to attack, her arrow had to do _some _damage to the black creatures. Setting up her attack, Charmeine aimed her arrow high into the air. Being careful not to hurt her teammates, Charmeine signaled them by beating her angelic wings. Her mind was now absorbed in the fact that not too long ago, there was a very loud reverberation of some sort. After that same reverberation, that was when the black creatures decided to show up. What were these creatures?

Lorelei grunted in apprehension, making herself a pathway so she could get as far away from the angel as she could. Chione, the Egyptian vampire, held her daggers in each hand, shaking from the sheer thought of being killed by Charmeine's rain. Charmeine was obviously an angel; thus, she had white-magic-based attacks. Too bad all of her teammates were creatures of the dark. Well, except for Neolani, who was busy cutting a decent portion of the Wicked Spawn down to almost a fourth. Neolani was an outlaw mermaid, who was reported for supposedly killing her clan. However, Charmeine knew that wasn't true.

"Divine Retribution!" Charmeine chimed, releasing her arrow into the sky. Afterwards, it started to rain white orbs the size of watermelons, and most of the Wicked Spawn died on impact. It took a while for the rain to stop, but it did, eventually. The two vampires, Chione and Kuro had been shielding their eyes, and Lorelei was a good three yards away from the angel. Charmeine sighed as she put both her arms to her sides.

"Goddess Hikaru would be proud…" Charmeine muttered.

* * *

**-: Leave All Our Hopelessness Behind :-**

_How did you know?  
It's what I always wanted,  
You can never have too many of these.  
Will ya quit kicking me under the table?!__  
I'm trying, will somebody make her shut up about it?!  
Can we settle down please?_

--"Imogen Heap - Just For Now"

This fire around us feels… nice. At this moment, I've never felt so warm in this circle of friends. After the battle with those mysterious black creatures, we set up a camp to replenish our energy in this grassy field. It's nighttime, and the moon seems quieter than yesterday night, as it was raining horribly on our heads. Fireflies floated around us, unaware of the danger that we all carried on top of our heads. I'm sure if these creatures knew what we were, they would try to slaughter us as well. We need to contemplate the next move we are going to take. Normally, I wouldn't get myself involved in such a bright spotlight. But I-I want this war to end. This war has been going on for centuries over a mere trinket. That trinket is goddess Hikaru's sword: The Gale Onslaught, which killed the goddess herself while she was in the process of making it. She was the only one who knows where the sword was stored. And she was the only one that could have changed me into a… human… but she was killed.

The gods and goddesses were fighting over absolutely nothing. Everyone wants to get their hands on this trinket. Some want to keep this item away from humans. And then some want to rid the world of people like me with the righteous sword. Verbal arguments then turn to outrageous wars, taking lives and lands with them. Hikaru hid that sword for a reason. If she wanted it to be found she would have been… less subtle in hiding it. And she would have at least told Charmeine where the sword is. Charmeine is her daughter, after all. I brought my eyes up to look at Charmeine. She always looks so calm, but despondent at the same time. After her mother's death, I'd imagined that Charmeine would be torn apart. But, Charmeine is really strong. She is stronger then I could ever hope to be. Charmeine rules the city she's in charge of with an iron fist in her mother's absence. That, I could never do. I could never fill Charmeine's shoes.

Even though Charmeine is an angel and not a goddess yet, she's still a princess. She still keeps the nobility about her wherever she goes. She saved us--Kuro, Lorelei, Neolani and I--from certain death. And now she travels with us, possibly tarnishing her good name. We are going to find that sword, no matter what it costs us. A faint smile covered my face as I looked over to Lorelei, the orange-haired, green-eyed, pointy-eared witch sitting as close to Kuro as possible. I couldn't help but giggle silently at Kuro's facial expression, which was one of total aggravation. I think the fire from this burning wood is becoming too much for me to handle. For something that can kill you, it sure is comforting. I think Lorelei thinks that Kuro and I are a couple, but that is… not true. Yet she still tries to compete with me in her imaginary game. I really never understood Lorelei's tactics, nor why she feels so must distain towards me.

And then there is Kuro, the one person I've known since I… came upon this world. I remember the first time I ever set foot on this place. Charming, it was to first walk on this land. Aeron was a dark and rundown town, ruled by the goddess of Slaughter and Death herself, Aeron. Many creatures lived in this city, and yet the humans were unaware that things like me existed. I mean… they had to have known we existed. They loved Aeron so much, even though she didn't let anyone out of the town. Aeron was such a bad leader. If you wanted to leave her town, you'd half to give up the thing most important to you. And if you didn't, you'd die. That rule alone made it rather difficult to leave. But Kuro and I managed it. Vampires. That was what we were. The living dead, cursed to walk only when the sky's starry blanket covered the earth. Back then, my name was Chione Isis, and I was deemed to be a very _odd _vampire. Others, similar to my kind found me in the middle of a road, wearing a very formal red dress. It was ruffled until my feat were barely visible. Not that I wore shoes, anyway.

I was Hemophobic. I hated everything involving blood. I just… didn't understand the concept of it. That red liquid… it just wasn't appealing to me… But I needed it to live. Why did I have to harm others just to prolong my own life? Why should I been obligated to rid a family of a mother or grandmother, just so I could live another day? No. I wouldn't live like that. And so, I became some sort of benevolent Vampire, succumbing to malnutrition. They tried to make me like that red poison -- they even forced it in my mouth at some points, but I still stood justified by my decision to hate that liquid. They contemplated the fact of how I had gotten here. Some said I was sent here from another world. Another dimension. And I believed them, because there was no way I was from here. I was not used to anything in this world. And the Elder vampire, Harish, says that according to his mythical findings, I am an Egyptian vampire, and I once resided on a place called Earth. How I was brought here was a different story. For, there was a strange eruption of some sort before I showed up in Aeron.

There were a lot of vampires trying to help me, and I hated every last one of them. Hate is such a physically strong word… I mean, I rather… disliked them. Introverted by nature, I really didn't have a say in what they did to me. They… took me on hunts, and some acted like hunting was a game of some sort. They toyed with the humans, running them into alleyways and whatnot, frightening them until their hearts pounded against their ribcages. They treated those poor mammals as if they were _food_. It made me sick to my stomach that they could do something like that. And by the time I realized what these hunts were really for, I was nearly dead. However, I had gotten help before I had died… or at least, before I died from undernourishment. His name was Kuro, and he helped me understand that I really didn't have a choice or say when it came to surviving. Now that I think about it, the sheer thought of me coming from another realm makes me laugh. The Elder believed it and refused to think that there could be another reason for me being in that town.

I've shown the ability to control sand and dust… but mostly sand. Kuro says I can start an earthquake if I practice hard enough. I giggled at that, too. But now, I believe all of their theories. Just a few moments ago, there was some sort of earthquake or explosion. And along with that earthquake or explosion came those black monsters. I'm a little suspicious of this particular thing happening. It sounds too similar to my own story. What if those black monsters are from the same realm I'm from? One can only think and wait. Kuro is like my big brother, always protecting me and showing me right from wrong, even though I do not even have the courage to do something wrong. And that's why I've decided to stop this war… to protect my friends from the dangers of the Gale Onslaught and stop the circle of segregation of my kind in the world. And I'm happy Kuro has decided to go along with my plan. I couldn't have made it out of Aeron without his help. As a matter of fact, I owe him my life. My focus fluttered off the pale-skinned, silver-haired, blue-eyed vampire and found its way towards Neolani, who was leaning up against a tree with her arms folded. Leaning next to her was her weapon, a giant toothbrush of some sort with razor-sharp bristles.

Neolani has always been a mystery to me. Her dark purple hair and light green eyes sometimes frighten me, but I've learned to love her appearance. Neolani is a mermaid who has a huge bounty over her head three-thousand torendos. I had to learn what torendos were, and I recently found out that they were what people in this world exchange for merchandise. Without Neolani, we would have no idea where to travel next. Neolani has been accused with murder, hated by her kind, and everyone else not of mermaid decent. I trusted that Neolani couldn't have killed anyone… She's too nice for that, even though she doesn't show her emotions that much. But I can sense that she's good. Why else would she have agreed to some journey with us? Lorelei can't stand Neolani. Ever since Neolani beat Lorelei on the first day that they met, Lorelei just can't let that fact go. And Neolani just handles Lorelei's acts of antagonism with a subtle reprimand, which ticks Lorelei off. Lorelei isn't even a good fighter. She's just… Lorelei. With that last thought, I sighed silently before watching Lorelei spring up from the ground.

"Hey, guys! It's time for truth or dare, wouldn't you say," Lorelei began, throwing her arms up into the air, a beaming smile on her face. "Who's first, huh?" she finished, directing that last line to Kuro, as always. Neolani sighed and brought her terrifying lime-green eyes towards Lorelei.

"We aren't five-year-olds," she muttered, quick and to the point. That's when Kuro joined the argument as well.

"She's right, Lorelei, you gotta be serious about this type of thing. You're an accomplice to murder now." Kuro snorted, clearly fed up with Lorelei's antics. Poor Lorelei. The only thing she did was smile at Kuro's response. I think she was… happy that he actually said something to her. …Erm, responded to her antic. Lorelei leaned down to Kuro, invading his personal space.

"Are you siding with that mermaid whore, Kuro?"

"You're one to talk, _Peachy_," Neolani answered just as quickly. "Get your head out of the clouds."

And so I laughed at the event that unfolded right in front of my eyes. Lorelei started to lash out at Neolani, while Neolani just took it all in, not paying her any mind. I'm still Chione Isis, and I am still afraid of blood. I still am rather quiet, and I still hate my race for what they truly are.

But this…

This is my family.

* * *

_We're only taking turns… Holding this world. It's how it's always been… When you're older you will understand._

* * *

The time had come. Finally, my prayers had been answered. That sudden shaking, it could have only meant that I was be one step closer to achieving my goal. My kingdom would be the best kingdom in all of the galaxies. For I, Queen Aysel, ruler of my kingdom, that is named after myself had ruled with an iron fist. Never had I once fallen down as a leader. I believed I was the best ruler this land has ever saw! Surely no one could replace me! Walking towards my throne room, I had nothing but the best thoughts circling inside my head. I had already made a public announcement stating that I had a speech to make to everyone in Aysel. Yes, I was even going to talk to the Nocuous ones. This day was a glorious day, and everyone needed to know. Especially the Enlightened Ones.

What separates my kingdom from any one else's is the fact that I keep all the vile vermin in a small little box. I keep them squished up together in all of their despicability, watching them squirm and cower like dogs. For you see, we Enlightened Ones live in a palace in the sky. Thanks to my brain, I built this place in the sky with my servants, binding my palace to the ground below with enormous chains, just so it wouldn't move out of its place. Brilliant wasn't it? That way, the Enlightened could travel down to Austere. Austere is were the Nocuous live, making their homes from scratch and doing everything they could to stay alive. Ha, maybe if they weren't born as such silly dogs, to could live the life that we are living now. Too bad that will never happen!

The Enlightened ones have the power over the mysterious organ called a brain. We are more advanced then the Nocuous. We can use psychic abilities, making our kind a threat. The Nocuous wouldn't dare to oppose us. Though I do sometimes send my daughter, Renata, to keep watch on that trash. You never know when something might try to rebel. But let me assure you, if they were to rebel, they would all die, easily. For I have the best army assembled in the whole galaxy. You don't need numbers when you have the finest minds in all of existence. My army can tear down anything thing that dares interfere with Aysel. My land reigns as the ultimate place to live. I'll have any rebels killed on the spot.

I came to a halt, raising my hand up to open the large doors leading to my chambers. When you have powers like mine, you don't need to use physical strength to get by. We do things mentally. My eyes scanned my throne room as I quickly remembered my lush palace, decorated with lace pillows and satin carpeting. All of my antiques were burnished to perfection. I looked at the many antique pictures and paintings, my eyes greeted with my great sense of taste. And then, I started to walk towards the grand table in the middle of my room, which my troops and daughter where seated around, having a very awkward conversation. Truly, they had sensed the eruption also! They were smarter than I imagine them to be! Tonight, we would dine luxuriously! Once my solders saw me enter, all the chatting stopped. I grinned a maliciously. My, they knew me all too well. I put my hand up into the air, a glass of expensive champagne fitting into my palm surely this would be a fine celebration. Hopefully, I wouldn't spill a drop of champagne on my fur coat.

"Please loyal combatants, I beseech you to listen to my good news. The Wickedness has been reborn, and soon, I will have enough power to rid this world of all the Nocuous it possesses. This is a significant celebration that should be talked about to all. Renata, my dear, how does this make you feel? Surely you have been looking forward to this occasion, have you not?"

My daughter looked down at her fingers for a while, her golden eyes lighting up in trepidation. My dear, there was nothing to be afraid of! Surely she was not afraid of those dirty vermin?

"I wish you wouldn't say that…" Her golden eyes fell to the floor and she inhaled sharply, allowing a heavy sigh from her lungs a few long, breathless moments later. The setting sun shone through my very beautiful curtains in narrow slivers of light and Renata's bright irises glistened in the mellow sunlight as her fingers entwined themselves with one another. She's always been like this, and it made me furious. She had everything she could ever want! Why was she so afraid? Regardless, I gave my persuasion another attempt.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Maybe it was one of the other solders pestering her? My head tilted to the direction of Adel, the dark-skinned nobleman, who was looking rather… guilty of making my sweet daughter feel nervous. My daughter has everything she could desire. Why, she had inherited her father's golden locks and eyes! My husband was the most desirable man in Aysel, and I married him. Now the suitors were practically breaking their necks to marry my daughter! She couldn't have any self-esteem issues, could she?

"It was not I, Queen Aysel." Adel said in a low voice. Something about his tone made me believe that he was telling the truth. To my consternation, I suddenly considered the fact that my right-hand-man, Zed, could have been responsible for this nonsense. My sweet daughter. Precious Retana…. My eyes drifted to the pendant around her neck, its luminosity getting in the way of my concentration. That pendant, the way that it was shaped, concerned me. It took the form of a small diamond, but did it have an extraordinary amount of power inside of it. My husband, Saivan, said he had found the jewel during his travels, and simply knew to have it turned into a gift for Renata's fourth birthday. Renata's twenty-two now. When she first got the pendant, she accidentally slaughtered a couple Nocuous. She just looked at her prey. One blink, and they were dead, their blood smeared all over the playground. There are no useless playgrounds in my palace. Flipping the pages of one of my ancient tomes, Zed let out an interminable sigh.

"Mistress," he paused, setting the book down to get a better look at me. "Maybe she is tired of this cyclical method you use every couple of years," he emphasized, waving his free hand in a spiraling motion, then stopping for a dramatic effect. That really made me angry. Who was he to question my methods? How I executed my plans? I didn't think of the plan we had used years earlier, as it was Saivan who had thought that bit up. "Maybe it's time you… let her open up to bigger and better things, hmm, Mistress?"

I instantly scowled. Watching my daughter sink down into her chair was anything but dreadful to witness. This action of hers was often trite. Zed's sacrilege was anything but subtle, but I had to overlook that. Today was supposed to be a glorious day! It would be laggardly of me to punish one of my solders now. So I over looked Zed's comment and took a sip of the sparkling champagne I held.

"Today, the sky rippled, revealing that the Wickedness has awakened from it's lull. Now is our chance to capture the hellish fiend, taking rein of its power. The paltry creatures that live below us will be no use for the Wickedness's power once we wield it. Even I, Queen Aysel, cannot stand up against the Wickedness's frightening power. We have the bait to lure the monster in when it has finished transforming. Adel, get the equipment ready so we can encase the monstrosity. Defina, round up the townsfolk who have yet to hear about the announcement I am going to make. Naira, round up a couple of posters. I want everyone to at least cower with the thought that I am going to gain _more_ power. And Naira, contact Saivan. Tell him we are one step closer to achieving our goal. And you, Zed," I paused, taking my eyes off the content, fair-haired Naira. "Round up a sacrificial feeding for the Wicked Spawn we have collected."

And with that, I left my room. My battalion was bizarre, each of their faces showing a different emotion entirely.

But this…

This is my kingdom.

* * *

_I can't believe the news today. Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away. How long, how long must we sing this song? How long, how long? Tonight, we can be as one tonight._

* * *

"Whatever the hell that explosion was, I don't like it one bit, Charunetra," I grunted, slicing my sword through some kind of nasty-looking hell mutant. I was locked into an intense battle, short little Charunetra by my side, who wielded a black blade scimitar in her hands. Even though she classifies as a midget, she is a real help when it comes to the fighting. Charunetra is a small little girl… I think she's ten, but she can sure fight! Charunetra can sure kick someone's ass… probably better than I can! This girl can hold her own in any situation. Never underestimate the short-haired black-eyed half breed named Charunetra. I'm pretty sure you'll get your ass handed to you. Ha, I sound like an old record! What's gotten into you, Azumi? You've gotta concentrate on what you were paid to do!

I'm Azumi, and I am of Aziza decent. I'm a purebred. I damn sure wasn't a cross between some other two species. Yeah, I'm a fairy. So what? I'm a kickass fairy with a sword that will eat your entrails. Ok, maybe I was lying a bit. I am of Aziza decent… It's just that my mother was human. So technically, this would make me a really tall fairy. And hey, I've got some pretty sweet tattoos. You should see the amazing lightning bolt charging up from my back. Yeah, I was born with that. It wasn't a birthmark, but you know, if it was a birthmark, I'd have the most amazing birthmark in all of existence. Anyway, you've guessed it, I inherited the ability to control lightning from my father. Dodge. Pivot. Roll. All these things are natural to me. There hasn't been a time where as I couldn't evade something. For I am an assassin. I just bring Charunetra with me because, well, I cannot lose the pipsqueak! Charunetra is a cross between a melinoe and an amon. You see, a Melinoe is supposed to the ghosts of former goddesses, and an amon is a grand marquis of Hell. How that even worked is beyond me. So now I had this enthusiastic little furball fighting by my side. And Charunetra keeps tying to trip me with her tail.

"Would you stop and focus on fighting?" I complained, my slashing growing more… flawed because I couldn't concentrate on fighting while getting smacked on the back with a serpent's tail on my back. Charunetra just laughed at she impaled more of the black monsters. Why won't it show? Why wont my hit show?!

"Pony-pony, you are never going to win this battle if you keep on getting distracted, ya know?" Charunetra chimed, grinning wildly as she jumped around. Urgh… if she calls me that one more time, I'll cut her head off! I mean it! Before I even got a chance to respond, that girl was standing on top of my head, laughing at me.

"Why, you!" I muttered, quickly putting my hand up to choke this little menace. But she was too fast for me, and now she stood all the way at the Hell Gate's entrance. Holy hell, she was going to get herself killed! You can't just stand in front of a Hell Gate like that! Our mark is Cerberus… what the hell are you thinking, Charunetra?! I started to run towards the gate, stepping on these black creatures' heads, merely using them as a way to get to Charunetra. But then, something unexpected happened. I felt my pony-tail being pulled back with extreme force, causing me to fall backwards, hard. I was dazed for a moment before I opened my eyes to be met up with Charunetra's bright blue eyes. She leaned over me, like she was enjoying my pain. That was it! She had been given a lot of chances.

"I'm gonna put you in time out, pipsqueak." I rumbled, putting my hands up. But Charunetra put her finger up to my lips.

"Uh… Pony-pony…. What is that?"

"That what?!" I yelled, raising a brow. You mean, all the black monsters crowding around my body? Or no, how about all of the weird colors rushing pass my head? What the hell were you talking about, Charunetra?

Then, to my surprise, Charunetra shifted away from me and pointed to this hellish dog with three heads. Drool dripped from its mouth. Boy, it must have thought I was really appetizing. I immediately got up and put up my guard. I balled my hand into a fist, lightning radiating from my body, instantly killing all the small fry monsters around me. Damn, I can't believe I got sidetracked like this! All because there was some sort of rip in time, unleashing all of these creatures! Trust me, I know my space rips when I see them, and this explosion definitely had something to do all these black creatures showing up.

"Go for the nose, Charunetra," I sighed, walking leisurely up to this beast. Charunetra jumped up into the air before letting out a big, "Yay!" Why does she have to be so excited to fight?! I mean, she is a good fighter.

But this…

This is my hunt!

* * *

**A/N:** Phew, I've introduced more then ten characters. Somebody needs to congratulate me on my awesome-sauce win! XD

And all of the characters (well some) are cameos! That's right! XD And we will one day meet the yo-yo swinger Sophia! Tomahawk, all will be revealed when the story progresses, so stop asking questions! I hope everyone has gotten use to my three narrators in this chapter. We shall pick up where we left off… in an air ship! And we shall spend the day with our P.I.M.P and Kokoro! Sounds fun, huh?


	8. False Pretenses

**A/N**: A/N: So, this chapter is 10,123 words long! Yes! Some body high five me! XD This is for Zeph! Well, anyway, I wanted this chapter to be all about Kokoro and Moonlight's day together, but you can see where that went. So, that caused me to change the title name, and the song, because the previous ones had nothing to do with the plot thus far. XD Enjoy!

* * *

"This is exactly why you shouldn't get too close to the perimeter," a tall, brown haired woman began, looking down upon the short Miyuki. The woman had waist-length auburn hair, and her brown eyes twinkled with persistence. In her left hand was a uniquely shaped dagger, the handle wrapped up in a loose red ribbon. There was also a chain linked up to the handle of the dagger. In the woman's hair resided a flower. She wore a black scarf around her neck, letting it swing behind her back. The woman wore suspenders the hung from her skirt, and she also sported a black halter top, and on her legs were knee high black socks and flats. The woman sighed for a moment before motioning her arm behind her. "You're not allowed in the corridors when your mission is away."

"I know that, Linnéa," Miyuki began, her face reddening before answering again. "What is that, though? I've never seen anything like it before…" She finished, pointed at this orb floating a few feet away.

"A prototype. The people who take part in the Guardian training fight these artificial Essences. What one is doing in Shirogane's castle is beyond me," Linnéa paused, positioning her dagger firmly in her hand. She really hadn't done any kind of fighting with unusual entities. Linnéa took one last look at the frightened Miyuki. Sensing her distress, Linnéa threw her weapon at the mysterious yellow floating orb, throwing her weapon a good six feet in front of her. At first, the yellow orb started to shake a bit, but Linnéa wanted to make sure it was not going to hurt anyone in the castle. With that thought in mind, with the help of her free hand, Linnéa pulled on the chain, slowly bringing the orb towards the two girls. Miyuki's jaw dropped at this feat, and began to cower.

"Wh-what are you doing, Linnéa? You are going to get us killed!" Miyuki shrieked, bringing her hands up to her face, refusing to see whatever dim fate they were going to encounter. Then, with all of her speed, Linnéa ran towards the orb with her dagger still in her glove-covered hand. She began to slash gracefully at the orb, causing the prototype to erupt with short-lived flames. With every swing of her weapon, the orb diminished in size until it was nothing put a tiny piece of metal. Linnéa let out a sigh before picking up the piece of metal, her face radiating sympathy for her frightened friend. Miyuki uncovered her eyes and smiled. She was just happy that Linnéa hadn't died. What ever training Linnéa underwent when she applied to be a guard for Shirogane's castle worked fairly well.

"You're amazing," Miyuki began, switching her footing. "I wish I could fight like you, Linnéa!"

Without a second glance, Linnéa waved her hand at Miyuki. "Isn't there someone you should be tending to?"

"Oh, yeah, Merlin, I almost forgot about him! Thanks, Linnéa!" And with that, Miyuki ran into the other direction, her hair trailing behind her.

* * *

**-: Chapter Eight: False Pretenses :-**

_Well I can't regret,  
can't you just forget it?  
I started something I couldn't finish  
And if we go down,  
we go down together  
best friends means,  
well best friends means..._

_Best friends means I pulled the trigger!!!  
Best friends means you get what you deserve!!!_

Taking Back Sunday -- "There's no I in team"

I couldn't believe this. This was absolutely stupid. If Miyuki had done job, we wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with. Not to sound sexist, but she clearly wasn't the superior choice of becoming the Guardian for the Summoners. Miyuki wasn't all that strong if she let one our finest solders escape when really it was _her _responsibility to keep him in line. Not only that, but before Miyuki even thought of becoming the Guardian, she was a sunshine girl. Miyuki was overly cheery and very annoying. I should know. So now she gets everything she could possibly ever want, and I'm stuck being a pilot. Miyuki wasn't even the type to even battle. As far as I know, even though I haven't seen her in a couple of centuries, Miyuki is still that weak, cheery girl that looked up to me. How did that script flip? Well, it didn't flip completely, because I do not admire her. She's a disgrace to female fighters everywhere. I mean, she was taught to fight by a dying old man!

I could have been the one was sent to lead the Summoners. I was perfect for the job. Why wasn't I assigned to complete the duty? I could best Miyuki in a battle with both my hands tied behind my back. The only thing Miyuki really had going for her was her wits, and even with that, she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. I am also more experienced in the art of battling than Miyuki. It costs a lot of money, time and effort to get this air ship down to Earth, no less into another dimension altogether. And all of this controversy was caused when Miyuki messed up. Miyuki didn't play her cards right. She was the reason I had to wake up in the early hours of the day, and fly this ship. I blamed her for everything. And I was justified with my conviction.

My hands were growing restless as I slumped down into my chair. What was taking that monkey so long to get back here? His orders were simple: retrieve the wounded. That wasn't that hard. Well, it might have been hard for that man. He probably attempted to take on the Wickedness himself. And if he did, he'd probably be dead by now. If Moonlight died, we should get out of here before the Wickedness noticed that he brought friends. Not that I was really concerned about his life, I was merely stating that we should leave before anymore blood is wasted on useless people. With a plan in mind, I attempted to get out of my seat, undoing the many belts that were fastened around my body. That action alone took five minuets. I just don't have the patience to squander time like this.

I had two coworkers helping me fly this ship, and I really didn't like either of them. One was my older brother, who rarely talked at all to me----or anyone, for that matter. He only talked when it was absolutely necessary, and if he did decide to establish a conversation, he'd use very few words to get his point across. Through the corner of my eyes, I saw my second coworker, Cyrus, shaking his head at my sudden need to get out of my seat. His shaking head told me that it wasn't a good idea. Cyrus owned this ship. I was _piloting _my father's ship. I blame Miyuki for that one, too. Successful with my attempts to free myself from the belt prison, I stood at the full seventy-two inches I was born with. With my hands crossed, I walked past my father, while pressing the button for the ship's door to be let down.

"Well, what are you doing, Linnéa?" he began, in that thick, low voice I've really grown tired of hearing. "You're not going to try and get the bastard, are ya?" He paused, clearing his throat. "I could care less if he died!" he laughed, full-heartedly. "That boy's been a pain in my side."

I sighed. Cyrus didn't like any of my male coworkers besides my brother. And even when I was with my brother, I think my father had a problem with that as well. And that was just weird. Moonlight was definitely not the type of man to be within a three-mile radius of my father. My father and Moonlight have gotten into numerous fights, some physical, some verbal, and my father wins. Every time. This could be because Moonlight has no spine, as far as I'm concerned. But whatever the case may be, I always dread the day when Moonlight and I cross paths. And I only met Moonlight because of some giant monster. But Moonlight and I crossing paths probably had to be done. I'd much rather prefer Moonlight dying over my family. With another sigh, I turned around to face my father.

"If Moonlight dies, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Dogg will be at our throats. Even though he's sleeping in the back, he'll automatically wake up. Then something bad will happen, because he is a beacon for bad luck. Sorry, Father, I'll make sure Moonlight's at least punished."

And with that, I walked into the world of blood stained flowers and bloody corpses lying everywhere I looked. _Disgusting_. Absolutely disgusting. How could something kill blindly like this? And that smell… it was absolutely horrible. Putridly absurd. This Earth…. This world was one of the most horrible places I have ever been in my life, and I _pilot _my father's airship. On Spectra, this kind of thing wasn't aloud. Period. I couldn't live on Earth. I took one step upon the ground, skulls cracking beneath my feet. I cringed at that sound. Had it been _that_ long since these people were killed where that I could destroy a bone structure with one step? I had to stop and contemplate this. Subsequently, my thoughts were interrupted by a horde of Wicked Spawn running towards the ship.

Who was ultimately leading the pack? None other then Moonlight, who had two people thrown across his back and another person in his arms, bridal-style. Running next to him was this peculiar looking woman. She strangely looked like Miyuki. That woman couldn't have been the same frightened little girl who clung to my side whenever something bad happened and asked me for advice about very trivial things. Were did her hair go? She use to have such beautiful hair, and now it's all gone. At that point, I was furious. Miyuki had grown into nothing but a silly pirate! She had forgotten what it was to actually be a woman! That is exactly why I shunned her. Hopefully, she didn't change over the years; the scolding that I was going to give her could actually be effective. Then I realized that if Moonlight and Miyuki came within two feet of this ship, there would be no doubt that the Wicked Spawn would follow them both. _Idiots_. I readied myself for combat, summoning my dagger.

"Linnéa! And here I am thinking you'd be better'n that," Moonlight cooed. "I'm not that dumb." I quickly tensed up at the sight of Miyuki's face literally dim when she even caught sight of me. It had been a few centuries. Let's just hope she was the same easily-manipulated Miyuki that I've known. Moonlight threw both of his arms in front of us, and there he and Miyuki were, behind me. In _my_ air ship. I was still outside, looking very harebrained towards the now-multiplying Wicked Spawn running at me. Hesitating, I looked behind me, not sure what my next action would be. But then, within the next millisecond, I turned around and cast my trepidation aside. Moonlight was sure to pester me with his, "Where's the pilot to my ship?" comment.

My father sat in his position, his hands grasping the controls tightly. Moonlight ran next to him, a smirk on his face. I manned my station, pulling the shift gear. I would have to worry about fastening my seat belts later. Quickly, I took us into the sky, and soon, we shot into the space. Miyuki stood a great distance away from everyone else. I noticed that she had blood stains all over her clothes. Disgusting. The old Miyuki wouldn't tolerate that at all. Moonlight set the three wounded kids on the ground in the middle of the room. He probably assumed that the young Summoners' lives were to come before his antics. That might be the smartest thing he's done yet! But after that, I really can't vouch for him. Then, with a wide smirk on his face, Moonlight walked over to my father.

"I saved your daughter, Brick Head." Yes, of course I cringed after hearing that.

"Boy, what do you mean you saved my daughter?" Cyrus spat, quickly shifting his side of the engineering mechanism into auto-pilot. I sighed yet again. For one, Moonlight hadn't _saved _me. As a matter of fact, I hadn't engaged any type of physical confrontation in the five minutes that I had decided to step outside the air ship. Sometimes, Moonlight acted as if he had no brain inside his head. As the healer on board our ship, Rayne, tended to the wounded purple-haired girl in the center of the room, Moonlight further antagonized my father. Rayne held an artificial reverse Essence between her fingers, slowly-but-surely restoring the purple-haired girl's outer appearance into what it had been before she was brutally battered. Though her wounds disappeared, but the wounds were still embedded inside her body, and that should be corrected with the right amount of sleep, If I remember correctly. Intrigued, I unfastened my seat belts and put the control panel on autopilot. "I'll hang you by your wings. Get the hell away from me, and stay away from my Linnéa."

Moonlight then looked up at my father, Cyrus, with his sapphire eyes gleaming with animosity. "Hey, you don't have to be mad, I'm just doing what a P.I.M.P. does best. Remember the P.I.M.P.: Professional---"

At that moment, my father threw a plate at Moonlight's head, but he missed horribly, almost hitting Rayne in her back. Rayne nearly jumped, but continued to help out the three young Summoners. Rayne was the only one on board who could actually help these children. If anything were to happen to her, there would be no doubt that these children would indeed die. I'm not so sure that my brother knows anything about the art of healing. And I've not exactly had any catching up with Miyuki. Not that I would want to catch up with her. I don't know what she did to become these kids' Guardian, but I should definitely be in her shoes. Moonlight took a few more steps towards my father, even though he was indeed fuming with rage. At least, that much I could see throughout the corners of my eyes. Rayne quickly arose from her latest fixation on the three Summoners, and checked to see if Miyuki herself was ok. How is it that their Guardian was not as injured as them, but she was doing better than them? My eyes fluttered towards Miyuki, who really had no facial expression. She was just blank. How can someone who can't look after themselves protect another? That's implausible. I'd really like to battle Miyuki and see what made her superior. To see whatever made her think she was _better _than me. I know she didn't forget about Linnéa. Linnéa, Linnéa, Linnéa. I _worked_for this job. Miyuki did nothing but get _lucky_. Clearly, she had luck on her side. Too bad she wouldn't be able to escape my dance. After all, I am named after the Linnéa flower. It's a very powerful herb.

"Stop acting like idiots," I scolded. "This is a rescue mission. Though I don't really blame you two for being the ones who needed rescuing anyway." I paused. Wait, I did have to save Moonlight. "Well, except you, Moonlight, who needs baby sitting."

At first, Moonlight smiled, possibly thinking of something exceptionally annoying to say to me. But then he surprised me. He faced my father, and with a low, cackling voice, he said, "It's not my fault your _daughter_ can't resist me." That comment alone didn't even need my father's anger to silence him, because I delivered a very deserving blow to the back of Moonlight's head. The comical effect of Moonlight flinching made me giggle. But still, I kept my game face on, feeling satisfied with my actions. My father let out a bristling laugh before returning to his station.

"There'll be more where that came from, P.I.M.P.," he said, in a mocking tine of voice. Moonlight collected himself and quickly sauntered to Miyuki's side.

"Obviously, Linnéa's madly, deeply, inconsolably in love with me. She just denies it because you're here, Brick Head. But that's ok! Miyuki, you still love me, right?"

Quicker then Miyuki could even respond, I invaded the conversation. "Moonlight, you idiot, leave that thing alone. Miyuki doesn't have any say in anything--"

"An answer," Miyuki responded, interrupting my sentence. "You missed your shot. Blew your chance. You could have had it, and yet, you acted like all the rest of the female fighters. What my Time Summoner would say might spin you into spiraling circles of denial: You chickened out. I was the only one with a brain who wanted to do something with my life. That's why _I'm _the one with blood on my blouse, and you're the one denying your love for Moonlight. Tell me, why did you guys come and get me?" With every word that fell from Miyuki's lips, the more angrier I had became. She did absolutely nothing to gain what I should have right now. Miyuki was more feminine than the color pink. Miyuki doesn't have a spine. Miyuki never had a spine. Miyuki wasn't a fighter at _all_. She wasn't better than me. And my latest comment was going to prove that.

"You're under suspicion, Miyuki," I scoffed. "If you haven't noticed before, you're being watched 24/7. We watch you : Moonlight, Cyrus, Dogg, Rayne, many others and your superior. Linnéa." I paused, looking at Miyuki in total disgust. "Coming into this world, you knew who the enemy was, and yet _you_ hesitated. You hesitated for days. During the past couple of days, you knew that if there was any way to stop the Wickedness from evolving--"

"Spare me, Linnéa. As you know, I had no idea _who _the Wickedness was. I only knew _who _it might have been. I couldn't have killed people for no reason. Unlike you, I use my head. When Sayuri's mother dropped her off at the mall, I knew what she was really doing. Kohana wasspying on us. And I deliberately fell into her trap. I needed to confirm that she was the Wickedness. It's silly that you think I'd be working for the very monster I've trained three thousand years to defeat. You're childish. Grow up. It was just a little blood. It's not like Sayuri's parents died. It wasn't like she had a parent anyway. You didn't train. I did. End of story."

"Then it was unnecessary blood! You were talking about the purple-haired girl," I said with deep scorn in my voice. "What about the male and other female?!"

"Gladly, Linnéa. Kohana doesn't _go_to work at all. She spends her time trying to pan-out where the Summoners are. Unfortunately, she found Morta, the Summoner of Death. I'm sensing that she also spend her that she tried to put her under mind control for numerous days, also. As for why I impaled Sayuri's stomach, I did that. Intentionally, I wasn't put under mind control." Miyuki paused. "These are my responsibility, these children. I have a deal to carry out."

For at least a couple of minutes I had wanted to say something, but I couldn't. The only thing around us was silence. Miyuki talked about how she knew about all the crimes she had committed, but she could have easily been lying. Miyuki let thousands of people die because she wanted to find out if Kohana was the true Wickedness. Even so, that's not chivalrous. That's horrible. Miyuki has no heart. I _do_.

"Ladies, ladies, please! These enough if me to go around four times!" Moonlight proclaimed. Argh, he was absolutely annoying. Rayne walked in on our conversation, totally clueless about what we were talking about. But something about her face said that she was frightened.

"Linnéa! The boy! He's waking up!"

Everyone's attention suddenly snapped towards the brunette male as he mumbled a couple of incoherent words. Even though I wanted to beat the everlasting hell out of Moonlight, I stayed composed. Miyuki, Moonlight, Rayne and I slowly made our way over to the boy. Our wings were not going to give this boy a very warm welcome. All four of us crowded around him, causing him to send us much more confused looks then just a few moments ago. Basically, it was a match of odd facial expressions. Who would say something? This informative moment was Miyuki's job. Moonlight went into a panicky mode, and I think Miyuki was devising a plan at that moment. I doubted it. Moonlight then took a leap of faith and sighed.

"Relax, relax," Moonlight began with a light swagger. "This is just a dream, kid. Don't freak out." Silence ensued after that comment. The boy had contemplated this idea before nodding his head slowly. Did one of Moonlight's plans just work? "So, what's your name, kid? 'Cause you know, people in your dreams are only figurative symbols of your real life. Think of me as your best friend. The name's Moonlight. Remember the P.I.M.P.: Professional--"

"Okay, okay, that sounds very original…. Phew, the first half of this dream was absolutely crazy! Why did Tokyo blow up like that? Why did everything just disappear?" He paused. "Was it my fault?" he asked, getting up from the ground and looking Moonlight in his eyes, hoping for some answers. I assumed that he didn't see the Wickedness actually killing, for Miyuki had put him into a stasis of some sort. Moonlight, work your magic. "Where am I now? This dream is really weird…"

"Don't worry, Kokoro. This is just a vacation. You've been really tense and just wanted to have a trip. I'm you guardian, Miyuki. We've met before, but I don't think you remember me. Kokoro, we are going to Spectra, apparently. I'm sure you'll like it there." Ah, curse Miyuki! Once we get back to Spectra, the townspeople will be swooning at her, and bowing at the young Summoners' feet! They'll be treated like kings. Including Miyuki. In Spectra, they were al heroes. Miyuki was use to being treated like royalty. Since she became a guardian, she was respected throughout all of Spectra. But how can you get respect if the same respect you are receiving doesn't belong to you? Moonlight put Kokoro in a friendly headlock, roughing up his short, untamed hair; and in return, Kokoro let out numerous pleas for help.

"Yes, my main man Kokoro, we're going to go around Spectra! Since when we get to Spectra, Miyuki is going to have to stand trial. And I think that since Morta's been put under mind control, we are going to have to find the Linnéa flower, which is a herb to get the brain working right again, y'know? And my partner, Dogg, might join the fray. Of course, Linnéa, my soon-to-be wife, might join too," Moonlight said, but he sneakily whispered that last line. He thought I couldn't hear him, but I did. That comment would have earned him another blow to the head, but I digress. Kokoro looked strangely at Moonlight himself.

"So, wait. You're my guardian, Moonlight?" Kokoro blinked.

"For the time being. Or at least, until Miyuki gets back from her trail. Which shouldn't be that long, because Miyuki is a pro at getting out of bad situations. Say, do you recognize the two chicks you were with? From what I know, that chick lying on the ground is named Sayuri. I think she's your partner---"

"She's just your partner," Miyuki intervened before Moonlight filled the human's head up with lies. Moonlight had an knack for doing things like that. And by "that", I mean corrupting people, of course. "Her name is Sayuri Outtaike. Yes, it is my job to look after you, Sayuri, and Morta. Sayuri Outtaike is the Summoner of Time, and she is your leader, as well as your partner. Morta Cviba is the Summoner of Death, even though I don't have much information on her at this moment. When I get back to Spectra, I'll do a background check on her. And you, Kokoro, are the official Summoner of Fire. You control the flames. You're a very important part of this pilgrimage. You and Sayuri have already met, but I see you're going to have to meet her again. Remember, Kokoro, dreams can be dangerous. You should tell Sayuri that when you have the chance." Miyuki finished, looking at me with glaring eyes. Kokoro nodded his head, and I couldn't help but notice that the dark brown streaks in his hair. How odd… this… human. Just a moment ago, Kokoro had been bewildered and dazed, but now he was enthusiastic.

"I can control fire? Sweet. These are my teammates? Sweet. I can live with this, Miyuki. But Miyuki, will we be able to go to Tokyo again? If I can really control fire," he paused. "Then I want to show Umi, my sister. She loves magic tricks. I know Tokyo blew up, but my family is safe, right?"

Miyuki nodded her head, and managed to put a false smile on her face as well. "Of course, Kokoro. We'll see them again." She fed him lies, but I could overlook that. Kokoro wasn't my responsibility.

* * *

Even if this was some kind of surreal dream, it seemed pretty real to me. So now, I guess I was going to a whole 'nother world, which shouldn't exist anyway! My brother, Kohaku, loved space, and he said that our galaxy was just a tiny fraction of the universe. He'd love to be on this ship with me right now! This seemed like a dream that he might want to have. I do remember a Sayuri, too. I remember her setting off fireworks, or something. But I didn't remember a Miyuki, but now I_ know _a Miyuki, because she just introduced me to everyone! Thanks, Miyuki! I didn't have many dreams, but this one would be the best dream I have had in a while! But everyone should be smiling! Sure, we've gotten blown to pieces, and Sayuri and Morta are injured, but we should all smile! My mother always told me: Smiles are contagious. Smiling was the best cold you could give someone. So, with this in mind, I threw my arms around Moonlight's shoulder, and put up the peace sign. Miyuki was kind of surprised at my action, but soon, she warmed up to it. That lady with the long brown hair, Linnéa, went back to pilot the ship. Now everything was calm. I couldn't wait to see what this Spectra looked like! Was it a real town? I mean, in school, I heard Spectra was the plural of spectrum. Spectra sounds like it's going to be awesome! And think of all the food! Hmm… even in dreams I was really hungry!

"Hey, guys! You need to smile in order to stay motivated!" I remarked before Moonlight broke the hold I had around him. Moonlight quickly walked over to Miyuki and whispered some stuff in her ear. She nodded her head, but I didn't think she was going to whisper back to him. …Miyuki was so serious!

"No, Moonlight. Kokoro hasn't transformed yet. Maybe you should teach him?"

"Sure. I've taken the training, haven't I?" Moonlight chuckled. "One day, Miyuki, I'm going to have to go against you. I want to know… and I'm sure everyone wants to know… how did you beat him? In that forest, I couldn't even find him! Who puts more than five hundred participants in a forest blindfolded? I had fought three other people in that forest, and I couldn't even find him. So, how'd you do it?" Did I hear that right? Moonlight fought people blindfolded? No way! He definitely cheated. But I guess anything can happen in the dream world.

"Moonlight, just about you and everyone else want to fight me," Miyuki answered coolly. "And I guess when I get back to Spectra, I'll have to fend off even more people. I was just smart. That was all."

"You didn't cheat, did you? I mean, I heard rumors about cheating. We had some pretty good fighters. Tell me, how many people did you fight, Miyuki?"

"Eleven," she said as if that number didn't really matter. I mean, that was like five times as many people as Moonlight fought! "If I… remember correctly. Half of those people were killed." she paused, glancing at Moonlight. "Aren't you so glad that I didn't encounter you, huh Moonlight? I think it's kind of lucky that I didn't have to fight you or Dogg. You're extremely lucky, Moonlight, to have survived that final phase. Who do you think helped you out, hmm?" she finished, looking at him with a raised brow. Sometimes, it's good to reminisce on the old days. Especially if you are reminiscing with someone you care about. I think Moonlight, Miyuki, and Dogg knew each other. Cool. Moonlight put a smirk on his face.

"Don't get too cocky, Sunshine," Moonlight snickered. "Either you cheated, or you were really a bad ass fighter and didn't tell anyone. I don't believe in luck. You've gotta be more friendly, Sunshine! Really, let more people in!" Hey, I like Moonlight! He was a brilliant thinker! I supported his sentence! Because when you don't let others in, you build this hard shield around yourself, basically blocking human contact. Maybe that's why Miyuki is always so serious all the time?

"Alright, guys! Miyuki, Moonlight, you guys seem like a lot of fun," I paused. "But guys, I need food!" Argh, I could even hear the sound of my stomach growling. It was times like these where in a dream, you should already be fed. But this has gotta be a dream! I hadn't heard of any place called Spectra before. Man, I just had to ask this one particular question. "Hey, guys, what is Spectra like? Is it a rural area? Or is it a city? Or a---"

"You ask a lot of questions, my main man!" Moonlight interrupted. "Spectra is home sweet home. I don't know how to describe it, but it's just the home lands, y'know? Spectra is just that place that makes you feel good. We've got green grass, unpolluted waters, and air? Forget about that stuff. Nah, I'm kidding." I sighed. Moonlight shouldn't kid around with that stuff. Air is an essential part of living! Air helps everything live! Even fire! "We've got good food, decent technology, it's all good, my main man. They've got pretty decent women there too, but that's another story. Then, Kokoro, we can go see Shirogane himself. Yeah, we'll see where his head is at, and maybe we'll go to HQ, and introduce you to the family. Yeah, I think you're going to like it, Kokoro!" I was glad. This place sounded like Heaven. But I wondered what Miyuki had to say about it, huh? Miyuki was my real guardian after all. Now was the time were she had to be open with me and answer my questions, eh?

"Hey Miyuki, you know what you have to do while you're on a journey, right?" I paused, just for dramatic effect. "You've got to smile!" And I finished that off with a really wide grin. Actually, I think it was a goofy smile instead.

"Well, yes Kokoro, I can see why you would need to smile a lot during an adventure. Now, I see why you were picked to become a Summoner. You're much different than Sayuri." Miyuki said, switching her footing. Different from Sayuri? What did she mean? I'm a guy! Of course I was different from Sayuri! "I can see it all over your face. Basically, Spectra was where you were born, Kokoro. Shirogane helped make you what you are. He made a device called Eagle Eye, which makes teams up based on personality traits. Sayuri…" she trailed, looking at the purple haired girl sprawled out on the floor. "Isn't what you would call leader material. Sayuri is naïve, stubborn, and is unbearably egocentric. But you, you seems like a generally nice person, and you'd probably balance out all her horrible faults. But Sayuri isn't as terrible as I am making her out to be. She's a nice person who always perseveres, but most of the time, we argue because she never wants to let me through her thick skull. But I believe I can work with you, Kokoro, if you let me."

"All right! That's awesome! But Miyuki… Moonlight… can I ask you guys something? How old are you two? And Moonlight, why is your hair so long? Is it a style in Spectra? I mean, usually, when you have more hair than the person standing next to you--"

"Wait." Moonlight and Miyuki said at the same time. Wow, did I say something wrong? They looked at each other, their eyes exchanging confused looks. Then, they just nodded at each other. That was a weird chain of events. Man, I hope they have some edible food at Spectra! You never know if you would like the food that this world serves. Miyuki and Moonlight don't seem like they've ever enjoyed a cheese burger in their lives. You know that twinkle in your eyes that you get when you think about a nice, juicy burger? Yeah, they didn't have that look. And looking into Miyuki's pink eyes was getting weird.

"You see, I keep my hair long for two reasons. One: My techniques depend on my hair. Two: Uh, 'cause the ladies love my sexy hair. It keeps them coming, you know? Maybe you should think about growing your hair out, Kokoro. See, Miyuki will agree with me." He paused, lifting up strands of his hair and waving them in Miyuki's face. Miyuki sighed heavily. I was with her on that one. I wouldn't want hair in my face, either. Hair is awesome, but too much of it can be horrifying. I bet Moonlight has nightmares about drowning in his hair. I know I would. Miyuki rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, Moonlight, you know your sexy hair is the only reason why I know you, right?" Man, she did not sound serious. "Kokoro, I almost forgot about telling you what we are. We are Celestial Beings, and we are supposed to live for thirty thousand years. Also, you would think I'd know how long I've been alive, but that tends to leave me from time to time. But you are never supposed to ask a woman her age, no matter what species you are. As far as hair goes, it's kind of a distraction. That's why I didn't keep my hair long, Kokoro. But even so my hair was never as Moonlight's hair. And as to why he didn't give you his age puts me in giggle fits." Moonlight's facial expression changed. Yeah, I had forgotten all about the age thing with girls. Why was it such a big deal?

"Hey, what are you trying to say, Sunshine?"

"That you couldn't beat me in a fight. No, wait, that you're more feminine than I am, probably. Or could I be simply implying that, secretly, you long to be a woman? Yes, you can take any one of those as you will," Miyuki said, walking over to Linnéa. Wow, I was getting the feeling that they hated each other. "Linnéa, how long do we have until we reach Spectra?" At first, Linnéa's eyes didn't reached Miyuki's. Linnéa was hesitant in even looking at her. I've got the best guardian in the world. Even though she's so small, she intimidates people.

"Didn't you guys get trained to know the distance between Spectra and the Earth, Miyuki?" she said, almost too low for me to hear. Miyuki put on a superior smirk. Miyuki crossed her arms, too. Some stuff was about to go down in China Town!

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Miyuki began, walking towards a window. She didn't say anything for a few moments. "All it would take is a few moments to calculate the math. Looking at wavelength by meters, especially the sudden change in the visible light, I'd say we're almost there, huh, Linnéa? Tell me, Linnéa, it seems like we should have gotten to Spectra long ago. Have you been going in circles all this time, just to spite me? Or so you could listen to Moonlight, Kokoro and my conversation for the past couple of minutes? Do you hate me so much where as you'd go through all this trouble just to get back at me for taking your glory? You really aren't as awesome as I thought you were. You're pathetic." I knew Miyuki was going to say some more stuff, but Linnéa stopped the ship, furious. Her face was this really deep shade of red. Man, Linnéa really scared me. In her hand was some sort of dagger with a chain attached to it. That thing looked scary, and it did not look safe. I did not want to be hit with that. The big guy, who had been listening to music, unstrapped his seatbelts and walked up to Linnéa, holding his hands out towards her.

"Linnéa, what in the world has gotten into you?! We've gotta take these guys back to Spectra!" he bellowed in a bristling voice. Moonlight stood next to me, elated to watch what was unfolding right in front of us. Really, I don't see how Miyuki can just stand there while this woman has a weapon in her hands.

"Father, I will not be antagonized any longer! Miyuki… this fool… she'll be the reason why Spectra will be destroyed once more! The Wickedness… it's alive, just because we couldn't repent for our sins! It's only alive because we are fools blinded by people like Miyuki, who would rather slaughter an entire city just to confirm her suspicions. I'm telling you all, Miyuki can not be trusted! The Miyuki I knew wasn't like this. And I don't want the old Miyuki back. By no means was I implying that. Miyuki doesn't care about lives. What good is it to rid the worlds of this beast, if there isn't anyone left alive to savor the victory? She's corrupted, and we'll be the ones to pay!"

Then, they most unexpected thing happened. Linnéa swung her dagger at Miyuki. Nobody was prepared for her sudden, explosive anger. But then, Moonlight didn't even move. C'mon, that was your teammate! Moonlight should have done something. I blinked once, one time, and I saw cards impaled everywhere in Linnéa's body. And these cards were razor-sharp. How could cards do that? Linnéa's eyes widened with surprise, but Miyuki showed no remorse. All that could be heard was the loud sound of Linnéa's weapon hitting the ground. And Miyuki was still standing in the same spot as before. I had even blinked and missed everything. Miyuki hadn't even moved! Linnéa was covered in blood, and the big guy ran up to Miyuki with his hands balled up.

"Linnéa! Linnéa, my daughter!" he snarled. "What have you done?!" I didn't know what the hell this guys was planning, but I instantly snapped.

"That's a girl! You're not going to lay a finger on her!" Of course, the guy ignored me. The other skinny guy, who was piloting a different section of the ship, looked at us, but didn't do anything. Miyuki looked at the man through the corner of her left eye, her pink irises gleaming with malice.

"Come at me with all you have. If your anger has risen to extraordinarily high levels, try to kill me and rid these kids of their guardian. Though I am sure you'll be unsuccessful in killing me, Cyrus."

"Actually, Cyrus, " Moonlight began, pacing around, his eyes gleaming too. "You know how much I love Linnéa, really you do, but technically, Linnéa did try to attack Miyuki. Miyuki only attacked her in self-defense. She had every right to attack Linnéa." Man… what is Moonlight's game? He should fight this guy, because I'm ten seconds away from hitting him in the face.

"Rayne! Rayne!" Cyrus called, motioning his hands towards me. I turned around to be met with this seriously startled girl. Moonlight glanced at her, too.

"Rayne, if I were you, I wouldn't get involved in this. Go to the back and wake up Dogg," Moonlight ordered. She complied, not out of fear, but out of loyalty. What just happened? Everything was just so calm, then **BAM**. Blood has never really frightened me, but now, Moonlight and Miyuki seem like the bad guys in all of this. So when Rayne walked past me, I nodded my head, just to reassure her that she was okay. I've seen the same look in Rayne's eyes before. They were just like Kanashii's eyes. And when I had witnessed that sad look in Kanashii's eyes, I had just thought whatever she was going through was some sort of girly phase. But that sparkle in Kanashii's eyes was the start of loneliness and isolation. Usually, I can spot things really quickly. But not this time. I watched her die right in front of my eyes. Kanashii wasn't given a second chance because I was stupid. And even though I didn't know Rayne, she was not going to go the same way that Kanashii went. Rayne disappeared so I only saw Cyrus. He looked about ready to hallucinate.

"Mi…yuki," Linnéa managed to say, even with a card stuck in her forehead. "You're a monster. I'll have you killed yet. Father… dearest… father…" Linnéa didn't even get to finish, because she collapsed into the floor in a bloody mess. Then Cyrus went into a straight berserk mode! He rushed towards Miyuki yet again, but this time, I think he was going to hit her! I don't know what happened, but this room flashed red , and Cyrus was imprisoned in a red whirlwind of fire.

"This is what happens," Miyuki said, looking up at me. "When you cross my Summoners and I. Know this, Cyrus. Your daughter isn't dead, and you wont be killed, if Kokoro saves your life. Gluttony will meet a fate far worse than this, when I find him." What did she mean 'saves your life'? I didn't do anything! But then, I saw. To my horror, I saw it. I saw it with my own eyes. My arms, no, my fingernails had some sort of invisible fire string tied to them. And the strings were all around Cyrus, turning him into a crispy guy. I instantly panicked, instead of being in awe of my new fire powers. Killing people was never my style! "It's just your spasms, Kokoro." Miyuki said. Spasms? I just wanted this all to stop! But then, my fingertips stopped glowing, 'cause this other guy with short, messy dark brown hair walked into the room with Rayne. And this guy only had one boxing glove on his hand. Why didn't he have two of those? Cyrus collapsed onto his hands, and then he was laid out on the ground. Hmph, serves that guy right. The new guy knuckled up with Moonlight as Miyuki walked over to the two.

"Same old, same old, huh guys?" Miyuki said, putting a smile on her face. Then, all three of them knuckled up. "I thought I'd never see the day when we all would be standing in one place after that final mission. Dogg, how have you been?" It took Dogg a moment to think about what Miyuki had just said. Linnéa was beaten in cold blood, Cyrus had burns allover his body, and Sayuri and Morta were sprawled out on the floor. I guess Dogg was right in his action. I'd be confused, too.

"Who started the party without me, guys?" Dogg exclaimed. "Miyuki, you've changed over the years! But you know what? We're still the best team ever!"

"Of course," Moonlight joined. "We're the fearsome threesome! You guys think we can make it for one more round? We'll be the top team once again in Spectra! And you know what," he paused. "Hey Rayne, are we in Spectra?"

We're here! Yes! Rayne walked over to the door, and I was extremely excited to see their world. Moonlight grabbed my shoulders before I could get anywhere. I looked back ahead of me, to see him pointing at Sayuri and Morta.

"You thought you were going to go scott free, my main man?" He grinned. Aw man, I knew I was going to have to carry someone! So, I quickly walked over to the girl with the wavy long black hair and threw her across my shoulders. Rayne opened the hatch, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There were rows of people standing on each side of a long red carpet filled with all kinds of flowers. People were cheering under a blue clear sky, and confetti was being thrown up into the air. The trees were lush, hugging the city's entryway. And for some reason, everything sparkled. Everyone was happy to see me… I mean, I had no words. I turned to face Rayne, who was behind me at the time.

"Kokoro," she started, the smile on her face growing wider, "welcome to Spectra."

Right now, I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. People were crying and throwing roses at my feat. People were absolutely ecstatic, but I didn't know what they were excited for, exactly. Whatever the case was, my spirits were automatically lifted. Miyuki, Moonlight, Rayne, and I walked into the city. Then an odd girl on rollerblades skated towards us. She had some sort of box in her hands, but this box was wrapped up pretty decorated nicely. The girl had medium-length auburn hair, but what really confused me was that she wore skates.

"Hey, Moonlight! You made it!" she chimed, rolling towards Moonlight. We stopped for a moment, greeting this happy girl. "Hi to you too, Miyuki! Err, I mean Lady Miyuki! I'm training to be just like you!" she ended before her sapphire eyes trailed toward me and the girl I had slung over my shoulder. She seemed pretty nice.

"Sure you will, Anómino," Miyuki smiled. "Tell me Anómino, do you know what your Essences is?" then the girl got overly excited and started to put. She was making me want to do something amazing! I didn't know what to do. I was just feeding of that adrenaline that makes you want to jump off a cliff, because that was what she was emitting. So, her name is Anómino? That sounded like a French name. Moonlight folded his arms in approval. Even though she was radiating adrenaline, Anómino didn't say anything for several minutes, which was sort of awkward, considering that I thought she was going to say something. "…You don't know what your Essence is, Anómino?" Miyuki said, a bit confused. Anómino then put on a scowl and jumped up at us. But what she was wearing was really weird. She wore a scarf like Linnéa. Linnéa and Anómino looked nothing alike, but the clothing they wore was similar, except Anómino's clothes had more vibrant colors. For instance, Anómino's scarf was a combination or pastel purples and yellows. At first glance, Anómino seemed like a very nice little girl. Yeah, I could deal with this.

"Miyuki! Err, Lady Miyuki! Please don't call me Anómino!" She complained, throwing her hands into the air. It was kind of weird watching Anómino call Miyuki 'Lady Miyuki', because Anómino was definably taller than Miyuki. Yeah, by about a foot. "Moonlight said I could---no wait---I should have a cool code name to go with my new super spy occupation! My new name is D.O.I.N.K. Pronounced: D-on-ka, because I make stuff go **KABOOM**!" She finished, throwing her hands up into the air.

"And what does D.O.I.N.K. stand for, Anómino?" Miyuki asked, raising a brow and glaring at Moonlight. Moonlight just smiled back in her direction, unafraid of her death-like glare. That whole thing was kind of funny, hence me smiling in an odd way. "And wait, you're a spy now? Since when did that happen?"

"Since you left, Lady Miyuki! Linnéa told me that I should have tried out for it. She said I had a knack for being a spy! Everyone else said I was too loud to try out, but I made it! So, I didn't really make the big time, but I sometimes get to listen to other conversations around the bureau. Lately, people's been talking about the Wickedness, and I get to report that back to Shirogane and Akasaka! Speaking of Linnéa, where is she? Everyone is so happy that you guys came back safely! Don't forget the D.O.I.N.K.: Diversely optimistic iconic nitrogen kid!" What? Did Moonlight come up with that name? Anómino looked up at me and pointed an index finger at Morta, who was slung over my shoulder. Hmm, I forgot I had Morta with me for a second. "Who are you, guy? Ahem, who's your friend that you've got over your shoulder? Did something happen?" her smile got wider and wider. "Did you guys fight? Hey, would you fight me? I'd bet you'd lose, 'cause I'm Spectra's youngest spy! I'm only four thousand years old! I'm almost the youngest fighter to wield chakrams! I bet you I could train you if you don't know how to fight--"

"All right, all right, that's enough, Anómino." Moonlight intervened. Phew, I was starting to get confused by her fast talking and nonstop excitement. Thanks, Moonlight! "Anómino, you're looking at non other than the flame himself. This is Kokoro, the Summoner of Fire." Anómino's gasped melodramatically, but I think she was fairly serious.

"You're the Summoner of Fire? You're the person who Moonlight, Linnéa, Rayne, Cyrus, Dogg, and everyone else went to save? You're the guy that's going to save me - Spectra from the Wickedness? Who's your friend?! I'm sorry about all those mean things I said to you! Oh… I'm sorry!" She talks a lot. But that can make her funnier to be around. I sighed, just because her fast talking was getting irritating.

"Don't worry Anómino, it's okay. You don't have to call me all that fancy stuff. But it is nice to meet you," I paused. "You were asked what your Essence is… can you tell me what an Essence _is_?"

Anómino gasped yet again. I just wished that she would stop. The bells on the end of her scarf were sounding every time she moved. "You're a Summoner, and you don't know what an Essence is? Lady Miyuki, you should have told him!" she said, poking her index finger at Miyuki. "Anyway, an Essence is like the building block of anything, whether it's alive or not! My teacher told me that! Celestial Beings fight with their own Essences. Lady Miyuki's Essence is luck and she fights with cards! Dogg's Essence is shadow! As a matter of fact, Dogg is composed of shadow! His blood, I mean! Dogg fights with his boxing glove! And Moonlight's… Moonlights Essence is kind of weird." she paused, looking at Moonlight, who was deliberately mouthing something. Man, I can't read lips. Aww, man. "Linnéa's is speed, and my Essence? I make things go **KABOOM**! Or, how my teacher says it, I can make explosions happen! Loud ones, too! I once thought my Essence was fire, but my teacher told me that fire and explosions were two different things! For instance, a flavor explosion doesn't really have a sound! Get it? Oh, and Miyuki… did I explain that right? I mean, Lady Miyuki?" I sorta got that explanation. But it makes sense once you think about it. But wait. If everything has an Essence, shouldn't everyone have freaky powers? Anómino is smart.

"That's a fine explanation, Anómino," Miyuki smiled. "Though, Kokoro, Essences make up the world like Anómino said before. Celestial Beings are much different than your kind. Essences can be manifested into copies of already existing Essences, or we can make one of our own," Miyuki said, waving her hand at Moonlight. But humans can't do that, but, Shirogane injected you with a real fire Essence. So, for instance, let's say that I had the ability to control fire. You'd be stronger than me. There'd be no competition. Furthermore, You'd ultimately be able to solve puzzles with your flames as I can't, because my flames aren't… real. I am your guardian, Kokoro, but theoretically speaking, your powers are real. While mine are… not so much. But Celestial Beings do battle." Ok, I got it now! Thanks, Miyuki!

"Kokoro, listen to Miyuki and you'll definably go far! Err, I've gotta go now, so here," Anómino paused, nudging me with the gift in her hands. I took it. I was hard not too. "Sorry I couldn't stay to see your unconscious friends! My mom says that girls my age should get lots of indoor time! Whatever that means! Bye Moonlight, Rayne, Dogg, Kokoro and friends!" And with that, she skated around the corner of a building. Ya know, I thought Spectra would be like a futuristic town. It looked like Japan, nearly. In the city sense. I looked at the gift it my hands, which was decorated in all sorts of ribbons. I didn't know whether to open the box, because it seemed like it was really meant for Moonlight. …Was everyone else in this world like Anómino? If so, this town was sweet. We walked a little farther, but really, I was enjoying the view, so I wasn't really paying attention. But then, we stopped in front of this castle looking place.

"Well, guys, I guess we're going to have to separate," Miyuki sighed. Dogg walked next to her, which was unexpected.

"Man, I got bathroom duty in there. Someone snitched on me! Told Shirogane that I was sleepy---err, sleeping on the retrieval mission! Bathroom duty always sucks," Dogg complained. "So, Miyuki! We both have to be condemned if we all have to be condemned!" That's what I'm talking about! No wonder they made a good team! Or so I heard. They work together all the time! Yeah, all teams should act like they do! I've just gained a whole lot of respect for Dogg! But then, who snitched on him? All of a sudden, Moonlight, Miyuki, and Dogg played a quick game of rock-paper-scissors. It was weird… and random! But then Miyuki beat both guys, 'cause rock flatten scissors. All the time.

"It was Linnéa, Dogg." She smiled while everyone else muttered under their breath. Well, Dogg and Moonlight, anyway. Rayne laughed, as I think she wouldn't ever participate in such a game. "And I didn't cheat." Miyuki added as she began to walk up the steps with Dogg. Dogg playfully elbowed Miyuki in the shoulder. I was hoping that Miyuki would return the favor, but sadly, she didn't hit him back. Damn, I at least wanted to see her power. Thank you, Miyuki, at least for not condoning violence! I smiled as I slowly waved her good bye.

"Yeah right, you cheated!" Moonlight yelled. "I don't believe in luck!"

"Then I don't believe in you," was her last reply before she disappeared… weird. I mean, there was a three minute moment of silence before Moonlight turned to face me, a smirk on his face. Alright, what's his deal? He's weirding me out now.

"Kokoro, hey, let's drop these two off at the hospital. And then, you know, let's go train. If I know anything about Anómino, whatever is in that box is likely to explode."


	9. Superiority and Snakes

"Moonlight, Dogg, all we are are misfits in a misfit world. We are beings, trapped in our own bodies. Our temples are ultimately our prisons. Whichever one of us wins this; just know that we're always going to friends, guys." Miyuki spoke with her hands clasped together. All three of the Celestial Beings seemed geared up and ready to go. "I'm sure one of us will be the winner." She paused, with a slight smile.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is going to end up like a bad piece of poetry?" Dogg asked, fidgeting with his glove. "Do I have to say something? For real, I don't want to give a speech…"

"Aww, is the little puppy going to cry?" Moonlight interrupted. "One word, Dogg: Testosterone."

"Ah man, don't play like that, Moonlight! This is serious."

Moonlight smirked, dead close to laughing out loud as he pointed an index finger at Dogg's eye. "Hey, what's that shiny thing in your eye, then? Could it be a--" Before he could finish, Miyuki smacked Moonlight's arm down, and Dogg let his emotions run rampart. Dogg's tears rolled down his face as he ran towards Moonlight with open arms. Firmly, Dogg wrapped his hands around Moonlight, making the long-haired-man cringe.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, c'mon, Dogg! This isn't cool!"

"But Moonlight, just think about it! If you die, all the years here that you've spent will be for absolutely nothing! I've got a family to go back to! I could die! And if I die, I'll just be another life wasted! But if I quit, I'll be killed anyway! There's no way out!" Dogg whimpered in-between sobs. Moonlight walked towards Miyuki and left Dogg on the ground, as only a sad puppy knew how to.

"What about you, Miyuki? You'd most definitely miss me when I go, right?"

"Well…" she trailed, folding her arms. "Not really. I just wouldn't miss you because, well, you're annoying."

"Annoying?" Moonlight blinked. He then pointed to Dogg. "That's annoying. I'm not annoying. Oh, c'mon Miyuki, what exactly do I have to do? Do you know how I am feeling right now? Yeah, pretty gay…"

"Astound me. Then, maybe I'll think about it. I'll add you to my list."

"What the?! A list?!" Moonlight complained.

Miyuki smiled, quickly glancing at her partner. "I'm only half-joking. Now come on, let's take this thing."

* * *

**-: Chapter Nine: How the Jail Bird Sings :-**

_Bite to break skin.  
Don't give the secret.  
My soul with change.  
Paint it with passion.  
The Phoenix will die  
inside the firestorm.  
I am the son.  
Follow my footsteps._

Senses Fail - "Bite To Break Skin"

"How the heck did we end up here?!" I yelled, grabbing the bars of my jail cell. Okay, right now, I was furious! Furious! Furious! This was what happened when I got stuck with a sucky team! We fail. Period. I was missing in action for what, a day, and I get put in a jail cell? This wasn't right! Did they have any idea who I was? I'm Sayuri-freakin'-Outtaike! Someone was going to get the hell knocked out of them! I was going to unleash five tons of whoop-ass on someone so I could get out of here! So now, here I was, stuck with Miyuki, who stabbed me—hey, did anybody convict her for attempted murder?! Miyuki tried to freakin' kill me! Kill me!

What kind of guardian tries to kill the person they swore to protect? Miyuki is my enemy now. I don't care what kind of law says whatever about Miyuki being justified by stabbing me. Until I get my stab back, Miyuki isn't safe at all. Miyuki was a crazy psychopath that I couldn't do anything about! Grah! And then we've got Kokoro, who's more-or-less _useless_! Seriously, this guy just stays confused half of the time and acts like a cheerleader! Where's your balls at, dude? I do pretty much all the fighting in this group anyway, even though I'm a girl! You see the look on my face, Kokoro? Start freakin' fighting, or I'll kick your ass myself!

And then he didn't even _try _to fight the female guards that threw us in this dump. He can't fight a—girl? I would fight him! There! And then there's Morta. Morta, Morta, Morta. Why the _hell_, let me repeat why the _hell_, does everyone automatically think that _she's _the leader? I'm the leader, damn it! I'm the one who can control freaking time! You'd think that the person who had her ass handed to her by all kinds of Essences would be the leader! I'm the one with the magic wand, and she has the freaking scythe! Last time I checked, being the leader doesn't have a height requirement! Just cause she's so freakin' old and weird talking didn't mean that she's _me_! Grah! And then there's my sweet dearest mother, Konoha. I forgot what she had done to me. I have no words for her. But I swear on Kokoro's head, I _will _not let my mom—Kohana, slip one over me. I am willing to defeat her myself if I have to!

Damn it, if I ever see her again, I'm going to tell her about herself! I. Hate. These. People. So. Much. I hate them! If I'm supposed to save the world, I have to take full responsibility for my actions, right? This was all just a game. A game. A bad game. And we're all going to lose at this game if no one plays it right. I'm the only one who had knowledge of the—my enemy. Kohana was just begging for a death wish. If I ever see her again, I'm going to go crazy—blind with rage! Yeah, that's right! Absolutely, positively crazy!

"You know, that's a good question," Morta said, invading my precious thoughts. Thought-hogger! "Could it be because you messed up?"

"Me? Me?" I blared. "I messed up? What about Kokoro? He didn't do anything! I did _all_ the fighting!" Heck yeah, I did all the punching! He did nothing!

"Hey, Sayuri! Blaming other people for what you did wrong isn't right!" Kokoro insisted. You wanna know what wasn't right? The fact that I had to fight your opponent, Kokoro! Leader or not, isn't that what teammates are for? Team_mates_. Man, who exactly signed me up for this job? And my head hurted really bad, too. So much fighting… so little help… And for what? A seat in jail! I didn't do anything except get us here! Blindfolded, might I add! I think I did a very good job today!

"All right. Obviously, we don't know what's in store for us in this world," Miyuki began. "But if my studies are correct, we're in the Dark Ages. I don't have any idea how—or what got us here—so I guess we are all going to have to have _story time_." Sweet. That was a good idea, Miyuki. It's about time! Finally! And I was definitely planning to go first, so no one would have had a chance to lie on me! I crossed my arms and almost tripped on the ribbon coming from my corset. I twirled my wand around and rested it on my shoulder. Y'know, just to show my superiority, as only a leader could.

"All right… see, what had happened was…"

I was sleeping well. Really well. But then, as fate should have it, I had another one of those weird dreams. But this time, it was about a whole 'nother group of people. But that dream kept flickering, like it was some kind or old nineteen-thirty-seven movie. So I couldn't actually concentrate on what I was seeing. However, there was one thing that I kept hearing. A name. Anahok. Bleh, what a horrible name! Horrible, horrible name! That name was so horrible, that I think it might have just woken me. I felt dizzy, dazed, and confused. You know, how one should feel when they are stabbed with a very sharp object. For real though, what was Miyuki's deal? I'm serious! I still didn't understand why Miyuki stabbed me! As a matter of fact, I still don't get it why I was knocked out for so long. All I know is, a whole lot of people were crowded around me, and I weirded out.

"What the heck? What am I doing here?!" I half yelled, putting my right hand on my head. My head was wrapped in bandages, and my stomach _really _hurted. I immediately wanted to get up and run. Seriously. I hate doctors with a burning passion! Some people hate clowns 'cause they're weird. Some people hate ice cream because it could possibly be frozen snot. I hate doctors, because they're only rapists with licenses. Yeah, that's right! I see what they do on TV shows and stuff! Of course, my mother… never really took me to those clinics. It sounds weird now… talking about her. She never took me to the doctor's office, because she said that I could never actually get sick. She said I was special, and now, I understand where she was coming from. But why didn't she tell me? Why did she wait to try and kill me? I still didn't understand that. It made me furious that she's does something like that. And when I see her, I'm going to go eleven-strong on her and give her some words. If there's one thing that sets me off, it's liars. Liars. Liars. Liars. I can't handle them! Not only are lies a setoff, they are just… argh. When someone lies to you, you automatically feel weak. Or at least, the person lying to you thinks you're an idiot. All liars are the same, and _Kohana _is the biggest liar I know.

Yeah, that's what I'll call her from now on. Even though that sounds weird. But I digress. Nothing about me was the same. My hair was washed and pulled back into a high ponytail. And the fact that I had bandages around my stomach didn't make me feel good, either. The whole room smelled like alcohol pads and soap. Argh, I didn't like that combination. I felt like a test subject, and trust me, I shuddered at that thought. My hands smelled like cake, and my legs felt like strings of spaghetti. I glanced to a nearby cabinet and saw my weapon (not by choice!) placed on top of it like nothing was wrong. It was like it was calling to me. Aww, I left it all alone…. Now was my chance! Sweet, sweet hell, my plans never work…. Instead, my plan went horribly wrong, and I let out a shriek of terror. My goodness, I _hate_ doctors!

"Hey! Get me outta here!" I exclaimed, but then this girl grabbed my wrists and started shaking me. What the? Why the _hell_ was she shaking me?

"My name's Rayne, Summoner Sayuri. I'm-I'm the one who healed your wounds. Please stop flailing around or else _she's_ going to…"

"What," I sighed. "What has the world come to? Except blow up completely up? What the heck are you?" This whole situation was weird at best. I was really confused, and oh, did I mention my stomach really hurted? So now, this weird woman, with these weirdly shaped wings was my supposed 'doctor'? Oh my goodness, I can't stand doctors, period. And this doctor looks weird! What's her name? Rain? Rayne? How would you spell that? Rain, or Ray-ne? Anyway, Rayne looks weird. It's like… she's not even human. It's like she's not human at all. Wait a second…. Where was I? If Tokyo had blew up, then that must've meant the unthinkable happened!

…

…

…

I lost _all_ my board games! Everything got destroyed, and there's absolutely no way to get'em back! Those board games were money well spent! Well spent indeed! But you know what? At that moment, right when I was reminiscing, I automatically remembered Tariku. Now I really had to get out of here. I've got three people on my hit list, and I'm going to bring back Tariku with everything I've got! I hadn't really figured out the full extent of my powers yet, but I will use everything I have now! I hate having all these different abilities and no control over them! If I was the leader, how did I get owned by a lesser teammate? Something wasn't right here! You know what happens to doctors that won't let go of my wrists? Rayne better let me the heck go, or I'm gonna kick her in the face! I've gotta learn how to do these things before it's too late!

"Summoner Sayuri… you're in Spectra now! Please, if you talk any louder—" Talk any louder?! All right! I'll put my voice on blast! Wait a second… Spectra? Spectra, Spectra. Spectra, do I know where that is? I don't know what a Spectra is! But why do I feel like I've heard of this place before? Dang it, I was never good with names! Err—I was never good with places! Only the real important stuff stays embedded in my head. The reason why I couldn't remember a "Spectra" could have been solely for the fact that anything that comes out of Miyuki mouth really doesn't matter. I could give two cats less of what Miyuki says. My jokes are funny!

"All right, Rayne," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Rayne…" I coughed. I couldn't even get a straight sentence out of my mouth. My stomach was killing me with every move I made. I took a deep breath and tried again. Even more silence! But I guess that's all it took, because Rayne got the complete message and let go of my wrists. She walked to a nearby desk, where numerous other people were busy analyzing papers and stuff. Rayne put on a pair of glasses, her short brown hair whipping around her face.

"You're… troubled… Summoner Sayuri." What? So this "doctor" thinks she knows everything about me now? Like she's been in my shoes for the past couple of days? Like she's been betrayed by her guardian, mother, and potential teammate? Rayne should go kill herself, now, because she could never be me, as there is only _one _Sayuri Outtaike. And that's all there is to it. Rayne turned around, and this really big book appeared in her hands. I mean, this thing was huge! And she began flipping pages at a steady rate. At least she held my interests now.

"What's that… Rayne?" I asked, puzzled, pointing at her mammoth sized book. Where did she find the strength to lift that thing? She just smiled sweetly at me.

"This is my lexicon. It's my weapon, but I keep people's memories inside this book. I can manipulate them, and weave them as I so choose. I could make you go insane because you murdered someone, or I can make you change your beliefs. Summoner Sayuri, there isn't a thing I don't know about you. My lexicon defines people _for_ me, and it gets updated every one-in-a-half-millisecond. I can even view what you are viewing as we speak. It's almost like I'm watching television. Summoner Sayuri, you are very amusing, if not almost fun to see. I know all your secrets—" This was the part where I wanted to yell _stalker_, along with a couple of hand-picked curses, and run like hell. Seriously, this is exactly why I stay away from doctors! They know more about you than your own parents… I just made myself sad. All of a sudden, Rayne's dictionary started to glow, and I found myself enlightened. Well, actually, I found myself cursed with the shortness that was Miyuki, talking about Spectra to me. It was totally weird. So, Rayne wasn't lying? Maybe she does know more than I do… What a crude little doctor…

"Spectra's Miyuki's world… Where's Miyuki?" I asked, slumping down on my bed and pulling the covers over my body. There was some kind of bandage on my forehead that was really irritating me, and my thoughts were just… kind of drifting. Everything was getting really mellow. The whole room just got really quiet all of a sudden. Too quite. Scary quite. Hey man, what gives? Rayne had to answer my question!

"Well, Summoner Sayuri, Miyuki is out sparring right now, making sure that her abilities are sharp. However, she is not the only one who brought you here. It was her teammates and I: Moonlight Dogg, Cyrus, and a few others. You've been asleep for three days. Well since you came here to Spectra, that is. Kokoro's safe as well, and so is Morta. Everyone is really excited to see you alive and well. You're even due to give a speech, telling about all your journeys prior to coming here. Your party has been training vigorously while you've been recuperating. There're sure to astonish you when you see them— " I was really understanding what Rayne was talking about, but then, I heard some bells jingle from a distance, destroying my concentration. And boy, I still remember the sound of those bells. And that alone was more than enough to signal that the bells were a really bad sign.

"Hey, Rayne, why'd you stop--" Man, I couldn't even get the sentence out of my mouth, because I felt wheels on my freakin' abdomen! And it hurt like hell! My eyes started to water instantly. Almost simultaneously, the pressure on my chest released, and the covers were pulled off me. I saw a girl with a rainbow-colored scarf. She had medium-length hair, in a bob. Her eyes were blue, and I swear, I'll never, _ever _forget that look on her face. She was devilish, I tells ya! Well, at least, she had a devilish grin on her face! And then there were those bells. They were bells of doom! Rayne closed her book and put a very wearisome look on her face. That girl might have possibly cracked my ribs, and to make it worse she was _wearing _skates. At this point, I was in so much pain that I couldn't even move! No wait—I couldn't even breathe! It was all too hard for me!

"Finally! She's awake!" The girl chimed, skating around in a circle. "Hi, Summoner Sayuri! It's good to see ya! How've you been? Do you like it here on Spectra? So you like your teammates? Do you like the bed you're in? Oooh, do you like your weapon? Did Rayne treat you right?" What the? I seriously didn't understand a word that came out of her mouth. She was talking rather fast. It was ridiculous. I managed to sit up, and look at the girl. Long and hard.

"Summoner Sayuri, this is Anómino. Anómino, this is Summoner Sayuri," Rayne said, with a sigh. Why did I have the funny feeling that I was going to get my ass kicked?

"Anómino's my name! I've been wanting to meet you for like, ever, Sayuri—err, Summoner Sayuri! I thought Miyuki was cool, but she's not as cool as you! I heard you took on two Essences at the same time!" Huh? Two Essences? Oh yeah, that's right! The water and fire Essences! Yeah, damn straight I took out two Essences without the help of my small guardian! Stupid guardian! Miyuki isn't cool! Miyuki's an undercover Sayuri-hater and wants nothing more than to kill me! So really, that wasn't a compliment. I mean, the least this pest could do was compare me to something great! "But that is cool! I'm going to be the first kid on Spectra to witness your power, because Miyuki told me to bring you to the training grounds. And we're…" She paused, definitely on purpose, before pulling out a small silver bead from the pocket on her sundress. "Gonna run there!"

You see, my immediate reaction would have been, "The hell we are!" or "Do you not see that I'm wounded?" Well, this pest didn't care at all, and just threw one of those beads in my bed. Pfft, so what! It was just a bead. You thought I was going to magically jump out of the bed and start running like hell? That's _exactly _what happened. That bead detonated like a firecracker. I mean, it even emitted brightly colored lights that set my bed on fire! My knees instantly buckled up on me, sending me crashing to the ground. And if that wasn't enough, the only thing that I really was really wearing was a couple of bandages, a tattered hoodie, and some shorts. This was an absolutely horrible scenario to be in!

"Be gentle now!" Rayne called out while Anómino kept the onslaught of fireworks raining on my back. Every time I took a step, my body screamed at me. It was like I was murdering myself. No, it was more like someone grabbed me, snapped me in half, tore my arms off, doused me in gasoline, and set me on fire, giving me third degree burns all over my body. And then they hosed me off with ice cold water, and threw me in a tub full of acid. Yep, it was as bad as it sounds. This was no ordinary paper cut! I could have died! I'm not weak, damn it! And my running was more like stumbling. But I still couldn't believe this! Sayuri Outtaike doesn't stumble, amble, nor run from any six-year-old! This whole thing was ridiculous! Did I already mention that? Oh well. So I ran into this hallway, and Anómino started to sing some song of some soft.

"Pray now, for Spectra, who will not go away. For the sake of prosperity, dream now, the Summoners of the Magic Wand." Man, I didn't even care about Anómino's little ballad! She had near perfect aim! This was ridiculous! One bomb turned to three, than three became six, and it was a never ending vicious cycle of bombs hitting my arms and legs! I felt ready to collapse. Miyuki never did anything like this to me before! Not that she even trained me, anyway.

"Why don't you just transform, Sayuri? Running would be a whole lot easier if you did!" she taunted, halting her vicious bombs and stopping in her tracks. I stopped running too, wheezing and hunching over a bit. She had a good point. But if I ever transformed, and if this brat was within a ten mile radius, I'm not sure what would happen. Anómino put away her firecrackers. Thank goodness! Mentally, I wiped the sweat off my forehead. "Come on! You're making me sad! What I wouldn't give to see you transform!"

"If I transform, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life in diapers, kid," I growled. "Tell me, where are the others at?" The girl simpered for a moment before she clapped her hands together. Smoke came off of her hands—or was it soot? I didn't really know.

"You… don't have to have so mean about it, Sayuri!"

Next thing I know, the WHOLE right side of the freaking wall just blew up! I didn't even want to know how it had happened. All I knew was that fear pushed me up the staircase behind me. There was no way Anómino could get up the stairs, because she was wearing skates. But now, I had made her angry. Furious! As soon as I heard snapping and bells, I knew I was a goner. Chunks of the staircase just exploded, and the ceiling above me was crumbling quickly as I kept running until I reached the top of the staircase. I turned around to still see Anómino at the bottom of it. So… I see… she can start explosions at will, but she's ranged with them. That meaning she can't make explosions happen from a far away distance.

"Never mess with Sayuri!" I cackled. I turned around to keep running, but to my horror I saw Anómino hovering above me, and she kicked me in the face, sending me tumbling down the staircase. Everything just happened so fast! Subsequently, Anómino started grinding the railing of the staircase, and landed softly at the bottom in one piece. You wanna know how I felt? I felt like some—no—a group of people were just hitting me with a sledge hammer. I came to a halt, looking cross and dazed, and Anómino was humming. Humming. She was _not _taking me seriously.

"All you have to do is transform, Sayuri!" she chimed again. Despite all the pain I was feeling, I managed to stand up straight. I extended my arm at Anómino, and she started to shake with joy. I didn't wanna have to do this, but it seemed like I had been defeated.

"Hold it!" I commanded, stopping _all _the time around Anómino. Really, I didn't want to just leave her like that, but I had no choice! What, you thought I was going to comply with her demands? The day I listen to an eleven-year-old would be the day I die. Am I dead now? Nope! C'mon, if you really thought I was dead, who would you have been listening to for the past couple of minutes? So, I left Anómino frozen where she stood. And it was all good. So, I walked up what was left of the staircase and saw this door. I slowly opened it up, curious to find out what was inside it. My whole body was a mess. I had soot all over me, and that's including my hair. Phew… Then I saw the whole gang. Yeah, that's right. The whole gang consisted of Miyuki, some other dude, another unknown dude, Kokoro, and that crazy psycho bitch. I was wounded. I couldn't even see straight! Everything had gotten very hazy all of a sudden! I took one tiny step forward and my knees buckled yet _again_. I really wanted to complain. Why was everyone so buddy buddy with the enemy? I heard some wheels rolling behind me, and I knew that they belonged to none other than Anómino herself. Way to make a first impression, brat.

"I tried to get Summoner Sayuri to play with me, Miyuki! Honestly, I did! But she refused to! Instead, she tried to freeze me within my own space-time-period!" Anómino sobbed. Wait… was she crying?! Hells no, you blew me up into next week, and _you're_ the one crying? I did absolutely nothing to Anómino! This was really ridiculous! Did she want me to truly fight her? Cause I'd totally run her into the dirt! Yeah, she had no idea what she was talking about, or who she was dealing with! I'll go crazy-psycho-bitch on her! Pfft. With all the anger welling up inside me, there was no doubt in my mind that I _wanted _to transform. I was going to give Anómino a rude wake up call. And while I was at it, I could kill two birds with one stone, because I could totally show off my leader prowess and newly acquired Essences! So, with this thought in mind, I clutched my fist, and found myself engulfed in a purple light. Now, I sported short-shorts and my short simple black laced boots. Yep, and my hair was neat and combed, and I wore my bangles. My fish nets were exactly where I wanted them to be. The best part of my transformation was that I was totally rejuvenated. And hey, time was tweaking all around me or something. I felt the power inside me escaping my veins and floating around me. I knew I could take on Anómino. I'm going to blow her out of the water and leave her gasping for air, like a helpless little fish.

"Magic," I paused, throwing my hands into the air. I stepped into the room. This room was weird. It was more like a forest. Well, not really a forest, but pretty close. The others were standing under the shade of a tress, while me and Anómino were standing in a grassy plain. This wind felt nice as it blew through my hair. This place reeked of the outside world. Ah, the fresh outdoors. "Wand!" I finished, sliding my hands outwards, revealing a slender purple wand with a purple diamond on its tip. It was wrapped with a green loose ribbon, and white wings accompanied the diamond. I was going to so _own _Anómino . I mean, it wasn't even funny. Anómino's tears instantly stopped as she extended her own hands out in front of her.

There was a loud explosion, and then two chakrams appeared in her hands. These things looked pretty weird, to say the least. For one, they were shaped like two diamonds. Two: They were rather big. Three: There was a bar in the middle of both weapons, permitting her to grasp her weapon without cutting herself in the process. She gripped them both, and brought the two weapons to her side. Anómino's stance was pretty wild, but I was pretty sure she knew what she was doing. But see, here was the thing, I'm pretty sure I'm a _long ranged_ fighter. If I was thinking what I think I'm thinking, Anómino, with those chakrams in her hands, is a close ranged fighter. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. So, she had to be both, because she could make explosions happen! Already I was beaten! This was some insane bull! Yep, I'm definitely a long ranged fighter. Crap, if I got owned in front of all those guys, they'd never let me live it down!

"Nice to see you're back, Sayuri." Miyuki commented. "Let's see if you can put that magic where you're mouth is, hmm? If you beat Anómino, well, you know what's at stake."

"What's at stake?" I shot, looking at Miyuki with a raised brow. Who the hell did she think she was?

"Oh, you didn't know? Anómino been assigned to kill you. Yes, her orders were to not let you live. Actually, she shouldn't really have let you even walk in here." Yeah, I've gotta admit, my stomach dropped really fast when Miyuki said that. Any confidence I had was replaced with confusion and rage. So, Anómino _was _trying to kill me? Knew it! We're not playing any kind of sick twisted game! This fight was for real! But, I had to stay calm! I wanted some answers! This fight was bona fide! Firstly, how the hell did Anómino escape my freeze-time-thingy? She's like, the second person to do that besides Kohana—err, Morta—err, whoever busted my time-freeze-thingy. But Anómino is such a little girl… Was she that experienced in fighting, or was my techniques just weak as holy hell? Furthermore, should I have been ready for some serious ass kicking?

"Hey, you're going to be just fine, Sayuri! Anómino's a great fighter, but you should be okay!" Kokoro called out. I rolled my eyes. Did I really need a cheerleader? Heck no!

"Pray. Savior. Dream. Child of prayer. Forever and ever. Bring us peace." Anómino sang. Weird! Why was Anómino singing? And what was she singing? All right, so she upgraded. First she was humming, and now she was singing? All right, that was weird, but you know, some things I could overlook. Let's just start this fight, once and for all! For one thing, Anómino is very restricted with her chakrams, as I suspect she would have to be close to me to use them. And even if she could turn them into some sort of bomb, if I made it rain, her explosions wouldn't be so life threatening! I waved my wand, conjuring up storms like my mother! But that's a different story. The clouds rolled in over us, and almost instantly, the rain came poring down. It was even raining more fiercely than the last time I used the water Essence. Man, I was doused with water, and so was Anómino. As a matter of fact, everyone else was getting soaked, too. It was really muddy, and I felt that if I made one move, I would fall. Anómino grinned at me before her chakrams began to spin but they weren't in her hands. Actually, I think they were floating _near _her hands. So, she could make these things float? Oh crap. Here comes the pwnage. Man, whatever Anómino was planning wasn't going to get past me!

"You're ready to get serious, aren't ya, Sayuri?" Anómino sighed. "Even I know when you're making a big mistakey! You better give up before I accidentally kill you!" Ha, that was a lot of tale for someone so small! She better had watch what she said!

"She's right, Sayuri," Miyuki began. "Not only are you underestimating the enemy, but you are doubting yourself as a fighter. You don't believe that you can—"

"Seriously! I'm done with this let's go!" I yelled, forgetting everything I had previously planned. Anómino came at me with all she had, practically launching off the ground, leaving a trail of soot behind her, even though it was mucky in here. I readied my weapon, using it as some type of parrying shield. I usually have control over my anger, but oh no, not this time! I swung the bottom of my wand at Anómino, and she expertly blocked me with both her chakrams. This wand was made out of some pretty durable stuff. My wand was trapped between both of her chakrams. I was not going to go so easily! I managed to pull my weapon out, a purple substance coruscating from my weapon. Anómino and I began exchanging blows. It was like we were in perfect symmetry. Wicked Spawn showed up, and I think Anómino summoned them. I didn't care! She can't take me! They surrounded me, and I had no room to even breath!

Anómino jumped me from every direction. Upwards, backwards, underneath, _onward_ the attacks kept piling up. I moved my arms almost like magic! I just found myself flinging my weapon everywhere. My impetuous actions, however, were letting a few blows cut my skin, slicing my already tattered uniform. But I didn't care. Killing, oh how much fun it was. To actually slay something... felt so gratifyingly good. The Wicked Spawn disappeared one by one, appearing to be multiplying by each kill. It was so easy; all it took was one swift flick of the wrist.

_**Now**__, _it wasn't fun 's when I got heated, and I dropped my magic wand completely. I don't know what I was thinking.

"'Freakin' obligations!" I grunted, punching Wicked Spawns' faces. "Stupid way of life, stupid mother, stupid Miyuki, stupid saving the world!

"Stupid damned fate!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. That last punch sent a beam of purple smoke through in the direction I aimed it at. Whole rows of Wicked Spawn were destroyed on impact. And guess what? I only smiled as my eyes gleamed with a murderous intent. I was not exhausted. I was thrilled to be given this opportunity to destroy. The Wicked Spawn started to quiver, panic really.

"How pathetic," I spat, grabbing one of the Wicked Spawn's arms and swinging it around, using it as a weapon. I was absolutely sadistic. I did not have control over anything anymore. I wanted more; I wanted more and more opportunities to do things like this. On the other hand, I… wanted to stop. This is what my mother wanted me to do! _She_ wanted me to kill mindlessly.

Now I wondered how blood tasted, you know, if Wicked Spawn had blood. Mixed in-between emotions, I thought I was going fanatically. My hands kept moving, and my legs kept kicking. The only thing I could do was plead. Nevertheless, my ego was far too immense to plead! What the hell was happening to me?! Once all the Wicked Spawn were slain, I wasted no time in picking up my weapon. Anómino was using my moment as recovery time, I could tell. Once my weapon was in hand, I pointed it at Anómino, who was just two feet away from me. Anómino also had her chakrams pointed towards me. I, personally, thought it was time to call a truce. Shoot, at this point, I was really scared. This guy with really long hair walked up to Anómino and me. Anómino was drenched in sweat, and I was sure I looked no better.

"There's a… type of negative effect…" Anómino began, not once looking away from my eyes. "The more you don't believe in your power, the more you will go into denial, Sayuri! Even the smallest doubt can send you into a spiraling pool of madness! Also, the closer you are to death, the more likely you will go into the negative effect, which is why we ran here, Sayuri!"

"Basically, what poor Mino is saying here is that your weapon, has a mind of its own, Sayuri." the guy interrupted. Wait. Who the hell was this guy?

"Mind explaining who you are?" I said with a low voice, pointing my wand at him. He smirked.

"The name's Moonlight, notice the P.I.M.P.---"

"The more you doubt yourself, the more weaker you will become, Sayuri. The Magic Wand senses that, and grows weaker because of it," Miyuki intervened. "But, when emotions become too much for it, It goes into a state of denial itself, changing the user's personality, ultimately making the user a killing machine. But when Essences are used in this state like this, the effects are disastrous. We call this: overdrive. I should warn you now, though, that the Magic Wand does have feelings. It can, and will pick another person to be its host if you put too much of a strain on it. And that _is_ possible. Just don't let it happen." I looked down to the muddy ground and sighed. Did I just lose this fight? Wait just a pretty second, did this kid just keep up with me?

"Miyuki… I'm… that weak?" I murmured. Miyuki just turned to me and sighed. She nodded her head just a bit, and I began sulking.

"No, Sayuri. Believe it or not, we've just started this pilgrimage. It's only natural that you can't beat Anómino, who's been training ever since birth. Just the fact that you were able to keep up with her is amazing. Kokoro and Morta weren't even a match for her."

I looked over to my teammates, and even though I really didn't want to associate myself with them, I just had to. It looked like I had some catching up to do. And hey, I might have even had some time to call Morta out on her insane-psycho-bitchy-ness! Notice the 'had' in that sentence. All holy hell broke loose right there. Yeah, right where I was standing. Next thing I know, I'm like, what? Seventy-two freaking feet in the air? Miyuki, Moonlight, Anómino, the other guy, Kokoro, and Morta are just looking dumbfounded. All I knew was that, right now, I was having a what-the-fuck-is-this moment. I was standing on top of a snake. I giant-ass snake. And if that wasn't enough, there was another crack in the earth, but this time, for some reason, the room I was in looked like a normal room! 'Cept whatever building we were in was totally destroyed. Dude, I looked in front of me, and there was the biggest Wicked Spawn I had seen, ever! I was giant, and it kind of looked like human Miyuki. Nah, seriously, It was comparable with the size of this snake. I had to think, fast! But all of my thoughts were jumbled up. I grasped my wand with both of my hands, my wand glowing white. Miyuki and the others were talking down there, but I could here a thing!

"In this circle, yet unbroken. Choices equal, side-to-side, there is one to pass the test. One that's better than the rest. Take the words that I have spoken. Break the circle and decide!" I commanded, a soft white wind engulfing me. All of a sudden, my lips started to move. "I don't believe it, Moonlight! Never in a million years would I have guessed it. The Essences really do fight against the Wicked Spawn!" I said, in Moonlight's voice, no less. So, this thing was an Essence? What kind of Essence is this big? All of a sudden, the snake's head dove at the Wicked Spawn's body. This Wicked Spawn was rather fat, by the way. I almost fell seventy-something feat onto the ground. Yep, I looked pretty white right now. Fact: I'm afraid of heights.

"Death Metaphase!"

"Fire Metaphase!"

Trust me, that was all that I even got to hear, before a loud, "Take the Wicked Spawn out, first!" Argh, I was getting tiered of Miyuki's voice. I felt my eyes closing from fear. I'm not afraid of heights, but it's just that when you're standing on top of a giant snake, that makes heights a lot scarier. Hello? Fall and die, or fall and get eaten by a snake? Yeah both sound pretty life threatening.

"_Lady Kohana… trust that I'll always have your side, no matter what happens."_

I really gritted my teeth. It was Itasca! Again! Did anyone have a chair that I could throw? I wanted to just be at home, laying in my bed, eating my mother's oatmeal. Seriously, I didn't want to take part in any of this! I just wanted life to be the way it was! I opened my eyes again, and I saw Itasca. But, she's was all see through, kinda. She was nothing more than a specter.

"I'll serve you, just as I've always done, Kohana," she said, extending her hand. The snake kept moving and moving. Seriously, I thought I was going to fall at any second. Anything could have happened at this point. At first I hesitated, but I soon grabbed Itasca's hand. "Sorry…" she muttered before disappearing in a sparkly haze. My magic wand started to glow beige, and I just knew I had just gotten something great. Other Celestial Beings were fighting the Wicked Spawn as I looked down. Kokoro was definitely getting the best of the Wicked Spawn, as it winced in pain every time Anómino or Kokoro attacked it. I took one deep breath, absolutely terrified out of my mind.

And then I just jumped.

The wind was acrid. At the astronomical velocity I was falling, the wind was able to cut my freaking skin. I began blacking out; my vision was blanking, and then strangely returning to me. My pupils were dilated body went into a state of shock. I couldn't move, and this state of shock was lethal. Then suddenly, everything just _stopped_. I grasped my magic wand even tighter, disregarding the blood flying from the cuts on my face.

"Spirits of the Seven Summoners. keepers of the powers, transporters of knowledge, wisdom and truth, guardians of the earth, sea, sky and all else, hear this pleading of your leader! Grant me audience before thine eyes and ears. That thus this may be heard, and my needs be seen!" I said, and I was engulfed in beige light. Even though I couldn't see it, I knew what had been done. I stopped my fall, hovering into the air. Whatever magic Itasca performed actually worked this time. I had burnished wings, just like all the other damn Celestial Beings here. I could hear multiple gasps and awws, because these wings were huge. The Wicked Spawn had been taken care of, but this snake still needed to be dealt with. This thing had some fast reflexes, and I had to pivot out of the way a couple of times. This snake was hissing at me, and almost took a chunk out of my wings. I could feel power welling up inside me. Itasca had not only granted me wings, but she also made be stronger. I pointed my wand at the snake.

"Freeze!" I yelled, and the snake did just that. I smirked for a moment. "People of Spectra, I am Sayuri Outtaike, the best damn Summoner you've even laid eyes on! And now, I'm going to prove it!" And with that, I straight opened fire on that snake. I used the fire Essence to take it down. It was so powerful, I think the whole snake got burned to a crisp. And so did some of the town. Pshaw, like it wasn't already messed up to begin with! I mean, before that Wicked Spawn and the snake appeared. The snake disappeared, and my wand glowed a terrifying and ugly shade of green. And then at that moment, I had realized that Itasca was never a foe. Urgh, I sound like a movie! "You want your speech? Here it goes. You guys are the greatest townsfolk in the world! Seriously I—"

Don't make it seem like you were the almighty one in this whole story, Sayuri," Morta interrupted. Because you really weren't. Your speech went exactly like this. 'All you guys are absolute bastards, and you don't even appreciate all the good I've done! All you guys do is sit around and eat whatever, while I get my ass kicked on a regular basis.' Then, I assumed you pointed your wand towards the city. 'Do you see this? This will happen again, and this time, I won't be hear to help you! Seriously, give some respect to the hero! I almost got raped in the doctor's office, blown to pieces by that little midget down there, stabbed by Miyuki, and for what? Absolutely nothing!' And, of course, you went on with your little rant, until Shirogane himself had to come and get you. Would you mind explaining that one?" Whoa, she totally interrupted me! Maybe I was getting to that part! Idiot psycho bitch!

Miyuki nodded her head and looked at Morta, before looking at me. "So, Itasca, brought us here? Because I remember that after Shirogane brought you down the ground, a giant clock formed behind you, and we were then thrust into the time period, correct? And she kept calling you Kohana, right? Idiot, how do you not know that she isn't working _for _Kohana?!" I narrowed my eyes. Maybe I just felt it in my heart was all!

"Look, Miyuki, Itasca said she would be loyal, and that's exactly what I think she will do. So, anyway, since Morta interrupted the fun part, I guess I'll have to pick up where she left off. So, anyway, dude, we were falling through the clouds! I am serious! We were falling through the sky, and I seriously thought we were going to go **splat**! But it was just Miyuki, Morta, Kokoro and I. I was screaming like a little girl, cause I defiantly sensed death coming near. Oh, wait---I was just smelling Morta." I sighed, glaring at my _partner_.

"I would probably find you more interesting had I studied psychology," she groaned. "Look, what happened in the past doesn't really matter anymore. Drop it." Grah, she's standing on borrowed time right now. Get it? Yeah.

"Alright, so, to cut it short, we fell on a world of clouds, got caught by unknown people, and now where in here. Simple enough for ya, Morta?" I sneered. Miyuki got up and stepped in front of me.

"You guys aren't really getting it. This is a team, and we have to make a team effort." Miyuki intervened. "Now, we're going to break out of here. Everyone, follow my lead."

* * *

**A/N:** And my mind works wonders, again! XD I'm seriously glad Sayuri's back. I've missed her!! (Oh, yeah, sakuuya. XD I know hurted isn't a word. Seriously, the first time a typed it, I was like, "This isn't a word." But'cha know, Sayuri _doesn't_ know that. XD So yeah, I kinda did that on purpose. XD)

Also, I'm not sure if you have noticed this, but Sayuri is number one in the team, Kokoro's three, and Morta's seven. XD We have an _odd_ team!! XD ._. The real bad guy in this story _loves_ raping numbers. Have you heard anyone raping numbers? No? Then you're conviction of the bad guy is sort of... wrong. XD If you think that!! XD I could just be setting you off! And believe it or not, but Anómino gave my WHOLE PLOT AWAY. XD

Hmm... who knows it? XD

WE ARE IN THE DARK AGES!

And another teammate will surface!! XD

But who?!

Also, I've been thinking... has anyone come up with a favorite paring yet? 'Cause I'd so take them into account. XD I looove pissing my sister off. XD


	10. Paroxysms of the Heart

**A/N:** I am NOT dead! And whoever told you such a thing should take a harpoon to the stomach. I missed you guys so much! I've been writing for so long, guys! It's been five months. I know. I know. So... like... you guys can blame me not updating on sakuuya. Because she took five months to beta.

*hands out sakuuya voodoo dolls*

*passes voodoo dolls around*

Speaking of sakuuya, she helped me with the battle towards the end of this thing. So if the story starts sucking, you know why. XD *snickers*

Granted, anyone who wants to bitch at me should bitch at her, because you guys are... Just about... Five chapters behind. Wait. Let me do the math. _Four_ chapters. Well, I already typed the start and flashback to chapter fifteen, so yeah. Five chapters. Things are going get weird from now on. I'm like ahead of you guys now. And well... she beta'd the next chapter, but I honestly don't want to go through the hell of editing all this crap again. XD For anyone who's wondering, I did this in April! XD

As for the flashback...

If any ONE of you get confused, you will get harpooned. _Badly_. The answer to your mind-rape IS IN CHAPTER FOUR!!!! XD

* * *

What exactly _was _a hero? I knew that term almost too well. A hero was a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. A hero was the person that had to hold their composure, just so the other members of the team wouldn't go blind with trepidation. You want to be a hero? Learn to create certainty in the face of fear. But me? I was no hero. I had a better statement that should be commented on, anyway.

"_The most profound mystery is the Gift of the Goddess, and in pursuit of this gift we set on a journey and take flight. Hopeless as it may seem, we stand and carry onward with the ripples of water that surface on our hearts."_

Time. As soon as we open our eyes, after birth, we see days and nights, years and months, decades; and—hopefully—centuries. Time was what I was. Time was what I breathed. And yet, time was what I didn't have. Ironic, wasn't it? Time rushed all around me. Time was in my veins. Time was in my blood. And I had no control over the very concept that I was created to be in charge of. Every time I took a breath of air, I was that much closer to my death. Every time I took a chance, I was that much closer to harnessing the time I had. Time was grabbing all the happiness I had allotted, because that was what I had. That was all we had.

"_Will you be taking flight? Towards the planet that hates us?"_

Time. Such a fictitious thing. Time was something created by man. Time was something to count when you were dead tired and bored. I should know. However, I didn't know that time could be so serious. How could such a fake thing—cause the death of people and friendships, obliterate mountains, and destroy entire civilizations within mere milliseconds? How could something so unreal cause the birth of the eternal sin? The Wickedness was born from time. Pure time and nothing else.

"_Waiting for the gift to be received. A harsh tomorrow and rolling winds defy us."_

Time. It was a test of trouble, but not a remedy. There was no malady in it at all. But whenever something bad was to happen, the only thing around me constantly was time. _All _the time. That brought me to the assumption that time was indeed an omen of some sort, because wherever I walked, someone would die for absolutely no reason. It was hard for me to finish my pilgrimage. And it was extremely hard for me to battle the only one who I had ever known like a mother. Kohana. That name still burns me as I say it now. That name was a curse. I was glad to be named Sayuri.

"_For you, it becomes quite usual to lose your dreams and pride. The Goddess herself has already let fly the arrow from her bow."_

Time. Time was what I didn't have. Time was nonexistent. And if time was nonexistent, I simply couldn't exist. I was time. Sayuri Outtaike was the harbinger of time. And for this sole reason, I hated myself. I had become something I honestly had no control over. I was quickly pulled into a circle. That circle—so unforgiving that I almost didn't find a way out of it. Right now, I fear that I may be losing the battle. I don't want to end up like Kohana.

"_When will the beasts of this world bring their fight to an end? From the dark sky, the Goddess comes whirling down. The door to the light opens to happiness, together with the Gift of the Goddess."_

**.**

Her face was overthrown with multiple emotions, each one individually screaming with the need to be seen. Never before in her life had she felt so much woe, so much pity for the person that she now held in her arms. Her world was stained crimson, everyone she had brought with her flayed in the most gruesome way possible. The woman's purple hair was drenched in blood, and in fact, she was sitting in a puddle of it. However, that blood did not belong to her at all. No, that blood belonged to the one she held ever so desperately in her hands, not once contemplating if she should let her antagonist go.

"_Revenge is scarred into my soul. Agonizing for its arrival our wishes become our relief. Sleep where you are equable."_

The old, shriveled woman within the young woman's pleading arms face was devoid of emotion. The elder woman's eyes showed no sign of remorse or sympathy, but they shimmered with apathy It was as if the she had been waiting for this exact moment. She had longed for the day when she would see the very purple-haired girl that held her. Today would be the last day she ever laid her own pink eyes on her.

"_Wishing for tomorrow... my soul_ shatters._ My pride is broken. My wing is broken. I am no longer able to fly..."_

"How… How does it feel?" The old woman managed to say, letting a few coughs escape her chapped lips. This action alone sent the young woman into spiraling fits of denial, her eyes screaming with fear. Therefore, the young woman's grip around her antagonist tightened even more.

"Is this… Is this how you greet me?! Is this how you say goodbye, Kohana?!" she shrieked, shaking her head wildly. "How do I feel?! How do I feel?!" she continued, tears rolling down her cheeks as she let her emotions run wild. "My pilgrimage lasted for five years, and do you _know_ when the last time I ever saw your face was? Never. Never. Even now, when I'm holding you, I can't see the caring mother that I loved years ago! The old Kohana is never coming back!"

Kohana gave a low snicker. "I… I never walked out on you, Sayuri."

"_The Gift of the Goddess is handed down. Your sacrifice and the world's end. Like the blowing winds over an unknown water surface—softly and certainly."_

"Damn it! What do you call leaving and never returning then?!" Sayuri blared, pointing to the randomly placed bodies throughout the room. "I was forced to go to Spectra, and I was forced to have a team! A seven man team! I spent most of my life with those guys! Look at them now, mother! I… never could handle working together with people I had to look out for, and you know that! You knew me better than anyone! We can't—I can't stop the Atropa Belladonna from happening! So what, I kill you, then what?!"

There was a long, awkward silence, and Sayuri practically held her breath as she waited for an answer.

"_You were loved by the Goddess and shared none of her blessings, even as heroes the world hates."_

"… Follow in my footsteps, Sayuri. Just… do your daughter a favor. Don't end up like me. Give your daughter a chance to live and be happy. Don't give her this heavy burden. This burden wares on the wings of our blood, binding our line to forever follow the Atropa Belladonna."

"No! No! I'm not going to do it! I'm not! I have the auto life Essence! Maybe if I use that, you can live, and I can break the Atropa Belladonna!" Sayuri shrieked and cracked a smile. "Please! I don't know how I can break it… I can't break it… It's been growing for six hundred thousand years… Don't leave me, Kohana! I don't know what I can do!" Sayuri finished, her eyes widening as Kohana began to fade, sifting through her fingers like sand. "Why, why do I wield so much time, and it's all meaningless?!"

"Simply because, Sayuri, time means absolutely nothing in dreams. Time is simply nonexistent in this world. Sayuri, time is what we don't have."

"_Your wish is where life is fostered."_

**.**

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.

I will not let Sayuri end up like me. Even it costs me everything I have; she will never see the things I had to see. I still see Sayuri's face in my dreams. It hurts me when I can't do anything at all about the unfortunate things that befall her. But could I, Sayuri, tarnish something that has lasted this long? I fear that Sayuri's life will be lost before I even get the chance to save her. The flowers… I can't smell them anymore.

Though time is a fictitious thing, sadly, it determines our fate. Hold on. I haven't given up on us yet.

"_Your sacrifice and the world's end."_

**LOVELESS**

* * *

**-: Chapter Ten: Paroxysms of the Heart :- **

_The moments died, I hear no screaming, The visions left inside me are slowly fading_

_Would she hear me, if I called her name?_

_Would she hold me, if she knew my shame?_

_Your tears don't fall; they crash around me; Her conscience calls the guilty to come home._

Bullet for My Valentine - "Tears don't fall"

The first time I ever caught wind of the intruders invading _my _palace made me aggravated. I, Queen Aysel, didn't tolerate intruders just walking into my heavenly home! This situation was very sensitive, and needed to be handled immediately. Such irritable vermin were to be eliminated on the spot, but since my solders were still out handling my very important business, I simply ordered my lesser subordinates to throw the intruders in my lovely jail.

I wanted to have someone administer a pithy punishment to the intruders. Even those pathetic intruders should have known my status. The hairs on my neck stood on end at the mere thought of any Nocuous somehow invading my lovely home! The Nocuous were too weak to even break through the shield around my floating place. So I sat On my throne, wine in one hand, swirling it around slowly between my delicate fingers. My eyes were darting towards my personal "doctor" of sorts.

Her name was Lucrecia, and she is the only Nocuous that ever comes within earshot of my presence. Lucrecia is Adel's daughter. Though he was an Enlightened One, and already recruited within my army, he still chose to be with some mendicant Nocuous. And I made sure he paid dearly for it. In order for his daughter of so-called pulchritude to live, it was agreed that Lucrecia's mother was to die. And in return, Lucrecia was to work for me whenever I needed her.

How could one refuse such an offer? Brilliant, was it not? Lucrecia has grown into a fine young woman, but she mindlessly searched for her mother, hoping that she was some how clinging to this world by a mere thread. I must say though, Lucrecia was quite the fighter. She has had half of her organs replaced artificial ones, and her left eye is permanently shut. In search of her mother, Lucrecia has undergone unspecified trauma; she had lost her left arm, now using a nearly useless artificial one. She wore glasses and a lab coat, but under it not much more than a bustier and two strips of cloth.

Lucrecia was only with me to be the one that I could vent to. Tucked in Lucrecia's lab coat pocket was a sling. What damage did she think she could do with that toy? Using that toy was, in all probability, why she had gotten so many injuries in the first place! But, when you are not blessed with my consentient to do things with the Nocuous, things like that were bound to happen!

But being the supposed doctor that she was, she was benign at times. On the whole, Lucrecia was a really abstruse person. She rarely showed any emotion at all when she was in my presence. However, I had heard that she actually shows emotions when she stays with Renata, when she is in a fight, she apparently does let out a chortle of some sort.

"Queen… Aysel," she said, her artificial arm hanging out of its sleeve. She had a furtive look about her, but her eyes were just as emotionless as the subtle simper on her lips. She adjusted her glasses with a simple push of her index finger. She had lissome movements for someone who was so indolent. I quirked my nose at her action. However, I quirked my nose with so much grace, that I looked far better than Lucrecia. The dim sunlight radiated her auburn hair that was held in a ponytail. Some of her hair hung over her active eye. But still, my presence was acknowledged. As one should acknowledge my presence! For I was the best ruler this kingdom had ever seen! "Queen… Aysel, would you happen to know where Adel is? And where the others are as well?"

If Lucrecia had any personality, I really couldn't really tell what it was. And that was rare, seeing as how I was the smartest being on this planet. I was the best at finding things out, for I was queen Aysel! It was careless of me, however, to not to know the whereabouts of any of my solders. My initial response to Lucrecia's question was to claw the edge of my chair, but I would have destroyed my nails in the process. Everyone that I had ordered to do my bidding was nowhere to be found.

With Zed, it was predictable, but not with Adel, Defina and Naira. Someone was going to have to spill their blood for this kind of abscond. Being that Lucrecia was Renata's friend and Adel's daughter, I hesitated in stepping off of my throne. I did not like getting my hands dirty, and I was feeling a tad generous today. A look of vengefulness was written all over my gorgeous face. How could one not see it? I had power now. And I was going to use it. My wine glass crashed onto the floor as I stood up, and the beautiful aura around me could have knocked Lucrecia off of her feet.

"Go kill the intruders. Bring me their heads. Bring me something of clemency from your opponents. I want to see if you have any type of grasp on your mind up there. Also, after your orders are done, I want you to go to the pharmacy. It looks like I'm going to need some… Well, I'll send you the list when you're there. Let your killings be heard into the firmament! Go, and still hold your honor, Lucrecia! Finally get the honor you want from Queen Aysel!"

* * *

It had been a few years since I'd last laid eyes on Sayuri Outtaike. I had to have let out a low cackle of some sort when I sensed her within the dungeon. This moment was absolutely priceless. She hadn't changed a bit, and definitely didn't look any different then she was when I had met her years ago. She was the reason I had to carry around the heap of scrap metal attached to my left shoulder. She had handicapped me, and ever since she bested me in that fight, I've been wanting to yank her pretty little head off her neck and spill every thing in her body onto the floor. She thought I had forgotten what pain she'd caused me?! That look in her eyes… What pitiful resolve. My fingers were jumping at the chance to give her eternal peace. Mercy hadn't even occurred to me. Thinking about it now, since when had mercy ever been an option? I didn't even know the meaning of mercy. My assistant walked by my side, shaking in her shoes.

If Queen Aysel knew that the Summoners were the intruders she was loathing so much, she'd be more than elated if I informed her. But I didn't give a damn about that idiotic queen. She runs this empire like a cart full of puppies being run through a bacon factory. She had no structure. She had no way of being a proper queen. She thought she was hot shit, didn't she? Giving me orders like I was some kind of dog. She thought she tossed me a bone, and I eagerly followed it? And even if I did, did she think I was going to give the bone back to her? Who the fuck did she think she was? If she had a different name, I would have killed her ass a long time ago. She made me into what I was. A weapon. I was a weapon of mass destruction. And anyone who stood in my way of doing my damn job was going to pay with their fucking lives. Did Aysel think I liked killing and executing people? It was just a fucking job. The daily grind. I bet she thought I was such a psychopath, but in reality, I'd make a much better queen than her.

And more over, why the hell did Aysel have a dungeon in her fucking castle? With that thought, I just had to take a drink from the container suspended on my belt. I drank my vodka down thirstily, taking enormous gulps from it. As I drank, I scanned my surroundings through my active eye. It was very murky down here, and it definitely reeked of old rotten carcasses. There was mold on every inch of this dungeon. And this was just one room, apparently. Aysel probably uses some sort of fucked up shield to keep the smell of her dirty work from rising through the vents and getting into the castle. My assistant, young Natalie, was jumping beside me. She wasn't that young. Maybe she was fifteen, if I remembered correctly.

Not only could I hear and see Sayuri through my focal, but I sensed that Renata was somewhere near me as well. My eye was pulsating, so I screwed the top back on my container. I wiped my mouth with my hand and hooked the container back onto my belt. Peevishly, I turned to look at my young assistant. I'm surprised that I even know her name. Damn all the Nocuous that think they can stand next to me and not feel my wrath! With a concealed snicker, I silently brought my gaze to the subordinate standing next to me.

"Natalie. What do you think you'll be when you grow up? Or, more precisely, what do you think you'll be in your prime years? Goals, aspirations, what will they mean to you if your life comes to an abrupt," I paused, unable to hide my toothy leer. "…End?!"

"I… don't really know what you mean, Lucrecia! I just want to become a doctor, like you! And then I'll be able to help my family live in Austere!" My eyes burned with rage. By no means was I a doctor. I was one of Aysel's great scientists, all narcissism aside. Aysel spews that garbage around and everyone who hears it is once more made her fool. But before I could respond to Natalie's comment, Renata walked in on us with a very suave and mysterious air around her. Renata's gown trailed behind her as she held both of her hands to her chest. I stretched my mechanical arm out a little bit. I could use a recharge. As a matter of fact, Renata has always been this strange. Hell, she's the only one I trust in this castle. I don't even trust Adel. Renata's golden eyes trailed to us, and then she immediately halting in front of us. I grunted out of total frustration. All these damn surprises. I was never one to like surprises. My mechanical arm fidgeted with my container, trying to desperately unscrew the top. But the useless piece of metal couldn't even do that right. Agitated, I just pulled the top off with sheer force and impatiently awaited for some liquid to at fall into my mouth. But the son of a bitch was empty.

Natalie already knew what to do in situations like these, as she easily filled up my container. And while she was doing so, Renata decided to open up her damn mouth and say something. Shit. If I wanted to hear something, I would have talked to Natalie about my nonexistent problems or some shit like that. But Renata slowly pointed to my container. "You… You don't think you've already had enough today, Lucrecia? It is a tad early… To be drinking… Did you come down here to execute the intruders?" I rolled my eye. Natalie was shaking a bit, but I snatched my container away from her and hooked it back in its place. "Good. Now, about the intruders…"

"You were down here to execute them yourself? You clever little sneak," I interrupted, shifting my footing. Renata was always strange. "Renata, did you find 'em yet? I don't want to search blind in this hell hole forever. And if you weren't down here for them, well, what the hell were you down here for?"

"I just felt the… Cold, bitter wind again was all, Lucrecia," she answered. "Yes, the intruders are traveling with the bitter wind again, I'm sure. Do you think it could be the Summoners?" I smirked. She knew that my new prey were the Summoners as well. I made sure I remembered to crack their bones and suck out all the marrow inside them. This was going to be a fun-ass fight. Now, where would I look? If only they would fall out of the sky, walking into my trap.

And then the fucking ceiling caved in. Renata quickly raised her hand, her pendant glowing as the debris was suspended in midair. That pendant of hers… I wanted what Renata possessed simply because that pendant is the only thing that made her a real threat in my eyes. Where the hell did she get such a thing? She's even stronger than Aysel herself… But Aysel's a bitch, so I don't really care. Natalie instantly splashed the vodka she had all-around the walls of the room we were in. She knew the procedure.

"What the hell is going on?! Sayuri, is that you?!"

"Why would I be doing this? For fun, Morta? Hell no, that isn't me!!"

"Sayuri, it might be you. The floor collapsed. You're the only one to my knowledge who can pull something like this."

"Shut up, you cat!"

"… Maybe we hit a switch or something?"

Renata released her grip on the debris, now noticing that she held people within her grasps. There were four little juicy bugs hitting the floor, and boy, did they not know what I was going to do to them. "Natalie, put up the field," I commanded, and Natalie complied, pressing a button in her pocket. Now anything that wasn't of Enlightened decent would cease to move. And this field was especially effective against my new lunch, also prohibited the use of any Essences. I let out an insane cackle, as it didn't take long for my prey to realize that they were like fire ants in a trap. Each of them began squirming around, except the one with apricot hair, stayed strangely calm. I knew how the wipe that damn smile off her face. I grabbed Natalie by the arm and swung her in front of me. Renata chose to look at our newfound enemies.

"Hey you, shorty. I can make her insides squirm, and I have no problem with demonstrating what I'm going to do to you on her." I cackled. Natalie looked at me, her eyes pleading not to believe the things that I had just said. The purple-haired girl's eyes widened a bit as she frowned at me. Like I gave a damn.

"My name is Miyuki, and furthermore, I can break out of this hold."

"_Amazing!_ Well, since you really aren't the intended target, I'll just ignore you. Sayuri, cousin, sister, friend! How's it been? You've been having fun with your arm, haven't you? It's been a long time, but I can still see that annoying smile on your face from last time. Do you think you've won something? That you've obtained a godlike status?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sayuri complained. "Do I know you? How the hell do you know my name, and why the hell are you making me out to be a target?!" She's playing mind games with me! Mind games! I'd show her who the hell I was, and I would make her remember just who the hell I was! Before I had a chance to retaliate, Retana, calm and collected as always, pointed at the intruders.

"One among you," she paused, closing her eyes. "Will die." I gritted my teeth while the intruders tensed up at this information. Sayuri practically jumped at this. Hell yeah. Renata was right. Sayuri was going to be the first one I was going to kill. Actually, I was going to fucking kill all of them. Their blood was going to make for a nice base. Yes, when I go back to experiment, I was going to use it as a base to heighten my focal. Ha, this was fucking child's play. With my arm still wrapped around Natalie's shoulders, I leaned my body over a bit, trying to get a clear look at all of my opponents. "Natalie," Renata spoke, out of the blue. I grinned. I knew what she was going to say. "Natalie, the bitter wind resides with you, also."

"And you're just bluffing, Mi-yu-ki." I taunted, tilting my head and rolling my eye with every exaggeration of her name. "As a scientist, I know you're a Celestial Being, for you have all the cute little characteristics of one. You snide little fuck, I'll have no problem tearing the wings off your back!" I paused, sneering with hilarity. "You do know what is oh-so interesting about the brain we beings in this world have?" I paused, dancing my fingers around Natalie's head. She's been in this position before, and I've only had her as my assistant for about a week. This simple minded Nocuous didn't have any idea what I was planning. She was shaking as I had my mechanical arm slung tightly around her shoulder. The male tensed up at this, and Sayuri looked at me with widened eyes, but the other female with the black hair looked like she didn't give a damn what I was doing. Renata was still observing the enemy. Sayuri picked such a fucking good time to mess with me! Now, I had to admit, I couldn't fight for really long periods of time, but Renata had that pendant around her neck. Imbued within my arm was a device that channels the energy in Renata's pendant through my body.

"Natalie! That's your name, right?" Sayuri called out. "I don't know what these women are planning, but you've got to get away from them—"

"Why!?" I interrupted gleefully fingers glowing a bright blue. "You would be so sad if I let her go so soon, Sayuri! You know, inside one's brain, our species' brains, is an invisible string of light. A bunch of it coils just behind the cerebellum. It's called a focal, and we Enlightened Ones have full use of it. While the Nocuous have one, it's utterly useless because it doesn't fucking work," I grinned, my fingers glowing more fiercely with every word that fell from my lips. I turned my fingers in a slowly and was greeted with a sound similar to a person gargling water. I smiled sadistically at the sound as Natalie started to silently tremble. She tried to raise her hand up, but she was too weak to do it. I grinned before continuing my speech. "The focal is the very thing that permits Enlighten to use special power. So, that part doesn't work in Natalie's head. Now, I'm going to smash and extend it to my own will!" I grunted as I balled my fist, and Natalie began to go into an amusing state of shock. As I pulled my palm away from Natalie's head, she started to make weird, various facial expressions. I managed to get a grip around the invisible gland, and started to pull on it harder, furthering pissing me off and making Sayuri cringe. "Now the focal is a … very tough and unique gland," I chortled. I began to pull on it harder, watching the cerebrospinal fluid spew out of her ear and onto the floor. And then, something snapped. Which was probably her focal. I smiled harshly, and stood up straight. "… If the focal is removed, you get an explosion. Y'know, a prize for trying so hard!"

And after I finished my sentence, Natalie's bran began to slowly slide out of her ear, making Sayuri gag a bit. I dug in my pocket, pulling out my sling. With a grin, I pulled off the top of my container and spit the liquid on my sling. "Tell me, girl in the back, standing like you have no care in the world. I'm sure Natalie would have wanted to live, but what is life worth if you have no brain?" I said as I grasped the string of my slingshot and began to twirl it in Natalie's direction. The string divided itself as it whirled, each strand slicing through the girl's flesh like a garrote and carving her body into four bloody pieces. And as her body fell to the floor, I smiled even more maliciously. I waved my hand into the air, breaking the shield around Sayuri's body. The girl in the back didn't give me a reply. Damn wench. I didn't worry too much about her, because after I killed her friends, I was going to use her as a test subject. Did Summoners have a focal? I was going to find out. Sayuri stumbled a bit as she realized that she was the only one free of the shielding. I could see it in her fear-infested eyes. She was intimidated. Sayuri held that wretched wand close to her as she gulped. The best kind of prey were the ones that squirmed and ran, weren't they? I grinned once again as Retana turned to me and extended her hands towards mine. Her amulet started to glow.

"I place this sign with the knowledge and protection of the wind and will of those before me. Let no one damage that, which bears this seal. Let no one touch that, which bears this sign. Let no one pilfer from its rightful place this thing. Lest that one bear the retribution of the ancients, in the dark and cold of night."

My mechanical arm started to glow as her amulet rose off of her chest. Miyuki's eyes narrowed.

"That's… Sayuri! The woman with the golden hair; she has the energy Essence! That's a very powerful Essence, don't waste your time—"

"Silly extraterrestrial phenomenon! Shut your damn mouth! Renata's amulet is made up of iron. Essences are pure energy. Now c'mon, Sayuri, this fight is with us."

Sayuri turned and glanced at her useless teammates before looking at me with a newfound courage of some sort. I chortled loudly. It was killing time! The bitch who took my arm just stood there, motionless from fear even without magical aid, as I swung my weapon faster and faster, not losing any momentum. After a few seconds, the air produced just enough friction with the alcohol-covered bullet to set the whole thing ablaze.

The pathetic summoner looked like she wanted to yelp in terror, but her mouth was frozen, soundless. I had thought, every time I dreamed about avenging myself, that her scream would be the most beautiful thing in the world, but this... This soundless terror was more gratifying than anything I could have possibly imagined.

Laughing at her gorgeous, panicked face, I let the bullet fly from my sling and flame toward that damn girl. The little bitch broke out of her paralysis at the last second and dove out of the way, but the bullet exploded as it hit the wall behind her, and she cried out as it burned through the flimsy material of her stupid costume and singed her back. Lightning-fast, I jerked my good arm so the string struck her as it whirled past, flensing a good slice of flesh off her shoulder. Sayuri, already on the ground, seemed to curl into herself as I cut her. The sight of her blood and the almost-inaudible flop of her severed muscle and skin hitting the stone floor almost made this moment worth waiting all these years for.

The little Celestial Being following Sayuri around looked like she was trying to break free of Renata's shield, to help the pathetic, squirming heap of flesh in front of me, but of course it was useless. I slipped another bullet into my sling, spat more alcohol onto it, and began swinging it again. This time, I aimed for Sayuri's left arm, so she could know exactly the agony she had caused me. She was pushing herself up as the bullet hit her elbow, and she collapsed at the explosion, which, unfortunately, threw her out the string's path, so I wasn't able to cut off the limb completely. It was, however, hanging rather uselessly at her side, just like mine was before this bitch finished it off. Part of me wants to rip off her arm and then just leave her here, agonized and bleeding.

Like she left me.

But I'm smarter than she was; I wasn't going to set myself up for her to get some fucking revenge years from now. Sayuri grabbed for her damn wand, which had rolled out of her grasp when she fell the second time. "Freeze!" she shouted desperately, throwing her wand in front of the next flaming ball of lead hurtling toward her. It stopped, even the fire on its surface locked in place, but my string didn't, and it opened a wide gash on her wand hand. She hissed in pain, obviously biting on her tongue to keep from crying out. Proud fool. I'd make her scream yet. The way I looked at it, blood was just red sweat. I had no problem with sweat. But Renata was throwing a damn fit. I glanced at her for one quick second, and she looked like she was going to piss herself. But this wasn't what she wanted. This was what I wanted, and I didn't give two shits about what she thought.

"Renata," I said, level-headedly. I rose a brow as I stopped everything I was doing. "You've got something to say?" I was not in the mood for silly little drawbacks. I came down here to do my job. Renata's eyes frantically scanned the floor before she let her arms down. I could tell I was getting to her.

"…Nothing is less moral than war, Lucrecia. I… Hate the sight of it. What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the destruction is wrought under in name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?"

"Oh really?" I chuckled, put off by whatever the fuck Renata was getting at. "Never think that war, no matter how unnecessary, nor how unjustified, is a crime. It's fucking success! Liberation! I don't know where I'd be without it!" I paused, looking at that pathetic sack of human blood whimper and try to get a hold on what the hell was going on around her. "You're a princess, dear. You hate war so much, how come you haven't done a goddamned thing around here?"

"Do not question my authority, please, Lucrecia. But what you are doing here is not justified. I am not yet ready to be the ruler of Aysel. I know nothing of the business of ruling." And then she did something completely unexpected. This scared, spineless bitch thrust her arms towards me, sending two enormous waves of energy crashing my way. It took me a split second to take this into account. Really? Were we really going to fucking do this? I extended my hand, knowing that this so called 'princess' held back extraordinarily. I clinched my fist, taking full control over her waves.

"…Poor kid. I couldn't imagine it. What if you die, Renata? Who's going to be your successor? I hope you don't think that it's going to be me!" I grunted, sending the waves of energy towards Renata at full blown speed. The waves changed into some sort of spear. This would be the last time I would ever hear Renata's fucking voice again.

And then that's when I heard that annoying little brat Sayuri. "Not… yet!" she struggled, like she thought she was making a comeback. I pushed my glasses back to my face, to see the energy impaling Sayuri in her chest, the floor bloodied from her injuries. I smirked toothily, enjoying the Summoner's terse breathing. Renata freaked out completely, grabbing Sayuri by the shoulders and turning her around.

"I'll… I'll heal your wounds, don't worry! I've got you!"

"I… don't need your help, lady," Sayuri shot back. "Now c'mon, let me… Finish what I started." I agreed with that. I was going to make her last moments… Bad ones, let's just say. The spear of energy was still impaled in her, so I could will it to kill her from the inside out.

"Goodbye, you fucking nuisance," I said, but then the most irritating thing filled my ears. I couldn't process thoughts, and this sound was frazzling me. It was a sound, but I didn't think the others could hear it. It was causing vibrations in my head, and messing with my focal, that much I could tell. But I couldn't stop the pain. I opened my eye, to see this pink light around Sayuri, and it looked much like an Essence.

"I've never been this close to one before. Sayuri, you have the song Essences, right?"

"No." And it was a-'tired'-no. Because after that, I heard the sound of flesh hitting the ground. I couldn't stop screaming. The pain was too intense. That bitch… She thought she got the best of me. This wasn't over. I was going to make sure of it!

* * *

**A/N:** I'm seriously done with the Dark Ages Arc now. XD We need to speed up. *sigh*

Well guys. We are screwed. Because of Kohana, Lucrecia, and possibly Anomino, this arc is going to stretch out to _insane_ lengths. I'm pretty much done with everyone in the Dark Ages. XD I wish I could just skip all this, but I know all you guys need me. Because let's face it! If I stopped writing CCFA, would ANY of you be brave enough to take over where I left off? No? I didn't think so. Because it takes TRUE awesome-sauce to write this thing! XD Remember, CHAPTER FOUR practically tells you what this flashback means. XD Please use my hints. And don't just play with them. XD

Oh. And the centered lines in the flashback? LOVELESS, of course. XD

I feel like LOVELESS really defines CCFA. XD You guys should pay attention to that. Might give you an idea of what's going on.

But just to be an ass and mess with you guy's minds: Sayuri is NOT the one telling the flashback. XD

Only the smart will figure it out!! XD

Til' I feel like going through hell again...

Bye! XD


	11. Otherworld

**A/N:** Sorry I didn't put this here earlier. XD See, I had gotten the new Smackdown Vs. Raw, so I tried my best to put this up before today. Hmm... what do I want to say? XD Okay, even though I wrote this chapter aeons ago, I wanna dedicate this slice of bread to my sibblings, preferably my sister. XD Not to say yooooou are worthy of praise too, bro, but yeah. I know how much you hate the kind of stuff Lucrecia does, and that's what makes it more fun to mess with you.

Anyway... this is a really easy-going chapter for my standards. XD And maybe I'm just saying that because I'm used to writing fights in every chapter...

But Chiharu! Didn't we just get DONE with a fight? :O

Yeesss. XD But CCFA's whole plot revolves around fightning. And I like my fights. XD Humor, romance, all of that stuff revolves around the main thing here. Fightning. Everyone in this story just about walks around with a conflict inside of them. XD Kohana, Anomino, Moonlight, Kokoro, Morta... everyone. Dogg might not. XD But then again, Dogg might not notice it. XD

Nothing exciting is really gonna like... happen for the next four chapters. At least to me. XD Or maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

* * *

Her hands fidgeted around with the tiny piece of paper she held. The woman sat at a table, her bright auburn hair falling against her waist. Her green eyes were weighted down in fatigue, and she wore a black business suit. She had a slightly irritated expression on her face as she looked into the eyes of another woman who was smiling at her, rather than scowling like she herself was. She began to tap her fingers on the table in anticipation. The other woman, however, sipped from the cup she was holding in her hand. She was elated, and everything about her seemed to radiate joviality.

"I'm so glad you came, Lucrecia," the blonde woman chimed, folding her hands together in absolute glee. Lucrecia smiled somewhat quickly before leaning back her chair. "I'm so happy! I'm sure you can see the excitement on my face, right?!" Lucrecia's grip tightened around the piece of paper she was holding, but still she kept the same happy smile on her face.

"Cut the act, Calista. We all know what you are doing. I may just be a simple guard to Issaru, but like I am paid to protect him from garbage like you." Lucrecia spoke calmly, not once looking Calista in her eyes. Calista put on a crude smirk.

"Cut what, Lorna? And what do you know I'm doing? Could it be marrying Issaru? I mean, of course you knew, right? Did you read the letter?" She cackled, looking at her nails. Lucrecia still smiled at the woman before getting up from her seat. She placed the piece of paper on the table and walked towards the threshold of house.

"I'm happy for you, Calista."

And with that said, she walked out of the home with a small remote in her hands. She raised her hand, pressed the button, and loud ear-shattering explosions filled the air behind her. Lucrecia smirked before and let her hand down.

"Child's play."

* * *

**-: Chapter Eleven: Otherworld :- **

_In a car underwater with time to kill_

_Thinking back I forgot to tell you this_

_I didn't care that you left and abandoned me_

_What hurts more is that I would still die for you._

"Car Underwater" -- Armor For Sleep

I couldn't feel anything. I failed, and I knew I failed. I couldn't even breathe, but yet the pain was there. I felt my eyes closing, but after that, I could see a world of red all around me. And something told me that that blood belonged to me, and no one else. To tell you the truth, I really didn't know what just happened. I could hear Miyuki's voice while Kokoro was cursing up a storm, but I could tell that they were very far away from me. My arm was burning like hell, and I really couldn't bare the pain. And then I felt calm for some reason. I found myself drifting into a deep sleep.

Now, I stand in darkness, and I can see something else within the darkness. It is a girl—no, a woman. She smirks towards me and is leaned on some kind of mirror or something. The woman looks familiar. I clench my fists. I want answers right now, damn it! I know who that woman is! I'll never forget that look on her face! Out of all the people I want to see, it has to be Kohana standing in front me!

"You're pathetic, Sayuri. Letting someone like Lu obliterate you like this," she cackles, and that really boils my blood. She has the nerve to call me pathetic, and yet she left me without even sparing a goodbye? At this moment, I have no respect for this woman. I want to make her feel what I am feeling right now, damn it! All the confusion—all the feelings of being given up on—I want her to feel them. And for a moment, my mother's smile softens into a warm one in a matter of seconds. She is good at doing that. She was always good at faking a smile. My eyes wander down to the floor, unsure of what to say. But then, I know what I want to say. It's just a simple three word sentence, but it is taking me a long time to get it out. I have my chance!

"Listen up, you!" I shout, but it feels like I'm really yelling to a mirror of myself. "I… I..."

"You what?" she interrupted. "You want to make me a pie, Sayuri? Or maybe you want to shower me with the unconditional love you never gave me when we weren't enemies? Oh, wait, we've always been enemies, destined to fight in the Memories' Lightwave. Do you think you'll be able to just dance your way through this, Sayuri? Let me tell something: You're in Otherworld now." I gritted my teeth. There is one thing I want to tell her, but I can't get it ! Tears well in my eyes from sheer frustration and nothing else. "Aww, is Sayuri going to burst into tears?" My right eye starts twitching. I really don't want to show her my weakness. My weakness is that I—have a weakness that she can just exploit. I am Sayuri Outtaike, damn it!

"Go now, if you want it. An Otherworld awaits you. Don't you give up on it. You bite the hand that feeds you." With Kohana's glare combined with the spookiness of the Itasca-sounding voice that just practically sung to me, I really am starting to burst into tears.

"Just say it. I won't get mad. I am your mother, I suppose. But know this, Sayuri. You're not going to die. At least, not yet. I want to be the one who gets the chance to rip your arm off. Lu… Lu is a pretty nice person. Get to know her, Sayuri! Maybe she might help you in the long run!" She laughed once more. Who the heck does she think she is?

"I hate you…" I whisper. Or, at least, it came out as an incoherent mumble or some sort.

"All alone, cold fields you wander. Memories of it cloud your sight. Fill your dreams, disturb your slumber. Lost your way, you fallen knight?" And then, Kohana raises a brow at me. I can't even see straight I'm so mad. "Just remember, don't cry!" she finishes, with an Itasca-sounding voice again. I grit my teeth.

"I hate you!!!" I scream this time. But she just laughs.

"You know that when I say I hate you, it is because I love you to a point of passion that unhinges my soul, Sayuri?" And now her eyes soften once more. "I know you hate me, Sayuri. Hold now, aim is steady. An Otherworld awaits you. One thousand years—you ready? The Otherworld it takes you. Hope dies, and you wander. The Otherworld, it makes you. Dreams, they rip asunder. The Otherworld, it hates you. Free now, ride up on it. Up to the heights, it takes you. Go now, if you want it. The Otherworld awaits you." I blink at her little poem or whatever. One thousand years? The heck? The only thing going through my mind is to tell Kohana how I feel.

"I hate you so much you old cow! I want you to burn in the hottest fire there is! I want you to drop dead and die from the fumes coming from your own decaying body! Kohana, you just don't understand! If I ever see your ass again, I'm going to make sure you die a long and painful life!" I collapse on the ground, my hands behind me. "I just want you to disappear." I feel relieved that I got that out. There is absolutely nothing that Kohana can say that can get me down now.

"Sayuri. I'm not going to keep doing this. I can't keep doing this. The Otherworld separates us. But remember, this is just a dream, and I am Itasca," I cringe at that comment. That isn't true. "Maintain the dream, Sayuri. We're not finished yet. When you wake up, you will be with two other people of your group, Lu and Renata," She paused, chuckling silently. "Silly. Revenge only leads to death. Tell Lu that, please. I've used everything I can to transport your friends to Austere. At least, the ones that aren't with you. Promise me that you'll stay alive long enough to see your dear mother. I'll never leave you, Sayuri."

"I got it, Mom," I scoff. And that was on pure instinct. I always know what to say when she says that line. Then, everything fades into light. I groggily stood up, dazed and confused, and I looked up to see that two of my teammates, are in fact missing. Miyuki and Morta were gone, as a matter of fact. Renata was on the ground, looking at me with awe in her golden eyes. The woman who went ape-shit on me was standing in front of me, clawing her head and screaming in pain. Y'know, I heard a faint screech over her screaming, and then I finally realized that there was a periwinkle light surrounding me, although Kokoro was standing behind me, so I couldn't exactly tell where the sound was coming from. I bet he thought I needed some kind of cheering or something. Kind to think of it, my arm felt kind of weird. I looked at my shoulder and saw that everything looked okay.

"Sayuri? You okay? It's the worst feeling in the world, watching something you can't do anything about! I mean, you were a bloody mess, but then you just turned back to normal all of a sudden!" he seethed, clutching his fists while looking at the woman in front of me have a freakin seizure! I guess that this time, Kokoro did have a reason to not help me. I picked my wand off the ground and slowly walked over to Renata.

"Don't worry, Kokoro. I'm fine. But what about you, lady? It's… Renata, right? Are you hurt?" I asked, extending my hand out to help her off the ground. She looked at my hand like she was studying it or something. She was weird. This woman in front of me was meek and soft-spoken, and even then, she still associated herself with monsters like the woman freaking out. "Kokoro, trust me. Miyuki and Morta are in Austere—something. I have no idea where that could be, and I don't know where to start looking. Look, listen lady, I don't want anymore trouble than you do. I've got to find my team. I don't want any screw-ups." The woman opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, she grabbed my hand and I helped her up. What was she doing in a place like this? Especially so formally dressed. I doubted she was anything like her associate here screaming.

"Summoner Sayuri," she said, tilting her head. My name rolled off her tongue as if she was testing it out or something. I blinked. What the hell was she planning? The woman then smiled at me like she had found something lodged into my body. "I'm—glad you decided to come back, Summoner Sayuri." I blinked some more, still holding her hand in absolute confusion. Besides, I couldn't concentrate on the woman in front of me because the other lady would not stop screaming! Seriously, whose leg did I have to eat to get some peace and quiet around here? Kokoro walked over to us, scratching his head in confusion.

"I don't think Sayuri's been here before," he said, looking at the screaming woman who I was now glairing at. Why wouldn't she shut the heck up?!

"I suppose it's only natural that you haven't remembered me, Summoner Sayuri. I am Renata, princess of Aysel. You saved my life not too long ago, and I'm forever in your debt, but I don't remember your friend, Summoner Sayuri. That isn't Leyiko, is it? I thought Leyiko was both female and a robot…." That comment of hers earned Renata more head scratching and confused looks from Kokoro and me. "And where is Nina? And your wolf companion and Renée?"

"Please, princess Renata, my name is Kokoro, and I'm pretty sure I'm a guy." He chuckled lightly. "I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no Leyiko or Nina with us. We've just got to find Morta and Miyuki. I'm the Summoner of Fire."

"Yes, I'm sure I know that already." Renata smiled. "You know, I can sense the Essences within both of you." And then she let go of my hand. Finally. "Summoner Sayuri, Summoner Kokoro, I'm glad you came to Aysel, but I'm afraid you both are in grave danger. My mother, Aysel, doesn't like what you did the last time you were here."

"But what did I do?!" I said, but it came out as a really loud screeching noise. I mean, it sounded like I had a stereo system tied to my back. Kokoro covered his ears and Renata sort of flinched. I looked at my wand, and then remembered that I still had the song Essence just floating around me. But I can't believe that that Essence had helped me to defeat the (still screaming) woman who tried to eat me. I held my magic wand with both of my hands before looking at Renata. "Better question, Renata, if I suck up this Essences… skip it. I can't dance my way out of stuff like this anymore. If she wants to lash out at me, I'm just going to have to be prepared to kick her ass. Speaking of which, Kokoro, do you mind transforming so I _don't_ get my butt handed to me? Or… are you still afraid to fight the la-dies? Yeah, this woman _isn't _a lady by _far_." To my surprise, I head a snort of some sort. Ah, so did this mean he was gonna do something? I turned around quickly to face my teammate.

"I follow you, Sayuri. Think you can show me how to do that magic trick again?" Huh? Oh, how dumb can one guy be? That wasn't me, idiot! Or maybe he forgot how to transform after the big snake Essence came, saw, and almost ate me? Man, I didn't have time for this. I sighed and put my wand down to my side.

"Kokoro, just clutch your hand, will yah?" I said, but then I couldn't even get the sentence out of my mouth.

"Fire Metaphase!" Kokoro exclaimed, stomping his left foot onto the ground and sending a wave of fire storming towards me and Renata. I shielded my eyes, but it was so freaking hot all of a sudden. Renata felt the heat as well. The fire trailed up the leg Kokoro stomped with before long, he wore blue jeans with a chain hanging from the left pocket. Kokoro had on a black t-shirt, and it was accompanied with a red and gold jacket. Nothing else really changed about him though, but that transformation was oddly surprising. While he stood there smirking, I turned my focus back to the insane woman in front of me. "Renata, tell me about this woman." Renata nodded at me, her eyes softening as she turned towards the woman.

"Her name is Lucrecia, but… you should already know that, Summoner Sayuri. There's a… lot I can tell you about her. Her fears and aspirations, future goals, dreams… Summoner Sayuri, what you don't know—or what you can't seem to remember is that I am an Enlightened One. I am a human with the ability to control something known as a focal. With a focal, I can do things that normal humans cannot. And… being the princess that I am and with my amulet, I can travel into Lucrecia's focal, but it is so fragile and worn out that I'd probably break it in the process. She's rather rash, Sayuri. Be safe. However rash Lucrecia is, she is still my _friend_. I know that's hard to believe, but we've been friends for such a long time, but I couldn't really imagine life without her, Sayuri." I nodded as Kokoro stood next to me. I snarled.

"Feeling the flame, huh? Just watch my back."

"I wouldn't be talking too much right now, Sayuri. You watch _my_ back." I rose a brow. Oh really? Were we really going to do this right now?

"Psh, I'm the leader now, and what I say goes, Koko! Freeze!" I commanded, the Essence seeping into my wand slowly. My wand turned periwinkle before the Essence disappeared. And then Lucrecia stopped screaming. At this moment, you can forget all the crap I ever said about Morta in crazy-psycho-bitch mode being scary. Lucrecia's slitted green eyes burrowed into my skull. She was absolutely terrifying. Her sling was about fifty yards across the room, so that didn't really bother me. However, I was just concerned about Lucrecia doing that mind thingy to me. Eww, that was really sick of her, and now, every time I eat soup, I was going to picture Natalie's brain-juice. Do you realize how sick that was? Well, at least she didn't eat it like I was expecting her to do. Lucrecia and I exchanged glares until she decided to frown at me. I kept my gaze locked on Lucrecia, and with Kokoro having my back, I felt able to take on the highest building.

"Cowardice has always been your strong point, Sayuri," she seethed, looking at her hand and putting it back at her side. Uh, I didn't even know Lucrecia until now! What the hell was she doing? "You've got a pretty big ego for someone so small." And she kept glaring at me. Small? I was small? As if, if I was small, I wouldn't have been able to smash that Wicked Spawn! The more I looked at this insane woman, the more my blood boiled.

"What makes you think you're better than me?!"

"What makes you think you're better than me?!"

I couldn't believe this! Was she reading my mind? I waved my arms out in total disbelief. "You… Lucrecia, I'm sensing self esteem issues, psychopath." I snickered. Lucrecia continued to glare at me. Too bad there was nothing she could do to cause me any harm! Slowly, a smirk stretched across my face. I wasn't going to let Lucrecia get to me! However, I _was_ going to slap the holy hell out of this woman for trying to kill me not too long ago!

"You've got some nerve, little brat!" Lucrecia hissed, throwing her mechanical arm out just like I did. And not before long, we were face to face, glaring bullets into each other.

"Little kid, huh? Well, you probably can't see the other half of me 'cause your eye's closed, you insane psycho!"

"Please, okay, both of you," Renata said in a really fragile voice. I still didn't give up my position, even though I had to stand on my toes to barely even match up to Lucrecia. "Lucrecia, I know you have a temper, but please, show Sayuri some hospitality."

"I'll show her my fist smashed into her mouth," she said flatly. "Hows about that, Renata? And her little friend can get it too. There's enough if mechanical scrap metal to go around, you stupid human brats. You're worse than the Nocuous!" Okay! That was it! She had ten seconds before I took off on her.

"Listen Lucrecia," Kokoro intervened. "We are just here to help. Now, since Sayuri's all better, I'll just forget everything I saw, mm'kay?" Both Lucrecia and I frowned before turning towards him. Yeah, who did Kokoro think he was? I was the leader, damn it! Me! Not Miyuki, not Morta, and most _definitely _not Kokoro! When I first met Miyuki, she acted as if she was the big cheese. And then, to make matters worse, Miyuki was still in her cat form at the time.

Yeah, that really irked me. I've been chased by fire, tricked by silence, stabbed by Morta, been knocked out for who knew how long, fell through the sky, put into a jail cell, battled a giant snake, rode on the back of a Wicked Spawn, and a_ttacked by my own mother._ Uh, yeah, what the hell had Miyuki done? Yeah, sure, she had been training at some academy to guard me, big whoop. That was nothing compared to what I had been doing for the past couple of weeks. Yeah, you heard me, weeks. I know these things because woo-hoo, I'm the freaking Summoner of Time! Time here seems to go much faster than it does on earth, as I had noticed that on Spectra. And then, I didn't even understand how everyone could be so expectant of Miyuki when she almost killed me. I was not letting that crap go. And yeah, I'm the leader, in regards to Morta's height. I wasn't short anyway! Pfft. And Kokoro? I haven't even seen what the guy could do. He doesn't have respect in my book.

"I don't take deals with half-assed creatures like you!" Lucrecia spat. My lower eye twitched. I stepped away from her. There was no telling what I might have said.

"Half-assed?" Kokoro asked, cocking a brow.

"That's right! You can pronounce the word! Can you spell it too, half-breed? You both are humans, but then you are pathetic half-breeds because you've got those stupid Essences inside you." She laughed, grinning wildly. "Sayuri, you know I'm weak now, but when I get back to full health, you might just be missing both arms and a leg." she spat. "You idiot bitch." Hmm? So, she wanted to start with the nicknames, huh? This was fun!

"Don't hold grudges, Lu!" I snickered. That was when the whole dungeon grew silent. Man, you could hear a rat piss on cotton.

"What—what the hell did you just call me?"

"You heard me, _Luuu,_" I continued. But I swear to you, I was not prepared for Lucrecia grabbing my arm like she did.

"Look, the name's not Lu, Lucy, Lily, Lonna, Lulu, Lisa, Lua, Luna, Lone, Lorna, Lana, Lena, or especially _doctor_, okay? If you call me that again, you'll be missing both your eyeballs and you sense of fucking smell, got that? Then, I'll rip your tongue out of your head, tie it around your neck, and feed you alligator spleens for the rest of your pathetic existence. Got that, Sa-yu-ri?" I gulped and slowly nodded my head. But you know, if she gets to be all intimidating with her looks and voice, I got to be intimidating to. Y'know, if I was as scary looking as Lucrecia. I easily snatched my hand away from Lucrecia's grip.

"Well then, let me introduce myself as well! I'm Sayuri Outtaike, Summoner of Time! Now, I don't know what kind of crazy dreams you've had of me, Lu, but keep'em to yourself! I'm afraid of no one, especially a crazy psychopathic—" I was stopped mid-sentence as Lucrecia grabbed my arm lightning fast with her real hand this time, and then throwing me halfway across the room into the freaking wall. As baffled as I was, nothing stopped me from rubbing my back in pain. Renata kind of cowered in fear, but Kokoro, in all his newfound cocky glory, was not going, apparently.

"Combustion Sphere!" Kokoro shouted, accompanied by multiple wisps of flames. In both his hands appeared a amber-colored ball of some sort. Inside the ball, furious flames dancing around in there. Kokoro held it by his side. Hmph. It looked like a soccer ball to me. Lucrecia shrugged off the flames escaping from him and began to walk in the other direction. Come back here, you psychopath! I wasn't through with you yet!

"Running are you, Lucrecia?" Kokoro taunted. Uh, yeah, I was still hurt and the wall behind me was crumbling. He needed to hurry up and fry her! Man, I wished Kokoro wasn't as dumb as he was cocky. Lucrecia waved her hand out horizontally in the air, and then, Kokoro practically flew! …Into me. Oh, wait. He was flying into me! The only think I was able to say was, "Oh crap, move Sayuri!" before I was impaled with Kokoro. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.

"You okay, Sayuri? I'm sorry…"

"Save it, Koko." I muttered, getting up from the ground. Lucrecia adjusted her glasses before looking the other way and Renata ran to our side.

"I'm going to the pharmacy to get Aysel's…" She paused, sort of questioning herself. "Oh you've gotta be kiddin' me! Damn!" And then the whole room fell silent, Oh boy… I blame Miyuki.

* * *

"Blame it on the weather, but I'm a mess. And this February darkness has me hating everyone." – Silverstien – "Call it Karma"

* * *

Quiet. I hadn't had that in such a long time. Silence sounded quite benign to me, like it wasn't the same anymore, to be honest. You see, I was really neutral about the whole Summoner project, Spectra, Japan, being here—I really hadn't thought much of it before. As a matter of fact, some of my memories were shot, and I knew that was really an advantage, oddly. I had already told Miyuki about my memory loss, and she honestly said that I was better without them.

I remember my family still, Veronika, and seeing Sayuri for the first time, but that's all I can remember prior to meeting Kohana. So one can only imagine how I felt every time Sayuri brought up how I supposedly attacked her with my scythe every chance she got. And what was really irritating me was that she kept on bringing it up. I didn't want to hear about what I did when I wasn't aware of my actions. Even if I did apologize to Sayuri, she'd only complain. So I wasn't going to apologize. Complaining was what she did best, after all. Kokoro was an alright guy, but I thought he knew more about what was going on as I did. Even Miyuki couldn't get a grasp on Sayuri, or so I am told.

Right now, whether I liked it or not, the only obligation that I knew I had was to be the Summoner of Death, supposedly. I knew everyone else back at home was okay, or at least, okay for the time being. If Kohana only made me blow up Japan, I could take comfort in knowing that no one I knew was hurt. But was that selfish of me? Really? That was the question floating around in my head for the past couple of days. Though I did have a plan. Until I could remember everything prior to meeting Sayuri in Kyoto, I was going to do what I was told, which was to help Sayuri capture Essences and take down any threats to and my teammates and I until we made it to the final end. Whatever it was, I would wait patently for it. Nothing with a "final" sounded too good to me.

"Morta, are you awake?"

My eyes fluttered open to see Miyuki standing a few feet away from me. Instinctively, the first thing I did was scan my surroundings. We were in a cave of some sort. A cold cave. I could see my breath. I sat up and made sure I hadn't injured anything. Miyuki touched—or more like waved her hand past—her ear, and a deck of cards fell into her hands. Then, she began shuffling them expertly. I sighed. I didn't see Kokoro or Sayuri, but I also didn't see that woman with the closed eye or the meek woman. Worst case scenario: we had gotten split up. I thought we had gotten split up. I stood up, and raised a brow. Miyuki was doing something really interesting because that made her deck begin to glow a bright orange.

"So, you're searching for them, Miyuki?" I mused, trying to get a better look at her technique. Miyuki looked back at me, gesturing towards me to open my hands. And I did just that.

"Yes, Morta. You're very perspective. We are in the same world, but we are separated from Sayuri and Kokoro." Then she started tossing cards at me. I caught them with the best of my ability. Within this team, I thought Miyuki was probably the best person to get along with. Not that I really cared what Miyuki thought of me. She was dedicated to her work and she didn't like conflict. I didn't either. Sayuri is just the antithesis of Miyuki. "Yes they are… right above us… for some reason. Do you have any idea how this happened? And before you answer, you should really transform. We have to meet back with the others and make it to the temple wherever it is."

"Temple?" I asked, fitting the deck of cards in my hands. "I forgot about why we even come to the different worlds in the first place."

"Well, it's not that complicated. We travel to different worlds because we have to ensure that the peace is kept. Not only that, but in each world, there are temples that we have to travel to in order to obtain better Essences, techniques and group attacks. However, Sayuri can't get into these temples with you and Kokoro. There are trials that require the use of specific summoners to open the temples. Essence-wise, there are certain Essences that only seem to travel in certain dimensions and worlds. So really, the reason for coming to this world is to get in the temple and go. That's all we are supposed to do here." I nodded my head. It all made sense now.

But where would we have found this temple? Did Miyuki know where it was located? I was thinking of the possibility of her getting us lost. Although I did trust Miyuki, I didn't really understand her methods of guiding us. There was a woman in Spectra—Linnéa, who I spoke to regularly because she was in the same hospital room as I was in. She was recuperating from injuries Miyuki had given her. She told me what she knew about me attacking Sayuri, and let me know that Miyuki intentionally let me fight Sayuri and stabbed her pretending to be me. I hadn't asked Miyuki about it, but Linnéa did bring up valid points on how Miyuki could just turn on us with just the snap of a finger, but I really had to see it to believe it.

I shook my hands a bit and readied my transforming. Miyuki's cards disappeared, oddly.

"Death Metaphase!" I called out, clapping my hands together. I pulled them apart, reveling a string of black light. I felt a short strapless dress of a demure knee-length wrap itself around my body. It featured a vertical shirring overlaying the strapless empire bodice and a flared a-line knee length skirt. The dress itself was a solid black, and I wore black laced heels with it. My hair had been pulled back in a pony-tail, some of it falling in my eyes. I found it ironic, actually, how we transformed. I clapped, Kokoro stomped, and Sayuri clutched her fists. Okay, I realized a long time ago that I pay attention to the little, unnecessary things. It was a wonder I could remember what I did. But just for good measure, I should have summoned my weapon, also. "Sacrament Scythe!" I exclaimed. In my hand appeared a scythe with a thirty inch blade on the end of it. The blade was made out of Damascus steel, or so Miyuki told me. The handle of it was also encrusted with purple diamonds, possible put there to slice my opponent ever more efficiently. The scythe was taller than I was, so that made it harder to swing around and control. However, Miyuki knew I had this problem.

"Okay, so what is the first act of violence, Miyuki?" Because when you are armed with a scythe, you're bound to be looking for a fight. Miyuki walked over towards the opening of the cave. No words needed to be exchanged then. As soon as she set foot into the threshold of the cave, we heard a voice. A faint voice, but a voice all the same. It sounded like shrieks of terror. I cringed just a little at that.

"Keep your guard up, Morta." Miyuki commented as she blindly ran outside. I ran behind her, following my superior. Once Miyuki and I had caught wind—or a look—of the scene going on outside, I stepped back and put my scythe in front of me. There was a little girl—teenage girl—on her knees. But that wasn't what I was gaping at. This monster was huge, and it had very long arms, frightening brown arms with razor-sharp scales on them. Its arms were so long that the creature had to slump over a bit. It was even worse that its legs were so small. The head was moderately large, and it had a lot of teeth. I was glad Miyuki was with me, as it was apparent that we would have needed more assistance to take this thing down. Miyuki threw five cards into the air, each one floating higher than the other until the last card was right next to the tall creature's head.

"Are you okay?" I yelled out, reading my weapon. The girl turned towards me, her unkempt hair dancing around her face. She looked pretty beat up and her clothes were very loose-fitting. She didn't strike me as someone who had great wealth, but she needed help, and I didn't think that I could give that to her.

"Are you going to help me?!" she cried in this feminine voice. I nodded my head. I had to do something but Miyuki was already on it.

"Roulette Melody!" she exclaimed, and proceeded to jump on her cards, She jumped from one card to the next, a ringing sounding from them. An orange light illuminated from the cads. When she got to the final card, she kicked the thing in its head. It was really a power-driven blow, sending it flying a couple of yards away from the girl. However, its long arms grabbed Miyuki in the process, and that was my cue to do something. I held my scythe with both my hands as I sprinted towards the monster. Miyuki struggled to get out of the monster's grip. I knew Miyuki had had training, so I knew this was a fairly serious fight. Grunting, I tightened the grip on my scythe.

"Midnight Wind!" I yelled, swinging my scythe at the monster from a safe distance. A chilling hurricane-force wind dimmed the sky around us, and the temperature dropped tremendously. The wind knocked the monster off its feet, and it fell to the ground. The cold wind began to slice the monster's skin away, but after the wind died down, the monster was still in intact, just on its back. Miyuki managed to break the grip the monster had on her, and rose into the air. I had a really bad feeling that something horrible was bound to happen once it got back up.

"It's an Earth Eater!" The girl exclaimed. I had almost forgotten about her, but I knew that I had to do something about her. I walked towards the girl and helped her up. She was really paranoid, screaming and kicking at me once she snatched her hand away from me. Miyuki floated into the air, smirking a bit at me. I couldn't exactly read her, but I knew it wasn't going to be good.

"You should have killed it, Morta. Your weapon has a death-strike. Or at least, it should," Miyuki yelled to me. The girl kept kicking and screaming. I shrugged most of it off, while Miyuki raised one of her hands into the air. "I'm going to have to do a better spell for this thing. I'll kill it while it's down." She paused, smiling. "I feel like I'm in camp again. Your pain becomes my pain, your blood becomes my rain; star G4, Spectra explosion!" she screeched. ""Morta, protect the girl!" She winced, but really, I didn't know what to do at all.

"You're with the Enlightened, aren't you?!" the girl complained. I didn't know what she was talking about. However, before I could answer her, black orbs rained from the sky. The orbs hit the monster mercilessly about twelve times, I think. The monster screeched and roared once the debris cleared. The look on Miyuki's face said that she couldn't believe the monster was still alive. And to make matters worse, the monster stood up on its legs again. "It's impossible to stop it! I don't think you can win! You can only run from it! You people made these things! It's all your fault! Just… run away so you don't get hurt!" To that, I let out a shushing sound. I had to make her feel safe with me, for there was no telling what she could do, though I doubted that she could do much. Miyuki looked a little beat up now, so I knew I had to stay on my toes.

"We're not what you think," I murmured. "Can I get your name? I'm Morta, the Summoner of Death, as a matter of fact. I'm just as confused as you are. Somehow, my guardian and I ended up down here, and I wanted to just find my team. Will you help me out?" All the kicking and screaming from the girl stopped and her eyes widened. Her eyes twinkled in awe, and she tried desperately to get a good look at me.

"She might be right, Morta. If that thing can eat a G4-leveled attack, we really do need to run. Unless you want to take another stab at it. I really think your death-strike can work on it. Go on—"

"Aline." The girl barely spoke before soppy tears began to run down her cheeks. I tightened the grip around my scythe. I suppose if I was really the Summoner of Death, death-strike would be one of my strong points. Miyuki told me that everyone besides Sayuri had some kind of Essence-infused strike in their weapon. Kokoro had fire-strike, the water summoner had water-strike, the lightning summoner had lightning-strike, the Summoner of Love had some kind of infatuation-strike, the convene summoner had a random wheel, and I couldn't really remember what exactly the shape shirting summoner had. "You really are a Summoner, aren't you? I'm sorry!"

"I'm going to try it again, Miyuki," I spoke. I propped my weapon. "Midnight Wind!" I yelled once more. But then, as the sky darkened, the most peculiar thing happened. Someone else came into the fray. He wore a red cloak and had black spiky hair. In his hand was an extremely long sword. He waved it gracefully in the air, and it seemed as if the monster fell completely in half. The girl smiled as she ran up to the male. Miyuki and I watched him carefully, making sure he hadn't pulled anything cheep.

"Although it might take many years to take the Earth Eater down, Zantesu, a one-hit knockout move will save you lots of energy and time," The man spoke. I hadn't expected him to be any younger than forty. "I don't think we've met. My name's Chase."


	12. Corrupter Of Time

**A/N:** Man, how long has it been, guys? XD;;

A couple of months? Eh, I'm really sorry about that, guys. But the great part about this is that I've written up to chapter 22! See, it would have been chapter 23 if I hadn't numbered this chapter wrong. =_= Okay, so the chapter system is off a little anway, this isn't even chapter 12, this is really eleven if you exclude the first chapter, but who's counting?! XD It's chapter 12 in my eyes, and it'll be chapter 12 in my eyes when I finish all 56 chapters of this arc! So anyway, I was on chapter 22 and I was thinking... Man. Am I behind in posting these things up...

Which isn't really my fault, but I dude'd up before going out for Valentine's Day, and I sat in my chair for the whole day looking over this. XD;;; I wrote this... Last March, I'm thinking. I had to of had. I have a date to get ready for in about maybe two hours... Give a taker... XD

And I have my damn English homework to do! Life really hates a homie, you know? XD

Eh, this chapter? Well... I want to say it's a filler, but it really isn't.

I'd just pay close attention. XD;;

* * *

G A U R D I A N . R E C O R D . O N E 

**M I Y U K I **

**D A T E**: ??

**R E C O R D E R**: Dogg, The Knockout

**R E C O R D E R . C O M M E N T S**: Damn. It's hot in this place! What will it take to get some OJ?

Standing here in this sand dune, I really thought I had made a bad decision. Was I even fit to become a guardian? It all sounded like too much of a job for me to handle. There were bombs detonating everywhere, and people were shooting at me from all kinds of directions. I just wanted to go home. But where was home? I couldn't remember! So with that idea in mind, I tightened the grip around my gun, trying to find out where the trigger was at on that thing! Being the female that I was, I really didn't know anything about guns. I mean, I had seen one, but I had never held one! I crouched down, and looked at the soldier next to me.

He was a really cute guy, from what I could tell. But I was sure that he would get sand in his hair if he kept crouching down like he was. He had a gun too, but he clearly knew what he was doing. With pleading eyes, I looked towards him and put my hand on his shoulder. His hair was majestic, almost as if he had taken care of it his whole entire life without fail. And for some reason, it glistened in the sunlight even though his hair didn't _look _all that greasy. The man was startled when he turned around and faced me. His sapphire eyes trailed my body, and his jaw instantly dropped. Before he even got to say anything, another explosion sounded off, shaking the ground a bit. A barrage of bullets began raining on us both.

I never liked the sound of gunfire.

"Man, is it rough out here." I sighed, shifting the position of my gun like I knew what I was doing. I did know, however, that first impressions were everything. I didn't want to make it seem like I was such a fragile little girl. That was what the general always told me. He said that I should stick to cooking and cleaning and whatnot, but why should I? I could do anything a guy could with a gun! The man looked like he was going to say something once again—and I wished that he did. I kind of liked him. But the explosion from behind us shook our attention towards each other. The man was aggravated because of the bombs. I was, too. I felt like my ears were going to start bleeding any second now.

"Isn't squad three getting a little carried away?!" The man sighed, gripping his gun and standing up a little. More explosions could be heard, and so he crouched back down again. "This was supposed to be a drill, and those jackasses are going to kill us if they keep bombing us like this! Stupid, stupid, stupid! And the general is going to let them keep this up, right?" I blinked at the comment. And that was my downfall, because I was swept off my feet by an explosion, falling from the position I was supposed to be standing in and rolling down a hill. I didn't even have to check my hair. I knew sand had gotten all in it. I didn't want to this this anymore! The explosions, the sand, the training, the verbal abuse, I just couldn't take it anymore!

I felt like staying on the ground and hiding from all the violence. But the cute man wanted to help me. Slowly, he helped me up from the ground, dusting the sand away from around my face and getting any sand out of my hair. He smirked at me when I made eye contact with him. I didn't quite know what he was planning, but there were more gunshots and explosions that made me yelp out loud.

"So you're a woman, huh? Y'know, I just had to make sure and all!" He chuckled slightly, ducking just to make sure he didn't get shot in the head. "You don't have any idea how many men here look like straight girls! My experience here so far has been hell. Surprising, get-the-hell-away-from-me-I'm-a-guy hell. Anyway, what's a gorgeous lady like you doing in a place like this?"

I blushed. "Hey, can't a woman protect Spectra too? I want to become the next Guardian and serve my purpose! But apparently, we're non-eligible. I don't want revenge, and I don't want to do anything but help guide the saviors of this planet! Besides, only a woman knows how to handle one of these things." I paused, trying to lift my gun up high into the air, but it was so heavy that I just ended up falling down again. "Oopsy…"

"But you're a girl. I mean, think of all the odds against you," he said, helping me up once more. "Trust me; no one wants such a beautiful lady like yourself guarding them. Especially with that apricot hair of yours. Y'know, the person you're guarding might fall madly, deeply in love with you, and thus, you might become the gaurdee. And besides, the dudes in this training facility are brute and complete brick heads. You sure you know how to fight? 'Cause like I said, you're the only female I've seen in this thing, and guys get hungry, if you know what I mean. But I'll protect you if any guy gets any ideas, because you seem nice."

Right now, I was blushing like mad, shifting my footing wildly. I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know his name! I wanted to thank him, despite the bombs going off around us.

"Hey, you two! Shut up. We'll get reported and I am not going back home just because you couldn't keep your mouths closed!"

That was such a rude remark! My newly found friend and I turned around to see a rather tall man holding a gun similar to ours. He had short auburn hair and sharp red eyes. My friend decided that we should make peace and not war, and so he waved his hand up to great the guy that just told us off. It didn't really matter to me, though. I was used to being told what not to do. It was natural. "Hey! I'm Moonlight, and I'm from downtown Taramah. You?" I was surprised to hear that Moonlight was from Taramah. I wanted to go to Taramah for a long time, but I just hadn't got the chance! Ever since The Wickedness had attacked, I had never gotten to go anywhere! There was an awkward silence between the three of us, y'know, ignoring the bombs going off. Moonlight grunted and then started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Jackasses, man. Can't live with them, want 'em dead. It's amazing how you can't respect that you're in the presence of a lady and can't respond to a simple question!" He reloaded his gun, even though he hadn't shot anything yet. Or at least, I didn't think he had. The man that had ordered us to be quiet wasn't facing us anymore. I had gotten the impression that he didn't want to talk to us, but he quickly glanced at us before turning around again.

"It's Gluttony."

"_The_ Gluttony?" Moonlight asked, turning around and noticing Gluttony's presence. What an odd name… Gluttony.

"Hey, Gluttony?" I asked, putting one of my hands up in the air. "My name is Miyuki." I managed to get that sentence out, shaking a bit. I didn't really know how to handle being in the same presence of all this violence. All this war. All this spitefulness. And to add to that intimidation, being within the same presence as Gluttony was _unbearable_. There was something about him that made me sick. I definitely didn't like that about him, but I wanted to see what his life was like, likewise Moonlight's. These were my friends. Moonlight began to walk towards me and I froze up. But then he walked past me, so I could breathe again.

"And you are?" Moonlight asked. I thought he was talking to me, but there was actually someone standing behind me with a camera recording in his hands. I felt stupid. How could I have not seen him? He was sort of strange looking. He had unkempt black hair, and wore the standard SPECTRA uniform, just like Moonlight and Gluttony wore. I, however, didn't have one, because they didn't have any uniforms for women. I didn't mind, though. I didn't want to be anyone's burden. The man grinned at Moonlight before adjusting his camera so he could see us better.

"I'm trying to be a guardian too, but I'm you guy's recorder! Squad seven, welcome Dogg!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Twelve: Corrupter Of Time :-**

_You are the only person who's completely certain there's nothing here to be into. _

_That is all that you can do. You are a past sinner, the last winner and everything we've come to makes you you._

— "PDA" — Interpol

I felt really kinda lonely when everyone left me! I wished Sayuri would come back. She was really fun to play with! But I really wished Kokoro would come back. He'd talk to me for hours, and never get bored! He was way different from that Summoner of Death girl! …Miyuki! I almost forgot! Miyuki was always cool! And her stories were always awesome! But ever since they left, I couldn't help but feel like I was missing something. Guess what? Shirogane said that he had another mission for me! Guess who I was going to take with me? I got_ everyone! _

Linnéa, Moonlight, and Rayne! I couldn't have asked for a better team! And within the bureau, there's these two stones! Yep, and those two stones are very important! I didn't know what those stones did, but I wanted to find out with they did all by myself! Yep, that's right! I jumped out of my bed and stretched out in the sunlight. I could tell today was going to be a good day, and I had to hurry and get ready for my mission, or else I was going to be late! I looked all around my room for my blasted scarf. Y'know, I couldn't leave anywhere without it!

I walked over to one of my drawers and started to throw all of the unnecessary stuff out of it. I needed to wear a good combat dress for today, because I was going on a mission with my friends! And Moonlight! I wanted to show everyone that I wasn't just Anómino! I was Anómino, the girl who could make things go **KABOOM** in an instant! And then, I found it! Folded up in all of its greatness was my perfect dress! I threw it over my head and then admired myself in the mirror for a few seconds.

Awesome! So I put on my skates... And looky here! My scarf was on top of my bed! I wrapped it around my neck and collected my brushes. I didn't like my hair. It was all flimsy and stuff, and I really didn't do much too it since I was one-hundred-years-old! My parents loved playing in my hair, and I wouldn't stop that tradition! Besides, it took some time off of my busy schedule! I was a busy person, so I didn't have time to do my own hair! I happily skipped down the steps and skated slowly towards the living room. My mom was sitting down, watching the news! She didn't like it when I skated in the house, but she knew I'd do it anyway!

My mother shot me a look, but when I showed her my brushes, she sighed and I smiled! I skipped over to her and sat on the ground. Nothing could have made my day any less brighter!

"Anómino, you're going to have to learn how to do these things yourself." She sighed, brushing my hair. I just looked at the wheels on my skates! Hmm! They needed cleaning! I wasn't going to be seen with Moonlight in dirty skates! Moonlight always said that P.I.M.P.s couldn't be in the presence of "ordinary things". He said that's the reason why he liked me so much! He says it's because I stood out of the norm! "Let's see what you decided to put on today, huh? Anómino, is that the sundress that I bought you a week ago? And you're wearing it now, of all times?"

"Mom," I sung, trying to wipe the dirt of my wheels. "Yep, the strapless one in the allover plaid print with the low waist hem and ruffled skirt? Yep. I liked the pretty colors on it though, Mom! Red and blue and black and blue and green and yellow and purple and—stuff! I know how to do my own hair, Mom! I'm five-thousand-years old! And I'm Anómino! I just like it better when you do this stuff, Mom! And if you stopped, it would make me really sad!" I turned my head, making my mother stop brushing my hair. "Dad would be sad, too. And oh yeah! I've got a mission today with Linnéa and Rayne and Moonlight! And we're looking for these two stones! Akasaka told me that the material from those stones can be used to enhance the Summoner's weapons—upgrading it! But see, there's one problem! Wicked Spawn and Essences swarm around the stuff if someone gets too close to it! But that's where we come in, Mom! We're gonna fight! And we're gonna win, Mom!" And then I stood up, sensing that my Mom was done brushing my hair anyway. My mother stood up with me, too! I balled up my fist up and thrust it towards her. "Win!"

"Anómino, just be safe out there, okay? Stealth isn't one of your strong points, and rumor has it that there are intruders in the Spectra—"

"Y'mean the aliens?!" I perked, throwing my hands in the air. My mother was suprized that I knew something like that! Why wouldn't I? I was a spy, and Shirogane said I was the best! Of course I had heard rumors of other people infiltrating Spectra! It would be fun to see one up close and personal! An alien, I mean! I wanted to play with the Wicked Spawn and Essences and the aliens all at the same time! Then, I could make stuff go **KABOOM**! "I'm not afraid of some stupid aliens! I'll make them disappear, just like I made the… That one Wicked Spawn go poofy when Miyuki was here!" My mother put a rainbow-colored headband in my head! Hey, it matched with my outfit!

I twirled around in one place and smiled. My bells made the most beautiful ringing noises! I closed my eyes, absorbing all the soothing sounds they made. If only Moonlight and I were bells. We could ring perfectly, without distractions…

"Anómino, you're not taking this seriously. The Wickedness… They… I just don't want you to get hurt. Now, before you go see Shirogane, promise me that you'll remember to call your father, okay? What am I going to do with you, Anómino? Will you ever be satisfied before you kill yourself?" I pouted. Did she not believe in me? My mother made me sad! I put my hands on my hips and looked her in the eyes. I was too young to let myself be killed!

"Mom, I'm only as good of a fighter as you are!" I grinned, summoning my chakrams. I swung one over my back, making sure that I didn't accidentally cut myself. I couldn't go on a mission injured! Especially when Moonlight was in the mission! My mom bent down on her knees, trying to talk to me on the same level. I loved mom! Truly, I did! We were inseparable! My mom was where I got my features from. My mother had light-brown hair, and so did I! She also had blue eyes, and I did, too! She was a lot taller than me, but that didn't really matter. I didn't look anything like my father, but I loved my dad all the same! We were one, big happy family!

"And that's why I quit, Anómino. Dear, this is a dangerous game you're playing. I just want you to know that you can stop at anytime. Remember when we were going to Sector Seven? Remember when you told me that was your dream? To become like Lady Miyuki? Remember when Miyuki and I talked about how everyone had dreams, thus making it impossible and a tad dangerous to dream in the first place? I don't want you to turn into some demented "Miyuki"—or jealous "Linnéa". And I most definitely don't want you around that _pimp_. Pimp or make believe, he was in that damned program. I don't want you to end up like a pushover. Don't idolize Rayne. Anómino, just stay who you are. I want you to become a legend among legends." I smiled and nodded my head.

I winked at my mother, and faster than you can say **KABOOM**, I was off! Today was a beautiful day! The grass was green, the sky was blue, and birds were flying in the air! I'd join 'em, if it wasn't for the fact that I was already skating down the street. Oh, and I couldn't fly! The streets were busy! They were always this busy, so I didn't really mind having to maneuver through people.

I was so excited about the mission! I had some great teammates, great opponents, and I could finally see if the rumors were true about the aliens! But first, I only had to make sure of something. I wanted to go to the park! And that was where I saw Dogg, Remy, and Roxianna. Dogg looked like he was ready for combat, and Remy looked like he was going to fight him! Remy was an expert at fighting, and for some reason, his power was one over patience. Dogg wasn't as cool as Remy! Remy was a good martial artist. Remy had two tones of brown in his hair, and it was braided into cornrows. His braids hung down just past his shoulders.

He had a lot of muscles for someone his age! Dogg was a lot older than him too, I think! Roxianna was Remy's girlfrie-e-end. Oooo. I clapped my hands as I skated on the pathway to where Dogg and the others were at in the training grounds. But that's just what we Celestial Beings liked to call the park! It's really just a harmless place! Really, it was! But it was perfect to train at when you wanted to be far away from others! Miyuki told me—when she returned—that sometimes, it's okay to hide your abilities and techniques!

She said that the whole world didn't have to know that you existed, nor did it _care_. We are all misfits in a misfit world! Miyuki also said that there's this thing called pride, and nobody really needs it! And then she went on and on about Sayuri—err, Summoner Sayuri! And then she told me, "Anómino, there should be a class for this."

"Hi, guys!" I yelled, waving both of my arms into the air. I jumped a few times too, landing on the ground with expertise. Dogg turned my way! He looked like he was going to attack Remy before I interrupted him! While Dogg ran towards me, I looked at how pretty Roxianna was today. She was taller than I was, and had blonde hair tucked behind her ears. She wore a long cable-black sweater and some jeans. She had such beautiful hazel eyes, and she could make me any sweet I wanted! I loved hanging out with Roxianna! Remy was in the Guardian program too, so it wouldn't have surprised me if he knew how to kick butt, or taught Roxianna how to kick butt! Dogg raised his glove-covered hand in the air and I slapped him a high-five! And soon, everyone was crowding me!

"What'cha doing up so early, Anómino?" Dogg grinned, wiping some of the sweat off his forehead. Roxianna crossed her arms and poked my nose with her index finger. I like Roxy, but I hated when she treated me like a little kid! I was five-thousand-years old! Not a hundred! I pouted, and Roxy laughed and turned towards Dogg.

"She's not nocturnal like you, Dogg," she said. "Anómino has a mission, silly, remember? That's why Moonlight accidentally set that text to everyone in his phone book this morning? You know, his battle cry? If I recall, it looked a little something like: 'Damn it! Stupid Shirogane! Can't believe I got tangled in this with Anómino, Linnéa, and Rayne!'" My eyes instantly lit up. Aww, Moonlight was talking about me? I pointed a finger at Roxy, my bells chiming. "Did he say anything else about me, Roxy? Why was he talking about the others? Does he often say stuff about me?! Does he joke about me? Huh, Roxy? Huh? Huh?"

"Anómino," Remy sighed, folding his arms. "Moonlight's Moonlight. Dogg, should we blame _you_ for this? Or should we even consider you as a candidate for this happening?"

"What? What are you talking about, Remy? If anything, it's Miyuki's fault!" I blinked. What were they talking about? All I wanted to know was if Moonlight said anything about me… And all they were doing was confusing me! My eyes started to water and my lips started quivering. I let out whimpering noises, but they didn't notice me! Nobody ever noticed me!

"The funny part is… Does Moonlight even know about this?" Roxianna chuckled, raising a brow and laughing. That was it! I was going to start crying! Really, I was! Why wouldn't they listen to… To me?

"The P.I.M.P.? He's as oblivious to this as he is to his own failure. You could throw a sandwich at his head, and I don't think he'll even know it's there." Remy thought he was really funny in that dull voice of his. Okay, that was strike two, and I swore it!

"And Moonlight thinks he can still get Miyuki!" Dogg added. "Anybody see how that's going?"

"Enough! Enough already!" I screamed, gritting my teeth. These people were getting on my nerves! I heard what Dogg said, and I was not stupid! "Do any of you want to die today? No? Then shut up and answer my question!" And then all I got was more silence. Dogg and Roxianna's eyes widened. Two minuets turned to five, and five turned to ten. And I got angrier. More red in the face. Dogg snapped his fingers at Roxianna.

"Rox, cookie, stat!" What? A _cookie?_ I'd smash a cookie down his throat and—oh! Cookie! Roxianna had this big cookie in her hands, and I gladly took it. It was a big chocolate cookie, and I began nibbling on it. Mmm, cookies! And it had star bits in it! The three of them looked at each other.

"…Urm… Dogg? Remy? What just happened?"

"You giving Anómino the cookie?"

"No Dogg, I think she's talking about Anómino's outburst, idiot. Is it that bad?"

I was concentrating on eating my cookie, but I saw all three of them nod their heads.

"Yep." They sighed at the same time. What were they talking about now? I was happy now! I had a huge cookie in my hand, and I had an awesome mission to go to! I kept nibbling on my cookie until there was nothing left of it. And still, everyone was staring at me like I was crazy! What happened? I wanna know!

Roxianna extended her hands and I jumped with joy. "Anómino… I think you're going to need more sweets for your trip. You seem pretty tense." I nodded with glee as she summoned her weapon, which was this giant spoon. "Bubble Gum Tornado!" she yelled, aiming her attack at a random tree. She swung her spoon at the it, almost like she had a golf club in her hands!

Then, there was this strong wind, and before I knew it, there was this spider-web-like thing with bubble gum stuck to it! It looked half-chewed, but I didn't care! I ran over to the tree, sticking whatever pieces of gum I could find into my mouth. The others continued to stare at me until I skated back on the trail.

"Something's going to explode." Remy sighed, touching his forehead with his fingers. "And when that happens, Dogg, I blame you. Also, I'm not cleaning it up." Something's going to blow up? Ooo, can I see? Dogg stuck his hand down his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. You see, every Celestial Being belonging to Shirogane's fighting department has one!

"No! Why don't I just call him? Y'know, so he can look out for her, huh, Remy?"

"And set her off in fits of… Denial and… Who knows what? Dogg, you are as stupid as you are helpful."

I didn't have time for them! I waved my hand up in the air. "Bye guys! I'm going to go on a mission with Moonlight! I can't be late!" I said, but there was so much bubblegum in my mouth that I didn't think they heard me. And I chewed all the way to Shirogane's castle! Now see, there's about a thirty-step staircase to the castle itself! I've seen people break their _faces _running up here! But me? I'm Anómino, and I make stuff go **KABOOM**! I skated backwards a little, and then I just began to run up each step with my skates on! Only Anómino could do something like that!

The castle was kind of… Clean today! It smelled lemon fresh! The red carpet looked redder than before. I wondered what the meeting would be like! Would it be cool? Of course it would have been cool! It was a good thing Shirogane's chambers were right in front of me! I was glad that I didn't have to turn any corners or look for it! You see, people that were real close to Shirogane and Akasaka lived in here. I wouldn't have wanted to start any trouble! I slowed down my skating and I saw everyone!

I saw Linnéa first! Linnéa looked the same! I couldn't believe she was sick for such a long time! She looked like she was bored! But I could always cheer Linnéa up! The fun thing was that Linnéa and I both wore scarves! I looked up to Linnéa! Then I saw Moonlight, and he looked really sleepy! I mean, Moonlight was really tired! He was leaning against the back of a chair, sighing heavily and blinking a lot. And then there was Rayne, who had her glasses on and her big book in her hands! Oh no, I was late! I quickly skated into the room, and for some reason, Akasaka and Shirogane weren't there. Everyone turned towards me, and I knew I was in trouble!

"Anómino, I haven't seen you since the Wicked Spawn evacuation!" Rayne smiled, still holding her big book with both of her hands. I waved my hand up in the air, and then skated towards Linnéa. I really just wanted to see if she was okay! I hadn't heard anything from her in so long, and I had the whole day to spend with Moonlight! Linnéa had her eyes closed, like she was dreaming about something! And it looked like Moonlight hadn't noticed me either. Boo. I poked Linnéa and she looked at me with her brown eyes really quick!

"Anómino, please tell me why you picked_ me_—out of everyone—to go on this mission with you. I'm sure you know that I'm still injured, and I can't fight to my fullest abilities." I smiled at her, hoping that my happiness would crawl up her arm and wrap around her heart! I wanted Linnéa to be happy on this mission! Not sad! "Anómino, really. You should take these things seriously. You remind me too much of Miyuki, you know."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, pulling on her scarf. Linnéa's face turned three shades of red! My eyes widened at that. Why was she so crabby this morning? "I learned a lot of stuff while you were away, Linnéa! I got to battle with all the Summoners that were here! And guess what? I handled them all! Aren't you proud of me? Aren't you proud of me?!" Linnéa had closed her eyes and folded her arms, and I just pulled harder on her scarf! She was trying really hard to ignore me, but it wasn't going to work!

"Someone needs to put you in your place, Anomino," Linnéa said, looking at me with these really mad eyes. I let go of her scarf. Oh no! I didn't want Linnéa to feel bad! "You want to know what I really think of you? I think it is time someone told you the truth about yourself. Look around you, Anómino. You're in a room filled with an ex-guardian combatee, a Special-Forces combatant, and me. We can't even lay a finger on the Summoners. And you can?" She paused, scoffing at me. Aww. "You don't think that there's something wrong with that picture? Something that isn't right? I swear… You're just like her—"

"Okay Linnéa." Moonlight said, getting up and walking towards us. Yay! He came to save me! Linnéa was really mean today! "I get where you're going with this, Linnéa. Yeah, you _do_ realize that were are in Shirogane's _castle_, right? You want to get killed? Gee, I didn't think you were this stupid. But I love you all the same, Linnéa." He chuckled, stepping in between us. Linnéa looked at Moonlight like he was crazy! Yep, I loved Linnéa too! We were all one big happy family!

"Moonlight. Please. Not today. My head is throbbing with pain, and my arms still hurt from that stunt you and Miyuki pulled on the ship. Just be lucky I haven't castrated you yet." And when Linnéa finished her sentence, I gave her one big hug. She was tall, but I managed to give her a whole lot of love!

"Linnéa, look, I just did what I thought was best, anyway. Don't hate the player, hate the game. Or, hate the person who made the game!" Moonlight said, twirling his index finger in the air. "Man, these guys are late, aren't they? Usually, Shirogane would be up my ass right now. No doubt he got my text too." Linnéa didn't give Moonlight an answer, and I think she just ignored my hug! Fine! Linnéa could act like that if she wanted to! I would just give Moonlight all of my attention! Bleh! "So, what's up Mino? Had a good day today so far, I see."

"Yep!" I smiled. "Before I came here, I met up with Remy and Roxianna and Dogg! They were talking about you!" And I knew Moonlight would answer me! Moonlight's eyes widened before he bent down. He was so beautiful!

"Really? What were they saying? See, why does everyone want to talk about the P.I.M.P. all of a sudden? Yeah, I know I'm a celebrity, but man! That's a lot of talking! So, what did they say, Mino? Seeing as how you are a spy in all. Do you remember anything?"

"Of course I do." I paused. Oh… I thought I did! It was all flashing in my head, so I didn't really remember it all too well. "Erm… Let's see… I think Remy's girlfriend has a crush on you! Or they were talking about something like that! Something about her exploding! Remy said he wasn't going to clean it up!"

"What?" Moonlight said, doubting me. "Are we talking about Rox here? Hot Rox? You sure you aren't lying, Anómino? Because if that was the case, I think Remy would have pulverized me by now! But man, that's an offer I just can't refuse! Miyuki's gonna have to wait—maybe a day. Or two. I'll work the charm on Rox before anyone can say P.I.M.P: Professional investigator making money the right way!"

"Sure, Moonlight! I like Roxianna, but if I _really_ remember correctly, maybe you should stay away from her for a few days!" I sang, sitting down in one of the chairs in the room. Moonlight followed me, and he was saying some really funny stuff! Well, he _sounded _funny! I heard Linnéa huff for a moment. Wow, she was _really_ crabby!

"B-but, b-but, you don't think I have a chance, Anómino?" Moonlight asked, and he looked like a cute-sad little-puppy. Aww, I loved Moonlight's cute-sad-little-puppy look! "I mean, don't get me wrong, there are things a girl like you can't understand in guys like me. You see, there's this thing called swagger, and any _successful _guy has to have it! You think I don't have swagger, Anómino? If this doesn't work, who do you think caused the nonwork-ness? Me, or her?"

"No, no, it's not that! It's just that Roxianna might go **KABOOM**, is all. Y'know, like Remy said. And if you're not careful, you might go **KABOOM **too." Did Moonlight really have to keep talking? I liked it when he talked to me, but he was starting to get on my nerves! Before I got a chance to say something else, Shirogane came into the room with Akasaka. They looked really worried! I wondered what for! Shirogane also had this weird rock in his hands. It was smooth and purple! My favorite color was purple! Moonlight and Linnéa turned their attention towards the two, and Rayne closed her book and looked at them both! She must really liked reading!

Shirogane looked a little off today! Maybe it was because his hair wasn't tended to! Yep, that had to be it! He looked kind of irritated today! I looked up at Moonlight, and he could not concentrate!

"…Listen closely, Celestials, and especially you, Moonlight," Shirogane said, sounding all important and stuff! My mouth formed into an 'o' as I paid extra-special attention to him! "As you know, there is this material somewhere around Spectra." He held the purple rock out towards to us. Oooh. It was shiny! "This is called Rainbow Stone. With this, we can make the Summoner's weapons stronger. Much stronger. _Insanely_ stronger."

"So, wait. Let me get this straight, Blondie," Moonlight said, folding his arms and walking up towards Shirogane. Moonlight was going to get in trouble if he kept calling Shirogane that! "You want us to run all over town to find some stone? What the hell kind of mission is that? Gee, I thought I was qualified to do stuff a bit more—I dunno—manly?" Shirogane looked at Moonlight with the same expression, and then Akasaka took over from there!

"There's just one problem, Moonlight. The rumors are true. The Cyniclons have found some way to get here. They're in Spectra, right now, as we speak. So please, this is really serious, and we need you to comply." Really? They were here! Yay! Time to make some new friends!

"You're both sure about that?" Linnéa said, sounding somewhat too happy for that information. "This should be fun. Something out of the norm for me. Shirogane, if we all fulfill this mission, this could earn us promotions, right? And if so—if you are telling the truth, Akasaka, that means we have to act fast." Moonlight nodded as he pounded his fist into his other hand, his hair flying everywhere! One day, I want to comb his hair! Moonlight had such very pretty hair!

"So, we take out the Cyniclons as fast as we can, take this rock, and call it a day, huh?" Moonlight smirked. Squee! "Okay, I can live with this, Akasaka, Shirogane. I've been wanting to slam these Cyniclon freaks ever since I came out of the Guardian Facility." Shirogane nodded his head slightly before concentrating back to his rock thingy. Oooh. Shiny.

"Yes Linnéa. Completing this mission will get you promoted. But this is not an easy mission. This mission can easily pass for a B4-leved mission. Anómino didn't pick you as partners. I picked you, Moonlight. The Cyniclons have managed to up their defenses. Stronger Chimera Anima, stronger weapons, and stronger bonds of teamwork. You four seem to have the strongest connection, and if I could send Miyuki to do this, I would. This is how bad this mission could turn out if it goes wrong."

"Wait, Shirogane, I have a question," Rayne said, raising her hand and closing her big book! "I just looked up some information on Rainbow Stone. The mineral is made up from orichalcum and angel stone, correct? So, Rainbow Stone can enhance the ability of one Summoner's weapon when brought into contact with the Summoner it takes a liking to? The color of the stone determines who it is for, right?" Shirogane dropped the stone on the ground, making me jump! That was a loud explosion! The rock still glittered, but it was in a million itty-bitty pieces!

"Exactly. That's why I picked you to go on this mission. Rayne, with your lexicon and your intelligence, you can lead the group with wise decisions. The Silent Philosopher—I think you've earned that title. Linnéa, you're not too far off either. Your strength is your speed, and you normally have good judgment. Moonlight, though you're a problem, the one thing you could contribute to this group would possibly be your strategy, surprisingly."

"Why wouldn't I be known for my strategic thinking, Shirogane?" Moonlight smirked. "I did survive your ten-thousand years of pain, didn't I?"

"Getting back to the point." Shirogane sighed. Hey! He couldn't just ignore Moonlight like that! "Anómino, you should know why you're going—"

And then the most strangest thing happened! I quickly summoned my chakrams and Rayne opened her book, pushing her glasses up on her face. Moonlight grunted as he got into a stance. and then Linnéa summoned her weapon as well. Shirogane stopped talking and looked at Akasaka, who looked back at him! There was something foul in the air!

"Damn. Anyone else smell that but me?" Moonlight said, turning around slowly. I turned around and I saw this huge plant-animal like hybrid thing! Wow, this would have to have been my first time seeing a Chimera Hybrid before! My teacher told me about those things! Chimera hybrids first start out as Chimera Anima, but then are infused with plant-like features, giving them heightened powers! "They've got some balls attacking us in the castle!"

"Everyone! We can't let this get out into the city! Keiichiro and I are going to set up the emulator on the roof. The stone must be in the castle. How didn't we know that, Keiichiro?"

"Perhaps they had it cloaked. Please, let's hurry, Ryou. You four, make sure you get that stone! If it is broken, the said Summoner's weapon will shatter!" Shirogane and Akasaka ran off in the other direction. The Chimera Hybrid was made out of a cheetah and some kind of tree! It was time for me to play! Linnéa ran past Moonlight and me, swinging her chain.

"What… Where are you going, Linnéa? We gotta stick together!" Moonlight called out. But cranky Linnéa didn't turn around! Nope, not her!

"We're never going to get anything done sticking together! Believe it or not Moonlight, Chimera Hybrids are stronger than regular Chimera Anima. Much stronger. We'd never get that one killed in time! I'm going ahead to try to find the stone! You guys try to keep Shirogane's castle in one piece! Damn Miyuki! Leaving when we have a crisis on our hands!" Linnéa scowled, disappearing from our view. I frowned, because Moonlight looked so sad!

"Oh well. And here I was thinking we could have our first real battle together. But she underestimates me!" Moonlight smirked, throwing his hands out towards the Chimera Hybrid. His hair started to float off the ground, half of it disappearing. This was why Moonlight was my hero! "Hey, ugly thing! Over here! Can you breathe?!"

Rayne ran up to us, a scared look on her face. "It _can_ breathe! As a matter of fact, I don't think it's a Chimera Hybrid at all! Guys, I think this is a Cyniclon, infused with Chimera Hybrid DNA!"

"What?!" Moonlight and I exclaimed at the same time. One of the Chimera—one of the Cyniclons' vine-like arms slammed towards us with lightning speed, and all three of us jumped out of the way. That was impossible! So the Cyniclons found a way to infuse their soldiers with DNA? It wasn't any different from our Summoner project! Ha! So this was something to report to Shirogane when he came back!

"You guys think so lowly of me. Did you actually think I wasn't going to give it my all when I was ordered to come into Shirogane's pathetic castle?" Oh, it talked, too? So it was defiantly a Cyniclon! Moonlight focused his attack some more, trying desperately to concentrate on killing it. "Oh, I can breath, but the question is… Can you?" Moonlight opened his eyes and clinched his fists.

"Choke on this, Cyniclon! I don't care how ugly you are, no one's ever been able to break out of my attack!" Moonlight was so cool! The Cyniclon began to wheeze and cough. "You see, I'm not like other Celestial Beings. You know what you're choking on, my good friend? My hair. That's right. My hair. With the right amount of concentration, I can sublimate my hair into a gas, making it mesh with the air my victim breathes. And when I feel my gas has invaded your lungs, I will it to turn back into a solid, filling your lungs with_ my_ hair, and slowly suffocating you from the inside out."

"Great job, Moonlight!" Rayne smiled, her book still open. What could she have been reading now?

"I knew you could do it! Now let's go find Linnéa!" I sung, waving my chakrams across the air. But then I stopped, because I didn't want to accidentally loose my grip on them. Sorry for being so loud… I closed my eyes for one quick second, and Moonlight picked me up off my feat, and ran towards the other side of the room. I really wanted to know what was going on! I dropped my chakrams in fear of hurting Moonlight. I heard Rayne wince in pain, and that couldn't of have been good! The Cyniclon that Moonlight had defeated had reverted back to its normal form (which would be its normal, alien self), but then why did Moonlight—?

And then I saw them. Or, I saw a whole lot of Chimera-infused people! There was almost no room to even breathe! Rayne was surrounded by just regular, normal Chimera Anima. They looked as if they had just gotten there, so they weren't going to attack her just yet! I had to do something! Sorry Shirogane, my next attack was going to save her life! "**KABOOM**!" I yelled, taking out a good number of those regular Chimera Anima! Yay! Rayne waved to me as she prepared to say an incantation of some sort, her book still opened.

"Seven times my goal is set, by my strength it will be met. Once erased, like dust to wind. In action raised, it will begin. Star C3: Spectra Confusion!" Rayne chanted, confusing all the regular Chimera Anima around her! At first, there was this strange mist pouring out of her book, and then it surrounded them all! That was pretty neat! Anyway, Moonlight finally put me down and looked up into the air, sneering. Three Cyniclons were in the air, and they all looked pretty funny! Really funny! Especially the one with the pig-tails! The tall one had some sort of fan, and I think he tried to attack me, and that's why Moonlight grabbed me! To get me out of the way! Moonlight's my hero!

"Tart, Kish, be on your guard." the tall guy said, and then the other two looked at us kind of funny. Where was Linnéa? Did she find the stone yet? We needed her! Moonlight hovered up in the air and crossed his arms.

"So I take it you're the big cheese? The big boss? The top dog?" he said, pointing to the purple-haired guy. "So, you guys think you can just walk in our home and take what's ours? It's going to be so fun kicking your ass, trust me." And Moonlight said that with no fear in his eyes. His big, blue eyes... "So, give us the proper introduction, huh?"

"Proper introduction?" The green-haired guy cooed, waving his hand across the air. "This place is boring enough as it is! Sheesh, I mean, look at it! You want to bore us more by making us do silly introductions? We don't tell people who we are about to kill our names. It's stupid. A waist of time, silly!" He could have been the most girlish Cyniclon I'd ever seen in my life! It warmed my heart to know that Moonlight was probably the manliest person I had ever met! Rayne flew next to Moonlight with her brightly-colored wings.

"Because Kish, we Celestial Beings believe it is honorable to bestow the name to the people we kill. We think that our prey should at least know the name of the person that bested them." She paused, looking in her book and then closing it. I wish I could join them in the air, but you see… I didn't have wings. I mean, I did, but they weren't "complete"! I had to be a certain age to fly! Boo! "We are to exchanged names each time we go into battle. But oh, I know everything about you. So there's no need. You seem the careless one, Kish."

"And by the way," I heard someone else say. I looked in front of me and saw Linnéa! She was standing in the threshold of the room, her chain in her hand! "We Celestial Beings don't get blindsided as easily as you, because we senses the bad smell of Papaya Spyros radiating off you!" Papaya Spyros was a fruit on their planet, and it didn't smell too good! Moonlight and Rayne nodded at each other, and I knew what they were planning! I summoned my chakrams, and in a blink of the eye, Linnéa threw her chain around the green haired guy, and then I threw my chakrams up at the guy.

"Hey! That's cheating!" the little guy said, spinning some kind of thingy. What was that? Moonlight grabbed the guy and gave him a nuggie before throwing him into the wall. I hadn't noticed that the Cyniclon was transformed and began to randomly attack Moonlight, but that wasn't what I was worried about. The guy with the fan was swinging at Rayne, and she was blocking the wind with her giant book—sometimes opening it and just sucking his attacks in! Wow! But Kish had managed to break out of Linnéa's chain, and now they were clashing weapons! I wanted to help Moonlight, really I did, but I didn't know how to! I couldn't fly! But I could have helped Linnéa!

"You think we actually came here for the Rainbow Stone? Smart girl," the purple-haired Cyniclon said to Rayne. Rayne grunted, still blocking his attacks! Go Rayne! Go! Rayne actually held her book with one hand, adjusting her glasses.

"I don't think anything. We know what you came for!"

I looked at Moonlight, who was having a really hard time catching that little Cyniclon. He kept teleporting, and Moonlight kept trying to catch him with his hands! Now _that _was cheating! "Stand still you brat! Damn it! This is a work out!"

"Ha, ha! Stupid Celestial Being! You can't even catch me! How are you going to beat us if you can't even fly right?"

I looked over at Linnéa, who had a tight grip around the curved dagger on her chain. She was swinging it around with persistence, but he was just stopping her attempts to hit him with _his _daggers! But I couldn't even concentrate on what they were saying. I felt… Or smelt… Too much Papaya Spyros! They make a type of gas out of the fruit, which is why they are running low on it. See, that's where we get our stars from! We still our stars from the Cyniclons! They have millions of them, so bleh! They should learn how to share!

"Let me show you the difference between your race and ours," Kish said, pulling something out of his pocket. And then I started getting really woozy. Very woozy. But that only lasted for a couple of seconds! I dropped my chakrams and griped my head. I started screaming in pain! It was the worst pain I had ever experienced in my life, and I couldn't stop it! And it was all in my head!

"_What, you're not going to fight me, Miyuki?"_

"_That's it? You're stronger than that?" _

"_It's more complicated than it sounds." _

"_Very perceptive! You'll be a legend among recorders, Dogg." _

"_You didn't think I'd let you go _that_ easily, did you?"_

"_It's my life to throw away."_

"_I love her, and I still do now."_

Those memories! They weren't mine... They weren't my memories! I saw everything! Blood! And… Miyuki! I screamed even louder, trying desperately to get those evil thoughts out of my head! I heard Moonlight and Linnéa, but I couldn't hear them clearly over those voices and images! I just wanted to go home! I didn't want this anymore! I had never seen someone dead… Like the images going on in my head! I wanted them out!! I felt tears running down my face as I kept screaming. Moonlight! Help me!

"Damn it to hell!" I heard Linnéa yell. I tried to look at her, but every time I looked, the vivid images of death and this guy with this… Spear… And Miyuki flooded my mind. I crawled into a little ball, trying to keep those memories out of my head. I could see now, but it hurt when I moved! Moonlight looked like he was ready to kill someone because he was really red in the face.

"Moonlight! We've got to do something! I thought they were here for the stone! I really did! I'm sorry!" Rayne said over and over again.

"Silly, why would we come here for a stone that we can do nothing with?" The little guy taunted us some more. I sighed, my head pulsating. I… didn't want to do this any more! "We came for your project. We knew she existed! We thought—"

"If you hurt one hair on Anómino's head, I will make you're life a living hell!" Moonlight seethed, attempting to grab the short Cyniclon, but the Cyniclon summoned more of those Chimera Hybrids, causing Moonlight to have to fight them all by himself in the air. They were half bird. I wanted… To help him! I wanted… To be in the air with him! He couldn't take them all at once!

"Moonlight!" Linnéa yelled and attempted to swing her chain towards the Hybrids, but Kish blindsided her, punching her in the stomach and sending her tumbling into a wall. That was a cheep shot! Rayne narrowed her eyes, trying to shift all of her weight on her lexicon, sending the taller Cyniclon flying, but she accidentally dropped it, making herself vulnerable to his attacks. She tumbling down towards the ground. Poor Moonlight was exhausted, and he had bruises and cuts everywhere on his body.

"If you touch Anómino…" He breathed, getting attacked a lot! Oh no… "I'll… I'll…" They ignored him, and I heard footsteps coming towards me.

"Come one Pai, let's go. Let's hurry up and take her. These people are no fun." Kish pouted, dancing around a bit. Tart walked over to Moonlight, dancing on his back, making him collapse on the ground. He had better stop that!

"What will you do? Now who can't breathe?" The Cyniclon taunted him, jumping on Moonlight's back. He was spiting up blood. I had to do something! I had to!

"Stay… Stay… Stay away from him!" I yelled. The other two Cyniclons looked at me, and Kish started laughing with Tart.

"What? Is the project going to start crying?" Tart said, jumping on his back even harder. "It's not like he's anything important to you! Just a _little _Celestial Being!" I didn't know what happened after that, but the wind started to pick up around me. I felt one with the wind. It wasn't cutting me, but the wind was definitely cutting the two Cyniclons next to me. Blood started to splatter everywhere as I stood up and griped my chakrams. I felt like something took over my body. Something new. And I embraced it. I felt much smarter, too. I took one step forward and a giant hole that formed under my feet.

Linnéa and Rayne looked at me with fear in their eyes. "…She's… She really does have what he had! She's him entirely!" Linnéa breathed. I looked at all the Chimera Hybrids disappear with each small step I took. I looked at Pai with darkened eyes. But wait. I knew who I was going for. I was going for that short Cyniclon who dared to mess with my Moonlight. _I was going to make him pay! _The wind around me picked up, slicing his skin too.

"I told you… To leave him alone!" I yelled, the wind slicing him in ways that I couldn't even describe. Kish played the coward and teleported away, while Pai stood where he was, deeply wounded. I drove my chakram into his body, making him scream in terror.

"_I'll make you pay," _I whispered, but I felt like I was talking through someone else's mouth. Who was this… Gluttony?

And why did I feel this way?


	13. The Hand That Feeds

**A/N:** Isn't this a short chapter, guys? XD

Well you know what? It's only short because everything has been revealed! Oh holy Hana, I've been waiting to get this chapter out for the longest! :D

Looking over it was a bitch though... Man, I caught a plethora of stuff I'm telling you. I had to look back all the way in the Dark Ages to find this chapter. *shot for pun* But since I had mis-numbered the chapters, I keep thinking everything is out of whack now. I keep thinking everything is going to come too quick. But I assure you. By the time the Dark Ages is over, Chiharu vows to have 56 chapters of this stuff. XD I only hope that you guys stick by me and cheer me on to help me finish this thing ! ^_^

This was prolly done in June.

And you know what I've realized? I write all three narrators much better now. XD;;;

I was kinda crushed reading this because my narration is so weak compared to it now, but at least this chapter retained badassness. XD And yay for 106(?) Reviews! XD Thanks to Rachel. XD My buddy. And everyone else who is dedicated on reading this even without computer access. XD It makes me so happy that so many people still care about this story even though I haven't updated in God knows how long. TT_TT I plan to catch us up quick. I've missed you guys.

People tell me how they really wish they had time to read and promise to come back to me... You guys are awesome. XD So I can't stop now! XD

* * *

He liked to walk slow. Smooth, if you will. The man smirked, crossed his arms behind his back, and started walking down a red carpet draped with numerous flowers. The brunette stood tall, his amethyst eyes scanning a large crowd. However, the crowd was not full of people. The crowd was filled with multicolored lights floating in mid air. On top of the brunette's head sat a crown fit for a king. The crown was made out of some sort of gas. He wore a long, flowing black cape, emphasizing his status as king.

"Ashes to ashes, fire and thunder rise together and become one. Banish this evil for all the harm it has done," he said, loud cheering noises erupting from the crowd of flashing lights. The man's smirk still danced on his lips as he was fully aware of his superiority. "Shirogane and Deep Blue… All this bantering! It's caused me the loss of the love of my life, and my daughter. Dear loyal subjects. Dear Essences. There are millions of you out there, wanting to get revenge on Shirogane. He captured your cousins. Mothers. Friends. And he refuses to give them back. Who does he think he is?" There was a roar of anger that erupted from the crowd of the millions of Essences. "But we won't start a war. We are smarter than that, aren't we?!"

"But I'll save us," the brunette declared. "For I am the King Of Essences, Suzuki Negaigoto." He paused. "And if that means helping the enemy, I'll gladly do it. Now let's see if I can find my beloved Kohana, hmm?" Suzuki exhaled a large amount of breath, basking in cheers. "I'll bring back the queen, even if it _kills _me."

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirteen: The Hand That Feeds :-**

_What if this whole crusade's a charade?  
And behind it all there's a price to be paid?  
For the blood which we dine  
Justified in the name of the Holy and the Divine_

_Just how deep do you believe?  
Will you bite the hand that feeds?  
Will you chew until it bleeds?  
Can you get up off your knees?  
Are you brave enough to see?  
Do you wanna change it?_

-- "The Hand That Feeds" -- Nine Inch Nails

"Isn't it beautiful, Zed? Like nothing you've ever seen before, is it not? I've spent many years constructing it, as only a leader like me could! The Mammoth Machine is capable of using Wicked Spawn to summon The Wickedness here. And today—on this glorious day—Renata is going to charge it. Once charged," Mistress purred, waving her hand in the air. Why did she think I actually cared about that heap of scrap metal she had laid out in the middle of the room? She was lucky I found her to be quite—interesting. "The Wickedness will come, and then I can hone the Wickedness's power and use it as my own! Then I can destroy everything that stands in my way! I hoped to have The Wickedness here before Renata's birthday, but you—Naira, Defina and Adel failed to fulfill my will on time!"

Really now, here the ruler of "Aysel" was… Throwing a temper tantrum. She really looked ridiculous. I wondered if she was bi-polar. I folded my arms and really took the time out to actually look at her and the Mammoth Machine. If anything, I might as well amuse myself. Her yellow eyes were just drenched in hunger.

"So, Mistress, did you make this machine yourself? Do you have blue-prints? Are your plans written on paper? Hmm? Perhaps you are planning this all as you go. What happens when your plan goes horribly askew? Are you going to blame that on your absent Saivan? As fastidious as you are, you are a strong, vacuous woman. How do you live life without your hapless 'partner'?" Mistress looked at me with an obviously confused expression, but tried hard to conceal it. I rose a brow. She did not know anything that I had just asked her. Pity. Her plan was obscure, and her and her daughter were going to drag this kingdom down in flames. I'm assuming she had to fully absorb what I told her, because her face lit up with rancor.

"Blue-prints, Zed? Ha, I do not need your bemoaning. I would like my operation to be filled with a laissez-faire attitude. I do not need to know how it was built… As long as it is working. And don't be so naïve. You would not know a good plan. Especially a plan such as mine! Furthermore, if you do not believe in my plan, I can easily have you thrown in jail for treason. And I believe my business with Saivan is none of your concern." Mistress kept ranting, with the occasional smirking and seething. I would have hoped by now that she realized where these little mood-swings of hers go. I was not angered in the slightest. She was rather amusing. I couldn't help but like having Mistress as my company.

"Except, you know you are not going to throw me in jail—because I know as well as you do that you need me. As you know… Well, I was simply just congratulating you on your ability to live without a partner. I couldn't imagine it. Don't look so sallow, Mistress." I paused. "How is Renata doing, Mistress? We would not want her to have a falling-out, hmm? What are you planning to do for her birthday?" Aysel blinked and straightened out her faux leather halter dress. She walked towards the Mammoth Machine, looking more desolate.

"Saivan is just on his travels. You speak as if he is dead. Which he is not. He is too powerful to die out. And if he did die, he would have told me." I quirked my nose when she said that, for rather obvious reasons. "The summoners have come back, and I am not so sure I want to do anything while Sayuri and her friends are running around in_ my _kingdom." I had heard about the Summoners the first time they were here. Completely catastrophic, and Mistress and her husband had no idea what to do. And there was not that many Summoners here the first time. How many were there now? "I wanted them killed as soon as they were seen, but it looks as if Lucrecia had an accident. Not to mention she lashed out on my dear Renata." She sighed. Why did I feel like she was using me as someone to vent to? It did not matter. I was using her as well. Not that she had the slightest idea, anyway.

"So, the Summoners are back, Mistress? I've always wanted to meet them." Maybe the summoners could prove to my advantage in all of this. "Is it just two—" My sentence was interrupted, because I heard the sound of a feminine, meek-sounding voice. Not only I, but Aysel as well.

"_Umm… Aysel? Zed? You guys there?" _came the sweet voice of Aysel's innocent little daughter. I cracked a slight smile.

"What ever could you want, Renata, dear?"

"Are you alright, my daughter dearest? You are not hurt are you?"

I looked at Mistress, and Mistress returned the favor. This would be interesting.

"_We've got a problem. Look outside the window, please."_

Aysel was hesitant at first, but she leisurely walked towards the window. I immediately sensed her fear. Her woe. Mistress turned pale, fuming with rage. "Renata! What_ is_ that retched thing? I want it removed immediately!" She screamed. "I beseech you to tell me now!"

"_It's an Aeon,"_ Renata said softly. _"Summoned by a Summoner. I believe it is the Aeon Shiva. Shiva once saved the world by consuming poison, giving her blue skin around the area of the neck and throat. It should also be mentioned she is an ice goddess, and for whatever reason, she was summoned... It's looking rather… Bad out here."_ Aysel's complexion continued to deteriorate.

"This is catastrophic! Renata, Lucrecia is with you, is she not? I want you to take her with you to kill that monstrosity, and the summoner with it! Zed will be with you shortly."

"That is the problem, Mistress. Lucrecia went to kill the summoners down in the dungeon, remember?" I added, amused at her frantic state.

"_I'm here, Aysel," _Lucrecia said, somewhat irritated. _"Aysel. This is an Aeon. I'm going to need a little bit more help to take it down, you know. I am not some kind of fucking animal that you can just use at your leisure, you got that?! I'm been taking your shit for way too long."_ Aysel's face must have turned three shades of red. I had never heard the Doctor talk like that before. Aggressive. _"Here's an idea, Aysel. Why don't we ask the Summoners for their help before this kingdom gets blasted tinto the netherworld?" _

"Watch your tongue you degenerate woman!" Aysel hissed and Lucrecia laughed, as if she was amused.

"_You're a joke, Aysel. A virtuoso. You can spend all of this time wondering what you're going to do, but Renata and I are going to see to this 'problem' with the Summoners, okay? The Aeon's in Austere, so that's where we are going to go. And we're going to teleport there. Do whatever the fuck you want to."_

Aysel placed a hand on her head, staying silent for a moment or two. I silently snickered to myself.

"What are you still doing here, Zed? …Go on. My patience is thinning."

* * *

_'Cause I stole your soul. You said I'd never be able. But oh, the whole world is still on my string._

* * *

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living. Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. Every great dream begins with _a dreamer_. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. That was my daughter in a nut-shell. Sayuri Outtaike was the dreamer of this generation.

In life, many thoughts are born in the course of a moment, an hour, a day. Some are dreams, some visions. Often, we are unable to distinguish between them. To some, they are the same; however, not all dreams are visions. Much energy is lost in fanciful dreams that never come true. But visions are messages from the Spectra, each for a different purpose in life. Consequently, one person's vision may not be that of another. To have a vision, one must be prepared to receive it, and when it comes, to accept it. Thus when these inner urges become reality, only then can visions be fulfilled. The spiritual side of life knows everyone's heart and who to trust. How could a vision ever be given to someone to harbor if that person could not be trusted to carry it out? The message is simple: commitment precedes vision.

I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each others dreams, we can be together all the time. Did Kohana dream of me? Did Sayuri dream of me? They both had the ability to. I wanted to be in her life. I wanted to be in Sayuri's life, but sadly, due to a turn of unfortunate events, I couldn't be. All because of the Shirogane.

I never painted dreams or nightmares. I painted my own reality. I am the dream. So here I was, walking around the ruins of Tokyo. I couldn't help but smirk at the destruction that was put upon this place. Kohana still could work magic. And I wasn't surprised. She had learned it all from me, after all. It was almost hilarious, really. I was with Sayuri almost everyday of her life. But she never knew what I was to her. Maybe she thought of me as just a friend. I wondered if she would freak out and go into spiraling fits of denial if she somehow found out who I was. One thing was for sure, Sayuri was her mother's child all right. And Kohana was still the destructive woman whom I had learned to fall in love with. I nodded my head as a fixture of smoke appeared next to me. The smoke disappeared to leave a woman standing in the wake of it.

The woman wore a red, off-the-shoulder metallic print stretch-velvet and mesh top with a matching slit skirt with silver chain hardware. Sayuri was well acquainted with the woman, I heard. I cocked a brow as I turned towards the sultry woman. "Nice to finally see you, Fire Essence. Where's Silence?" My voice was tinged with sarcasm. Fire had strawberry-blonde hair and exceptionally large breasts. She made no effort to conceal the latter, wearing outfits that exposed much of her cleavage, using them to try to win over male characters, and using them as a topic in a casual conversation. My thoughts were then interrupted by Silence coming out of the wood-works, doing somersaults around us two. Her bangles made nice, loud, annoying sounds. I believe she was acquainted with Sayuri also. Now there was just one more Essence, and my search party would have been complete.

"Nice to have you here, Silence. But where's Water?" I waited for an answer, but I had just as quickly remembered that Silence couldn't talk. Silence had her tan hair in two wild pigtails, and wore a white dress with spaghetti straps crisscrossing at her back. Her dress had a sweetheart neckline.

"Here he is! Right here, Master Saluki!"

"It's Suzuki, Fire," I corrected, putting my index finger in the air. "We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations." I smirk. "SPECTRA, book two, page four. The Anagram." I glanced towards Fire and saw that Water was standing right next to her. I think had met Sayuri already. He was just as sharp as ever, dressed up in a neat tux.

"Master Suzuki. Can you feel its presence?" Water said, waving his hand in the air. "There's a Summoner here."

I nodded my head. "Water. Fire. Silence. Let me ask you something. Why have we forgotten how to dream? With our innocence gone, we quickly lose our capacity to dream possible futures. Stop. Close your eyes. And dream again. Put the stars in your dreams. And then reach for them. No need to struggle. Simply nurture the dream, sustain the vision, and watch it come true. It must, it's the law, y'know." I smirked. "There must be some sort of safeguard around here. I'd be really impressed if that were true."

"I feel it too, Master, Salukis—"

"It's Suzuki, Fire." I corrected her with a smirk. She just looked at me with a confused expression. Here's the thing. When a Summoner is injected with a part of an Essence, that very Essence starts going haywire. It's almost comparable to operations they do on humans. When they give a human a new heart, they need to take special care, because the body could reject that heart. Well, with Essences, it's the other way around. The Essence feels—and knows—that a piece of it is missing. It runs around frantically, looking for that missing piece. And then, it finds a Summoner... Any Summoner... The Summoner doesn't even have to have their 'missing peace'. If the Essence senses a human with an irregular Essence count, it will attack, regardless. Essences are particular touchy about coming into contact with anyone who has an irregular Essence count within them. So, technically, Summoners have to watch out for Essences regardless.

I was king. And then I found Kohana's crew. They were the best of people I had ever met, and I promised myself that one day, I would come and live among them and escape from the increasingly mechanistic mainland world with its preoccupation with witless production for mindless consumption; its disruptive infatuation with change for its own sake; its idiot dedication to the bitch goddess, Progress.

…But let's talk about Sayuri. Those were the worse years in my life.

We know so little about happiness, that ultimate oasis we all hope to find and never leave. It's not epidemic, doesn't alter the balance of power, won't melt pounds or sap wealth. So it doesn't make the news much or fetch many research dollars. Ironically, although its presence is all we wish for our loved ones, we mainly study its absence. Happiness can occur when one isn't looking. Can there be a torrent of happiness, or only moments of being, as we compare the luminous present with the fading millisecond before? A sweet calamity of pleasure can float like a tropic island in an otherwise humdrum day. I glanced at Silence, who was just jumping around in bliss.

Her silence wasn't unpleasant, nor did it imply resent or sadness. It was transparent, not dense. It took up almost no space. A person could even get used to silence like that…

And of course I was afraid, because the transformation of silence into language and action was an act of self-revelation, and that always seemed fraught with danger. But my daughter, when I told her about silence and my difficulty with it said, "Tell them about how you're never really a whole person if you remain silent, because there's always that one little piece inside of you that wants to be spoken out, and if you keep ignoring it, it gets madder and madder and hotter and hotter, and if you don't speak out one day it will just up and punch you inside the mouth from the inside! Show those bastards who they're messing with, Suzuki! … I still hate you, though."

I closed my eyes for a moment. "We are Essences. The strongest beings on the planet. In the galaxies. And I can't, for some reason, destroy my dream. Because there's a Summoner… In my dream. Very peculiar. How does something like that happen? Kohana obliterated Tokyo, and so I stepped in and worked my magic so the other countries wouldn't get suspicious. I basically put up a… How do I describe it? An illusion. Pretty soon, Sayuri and the others should be coming back here, and when they do, they should know what to do with this place. I've got to go back to Royaume Rêveur soon. I'm a king. Not a lackey."

* * *

_Step out the door and it feels like rain. That's the sound on your window pane. Take to the streets but you can't ignore. That's the sound you're waiting for._

* * *

"We… We shouldn't work with these people!" This really little girl kept complaining! I scoffed. She didn't know who she was messing with, did she?! She pointed an index finger at Lucrecia, Renata, Kokoro and I. My eye starting twitching, I swear. Not only that, but it was cold as hell out here! Really, _really_ cold! We had been standing out here for so long, just bickering at each other. Well, guess what? We found Morta and Miyuki. But… Unfortunately, we found some old dude and some little girl. It was snowing out here. Yeah, that's right. Snowing. Kokoro looked like all his skin was about to fall off. And me? I was just shriving like crazy. Morta didn't really looked too bothered, and Miyuki? Well. I'm tired of talking about Miyuki, truthfully! Stupid cat!

There was this giant—and I mean giant—whirlwind funnel-like thing just twisting in the air. Everyone's hair was more-or-less just riding against the wind. Including mine.

"C-c-come on guys?! C-c-can't we just handle business?" I asked. But then I thought of something. Was it really worth busting my ass fighting a mythical creature for _these_ people? I mean, c'mon! They almost had me _killed._ "Wait a second! Lucrecia! Renata! What the hell are you guys going to give us?" I sighed, throwing my hands towards my partners for emphasis. "You better bring us some food. Truthfully, I'm dead hungry and dehydrated. And you!" I pointed, glaring at that little girl. "Better keep your mouth closed! Holy Hana man, why is it that little girls find the need to play with me?!"

"She's from Austere, Sayuri," Morta answered. "She's relatively afraid of anyone who comes from Aysel's castle." … You know what? That didn't answer my question in the slightest! I rolled my eyes. Lucrecia touched her forehead with her mechanical arm.

"Are we done catching up?" Lucrecia hissed. "Good. Now I think Renata has some things to say." Oh yeah, she better had start explaining stuff! I think I was about ready to die from hypothermia. Renata cleared her throat and took one step forward.

"Once again, the ice goddess Shiva returns to this kingdom as a summon. Shiva's real highlight is her extremely high agility; with even a moderate amount of luck, she should be able to get in some extra turns during the course of a battle. She'll lose energy quickly, though. She doesn't have that much. Shiva, to my knowledge, has a special move called _Heavenly Strike_. Shiva will draw out an incredibly large block of ice and drop it down on a single enemy. The attack will deliver non-elemental damage and delay the enemy's actions severely." She paused, looking at the whirlwind in the sky. "And then there is her overdrive, _Diamond Dust, _which will be horrendous if she employs it. Shiva lays layer after layer of ice on top of her enemies, and then destroys it all with a single snap of her fingers." How many people have overdrives, anyway? I know I have one, but now this Shiva has one too? Oh jeez. I was about to get my ass whooped.

"I see, Princess Renata," the old guy said, rubbing his chin. "I fear this won't be such an easy battle."

"I agree with Chase," Miyuki said, joining in on our conversation. "This is an Aeon, and we can't risk any casualties. I know you sense a Summoner as well. The Summoner is sleeping. Shiva won't go away until the Summoner wakes up from its slumber. It's how his or her spasms work."

"Then I guess we're going to have to hit Shiva with all we've got," Lucrecia said, scoffing and folding her arms. I still didn't like that woman.

"Without hurting ourselves in the process?" Morta inquired, glancing at Lucrecia. "We'd be killed, easy."

Just then, everyone just stopped talking. Completely. The whirlwind starting turning more violently, and it just got cold. Really cold. Then the next thing I know, a really strong, cold wind came ten-strong at us. This wind was encasing everything in ice. And we were next. I think everyone put their guard up, but no one really knew what the hell to do. Everyone was either transformed, armed, or just looked down right sadistic. Well… everyone besides Aline.

And then it clicked. I could stop time, so we didn't have to become frosted cavemen! The sky was all cloudy as I gazed into it. I was going to give it everything I had. I clutched both of my fists as hard as I could. I put my arms to my sides, fragments of time circling around my hands. I could do this. I know I could. But really, I was crapping my pants. …Figuratively. There was absolutely no way I was going to be able to stop this thing. But if I didn't try, who was? Kokoro was dead frozen, I think.

"I've got this!" I grunted, throwing my arms in front of me. "Freeze!"

I was just in time.

The wind collided into my hands, a bright, purple light flickering in front of me. It took all I could to keep my arms up. My footing on the ground was getting sloppy and my eye wouldn't stop twitching. My hands hurt like absolute hell. There was no words to describe how bad my hands were tingling. I didn't want to admit that I was in trouble here, but yeah. If someone didn't do something soon, I was going to either fall or _break_. Neither one of those things sounded too good. Renata cautiously walked next to me, ruining my concentration. I slipped for _one s_econd, and the wind pushed me back a couple of inches. This scared the crap out of me, so I let out a yelping sound before correcting my concentration. Renata's amulet started to float up into the air again, her eyes glowing a bright blue.

"…Everyone. I have an unlimited supply of energy stored away in my amulet. As long as I am still standing, I shall give you an endless supply of it," she said. Then she put her left hand on my shoulder. I felt like I could take on_ two_ Shiva's after that! I started to step forward before finally pushing the wind back. I sighed out of relief as everyone basked in Renata's energy. Even Kokoro was feeling up-to-date. Morta swung her scythe around, Chase grabbed the hilt of his sword, and Lucrecia flexed her mechanical arm.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, Renata." Lucrecia smirked. "I've wanted to take a crack at this thing every since I saw the wind around it. It's in there, isn't it? The Aeon. Shiva," she said. And 'Shiva' rolled off her tongue, as if she was trying it out for the first time.

Renata nodded her head. "Everyone? Please… come back alive."

* * *

**A/N:** Hai!!

Yes everyone!

Suzuki/Sayuri is **_incest!_** And you don't know how long I've wanted to say that!! XD;;; INCEST! INCEST! Creepy father/daughter incest! Well, if you want to get technical, it's half not. But anyway! Yes, this means Sayuri is a princess. Yes, this means that she is half Essence. Her father, Suzuki, is the dream Essence. XD And yes, Sayuri has no idea. XD And yes, this means that Kohana is a queen. Is your mind blown away yet? It should be. ^_^

Cheers to Final Fantasy again. XD

For Shiva wouldn't be so badass without it.

Aren't Sayuri and Suzuki like... XD The closest things ever?

Now we see who Sayuri gets her smirky-ness from. XD

Ahahah. Ha. ¬_¬


	14. Behind Closed Doors

**A/N: **May I tell you guys how awesome you are? XD 135 smacks. I fell like I'm counting money, but anyway. Though this story isn't my most successful--it does have the most reviews now. ^_^ And that makes me happy, I guess. Because this story is my baby. XD Now, I'm going to try and update this until I catch up with the chapters I have written... XD That's mostly code for, don't panic. If you get like six alerts telling you that this has updated, don't kill yourself trying to read all of the chapters like Toast. XD That's why you don't have anything to say at the end of these chapters, buddy. XD

Okay so once again. I wrote this "flashback" in April, but this chapter was written in November! XD

Otaaay, so I don't really like this chapter, because it lacked fight scene. XD But I did try to give everyone a say in what they were doing. Oh, and I don't like it because of what Miyuki says to Morta. Damn it Miyuki. Keep your thoughts to yourself. Giving away hints to the plot and whatnot. ***hinthint* **It's not extreme, OMG-we've-found-the-secret-to-life plot findage, just some trivia. XD So don't think you're lucky. I protect plots, man. Anyway, back to this flashback... It was an unfinished oneshot! And you know what I do with those? Turn them into flashbacks!

Because I can. :P

And of course since I wrote half of this in April, and the other half in November, and it's February of 2010, there might be some inconsistencies. Jesus guys, I'm sorry for leaving. I've got to get up off my lazy ass and do things myself is all.

* * *

**Dear _Man_diary:**

I had the weirdest dream last night. But it all seemed too real.

So, all she wanted was a little _innocent _bedtime story. I could do stories, especially if she wanted to hear one from me. I've seen and done things that would probably leave Anómino with the crap kicked outta her. She always wanted to see me as soon as I got off duty, and she persisted on waiting for me when the others were always leaving me. I should have thanked her for that, I guess? But did she have to stop me from getting my sleep by almost bombing my ass? And anyway, I was not dressed to the occasion to do a bedtime story. You see, someone like me had to be dressed nice for all occasions. Even sleep. But you know, no one ever told me that there would be little girls setting your sheets on fire, so I just threw on my cupcake pajamas. What? It consisted of a polo and some sweatpants! They're warm, okay?

My hair was in some rollers, but a lot of them were falling out because I had to toss Anómino over my head a few times. I mean, I can't blame her for latching on my head when my hair _isn't_ wrapped up, but that was just unforgivable! And a lot of times, she just hangs onto my hair, and she knows that stuff burns like Dogg's chili makes my heart burn. Dude, I don't care who you think you are—just one spoon full of that stuff, and you're going down. That's exactly why I didn't eat any of his stuff at dinner. Sure, Dogg's an expert chef and all, but there are boundaries you just can't cross. A P.I.M.P. like me couldn't have bad indigestion! No sir, if I was going to pimp, I couldn't go around smelling like dead… Cat.

I stood in one place for a while, staring at Anómino, who had a smile stretched across her face as far as she could will it to. She sat on her bed, and I thought she would jump on me at any given second. She hadn't had any of her lights on, so I could only see her from pure moonlight coming in through the window. Get it? Moonlight? Now, I'm no comedian, but I think that was fairly funny, if I do say so myself. Well, anyway, I thought Anómino's room was all kinds of junked up, but I was surprised. Besides almost tripping on her skates that were in the doorway, I actually survived walking in there! With groggy eyes, I put my index finger into the air and twirled it around. When I agreed to have a sleepover at my mansion, I didn't mean for Anómino to wake me up and accidentally kill me in my sleep. I was going to have to save Miyuki tomorrow and I really needed my sleep.

I had to make sure no one laid a finger on her, of course! So I needed my energy. When Anómino caught wind that Dogg, Rayne, Linnéa, and I were going to be leaving to save Miyuki, she literally cried her eyes out. Man, I just had to do something. And now, somehow, someway, I was hosting Spectra's biggest slumber party. And not only that, but my clothes were fairly scorched.

"So, Anómino," I began, scanning the room for some kind of chair. My legs were literally on fire from having to run up here. "You do realize what time it is, right? You can't barge into my room and blow stuff up whenever you want, kid. Yes, you do have a gift for surprise attacks, and I'm sure I've told you this before. But please, a P.I.M.P. really needs his sleep, so let's make this quick." Anómino smiled at me with glee and sat up in her bed. Jeez, I didn't know where she got all that energy to walk and jump and ambush people at three AM from. That had to be something she picked up from Dogg. After all, Dogg was practically nocturnal. "So, you want me to tell you a story, eh, Anómino?"

"Well, actually Moonlight, I wanted to tell you a story!" She exclaimed, prancing around. "But you can still tell me one, if you want too, you know! But I wanted to surprise you!" Was she crazy? So, Anómino wanted to surprise me at three AM? I silently gasped. Figuring that I was going to be here all day, I sat down on her bed. Since this wasn't her room, I imagined that I could sit down and nothing would break instantly. All the rooms in my house are customized with king sized beds. Just for those crucial moments.

"Linnéa told me that before you guys left, that I should tell everyone goodbye, as there was no telling what would happen to you. And then when we were talking about Gluttony in class, all I could think about was what he said." She paused, looking out the window and grabbing one of her pillows. "He was all like, 'Never take life seriously, nobody gets out alive, anyway.' and that just really stuck into my head. So that's why I snuck into the Essence facility and stole this." Really, I wasn't paying attention to her, but when she said 'stole', my eyes instantly looked at Anómino, who was just smiling at me. I really wanted to sleep, and she needed to speed this little story up. I didn't want to hear about damn Gluttony, sheesh. As I tried to read Anómino with everything I had, I failed.

Again, I was half asleep. Sadly, I wasn't even paying any attention to the small, gleaming rock in her hand. And then, it hit me. Anómino, as small and whiny and annoying as she was, was a thief. This P.I.M.P. didn't suspect her of stealing from me, but everyone else in my mansion could have just gotten gypped. I wanted to quirk my nose up, but y'know? I couldn't. All I was worried about was the sticky glue appearing everywhere on me. Yes folks. There was glue in my _hair._ I couldn't really explain how I was feeling at that time. Maybe I wanted to know where all this sticky stuff came from, or maybe, just maybe, I wanted to street-stomp Anómino.

Now, I had to think. Disgusted, I slowly got up from the bed, and shook my hands to get the white goop off of them. I rose a brow, and turned towards Anómino, who really asn't Anómino in any shape or form. Now, I was exasperated. I closed my eyes for one second, and Anómino disappeared on me? I sighed. This was going to be a _long _bedtime story. But first, I had to figure out why there was now a fairly tall woman wearing this long, ruffled white dress. She was one of those idiotic blondes, so I could tell this was going to be an easy kill for me. I could almost tell that this woman was not a Celestial Being. Keeping my cool game face, I switched my footing.

"One of life's primal situations; the game of hide-and-seek. Oh, the delicious thrill of hiding while others come looking for you, the delicious terror of being discovered, but what panic when, after a long search, the others abandon you! You mustn't hide too well. You mustn't be too good at the game. The player must never be bigger than the game itself." All right, I thought it was about time for this woman to shut up. But you see, a smooth P.I.M.P. never badmouths a woman, no matter how much glue she pours on me. I just hoped that the others are safe.

"Hey, why don't we just end this right now? I'm tired, you can't feel nothing, zero, zip, and I've got a hot chick to save. Where the hell is Anómino so I can go. To. Sleep?" I yawned, waving my hand into the air and readying my attack. This had two benefits, however, as this also straightened out my hair and got the gunk out of it. The woman walked around me for a bit, and I followed her every move.

"The beautiful heroine might be thinking, how long must I bury my face on this wretched man's shoulder?" She said, still walking around me like she was examining me or something. How many times do I have to say it? I wasn't paying attention to anything she was saying. It was all unimportant. I just needed the facts from that woman, and that was all. "Such is not always the case, but it often quite is. My name, Moonlight, is Cometa, and I am only here to serve Lady Anómino." I rolled my eyes. She had some nerve, dodging all my questions.

"So, wondrous adhesive Essence prototype, where did you put the brat?"

"Lady Anómino? Lady Anómino freed us, Moonlight." I cocked a brow. Anómino saved her? So that must have meant there were a lot more prototypes running amok in my mansion. My right eye began to twitch as I sighed. Damn it, that little kid was going to kill me with her antics.

"So, Cometa, gluey, whatever you want to be called, you know just as well as I do that I have to keep you alive, right? So tell me, how many of you guys did Anómino free? You see, you guys have to learn your places. Cometa you're a _prototype_, not a _protégé_. You need to go back to that lab, you and your friends. Or I'll drag you back there myself. Now how did Anómino do it? Did she free you today, or did she plan this?" Cometa looked at me for a while before pointing towards the door.

"Anómino is in a of state slumber. And she wants you to find her, but yet, she told us to forbade you from finding her. She told me to tell you that the person that she despises the most has only a few hours to live. She has stolen the pure Essence of time, encased herself in a chrysalis, and she wants you to find her. But you can't get that cocoon open unless you gather all the parts to her little story. And I have the first half." I tensed up. Anómino stole _what?!_ She actually stole something of huge value! I mean, Shirogane was going to bite his arm off if he woke up to find one of his Essences gone. There were eight Essences all together, and they were heavily guarded. I mean, a fly couldn't even get into the room they were stored in. People like Linnéa would just be standing there ready to kick your ass if they even saw you trying to even_ look_ into the room.

Alright. It was pimp time. My hair started to disappear from the bottom, a misty like substance surrounding me and Cometa. I needed to know if Anómino was in her right mind. I needed to return all of this stuff she had stolen before Shirogane burst into fits of rage and put the whole town on lockdown. And I just couldn't have that. "Start talking, or I'll choke you till the oil runs out of you, Cometa. This is serious. Whatever lies Anómino fed you are not true." Man, I was not in the mood for this. I just wanted to go to sleep. Sleep! Sleep was all I wanted! The prototype sort of sighed in front of me, and then started to get _too _melodramatic. I mean, really, she was dancing around the room. I sighed even more.

"My name was Estrella, and I was sure you knew that all along, Ligero! You had to of had known my name! Or at least, my real name! I was glad to have met you, and each day, I found myself learning something entirely new… It made me happy to call you my friend. For death and rebirth… as your heroine, I vowed to always be there for you. Everyday seemed like an adventure, and that was something I thought I had fallen in love with. And I never let you go, no matter how many times you struggled," Okay, right now, I was gapping with confusion. What. The. Hell. Skip this, I was ready to end it right there. I didn't know what this thing was on, but it somehow knew I was restless, and then Cometa put her hand in my face, making me jump a bit.

Aww man, that scared the crap outta me. But that's where it ended and I found out it was a dream. But I think it was Dogg's chili that really did it. Maybe it has something to do with that weird Summoner girl with the purple hair. I don't know if it's happened to anyone else, but when she gets pissed, institutions break. I start getting these weird dreams, and I sense something sorta radiating off of her. Like she has a different Essence entirely...

* * *

**-: Chapter Fourteen: Behind Closed Doors :-**

_I found a shoulder to lean on  
An infallible reason to live all by itself  
I took one last look from the heights that I once loved  
And then I ran like hell_

_Wings won't take me  
Heights don't phase me  
So take a step  
But don't look down, take a step_

-- Rise Against – "Ready To Fall"

Well, it was officially my time to go and do something about Shiva. But here's the thing. Everyone else had ran ahead of me, prepared to fight that thing_ except_ me. Oh, and Miyuki didn't move. Nope, she just stood there, watching the rest of us and looked all cool! What the hell, man? Oh and save Renata, who was standing in the same place, trying to concentrate. Miyuki folded her arms and closed her eyes. I looked behind me and frowned.

"Why aren't you doing anything, Miyuki?!" I called out. Miyuki kept her eyes glued to the sky, lost in thought. Really man? Really? She was supposed to be Morta, Kokoro and I's guardian. And she wasn't doing anything. You see, this was why I hated Miyuki. It was getting too cold around here! My vision was blurring and I didn't think I could move. Even though Renata was practically in front of me sending me positive energy waves, there was something missing. Miyuki didn't even bother to look at me. She just had her arms crossed and her eyes were glued to the ground. "Miyuki! Seriously! You've got to help us out here! I can't move!" Miyuki didn't even acknowledge my presence. That stupid excuse for a fur-ball!

"Are you... Afraid of the snow, Sayuri?" Miyuki asked, opening her eyes and looking up into the sky. "That is the only excuse that you have." What? Now she was just pissing me off. What did being afraid of snow have to do with anything? "You can't keep relying on me to do everything, Sayuri. Yes, I am your guardian, but my sole purpose is to protect you and your friends. I am not a Summoner, and as such, I have no real reason with being entangled in a Summoner's business." I growled under my breath and it only seemed to get colder and colder out here. The wind was kicking my ass! That was it! I had zero patience for Miyuki! Who did she think she was? Seriously? What did she do around here that saved _my_ ass?

"You're such a liar, Miyuki!" I hissed, rubbing my hands together. "You haven't done squat to help me! Sure, if you call almost killing me helping me..." I trailed off. "Maybe you should have just killed me when you had the chance. Sometimes I wish you didn't exist. You're always taking away from my ego piece by piece and taking credit for most of the things I do! And when I think I've done a good job, you just point out everything I did wrong! What kind of guardian—mentor—friend—does something like that, huh? You're worse than my mother, and that's saying a whole lot!"

"Let me tell you something, Sayuri. People who don't care about your future will lie to you. They'll tell you you're doing a good job and watch you run to your death. Is that what you want? You want someone who is going to whisper praises into your ear?" Miyuki paused, sighing. "Before I was chosen to be your guardian, I had to guard a Celestial Being named Itasca, and treat her like she was a Summoner. Shirogane didn't exactly know what she was. One day, Itasca just fell out the sky like a shooting star tumbling to its death. She was put under heavy quarantine for three years, not once seeing the light of day. She was tested for Essence levels, and she came out positive for the time Essence. I was ordered to protect her. Just to get a feel of what it would be like... And I let her down." I still frowned heavily at Miyuki, looking into her pink eyes.

"Still! I'm not Itasca, _for the last time_. I've got three different people telling me who Itasca is. You're telling me she was some Celestial Being, I've known her my whole life, and Kohana says that she is Itasca all together." I stopped to take a look at Miyuki, and she really meant what she said. Or at least... looked like it. "One day, we're going to get to the bottom of this, Miyuki."

"You're a really good Summoner, Sayuri, but I'm not going to sit here and baby you. You're used to that, aren't you?" I smacked my lips in disbelief. She was right. My mom had babied me ever since I was a baby. My mom wasn't wrong for doing that, though. I mean, look how I turned out! "I hate you because I love you, and people who baby you don't care about you." I hesitantly nodded my head. I turned around to fight Shiva and looked over my shoulder.

"Don't get mushy on me, Miyuki." I smiled. "Are you fighting?"

"I'm afraid not," Miyuki answered, smiling, almost. Hey, it looked like Miyuki and I were getting along! Maybe we were taking our first steps towards a brand new relationship! What happened next was kind of a blur to me. I turned around and something hit me right on my forehead. I fell backwards after hearing some kind of clanking noise. My body started tingling all over. And then it hit me. I was laying in snow. The snow was in my hair, on my arms—IN MY EYES. I sat up and sniffed.

"Miyuki why didn't you tell me there was something flying in my direction it hit me in the face and now I'm cold cold cold ouch that hurt!" I cried, flailing my arms and kicking my feet in the air. Miyuki narrowed her eyes and knelled next to me, and then she totally disrespected me, grabbed my arm and pulled me up off of the ground. I just wanted to eat and sleep the pain away! For maybe a week or two...

"You're stalling," Miyuki said, raising a brow. I shook the snow off my body and looked at the beams of light shooting out of that whirlwind thingy. Everyone was doing just fine without me. Wait a second! I looked to my left and then to my right.

"Aline?" I called out, switching into Summoner mode. I was blatantly ignoring the energy Renata had been giving me, but now I was really trying to utilize it. My teeth were still chattering but I knew I had the energy to fight. "Aline! Aline! Don't tell me she—" I trailed off and looked at the funnel whirlwind thing in front of me. Oh jeez! You can't be serious! "Don't die on me!" I yelled, clutching my wand and taking off into the battle.

* * *

_She said, "Just go on to what you pretend is your life but please don't die on me."_

* * *

"Hey, Miyuki!" Moonlight called out, putting his gloves on to keep his fingers from freezing. Moonlight and Miyuki were standing under the roofing of a porch, watching millions of snowflakes hit the ground. "Something wrong?" Miyuki looked up into the clouds and clapped her hands together.

"Spectra... The cities that are inside it, are covered by a plate that keeps snow and rain from touching the ground. But in this town—your town—the plate doesn't stretch that far. The snow is... Scary. I don't like it. Ice burns just like fire. And I hate them both the same."

"That's ironic," Moonlight said, sighing. "But it's so beautiful, the snow." Still not impressed, Miyuki looked away from Moonlight. He smirked as he walked silently over to her and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She shook her hands in total disbelief.

"What are you doing, Moonlight?"

"I just want to prove some people wrong! That dating a girl that can tie your intestines around your spleen isn't a bad thing!" he said, smirking.

"Moonlight, you're not dating me!" Miyuki yelled. "Put me down!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Spell my name then, Miyuki!" She narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

"Put me down, P.I.M.P."

* * *

_Now I'm standing on the rooftop ready to fall. I think I'm at the edge now but I could be wrong._

* * *

It felt like I was watching my own kids step out into life. I would have liked to fight alongside my Summoners, but my chionophobia was flaring up. It was a wonder I could even stand out here. The only one who knew about my fear of snow was Moonlight. I could handle the cold—but—every time I felt a snowflake hitting my head, I couldn't help but flinch. Maybe it was a form of self-fear... Who knew... But it was difficult to handle. I looked at Renata, who looked like she was in a stasis.

I had almost gotten Sayuri killed and it was putting weight on my conscience. True, Sayuri needed to learn how to be a Summoner by herself, but maybe I wasn't as competent as I thought. I needed to watch Sayuri like a hawk now. I wanted to beat it into her head that failing wasn't a bad thing. Both human beings and Celestial Beings made mistakes. Unlike Itasca, Sayuri had a family and a life that she still needed to live. My wings twitched in irritation as I kept thinking about how much of a terrible guardian I was. Out of all the people who worked their whole lives trying to get my job... It just hurt me to think about it. I inhaled sharply, watching my breath disappear in the wind.

"You should really introduce yourself..." I began, looking at the ground and trying to keep my mind off the snowflakes around me. My chionophobia was acting up even worse than before. I started flinching every time a cold, frozen flake landed on my head. It wasn't so much the snow on the ground that was bothering me, more so the snow falling. My head started to throb and I closed my eyes again. "Shouldn't you be fighting Shiva? You're with the Enlightened, yes? Your actions might lead me to think otherwise." I opened my left eye and saw a man dressed very strangely for such weather conditions. I sighed again, trying to focus. In situations like these, I could keep a cool head. All I had to do was imagine myself in a very hot place like Spectra... Or Earth.

"My apologies," he said. I opened my eyes again and barely got a look at his smug smile. "My name is Zed and you must be with the Summoners." I tried to blink my phobia away. The wind started to pick up and threatened to knock me off my feet, but they were planted into the ground. I didn't train ten thousand years to stand in one spot for nothing.

"I'm their guardian, Miyuki. I should be out there helping them. But—" I trailed off. It wasn't like me to second guess myself, but I was starting to question myself as a guardian. If Sayuri could overcome her demons in less than a second, I was capable of doing the exact same thing. She had grown so much since the first time that I had met her. I touched the top of my ear and a deck of cards appeared in my other hand. I walked past Renata, and stopped just a few inches in front of her. "You may not see me, but that's okay, Renata. I'm going to turn into a stream of light now." I tried putting that as frankly as possible. "Don't worry, it's a luck spell. I can't do much, but the least I can do is support them. "Oh blessed be, oh gods of fire. Burn away my dark desires. Through the warmth that burns so free, let vi-o-lence change now to peace. Blessed be thou, of goddess of love, look in favor upon me as I venture into danger. Leave not my side and aid me in my time of need. Star M8, Spectra—" I paused, throwing my deck out all over the ground. This was an intense-leveled spell to be doing, but it needed to work. If I failed at performing the spell, I'd blow up just like Itasca did. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. My body slowly started to change, my legs being engulfed in an orange, crystal-like substance. Soon, my whole body was taken over.

"Nice meeting you," I said, placing my footing on the ground. And in the blink of an eye, I disappeared.

* * *

_I count the times that I've been sorry. Now my compassion slowly drowns. If there's a time these walls could guard you... Then let that time be right now._

* * *

"So, how are we going to get into that whirlwind?" I said, looking up. That thing looked pretty damn close to us a second ago, and now it was so far away. Chase stood next to me, and I clutched my orb. We were going to beat this Shiva goddess! We couldn't fail now! And Chase was so skilled with his sword! Even though I wasn't really an expert with my weapon, I was sure Chase would help me if I slipped up! I was starting to wonder where Miyuki was. I missed her being at my side. I felt really safe knowing that she was my guardian. Chase rubbed his chin and looked up into the sky.

"We need to find the person who was responsible for putting that thing up in the first place. There's suppose to be a Summoner guiding it and feeding it orders. On the offhand, there's suppose to be a goddess of ice directing the vortex. We've found the vortex, but we haven't found the other two things. It was a good idea for us to split up." Chase started walking ahead of me, and I followed him. He was a really tall man with a really deep voice. His coat fluttering in the wind looked kind of cool. "Okay, Kokoro. We're going to handle this matter the only way I know how to."

"What way would that be, Chase?" I asked, looking over my shoulder. He was digging in his pocket, and he pulled out a pair of black sunglasses. Sunglasses? In this kind of weather? If Chase said it would work, then I had no problems with it. I took the pair of glasses out of his hands and stared at them for a while.

"Don't just look at them! Put them on!" I glanced at the glasses and then glanced at him. I wanted to find the other Summoner as much as the next person... But... Anyway, Chase put on the glasses and looked at me. "That's okay, Kokoro. You don't have to put them on if you don't want to." He chuckled after that. "It's just my way of lighting up the mood." He paused, walking forward. "You know... For forty-eight years I've been living in this land, teaching the kids in Austere the way of the sword. It's been tough, but nothing is as exhilarating as fighting to protect the ones you love, wouldn't you agree?" I nodded my head and put the glasses in my pocket. I could always wear them later when I needed them! "Fighting is what animals do. But its okay to be an animal, even just for a second. I'm probably the only one in Austere who doesn't want revenge."

"Revenge? Chase, I really don't get the difference between Austere and Aysel. Aren't they the same place?" He looked at me and chuckled. It was almost like I was around my old man.

"Austere and Aysel haven't been the same in some time, Kokoro. Austere... Once known as the Land of the Dead... It's a forsaken land where the 'not worthy' are tossed in like trash. But we've managed to make some good of it. At least people can live there now. I'm used to fighting everyday to keep things like the Earth Eaters away from the city. And you know what the best part about being a Nocuous is? I don't have to cheat and use silly magic to help me with day-to-day things—"

"Hey! I think I see Shiva!" I shouted, running past Chase and smiling. Finally! I get to see a goddess! Chase was just as ecstatic as I was and ran behind me. "Whoa, nope, it's just my eyes playing tricks on me." I sighed and turned around, accidentally hitting him in the face with my orb. His shades went a little crooked. "Oh wait, let me check again!" I turned around again, and this time I cracked his sunglasses. It was really true, Shiva wasn't anywhere to be found. "Aw man, I failed again, huh? Don't worry, Chase. We'll get him next time."

He looked at me and took his shades off. "Maybe we should do this slowly?" Chase put his broken pair in his coat pocket and pulled out a fresh new pair.

* * *

_Hold on slow down again from the top now and tell me everything. I know I've been gone for what seems like forever, but I'm here now waiting._

* * *

"Aline! Keep your head down!"

The winds were relentless. I think we were the only two that were really close to the whirlwind. My grip tightened on my scythe as I tried to investigate what was inside that whirlwind. I tried to touch it with my index finger, but it just started bleeding all of a sudden. It was impossible to get inside that thing. Besides, I had a hunch that the Summoner wasn't there. It didn't make sense. The wind would cut them to death. I didn't have a clue as to what I'd do first. Should I have stayed here and waited for the others? I looked at Aline, who looked like a ghost. She was really afraid, and I didn't know what to do.

I sighed, and I was going to pick her up, but something from out of the corner of my eye zipped past me. It was an orange stream of light. I lifted my brow and turned around to be met with Miyuki. It looked like Miyuki at least. She was shimmering and her body was covered with an orange tint. "I'm glad to see you decided to fight with us," I said, looking back at Aline. She was so petrified that she couldn't form coherent words. This was all too much for her, and I began to wonder what she would have thought if she knew what I did to a whole entire city. Miyuki nodded her head, and she seemed to be shaking a bit. I rose a brow.

"When it was just Sayuri and I, I used a device called a Memory Sweeper. It would flash white, just once, and the memories of that person would disappear. They'd only forget the event that happened that day. But it was strange. It didn't work on Sayuri's friend, Tariku. And I think I know why. Thinking about it now, Tariku was a very... Bland girl. She was more than just a girl. She was more important than that."

"And I killed her, didn't I?" I said flatly. Again, that wasn't even my fault. I hope she was going somewhere with this. Miyuki played with a single card in her hand and put in on Aline's forehead.

"It's just a hunch. And I could be wrong, Morta," Miyuki said, an orange light shooting through the sky. Aline's eyes slowly closed. "Tariku wasn't real. She was unable to have memories. She was unable to feel. And I think she was made with the sole purpose of tracking Sayuri." Interesting. Aline was engulfed within that same light that shot through the sky. Then she disappeared completely. "I can see the look on your face. While Kohana would be the first suspect, she couldn't of had the technology. We're dealing with something bigger than The Wickedness. Someone was watching our leader."

"She's not going to be happy when she hears that..." I said, stepping away from the daunting wind. "She really loved Tariku. That's all she ever talks about is avenging Tariku's death."

"You're assuming the worst. Like I said Morta, my Memory Sweeper works on anyone who is human, in one way or another. Tariku was as cold as the metal that she was made of. But then if we think of all the endless possibilities, Tariku could be made out of light, an Essence... Whatever you leave to your imagination. She could be Sayuri's imaginary friend. You don't think..." It made sense. Sayuri could have imagined Tariku.

"She is always having those weird dreams. But dreams don't just come to life like that." Miyuki nodded her head and began to walk ahead of me, the snow under her feet crunching. She twitched once more.

"How do we know? She is Sayuri, after all. Don't worry about Aline. She's in the safest place she can be right now. I went through her memories and placed her in her bed. Now come on. I don't trust that the others know what they are doing."

* * *

_...To convince you that I'm not a ghost or a stranger, but closer than you think..._

* * *

Aww man. Out of all the people I had to get stuck with... I mean, c'mon! I thought I was so far away from everyone else! And then that wasn't even the bad part. I saw that goddess thing, Shiva. Her skin and braided-hair was tainted blue. She looked at us with blank eyes, lifting her hands towards us. Out of all the places I could have ended up... I cursed under my breath and I was really thinking about running like hell. In tears. But it was time for me to stop doing that, right? I held up my wand, a little unsure of what my time magic could do against a being that could _freeze an entire planet._

And then there was that Lucrecia chick, who I really didn't want to be around. She was like a few yards ahead of me, and man, was I panicking. Shiva really didn't look like she wanted to be my friend right now. "Are you going to just stand there looking like a fucking idiot, or are you going to partake in this?" Well... No. I really didn't want to fight right now. There was so much stuff going through my head right now. Even though Renata was fueling us, I was mentally drained. The duty of being a Summoner was freakin' exhausting. And I still wasn't fully over seeing Kohana in my dream yet. The stuff that she told me made no sense. One thousand years? Of this? Yeah, right. And I know this chick wasn't rushing me. I clutched my wand, and swung it in front of me. She was seriously going to fight that thing with her _hands._ What a strange person...

"Dukes of darkness, kings of hell, smite mine enemy, bring him hell. When three nights of pain have passed, make him well, well at last. Lesions on his skin will grow, afflict him with a painful blow. Sores and pain afflict him now... For three nights he'll wonder how." This big, green, scaly snake appeared in front of me, hissing at the sight of Shiva. It was the snake Essence! Why fight an aeon when you can just bring out a giant monster to fight it? And in less then three milliseconds, I looked into the sky, and man, I was tripping out. Everything was getting all spin-y. I thought I was gonna die, so I tried to take a couple of steps forward. I almost fell a couple of times. I thought it was time for me to leave this fight. I put in my two cents. That spell took a lot out of me—even though Renata was giving me an unlimited supply of energy. So, I was just about to close my eyes and collapse backwards onto the ground, taking a sweet, nice long nap...

But then something really cold grabbed my arm.

But I thought it was the snow, so I didn't really think too much about it.

"Wake up Sa-yu-ri!"

"Hmm—?" I said sleepily. Then it hit me. I opened my eyes lightning fast, and Lucrecia was grabbing my arm. And seriously, it wasn't with her normal one. It was with her mechanical one. She was digging into my arm, to the point where I could see blood seeping out from where she was clawing me. On instinct, I snatched my arm away and started screaming. Oh no! Not again! Not while I'm freezing my ass off trying to save _your_ city!

"You—you stay over there!" I yelled, pointing next to Shiva. Freakin' stupid weird place with it's freakin' stupid people! Why couldn't I have sent us to the land of sleep or something? I grabbed my arm with my other hand and tried to nurse it make to health. Argh, I couldn't go to sleep like this! I'd probably end up dying! The snake Essence coiled around me, blocking Lucrecia and Shiva from my view. The snake Essence straightened out its body and I looked at both Shiva and Lucrecia.

"After this fight—" I declared, scoffing. "I'm kicking your ass!"

And anyone could take that however they wanted to.

* * *

**A/N:** Look at Sayuri and that spine she's obtained. XD;

Someone needs to remind her that I'm her _God_. That last line is epic though. The one with the kicking ass acts. Because it reminds me of a Naruto fic I used to have up here, and this chick got tired of Sasuke acting all high and mighty, and even though Sayuri didn't go really extreme with it (because obviously, Sasuke =/= Lucrecia at all) it still made me giggle. XD Because it's like... Lu will rip your face off shut up Sayuri. XD

*pets Sayuri*

It's okay. XD This isn't even the start of your hell.

Also. Miyuki has chionophobia. Fail. XD And I think I like switching narrators. If I just stayed with one person, it would have been boring. And I mean for like the whole story. ^_^ Best thing I could have ever done. XD


	15. A Jagged Gorgeous Winter

**A/N:** I remember writing this and jumping for joy because it was just so fun! ^_^

I loved this chapter. XD I loved everything about this chapter. Now, if everyone could look past the mind-rape-y flashback. Don't even try to figure out who I'm talking about. Because you'll never get it. Poor Sayuru. XD Anyone else think I'm giving her the bad end of the stick, or is it just me? Maybe I wrote half of the last chapter in October or something, because I remember doing this in October... Or maybe not. Shiiiiyaaaat, I can't remember anymore. Chapter 16 though, guys! XD This would have been a dream a long time ago.

I didn't know when I'd be able to get this thing up.

I want to catch you guys up so bad. XD

But maybe I'll stop at the dinner, just to make you guys suffer. ^_^

Haappy reaaading. XD

* * *

It bubbled up inside her chest and seethed in her mind. Her emotions were immolated into nothing more than ash and dust. Neither one of them were sheltered from sin... It was what made them human. He could see the fire inside her and could feel the heat. He wanted her to take him by the hand and guide him to the flame—the pain that blends with pleasure.

Do what you will, take these open wounds and suck the life out of them.

Devotion... did it really burn? Or was it just her eyes lighting the fire in his intestines?

Was she advocating the murder of his dream? With the desperate cries and soundless tears shooting across the sky she was unmoved. They pummeled the air with ferocity—but still she was unmoved. He had to give her a reason... Let her bleed if she must. There was always something fragile in her breath that vindicated that she had a spirit.

There was no other option. Lives were chained with another. Blood flowed as if it was an endless river, straggling the memories of that which had already passed. Memories were the worthless residue of her existence—meaningless pain in the nights to come. Dreams festered her soul and only led to a brutal addiction.

Those words... The shredded lies... Love was just a word that remained in flames spinning around him. Tragedy wouldn't get them too far. The pagan romanticism was exploding withing a sea of fire; slicing the veins that led to a furiously pumping heart.

The madness led to blindness and a new kind of horror.

There's nothing left. It's absolutely empty.

Take him down now, before you both break.

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifteen: A Jagged Gorgeous Winter :-**  
_Just trying to find your way anywhere  
But you've come to find you're alone  
Its getting dark and you've lost your way  
I haven't let you go as long as you know that.._

_I'm losing what's left of my dignity  
But I'll fight till the end for her heart.  
I'll never give up for what's possibly …_

_For better for worse this love must be cursed._

—Scary Kids Scaring Kids —"Holding On"

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" I yelled, waving my hands up into the air. Lucrecia pointed her index finger towards Shiva and it started to glow this weird blue color. My eyes widened; there was no telling what she might have done next. She was hitting _me_ on _purpose!_ The blue, sharp needles she shot towards Shiva somehow ended up lodged in_ my_ leg. I was standing _right_ next to her! How does someone miss like that?! I gritted my teeth and tried to open my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was hurting me more than the _enemy _was! The snake Essence continued to talk to Shiva and Lucrecia just gave me this extremely weird smile. "They've been talking for the longest, so don't rush me!" And they were talking silently, man. Actually, they were kind of making hand gestures and head-nods towards each other. Err... yeah. They weren't speaking in an actual language.

"Shiva is aware that you're a Summoner, brat," Lucrecia spat, cracking her knuckles. "And she's trying to get information from your snake friend here so she can evaluate your finesse as one." She stopped and let out a cruel laugh. "You just got that freak-o-nature Essence, didn't you? It can't vouch for you if it has never seen you fight. Or summon it, for that matter! You're fucking pathetic." My lower eye twitched something fierce. For her information, I could kinda get the gist of what they were saying! It was weird... I could hear them, but she couldn't. Maybe it was some kind of ability I had.

"Summoner Sayuri-s-s-s," the snake Essence said in this old-man kind of voice. It sounded like it was a male-type thing to me. "It's been a long time since we've seen her, hmm, S-s-shiva? She doesn't look a day over twenty." Um, I'm not a day over twenty. "The Summoner—just extracted-s-s-s me a few days ago, but while she was in the process-s-s-s of doing it, we were attacked by Wicked S-s-spawn." Shiva flipped her long blue braids, ice crystals falling off of her arms. I sighed. Either Shiva was planning to give me the talk (by "The talk," I mean "The dance." And by "The dance," I mean kicking my ass.) or she was going to listen to everything the snake Essence had to say about me. I bit my lip because she was taking such a long time to answer him.

"Summoner of Time, it's been a long time," Shiva said in this heavenly voice that sounded like it was laced in ribbons made of velvet or something like that. Shiva switched her footing, crystals flying off her body. I jumped back. "Your pilgrimage has just begun? How nostalgic." I didn't understand what was so nostalgic about me beginning my pilgrimage, but okay. "The Summoner of Convene, Katsukara, is sleeping, and it was her spasms that summoned me."

"So that's her name? Katsukara? My next partner, huh?" I snickered. What was with the extra long name? "I plan to give her a very rude awakening. Why aren't you attacking me mindlessly, Shiva? Don't you move at her every whim and command?"

"You'd think that because you're a Summoner, you would know some damn thing about aeons." Lucrecia yawned. "Shiva's not dense. She has a mind," she spat. "Convene Summoners are the weakest Summoners of the bunch. They can only summon an Aeon for about five minutes before they hopelessly pass out like you did summoning that bogus excuse for a summon." The snake slithered towards me, hissing at Lucrecia, who seemed a little too happy confronting my dear good friend Snakey.

"Sayuri, your friend seems troubled," Snakey hissed. "You're not her Guardian, are you-s-s-s? Such a bad tongue..." Lucrecia?! My Guardian!? It was times like these where I really appreciated having Miyuki's company.

"Why would I be her guardian? As if I have the patience to look over a bunch of fucking Summoner wenches." And then she snickered. So she could hear Snakey and Shiva as well? I bet any kind of money that she was doing some kind of mind reading thing on them with that tricky thing she used to shoot that stuff at me. The snake Essence rattled its tail. "You don't like the fact that I'm calling the Summoners wenches? It's true. Everyone knows that they're of bunch failures." She paused, balling her mechanical fist up. "Failures, failures, failures. Like eighty-percent of this world."

"One should hold their tongue before it gets them in trouble-s-s-s."

"No, one should hang on to their tongue before I rip it out," Lucrecia replied. "What the fuck are you, Summoner_ God_ now? You're not even a real summon, just a fake excuse for one. So you actually think I'm afraid of you? Afraid of Shiva? Afraid of Sayuri?!" Hey, she had better be afraid of me! And not to seem like a big scary-cat, but these guys didn't look like they were pushovers. "When the time comes, I'll take my revenge. So hurry up and tell Sayuri what she needs to do before I test my hypothesis. I'd fight both of you blinded and win. Guarantee. I've done it before; don't think I can't do it fucking again!"

"Temperamental," Shiva said with no reluctance. "That is not a good thing. You will be dead within a year."

"Oh really?" Lucrecia shot back. "I'm still here, aren't I? I've seen you before and I've beaten you." Aww man, should I had listened to Snakey, or psycho-Lucrecia?! After I waited a minute choosing sides, I stopped all together. Sayuri Outtaike is her own man! Err—woman! "I'm not leaving any time soon, fucking bitch."

"Silence! This conversation is with the Summoner!" Shiva exclaimed, snow and ice flying from her frozen body. "Sayuri," she said, extra irritated. Oh, good thinking, Lucrecia! Anger the ice goddess! "You are a Summoner, and it is my duty to fight beside you, not fight you head on. But you must prove your worth to me!" she yelled, the wind cutting my face. What. The. Hell. I slowly raised my hands to my face, touching three of the millions of lacerations on my cheeks. Immediately, I cursed under my breath. Oh man! I was going to kick the psycho-lady's ass! "You are so young—you can't be as competent as Sayuri Outtaike! Show me that you can fight!" What was it with proving my worth to everyone and their mother? I really wanted to just cry. The ice crystals shooting from her body were lodging themselves in my legs. "Let your friend interfere! May her death be a quick and painless one!" I turned to the snake Essence who looked at me and nodded its head. I was shaking in fear. Lucrecia smirked, taking off her lab coat and holding it into the air.

"An invitation to my death?" she grinned, inhaling. "Sounds... Exciting." Lucrec exhaled. She turned towards me and slung her coat over her shoulder. I got a good glimpse at her mechanical arm, which was connected to her shoulder blade. When people usually get a synthetic arm or leg, you don't really think it's actually that long. It had lots of buttons on it, like it had been upgraded or something. She was wearing some kind of rose print underwire bustier that had faux ribbon lacing front detail, and a skirt. At least, I think it was a skirt. Pffpt, don't ask me.

"Listen up, kid. There's no way in hell you're taking her out, and I've been wanting to take her down for the longest. Listen to me, and you won't die." Frantically, I looked between Snakey and Lucrecia.

"B_hu_—buh—buh—_what?!_" I shrieked. Shiva launched off her feet and disappeared completely. Who should I have listened to? Old man Snake, or psycho-Lucrecia?! After I waited for a minute choosing sides, I stopped all together. Sayuri Outtaike is her own man! Err—woman!

"Duck, brat!"

"What for?!" I yelled. My grip tightened on my wand and I swung it to my left, sending Snakey slithering to the left.

"For fuck's sake pay attention!!" Next thing I know, I saw the sky. The white-gray sky. And I was falling back down towards the ground, screaming my head off. Oh, and I was falling _backwards._ Tears flew out of my eyes and I felt something grab my arm and throwing me even higher into the air. My sense of gravity was all messed up. I couldn't tell if I was on the ground or not. My stomach kept dropping for no reason. And then that's when I saw this beam... This ice-beam shoot right pass my face, freezing my left cheek. I mean, it was frozen-frozen. It was just that these crystals... Crystallized over it. Half of my face felt like it was gonna drop off my head and shatter into a million pieces. It was within those two-point-five seconds of absolute pain did a realize I was falling! Where was Snakey?! I looked down at the ground and my breath caught. Remember when I said I didn't like heights? Adding a snake, Lucrecia, Shiva, a tornado of wind and ice, and general coldness was like pushing my fear over the edge. Snakey wasn't even moving! He was just talking to me a second ago!!! So did he need me to make a command?!

I had no doubts in my mind. I was gonna tell Snakey to catch me.

"Stop time, Sayuri!"

Not wanting another ice beam in my face, I instinctively waved my wand in front of me. And just like that, everything stopped. Never had I been so happy in my life! That was the sound of Morta's voice! And they were waiting for me on the ground, with Lucrecia! I looked over my head and saw Shiva looming over me with these sharp icicles in her hands. I gulped. I floated back onto the ground and saw the snake Essence and it was frozen. I walked over to my teammates and they were giving me weird looks because I was smiling at them so hard. And then I hugged them.

"What gives, Sayuri Outtaike?" Morta said as soon as I let them both go.

"How'd you guys find me?! These were some of the worse twenty minutes of my life!!!"

"Shiva was blasting you," Miyuki said. Woah, Miyuki looked weird. She was all orange. "And you summoned the snake Essence. It was kind of easy to find you. I glanced at Lucrecia, who had lost her lab coat. My eyes got all teary as I hugged the crap out of Miyuki.

"Never leave me Miyuki, you hear? Never pay attention to any of the bad stuff I say about you! I love you so much and never leave my side!"

"Enough with the waterworks, Sayuri," Morta interjected. "We have to take Shiva out, you know. And this is the best way to do it. She's fast. But you're even faster." Morta smiled. Where was she going with this? I looked at what she was holding in her hand, and it wasn't the same scythe she had owned me with when I had just started my pilgrimage. It was shaped different, and had three retractable blades on it. I shrugged. "Do you guys have any idea where Kokoro and Chase went?"

Before I could answer, that irritating blue stuff started gleaming from Lucrecia's hand. She balled up her fist and shot that stuff into the air. What the heck was she doing?! I felt time slipping away from my fingertips, and it was getting harder to clutch my wand. "Lucrecia! Don't tell me you can pierce through my time too!" I sighed heavily, putting both hands on my wand. Miyuki shot a look at Lucrecia, and it was kinda funny. She wasn't the most intimidating person here. Perspiration started to slide down my forehead and my muscles were tensing up. This was not the kind of work I'd ever think I would be doing becoming the Summoner of Time, man.

"What are you doing?" Miyuki asked, coolly crossing her arms. "We're trying to devise a plan here."

"You think I'm stupid?" Lucrecia spat. My wand almost fell out of my hands. Frantically, I caught the wand and tried to pull it up into the air. No one was going to break my magic this time, I swore it! Especially Lucrecia! "I've fought Shiva before, so I know what I'm doing. I don't need your damn help to defeat someone I've already fucked up before!"

"Calm down," Miyuki said. "We're all fighting the same person here—" Before Miyuki could even finish her sentence, the blue stuff exploded around us, but I kept my grip heavy. Morta nodded at me. I guess she wanted to tell me that I was doing a good job. Or maybe... Just maybe... I dropped my wand completely, time resuming once more. Shiva was still airborne, but she wasn't stupid. She was coming right up to us, fast.

"Finally! This is what I've been wa—" Miyuki earned loads of respect from me. She came behind Lucrecia lightning quick, hundreds of cards sticking her in her back. She had silenced that lady's babbling, but she was still conscious. Within the split millisecond of me looking at Lucrecia, I managed to catch a glimpse of her sharp green eye... Itching at the chance to see her attacker behind her. Miyuki just kept that same blank expression... But it was like she was silently going, "Yeah. Not giving a crap." Awesome. Miyuki intertwined her fingers and the cards in Lucrecia's back glowed orange. "Rivers shall flow, be pure and crystalline. But red rivers must not, they must be trapped inside my being," Miyuki said, the cards glowing brighter now.

"You wouldn't... Dare..." Lucrecia coughed, blood flying from her mouth.

"This river so red..." Miyuki continued, getting a tad irritated. Her eyebrow twitched. Ladies and gentlemen. Best. Moment. Ever. I was so in love with Miyuki now. "...Must be stopped with a golden net. Stop this now, stop this bleed!" And just like that, there was a dance of furious orange lightning above Lucrecia's back. It was awesome. Best revenge ever. The lady collapsed on the ground and Miyuki waved her hand, her cards that were in Lucrecia's back appearing in it. "Let the Summoners handle this." She paused, looking at Morta and me. "I'm sorry you two, it'll never happen again." Aww. Did Miyuki actually apologize for what had happened earlier between Lucrecia and me? Being my stupid self and admiring Miyuki's ability to get over herself, I had forgotten that Shiva was overhead me, thirsty to cut my head off. I looked up, saw her coming down, and almost (almost, people) pissed my shorts. I heard this loud, steel sound... I didn't know how to explain it. Shiva's arm-sword things had clashed with the blade of Morta's scythe, stopping the ice goddess from instant-killing me. I recovered my wand and watched it illuminate a green light.

"Snakey, get your ass over here!" I grunted, swinging my wand to my left. The snake Essence came slithering to my side and I think Morta tried to push Shiva's arm-swords away from my head. She was successful, but Shiva went in for the kill again! My eyes widened in fear as I ducked down again. "Jeez Morta, do something!" I cried. The swinging above my head got louder and I continued to duck down. Shiva kept trying to impale my head and Morta kept trying to deflect her attacks. I mean, that chick was standing right next to me! She could have done better than that!

"She's relentless," Morta muttered. Oh, you think? I looked over at the green snake a couple of yards away from me. What the hell, man?! A little help would be nice! That's when it hit me. Everything that Lucrecia was telling me... The snake Essence's name... Snakey wasn't an_ offensive_ Essence! He was more of a charming Essence, as the incantation for him implied. I cursed under my breath as Shiva started attacking lower now. I didn't know how much I could duck before I did a full split. And I didn't know how to do a split in the first place. So I imagined that would hurt a lot.

"Sayuri, when I count to three, you're going to have to hit the ground, you hear me?"

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Morta, that's insane!"

"Five..."

"Just break the blade or something!"

"Two..."

"What the hell is two_?!_ What happened to _three and four?!_"

"Duck, now!" Skip all of that, I'm not that flexible. So instead I crouched down and put my hands over my head. And then the funniest thing happened. Morta stopped trying to fend off Shiva and Shiva cut a huge portion of my hair off. I stood up straight and couldn't believe it. Shiva floated right in front of us, ditching the arm blades. I grabbed a bundle of my hair and she had cut it!

Four _entire _inches.

I looked behind me and saw my beautiful purple locks on the ground.

I was going to kick some ass today!! "Don't lose it, Sayuri. We wouldn't want you to end up like Lucrecia there," Morta advised. I didn't give a flying damn about Lucrecia. Miyuki was guarding her body, and I was thinking about going into a fit of rage. But she wasn't there to baby us.

"Sayuri, duck! Solar Flare!"

"If ONE more person tells me to duck so help me I'm going to blow something up!!" From fear of my head magically blowing up, I did what the mysterious voice told me. Something flew straight over my head and hit Shiva's. I took a closer look, examining the orb. Hmm. Looked like a soccer ball to me. Wait, that was Kokoro's weapon thingy! I looked behind me and saw Chase and the Summoner of Fire standing right behind us. Kokoro looked like he was recovering from kicking that thing. I waved my hand up in the air to greet them, but there was this huge explosion of light going on behind me. I looked at Shiva, who was engulfed in multicolored flames. I couldn't even see her anymore. Kokoro and Chase walked over to us, and Kokoro put his hand in the air for a high five.

Yeah right.

"What did you just do?" I asked, gawking. "We just spent about three hours trying to take her down!"

"It's all in the shades!" Chase chuckled. "Nah, Shiva's an ice goddess, remember, Summoner Sayuri?"

"And she's not dead yet," Morta said, invading our conversation. How did she know? "She's just heavily injured. I can smell it." I tried to smell what Morta was smelling. All I could smell was ice, fire, and ashes. Maybe that was something that came with the job? That's when Kokoro took a few steps forward.

"A flare is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion, Sayuri. I threw my orb at her, and it flared up; sending multicolored flames all around her body. Now do you think I'm a capable fighter? Huh, Sayuri?" Yeah, when pigs fly. I rolled my eyes and picked up the pile of hair that Shiva cut off of my head. I clutched it and this small pentagram formed around my fist. I opened my hand, it the hair was gone. I pulled on my hair and squealed like a happy little girl. I didn't even know how I had done that, but whatever worked! The others were giving me weird looks, but I was happy! Now, I couldn't capture Shiva with my wand since she wasn't an Essence and belonged to that Katsukara person... It seemed like the three of us were becoming more in-tune with our powers. This was what I'd always dream of my team to be like. Skilled people who'd shut up and let me do the miracle working!

"Hey, guys!" Morta called out, swinging her scythe around Shiva to check if she was alive. Kokoro, Chase and I just stood where we were. We'd provide backup if it was needed. Half of Shiva's body was completely melted. I let out a whistle, to which Kokoro smiled.

"Well done, Summoners. You put up a strong fight. But hear this... This is not the end of your test of strength. Katsukara is inside of the whirlwind."

"You're lying," Morta said sharply. "My Guardian and I just came from the whirlwind. The wind is too strong for any normal person to reside inside it. You want to tell us where she really is, Shiva? Please, we only want to take her under our wing and have her join our team." Shiva closed her eyes and she started to fade. These big orbs of light... Similar to fireflies floated into the air and disappeared all together. "Let me guess, you're going to tell me that we have to find her by ourselves, right?" Morta sighed, standing up. She couldn't get anymore answers out of Shiva because she was completely gone now.

"So the search continues..." I sighed. "I wish I knew how to turn back time. Morta, you forgot to ask her if Katsukara woke up! Y'know, since Shiva's dead and all."

"Please, Katsukara is as knocked out as Lucrecia here." Miyuki joined us, carrying the pysco-lady over her shoulder. Where did she find the strength to carry her? Well, _anybody_? And she even picked up her lab coat. "We need to find her and wake her up ourselves. Haven't you three gotten it by now? Once you find a Summoner, they start to have spasms before they transform. Once you transform for the first time, you fall out after it. Sayuri did it, Kokoro did it, and I don't know about you, Morta, for obvious reasons. I would phone in Spectra, but communications seem a little tampered with." I stared at Miyuki for a while, trying to figure out where she got the strength to carry Lucrecia's body. Looking at everyone else, I was the only one who was extremely hurt from the "battle" that took place. Half of my face was still crystallized in ice and I was just shaking from extreme cold.

"You did a good job, Morta, Kokoro." I nodded. Without them, I'd probably be Shiva-food. I reluctantly scratched the back of my head, stroking my unkempt hair. I pointed to my face, poking the frozen side of it. "I just wished you guys would have helped me a bit early."

"Nice to see our Summoner has some humor about her, even in the bleakest of situations." Chase chuckled wholeheartedly, his chest heaving up and down. Aww, he had an old man potbelly! I wanted to touch it, out of curiosity. Except... You know... I probably wouldn't have felt anything because my fingers were frozen. I was just about to nod my head and smile, but Kokoro slung his arm around my neck, nearly strangling me.

"Of course she is!" Kokoro exclaimed. "She's the leader! She's Sayuri!"

"Let go of me!" I shot. "Aww, c'mon! Show the hero a little respect? Everyone's not messed up like I am! Only I'm hurting and this sucks! The side of my face is _burning!"_ After I had gotten my complaint out, Kokoro let go of me, a curious expression on his face. I narrowed my eyes. "What?!" Instead of getting an answer, he pointed to my face.

"Hold still."

"Wait. _What?!_ You're not thinking of blowing my face off are you?!" I panicked. Involuntarily, I started shaking.

"I'm gonna try not to," Kokoro replied, way too unsure for my tastes. I stepped several feat back, really quick.

"Forget it! Forget it!" I implored. "That's not worth it! If you're not one hundred percent sure about this and don't know what you're doing, don't come near me—" I stopped mid-sentence because Kokoro had put his hands on my face, instantly melting the ice. That's a nifty ability, to be able to increase your body temperature whenever you feel like it. Whatever works, I guess?

"Are we done, guys?" Morta pipped up, folding her arms. I quirked my nose.

"Yeah, now let's go find the Summon—" At that moment, the energy from me just like... Disappeared. I almost fell on top of Kokoro and Miyuki nearly dropped Lucrecia. Morta staggered a bit and Chase just stood there, unaffected by the lack-of-energy-flow. When I recovered my balance, Kokoro decided that he'd turn really blue and revert out of his Summoner form. For like five minutes, everyone was exchanging looks made of what-the-hell-just-happened. Miyuki could barely keep both of her eyes open at the same time. I caught Kokoro and man, I just couldn't even hold myself up and he was four times my size.

"Princess Renata!" the old man said, without any questioning in his voice. "We've got to go to her now! She's in danger."

"How do you propose we make it to where she's at in time?" I said sardonically, the snake Essence disappearing. I was losing the ability to hold my transformation form together. Like I said, summoning the snake Essence drained me completely. "Is she being attacked?"

"Very much so," Miyuki said, sighing. "I'm waking her up." Why would you want to wake Lucrecia up?! We were doing so well... fighting without her! "My spell went wrong, please reverse it—"

"Why, Miyuki?" I carped. Really, I didn't like that chick.

"Lucrecia knows how to transport us to where Renata's at," Chase said, rubbing his chin. "That's her name, right? Continue please, Guardian." Miyuki gave Chase a look, not really happy with him since he called her 'Guardian'. I mean, she does have a name, right? I'd be mad if that old man called me 'Guardian', or in my case, 'Summoner'. But then again, everyone and their sister called me Summoner, Summoner of Time, Summoner Sayuri... It was really cool. It was like my superhero alias. Kinda.

"Don't mess up, and don't perverse it. Spirit guides, higher-self hear my plea. Come now and converse with me. Walk me and guide me through this veil trance, I ask of you. I return to Earth again. Thank you spirit, self, and friend." Lucrecia's eye slowly opened, all of the wounds in her back disappearing. Her skin looked cold to the touch as she stood up, dusting herself off. But Miyuki... Poor Miyuki.... She stopped shimmering her resilient orange and collapsed on her hands and knees. She could barely breathe.

"Miyuki!" Kokoro half-shouted, limping towards the 4-foot-tall Celestial Being. "It'll be okay, Miyuki. Just hang in there, okay?" he said between jagged breaths. Lucrecia silently threw her lab coat on and turned towards Miyuki. Keep in mind that Miyuki had totally owned Lucrecia not too long ago. The brunette tried to get close to Miyuki, and that's when Morta and I took action. We ambled in front of our guardian, ready to protect our protector!

"Lucrecia, we're not going to ask you again," Morta warned, swinging her scythe. I reverted out of my Summoner form. I didn't have enough energy to hold it. "Calm down. It's sickening that you're this demented on fighting." I weakly nodded my head. "Now, we need you to transport us to where Renata is, okay?" Lucrecia gave us death glares from space, flexed her mechanical arm, and pushed the two of us aside like we weren't anything to be afraid of.

"Who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" Crazy-pysco lady hissed and glanced at Miyuki, a mischievous look swimming around in her jade-green eye. "Trust me, I'm a _doctor_." It was so disconcerting... The way she had said that. "I don't normally do this every day, especially to people I don't give a damn about, but it's technically my job to protect Renata and that bitch has some kind of infatuation with you all." She shrugged. "Just more people that I have to annihilate when all of this is over." She clapped her hands together and that blue energy seeped through her hands and into Miyuki. Like magic, Miyuki stood up on her feet. I was so proud of her today!

"Thank you," Miyuki murmured. "But you don't have to do that again. Summoners, when I fall, it's your job to keep doing what you were meant to do in the first place. I die for you all..."

"But you're our friend!" Kokoro coughed. "And we'll do anything to protect you."

"Yeah, he's right, Miyuki," I said. "I'm a Summoner, right? And what do Summoners do? Protect others in need!" I stopped talking and looked all around me. Did I hear... Someone crying? I looked to my left, and I saw this girl with waist-length purple hair and green eyes. HEY! Wait a minute! That was _me!_ With a tissue covering my whole face, crying my eyes out. She wore something that looked Mad-Hatter-y with a modern sex appeal. The ribbed, gold satin-like top section of her dress had a V-neckline. The green velvet midsection was decorated with small purple buttons and the purple satin-like shirt had a shiny look. The matching bowtie and mini-cape button around her neck was 14" inches long in the back and was made of the same shiny gold material as the top of her dress. She wore a shiny purple satin top hat with green velvet trim. Knee-high white stockings and mary jane heels completed her... 'costume'. Like, everyone 'cept for Morta and Lucrecia practically looked at me, and then back at the faker.

"Who's that?" everyone said in unison. How the hell should I have known? And this girl kept crying.

"Mirror, Mirror, what do I see? Someone looking back who _looks _like me," the girl said, sobbing her eyes out. Okay, my day had officially been one of the weirdest. "Mirror, Mirror, what do I do? Seal both your eyelids with a bit of glue." She paused, her crying stopping like she was programed to stop crying. Weird. "Mirror, Mirror, what do I feel?" And at this point, she just vanished. And then I felt her hand around my throat, lifting me up into the air. I couldn't breathe, and I heard my neck popping.

"A hand 'round your throat, an old, _familiar _thrill." She sucked up her tears, and then a girl with wavy black hair appeared behind the fake me. She was wearing a red and white polyester dress that featured a black peasant top with off-the-shoulder sleeves that were secured in a purple elastic band. The dress was secured with a zipper in the back and two red straps tired around her neck. Black ribbon laced up her torso with hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades outlining it. Her red skirt showed off a glitter playing card of each suit. The bottom of her skirt was lined in black ruffles. Oh, and did I forget to mention the scythe she held in her hands. She was a Morta faker. She was smirking at me, which was so unlike Morta to do.

And then there Mr. Pirate pants Kokoro, who stood next to her. He wore a polyester shirt that had a lace-up front along with a tattered bottom edge on the end of the sleeves. Striped pants were what he wore on his legs, and they came just past the knee. He wore vinyl boot tops, a belt and a red and black headbands.

"Mi... yu... ki," I said, my vision being attacked by black blobs of doom. Miyuki tensed up. This was too much work for one day.

"The mirror Essence?" Miyuki questioned. "It's so rare for anyone to see it. Lucrecia! Chase! Go to Renata right now." She paused, pulling out this gigantic thing of cards.

"Luck's on my side. We've got an Essence to catch."

And just like that, I was spent. My eyes closed and I was gone for the day. Let's hope I woke up this time.

* * *

**A/N:** Yaaaay. XD

More Sayuri/Kokoro stuff. I don't mind if you don't mind~*shot*

I like my fight scenes, man. Nuff said. Now next chapter, I know you all want some mirror Essence carnage, right? Right. But sadly, we MUST save the princess! XD Or... The princess must save herself... ¬_¬

Believe it or not, guys. XD

But when I say Renata could quite possibly beat the crap out of all of the Summoners and Lucrecia at the same time, I mean it. I would even go as far as to say she could take on The Wickednss. XD But I'm mostly lying because I'm a bad liar. But we ARE glad that Kokoro took down Shiva, right? Now all we have to do is go find the next Summoner! Shouldn't be too hard. XD It's just hectic, yes?


	16. Knight Of The Wind

**A/N:** Third update for the day~ XD Yes sir, I want to catch us up really quick like. Man, so we didn't get any Summoner action this chapter. Boo, right? Except this chapter was fun to write! Guys. Chase is a gangster. XD He's an OG. Original Gangster. Because Chase is the shiiyuuut and he doesn't take any crap from anyone. ^_^

Anyone! XD

Snap back to reality... And I really liked this flashback. Because I got to write everyone's favorite Wickedness! XD

* * *

Mom...?

I can't describe the emptiness that I feel inside me right now. You're still alive, but in my opinion, you're dead. My dreams were not allowed, huh? I trusted you, I really trusted you, and you completely destroyed that trust. Will I ever be able to see you again? I want things to go back to the way they were. Before I was ever demanded to go out and save the world, defeat Essences, or fight all of these crazy psycho people. I... Mom? What do I have to do to turn it back? I do not want to have to go through all of this, I really don't want to go through this torture, okay?

Can I pass down my powers to someone else? Or am I cursed with this glorious obligation? To forever wander around and think of what could have been avoided? Maybe I never knew you at all. Maybe you were someone out of my reach? I'm sorry for being so stupid. So obtuse. I'm sorry for being so dumb for 99% of my existence. Is there anything I could do to make it better between us?

* * *

_This is it. This... is your story. It all begins here. It's alright. It's been… long enough. This... is your world now._

* * *

Her dreams are not allowed, stumbling through the darkness, a phase of restless wandering after a mundane world. I'm leaning over the ground, my purple hair falling in my eyes. My sword is just a couple of feat away from me and I glance at it. But I see her face, the same face that I have nursed for fourteen years. My eyes start to get teary, but I keep the same serious expression that I have worn since I've left her. I can't show her that I still care, even though I'm aching on the inside to tell her. My heart wants to jump out of my chest, to tell her that I am still capable of feelings. Some unknown force—a sticky, tar like substance—holds my heart in place, forcing it to beat in the same monotonous rhythmic style that it is used to.

"After facing a mundane world," I say, coughing a bit. "Devoid of higher power... Facing the starless void. Introspective contemplation. No one can reach you inside." My daughter's reflective mirrors of green stare into my own. She looks like she can't even form words, but she feels sorry for me. She clutches her weapon and looks at me this time with a more hateful expression. But within seconds, this once exasperated expression softens into something more concerned for my well-being. "So, Sayuri. Have you made up your mind yet?" I cough, refusing to meet with her eyes any longer.

"I have," Sayuri answers back, tossing me a blue bottle. I catch it with ease and stare at it for a while. It was a potion to heal my wounds.

"What's the big idea? You taking pity on me?" I silently laugh, tossing the bottle to the side. I am injured, yes, but normally heroes don't take pity on their antagonists. However, Sayuri isn't any ordinary hero. She is my daughter, and I am her mother. How ironic that we were destined to fight each other like this.

"It didn't feel right—beating you when you're weak," she admits, shrugging her shoulders and frowning. "You're a no-good, self centered old bastard and you know it! But I realized. The old lady I know—is the girl that always wins, the toughest girl in the world! The Wickedness herself!" She emphasizes her claim, gazing into the dark, star-filled sky. "That's who I have to beat!" Her serpentine intestines are intertwined, walking an uncertain path that is shrouded in the moonlight, harboring antiquated hope. I smile a toothy grin.

"The skinny little girl, talking tough," I say, grasping my sword. I pull it out of the ground. She takes her glance elsewhere and I can see her fingers shaking as she grips her wand.

"I'll regret it... If I don't fight you!" she exclaims, attempting to look intimidating. I can sense the fear radiating from her body. She doesn't want to fight, just like I don't want to fight her.

"Sensuality confronted with a ruthless world, dark eyes searching for the escape. Embraced by the will to survive, meandering through the shadows—" I pause, preparing my sword for battling. "You can't even win against the mirror Essence, so what makes you think you're going to stand a chance against me?!" She jerks back from almost striking me. My daughter is having second thoughts. It is apparent by the way she is dressed that she had just come from a desperate struggle. Her hair is wildly unkempt and her skin is bruised. Cuts dance all around her body.

"Let's do this then!"

"You're finished!"

Not wanting to waste any time, I charge at Sayuri with all of the strength I have in my body. I swing towards her, making sure I have perfect aim. My daughter swiftly evades my attack and jumps high into the air, twirling. Using her wand as some sort of melee weapon, she flips in the air again, attempting to strike me from above. I lift my sword in the air, parrying her attack.

"Oh?" I mock, the struggle between mother and daughter raging on. She narrows her eyes at me. "Falling hard on the floor, nocturnal voyage beyond sleep. You cannot find the way back home and you're not sure if you want to return. You crave it, the adrenalin to be able to fight! Where is your gavel, Sayuri? You want out, but you can't run from the very thing that you're addicted to! That sense of danger—but that sense disappears once you find find the courage to fight! This is a way of living, being a hero! But what cost are you willing to pay?"

"This is just the beginning!" Sayuri insists, trying to gain the upper hand in our power struggle. I didn't know that, and so I snicker.

"So that's how it is, huh?!" I grunted, pushing my sword through her defenses and pushing the hilt into her stomach. She flies back into the giant sword behind us that is lodged into the ground. She sits behind it in pain, thinking of what she should do next.

"Look what happens when I don't hold back. Well, now you know that nobody can beat me. You're still just a kid. You got limitless potential running through your veins. You'll be up on your feet by tomorrow." I turn around and prepare to leave her, saving her a quick death. Unless she found that which she was searching scattered across the icy highway—the fragmented remains of loss—she was as hopeless as a puppy. I start to walk off until I hear her getting back up.

"Where are you going? This isn't over yet. There's no tomorrow for me... Unless I beat you today!" I frowned, irritated by her meaningless resolve.

"Pesky runt!" I spat. "Who do you take after?!" Sayuri charged blindly at me, her wand glowing. I already know what she is trying to cast. One can guess it by the color of which it changes. She is predictable and overall weak.

"_Go_ _ask yourself!"_ Water starts to pour out of her wand, wrapping around me and attempting to choke me. I smirk. "You're the final chapter in my story!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixteen: Knight Of The Wind :-**

_Close your eyes little girl, you're a princess now.  
You own this world.  
Twirling in your twirly dress, you're the loveliest far above the rest. _

_You build your castles in the skies, stars reflecting off your eyes.  
And angels sing on silver clouds, and no one cries screams or shouts_

_Oh set apart this dream, set apart this dream for me._

– "Set Apart This Dream" – Flyleaf

"Hurry up, Defina!" I called out, grabbing my equipment, which consisted of my blade. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, just to make sure that I was prepared to go off and fight to protect the Princess. Queen Aysel looked torn up about it, and everyone could sense that the Princess was in an epic struggle for her life. The Queen was my idol and I looked up to her, and when I made her angry, I had to punish myself for it. The Queen should not have been bothered with punishing my failures. I touched my spiky hair and glanced at my sister, who did not resemble me at all. Her skin was pale and she had black, shoulder-length hair with red streaks in it. She could not compare to my beauty. My skin was a deep shade of bronze, and my eyes were a warm, silver color. She couldn't have been related to me.

Defina always had problems with her nose, which was why she had always kept a band-aid on it. She was not like normal Enlightened Ones, that was for sure. Her powers seemed to work in reverse here. Her nose always needed to be checked by a specialist—more so—that pathetic excuse for an Enlightened One Lucrecia. I didn't trust her as far as Defina could throw her. She was not really a capable fighter, but we kept her on our squad... On our squad because we needed someone who had the abilities to heal others. That was what Defina had, and some people overlooked that completely.

She was an excellent warrior, she just did not want to show anyone that she was capable of fighting. And they would all mock her. Mock her because they thought all she had to her name was her sense of smell. Oh, how that made my blood boil. What did they know about my sister? What did _anyone_ know about my sister? I glanced at her, and she smiled. I saw no reason as to why she should have been smiling. She needed to show people that there was more to her instead of going around becoming nothing more than a mere nuisance. I tapped my nails on top of my desk, clutching my sword in my other hand.

"Defina, so this is a red alert, hmm?" I asked, smiling along with her. "Don't they already have people on the field looking after the Princess? They must be doing a horrible job, don't you think?" Defina pipped up, clasping her hands and putting on a confused look.

"You do not know? I thought they would tell a general such as yourself the news." I seethed a little. I wasn't the general anymore... Ever since that thing took my position. So she could beat a few Earth Eaters faster than I could. What made Aysel like her better than me? What did she have that I didn't have? What could I do to make Aysel see that she was virtually useless? "The Summoners came back. Well, not as many as before, but Queen Aysel had them detained." She was having a hard time recalling everything that happened, and I wasn't fazed by the word "Summoner". If anything, I chuckled under my breath. They would die before they even touched the Queen. Right?

"The Summoners managed to defeat Lucrecia in battle, and then they brought her back to her senses. After that, the Aeon called Shiva come back and Aysel had ordered Lucrecia and Renata to take care of the problem, but they were gravely wounded in the battle. So she made Zed go along with them and Lucrecia brought the Summoners to fight with them. It scares me a bit to know that even with all of those people, they cannot detain the tornado that is at hand. Aysel is not taking this catastrophe lightly. She is in her courtiers right now going on and on about how her soldiers are nothing but "useless" tools. I think it would be best if we get down there now and stopped this mishap from getting out of hand." I blinked and put my hand on my waist. This would have been the perfect time to prove my worth to Aysel. I would destroy the Summoners, and with that, I would kick Lucrecia out of the rankings. I put my sword in its sheath and brushed some of my spiky hair out of my eyes.

"This cannot be helped, can it? I hope no one gets hurt," I said through a smile. In all actuality, I could have cared less if someone ended up dying today except for a few hand-picked people. Defina threw a cloak on to keep herself warm and offered me one, but I told her I did not need it. If I wanted to be a better warrior, I had to act like one. I inhaled. Today seemed like everything was going to change for me. I felt like Lucrecia would fall faster than she could get back up.

I started walking towards the threshold of the door, Defina's footsteps mirroring my own. I was starting to get uneasy—I could hear another individual's steps, but maybe it was just my imagination. These floors were concrete enough to the point where sound wouldn't ripple through the room, so someone else had to be in here. It was my job to make sure Aysel's castle did not have any intruders running amidst in it. I drew my weapon and I turned around, facing a frazzled Defina. "What's wrong? We have to go check on the others; have you forgotten—" Defina stopped mid-stride, smelling the air while closing her eyes. "There is an imbalance. Something smells like... Cheese. Cheese and... Cheese and something else. Like perfume."

"And you are sure that is not Renata you are smelling?" While it was true that Princess Renata was miles away from us, that was the extent of Defina's abilities. She nodded her head and turned around, getting in a fighting stance. She wanted almost more than I did to find out who had been spying on us. It was definitely a woman, judging by what we could smell. I let a small intake of breath escape my lungs, and something grazed my shoulder. It was something sharp and it pierced my skin. I jumped forward and turned around, crouching down and waiting for anything. Defina stood there, frozen, unable to make a move.

And I must admit, I was a little bit afraid of what I saw as well. "You are supposed to be protecting Renata, are you not?!"

"Look at you. You seemed like you would be much more fun to mess with. Too bad they won't let me kill you." It was her, that idiot brunette. She looked a little odd. Both of her eyes were open, which led me to believe that all of that talk about not being able to open her left eye was all just a game. She could see clearly. Lucrecia was now wearing a suit, which was really usual. I highly doubted that she had anything that made her look more-or-less professional-looking in her wardrobe.

As I kept analyzing her, more questions ended up inside my head. She wore some kind of stabbing device... Something that I had never seen her use before. I had always won my fights knowing everything that my opponent had planned to do. I did a lot of research if it assured me winning in a battle. I knew nothing about what her weapon-of-choice was now, and that scared me—only a little. If I wanted to stay in Aysel's guard, I needed to kill all intruders, and she intruded on me!

Tensing up, I swung my sword to my left and it separated, turning into its whip-like form. I scowled, giving her a threatening look. "So you want to fight me after all this time? After I begged you, after I _pleaded _you to test me in battle?" I couldn't get my mind off the scratch that was sitting on my shoulder. It started to bleed profusely, blood dripping on the ground. That was not an ordinary graze, but I did not have a lot of time to check it out. Lucrecia folded her arms and started to walk around, looking at the ground as if she was bored. If she was going to fight me, she needed to acknowledge me as an opponent, not someone she could demean!

"It's funny how people manage to get my name wrong."

I did not get it. Not at all. "I have said it right. Are you saying that I cannot speak right?"

"No, I'm saying that you should get your facts straight." After what seemed to be like an eternity of silence, she stopped and started to saunter around the room again. "How foolish it would be to fight with someone like you... You honestly think I would clash weapons with you? Now I understand why she won't even fight you. You wreak of not being worthy." I flinched at her words, and so did Defina. Defina was the closest one to her, and I did not understand why she did not attack her.

"You are wrong! That is as far as you go!" Defina bellowed. "My sister is the best fighter in all of Aysel! She has made a name for herself, and has defeated millions and millions of both Nocuous and monsters alike! She shows no fear, and has no right to show fear when she encounters the likes of you! You should take everything you have said back!" She was always like that, sticking up for me even though I did not need her help. She had all this power—at least a little—and we both knew that she was not going to use it. It made me angry when she did things like this.

"You both are ungrateful. And here I was, about to propose something to you two. You aren't worthy of his praise and glory." She stopped and chuckled to herself, trying to hide her malicious grin under her left hand. "This whole kingdom will turn into nothing more than gravel and dirt. Naira, you have no reason to prove your worth to a fooly-hearted queen that will do nothing but tarnish your name and hold your head underneath the water." Lucrecia laughed again, but it was unlike any other laugh I had heard come out of her mouth. She was arrogant... I knew she was arrogant, but in her own sneaky way. This Lucrecia wanted to flaunt that. At any rate, I was not going to let her tarnish the name of our queen!

"You will rue the day in which you demeaned Queen Aysel!!!" With that said, I swung my sword across the room, not worried about hitting Defina. She could take things like this, I was sure! Defina ducked down and put her hands on top of her head. She was afraid and petrified of fighting. Lucrecia seemed to know that I was attacking her, and she started moving at amazing speeds. It was like she was not even moving. She appeared in one spot and disappeared in the next, making me swing my sword with haphazard movements. I started breaking out in sweat, but I knew that my arm could never get tired.

Unlike hers.

And then... Within the millisecond that I could see her, I realized that she had_ both_ of her limbs. Impossible. I dropped my guard, and that was extremely foolish of me. I felt a tingling sensation inside my stomach and I dreaded to look down. A symbol... Something of a black, fire-breathing dragon etched itself all over my stomach. She had pierced my body with her claws and I felt weak. There had to be some kind of poison inside that weapon. I started to slide towards the floor, forced to witness her unsightly teeth as she grinned at me.

Defina scrambled off the floor, biting her thumb. Little beads of blood started to seep out of the cut and she ran towards me, offering me the crimson substance that was seeping out of her finger. Her blood had a healing factor, and that was due to a malfunction she had at birth. It could also have been used as a harmful agent... A sort of acid if she willed it to. I pushed her away, trying to lift myself up off of the ground.

I did not _need _her help. Every time she offered me her help, I just got angry. Angry...

I wanted to know what that symbol was on my stomach... I wanted to know why it went through my clothes and seeped into my skin. It was like a tattoo, and no matter how many times I rubbed it, it would not come off. I bit my lip, refusing to ask that woman what she had just done to me. She was only amused at how I looked, bringing her bloodstained claw up to her face and laughing.

"My name is Larunda the Purpúreo, don't call me otherwise." Her tone of voice changed into something threatening, warning me not to move. Did she think that I had to actually listen to her warnings?! "Born from the ebb of misconception and ennui, I am something _more_ of myself." She emphasized this, the mark embedded on my body glowing an eerie red. My whole body went into a panic and I did not know why. "Do _not_ call me Lucrecia!!! Never call me that name!!" Now she was snarling. She punched the wall behind her and it collapsed _completely._

Silly fool. Aysel would hear that, though I doubted anyone was still in the castle. I had hoped Adel was still here, but I think he was gone as well. "If I stab you in the same spot, your body will automatically start to decompose from the inside, and you will die. Isn't the mark of Saivan perfect?" _King_ Saivan? That wasn't his mark at all. I gritted my teeth, looking at her with enraged eyes.

"Get out of my sight. I always knew you were crazy, Lucrecia."

"Oh, yes, that's right. Allow me to correct myself. It is the mark of us Shadows." She turned around and stared at my sister, planting fear into her mind. She couldn't stop shaking. She had less spine than a jellyfish. Lucrecia gave me one last look, and then disappeared in a flash of purple smoke.

I was going to make sure she paid with her life.

* * *

_Close your eyes pretty girl, 'cause it's easier when you brace yourself. __Set your thoughts on a world far off where we only cry from joy. _

* * *

The things around me were frozen and dead. This was not how I wanted my kingdom to look like, even if I could not call it something of my own. Everything was cold and nothing was animate. The land looked as if it were crying for the smallest hint of sun, and I thought all I had to do was stand still and help my friends. They were the only ones who were capable of saving this world. I... I had failed to do so such a long time ago... And I think I failed to help them even now.

Zed stood before me, a bit amused at the slew of flying Wicked Spawn encircling us. I clutched my amulet with my left hand, feeling all the energy that I had distributed out go back inside of it. I could not help them because I needed to help myself. That sounded selfish of me, but the Wicked Spawn looked like they had evolved in such a short period of time... In my heart, I knew that my friends were fighting with all their power to stop this kingdom from falling. After this was all over, I would make a promise to plant this part of my world with flowers. Bright, beautiful flowers to make it feel welcome.

I did not forget about the place where I was raised. I did not like living in the air, and I very much missed seeing the land.

I did not want to see the land like this, however.

I did not want to fight.

Fighting was what animals did. I was not an animal, and neither were my friends. Lucrecia had taught me that sometimes, people fought to protect themselves. It was the first rational thing I think she had ever said to me then. Even monsters have feelings. They may appear to be ruthless—letting nothing stop them until they get what they want—but monsters have hearts. Whoever the Wickedness was... Whoever had been deemed such a fate was _crying_. I could see their tears within the Wicked Spawns' eyes, no matter how malicious they seemed.

I wanted to save The Wickedness from such a horrible fate. When Sayuri first came to Aysel, I was nothing but a young, naive girl. I did not know what war was, but Sayuri understood it fully. She walked by my side and told me things I would not have known about. She was not my guard, so she had no reason to watch over me, yet she did it. Her friends were loyal to her... They were willing to risk their lives for her. One of her friends was a wolf—or so it seemed. Sayuri told me that her wolf companion could shape-shift but... I did not believe her.

The other one was an strange person. Her name was Leyiko and she was something that was manufactured. Like a machine. She was confused about her existence until Sayuri walked into her life. The Summoner of Time found Leyiko and gave her a name. Sayuri had given her a reason to live. It was just the three of them, and they worked with so much teamwork. Back then... I would say... The best thing about Sayuri was her smile. Her bright, vivacious smile. Even when she was sad or in danger, she would smile, and she meant it. Then one day... One day all of that changed.

I was not up when it happened, but Sayuri attacked my mother. My father was furious, but Leyiko and her wolf companion (she never gave me a name) kept the king busy, attacking him on their own. Sayuri and her party interrogated my parents at their weakest. The Summoners were smart to do that. And that was the last time I had seen that sincere smile of hers. Sayuri and her friends disappeared without a trace and did not even spare me a goodbye. I knew she would come back again... And now... Several years later, here she was again.

But her smile was gone.

Sayuri was locked in a sea of depression. Lucrecia did not make things any better when she attacked her when she came back after all these years... Lucrecia had told me time and time again about how Sayuri had made her life a living hell. As soon as the Summoner had stepped into Lucrecia's presence, her whole life crumbled. I did not believe Sayuri was capable of such things—and I would tell Lucrecia that—but she would just get angry at me. The Sayuri I knew did not rip other people's arms away...

And the Sayuri now? The Sayuri that charged into battle?

She did not seem like she could even imagine doing something like that. She was drowning in her own fear and misfortune. I wished that there was something I could have done for her. Anything. But she was so far away from me now. It was my time to return the favor because there was a time when I felt like I was drowning in my own misery as well. I lifted up my arm, as cold as it was, and prepared to fight the onslaught of winged Wicked Spawn in front of me. They did not want to hurt anyone. They just wanted to be set free. The Wickedness itself just wanted to escape the cruel fate that befell it.

Everyone kept treating it like it was a beast without feelings. Especially my mother... I could not stay mad at Aysel, however. She was my mother, after all. Aysel ruled this kingdom with an iron first even though my father was away doing research and collecting other gems of this land. There was at least a hint of goodness inside my mother, right? She was not all bad, right? I had to smile for my mother too. And my father.

"What do you wish for me to do?" Zed said, taking off his hat in a very odd manner. I lifted up my left arm, my pale skin seeming duller against the snow. I closed my eyes and my amulet started to glow. I could see it... All of this focal energy around me... It was all being given off by my amulet. Zed knew that he did not have to fight much especially when I was around. I did not like my friends getting their hands dirty, even if it meant me doing something that I rather abhorred. My opponent was in the air, so that meant that I would—

I thrust both of my hands back, the energy forming into something malicious. A long spear eventually fitted into both of my palms made out of pure energy, and then six more of them appeared in front of me.

Then twenty.

Then forty.

Then eighty.

The numbers were limitless. And he just stood there with an all-knowing smirk on his face. My handmade weapons floated around me, ready to be told what to do. And even this was not the extent of my power. The clouds around us began to clear out, the sun being able to shine through the sky above us, even though the tornado was still active a couple of miles from here. I inhaled. This was always the hard part. The hard part was always _starting_ the fight. If I did not act, they would act, and I did not want Aysel to punish me for that.

I clutched the spear in front of me with both of my hands and looked sympathetically at the Wicked Spawn. "Scatter."

The dance in the sky started, my spears lunging at their opponents, impaling the shadows. All I could do was watch. The good thing about Wicked Spawn was that they did not bleed. They were walking shadows—skin partials that broke off The Wickedness' skin. Whenever one died, it would disappear into a cloud of smoke. The sound of the battle was all too much for me. I did not like it, and sometimes it drove me over the edge. Why did people have to do battle like this?

This kingdom could live in harmony and peace, I knew that much...

I looked down onto the ground and I saw the shadows coming up from the dirt. I gasped and then turned around. This was not good. I was taken by surprise; there was not only Wicked Spawn in the sky, but they were hiding beneath the snow as well. I wanted to make sure Zed was alright, knowing he really did not have anything to fight with. He was on the team to be a tactics person; he told everyone a plan and they would follow it. I jabbed my spear into the ground and there it stayed, being devoured by the Wicked Spawn. I stepped back, in front of him, and opened my palms again. I used the energy to create two flails, and I began to swing one in the air above us, helping my airborn spears complete their mission. The flail in my left hand, I used to stop the Wicked Spawn from coming any closer towards us.

When I was like this, I felt like a monster. I could not get tired... Not when I had this amulet around my neck. Aysel had called me the perfect weapon to my father once when I was little. This devastated me and ultimately ending up traumatizing me. I did not know what a weapon was, so I would ask different people about it... They all told me different things that I did not want to believe... The more I learned, the more I was afraid of dying and fighting. I did not want to rule this kingdom if that was what it took—being the "perfect weapon". I did not like to show off my powers...

I would have wanted people to not know of them at all...

I wanted to end this fighting already... All of this pain. The others that had gone to stop the tornado needed me. In the end, I had ended up throwing my weapons and clapping my hands together. If the Wicked Spawn would have been any regular person, they would have been brutally killed by now, stricken down by more than one-hundred spears. That was what I was capable of, and I could not turn down this power... "Hail Summoners of the world! See me, look upon me, protect me and my people tonight. Send your white light around me. Send your protective light around Zed and I so that they may be protected as we travel and you dream. Send only good and lucid energies our way. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

My amulet illuminated a rich light all over the field. It was even powerful enough to melt the snow off of the ground. I saw no more Wicked Spawn in the air, or on the ground. I breathed... Something that did not come easy throughout the whole entire fight. This fight was not over yet. I needed to make the grounds around us sacred so that we wouldn't be bothered by monsters again. That could only be done by reciting The Charge of the Goddess, a spell that ran deep down in my family's lineage.

"She who is the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, calls unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto Her. For She is the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From Her all things proceed, and unto Her all things must return; and before Her face, beloved of gods and men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek Her, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, She has been with thee from the beginning; and She is that which is attained at the end of desire."

I exhaled calmly, knowing that nothing could confront us. Now I could smile, and I did just that. I wanted Zed to know that the Goddess was protecting us now. "It's all over, now we can return to the—"

The sound of someone being ripped into filled my ears, something my stomach did not take too well with. I turned around, and a man in a red coat stood in front of me. He was old and had spiky hair... No, that was Chase, and something or someone had just stabbed through his chest. He had his left hand on the hilt of his sword. With his right hand, he clutched the blade intruding his body and snapped it in half. I was happy because he was okay, but I was sad because he had just gotten injured... He had gotten hurt trying to save me... "Princess Renata," he said without a hint of pain in his voice. "You don't have to lift a finger when I'm around."

The person who had stabbed him... I could not see what they looked like behind Chase's large frame. I examined the ground and realized that it was not a blade that had gone through him. It looked more like... Bone? _Bone?_ But... How? I knew that this was not a princess's place, but I wanted to know what was happening here. I looked through the corners of my eyes and Zed put his hands in his pockets, walking next to Chase.

"I never thought I would see a Nocuous protecting an Enlightened One," he said. "You are not getting some kind of pay for this, are you? People are paid to protect the Princess, you know." He spoke as if Chase was some kind of monster. That was farthest from the truth. Chase swung his sword in front of him, startling the person who tried to kill him a moment ago.

"This has nothing to do with you," Chase shot, slashing at the opponent in front of him. I was able to get a good look at him now. Chase was fighting a woman that had blue hair that went down to the middle of her back. She had peek-a-boo bangs that signaled the beginning of the layered blanket of lines that had been smoothly fashioned around her shoulders. She showed no emotion... It was almost as if she was lifeless. I think that scared me more than the battle and Chase being hurt did. Poor woman... "Nocuous are just as good as Enlightened!" I was not ready for it, but he chopped the poor woman in half without her really knowing. She had no warning.

My stomach did not like that either.

"Nocuous are just as capable of being the things that you Enlightened do, just with hard work! We don't use silly magic to get what we want! We choose to do things the hard way! Name me one thing we can't—" Chase was cut short when the woman's body started to multiply and bones shot out from every part of their body. Chase did not know what to do, and I thought I would have to fight again... The bones in their bodies were popping out and acting like some sort of offensive shield... I knew that I could not touch them with my hands.

There was an explosion, and I put my arm over my eyes. I heard something similar to wings beating, so I looked into the sky. They were butteries, but they did not look like they wanted to bring joviality. Where were all of these things coming from...?

There was another explosion, but it was caused by something being flung... It engulfed maybe three of the armored women. The item that was flung whizzed past me, sending my pony-tail floating in the air just a little. "Nice to know you're protecting the princess, Zed," Lucrecia spat. "Now out of my way, old man. Oops, I mean _Chase, _right? That's your name, right?" She rolled her eyes and dashed towards the women, showing off some impressive technique... As if she had fought things like that before. One would have thought that she would have cut herself during the fighting.

"I can't believe they came back. Why the hell would the come back at a time like this?! This is fucking insane..." She was bantering to herself, but at least she was defeating most of them...

"That," Zed replied to Chase's old comment. This was getting out of hand... I clasped my hands together again and pulled them apart. Now I wielded a crossbow. I was known as a genius when it came to weaponry. It was a funny thing because Lucrecia let me know that I could do all these different things with my powers. I could make how ever many more arrows I would need. There was maybe four or five of those things left, and with each arrow that left my crossbow, they fell fast.

Could I say that the battle was over now?

Of course we would have needed to give a status report to Aysel...

The wind did not die down, and the tornado was still turning strong...

"Chase, Lucrecia, where are the Summoners?!" I found myself shouting at them even though I did not mean to. They looked at me, and Lucrecia pointed back towards the tornado.

"Back there. I could give two shits less what they're doing."

As if they were summoned, Naira and Defina appeared out of thin air, standing at my side. I gasped... I really did not know what to say. It seemed like more and more things were surprising me every day. They looked despondent... Like they wanted to say something... Naira crossed her arms, switching her footing.

"Lucrecia, I am placing you under arrest under the charge of Queen Aysel—"

"Stop lying," she replied casually. Lucrecia had fought hard today, and now she was trying to regain her energy. I failed to see why Aysel would put her under arrest... Naira always disliked Lucrecia for some odd reason... "Why would that bitch have me arrested anyway? You know as well as I do that there is absolutely nothing Aysel can do in order get someone to "arrest" me. Unless..." She paused, putting her mechanical finger on her chin. "_You're_ the one that she sent. And if that's the case, you don't want to die yet, do you?"

"You're being arrested for attacking me earlier!" Naira spat. "You tarnished Aysel's name, and I will not have you standing freely after everything that you said!" What? But Naira looked perfectly fine. She had no scratches on her or anything, which was rare, considering the way Lucrecia fought. Lucrecia thought this was funny and started laughing at Naira, which only made her madder.

"Oh please you guys, don't start fighting!" I implored. "We can fix all of this later, right?"

"Would you shut up, Renata?!" Lucrecia shot. "If she wants to die, then let her. I have no problems with ending her damn life now. You haven't_ seen_ _me attack you yet_."

"Are all of you done bantering!?"

That came from my left—and miraculously—that voice belonged to my mother, Aysel! I jumped up in joy, I knew she would come! "What is all this talk about me, Queen Aysel, telling you to arrest Lucrecia? Have you lost your mind, Naira?! Never use my name in vain! I came down here because you all were taking too long coming back to the palace!"

Instead of answering my mother, I think Naira _cracked_. She fell to the ground on her hands and knees, right in front of Lucrecia.

* * *

_Oh lovely and beautiful, precious and priceless. __You're so much more than you know. _

* * *

I glanced down at Naira's head and put a disgusted look on my face. She was graveling at my feet and I couldn't figure out why she was being so fucking pathetic. With each slow-ass second that passed, I was starting to get sick of the sight of her pretty-little-orange-head. I smiled, balling my fists up. She was being fucking ridiculous, crying now. "You have everything that you should not have!" she sobbed. "Why wont you just go away, Lucrecia? You are more trouble than you are worth around here! Things were much better without you!" Did that damn kid just say things were better without me?! I gave this damned place_ redemption_! She was just a kid, and that was all she would have ever been! Now Renata was giving me weird looks, suspecting if I had done something to this delirious brat. I scoffed, and I was going to give her to the count of three to get off of my leg.

"Naira, it is not that much of a problem..." Defina admitted, holding her hands towards the coward hanging on my legs. I narrowed my eyes. There was a second wave of these condemned things rushing towards us, and all she could do was act melodramatic and fucking overemotional about something that I didn't do?! If she wanted, I'd willingly give her something to cry about. I was sure that no one knew what she was all upset about. I looked into the air and the tornado died down a bit, which meant that the Summoners were successful in retrieving their partner. "Please, stop crying, everything is going to be okay..."

"Queen Aysel! Why don't you see that she has betrayed you and your kingdom?!" I rolled my eyes. Oh sure, yes, I betrayed her and her kingdom. This girl was crazy. She wasn't crazy when I first met her, but _fuck_ did she get out of hand. She was pissing me off! I didn't want to look at her face anymore, so I did what was the first thing that popped inside of my head. I kicked her in the face, sending her skidding across the ground. Renata jumped. She always jumped when I did something like that, which made her fucking pathetic too. Aysel didn't do so much as to blink. She just turned around and put her index finger in the air.

"Wait," she said. "Who is that?" Of course she was talking about Chase, but Renata raised her hand in the air.

"I want him _knighted."_

"_What?!_" Aysel choked. "You said _what,_ my dearest daughter?" Renata was acting fucking dumb; you couldn't knight a Nocuous and everyone knew that. Renata tried to look tough now, running over to Chase and putting her hand in front of him. 'Cept, he did the exact opposite and his grip tightened around his sword. Heh, I hope he wasn't thinking about attacking Queen Aysel. Not with all of us around. True, Naira was still on the ground grasping her face and Defina was trying to help her get up, but he wouldn't stand a chance against the people who were still standing. We'd have his old-ass killed in less than two seconds!

"Even if she was to knight me, I'd never fight for the likes of her," Chase said bitterly, glaring Aysel down. Aysel just smirked at him and put her hand on her waist. "My pride is with the Nocuous, and to work for the enemy would mean me giving up everything that I'm fighting for now! Why would I tarnish my name to work for a woman who has no idea what she is doing to our society?! I'd rather die fighting then join her!"

"This is pathetic!" Aysel exclaimed. "Go on and try to fight your _highness!_ I will have you killed anyway! No one has ever beaten Queen Aysel! I am the best!"

"Gladly. I'll fight you until the end."

"Renata, you can't knight a Nocuous," I said, crossing my arms. This whole thing was getting too damn ridiculous. "What would you think'll happen when people in Aysel find out that there's a Nocuous up there, huh? He'd be killed by them. No one likes the fucking Nocuous, so be happy that he can be put to rest here. You'll just make him die even slower." It was unlike that scary-bitch to move after I scolded her, but she did. She clutched her fists and put her head down. What the hell was she planning?

"Mother... You wouldn't like me if I were upset." I think that was the most threatening thing she had ever said. "If he dies... You will not have a daughter to rule your kingdom when _you_ pass away." I smiled, but only a little. So, the weight of the world was finally weighing on Renata. I wonder what happened to us. All of us. She started shaking, and I thought she was going to attack Aysel, but she started crying, burying her face inside of her hands.

No matter what that bitch Aysel said, she always ended up falling to Renata's tears.

Stupid bitch...

* * *

**A/N:** I love how Lucrecia's all like I redeemed this place and whatnot. And I cannot... CANNOT STAND WRITING NAIRA! Leeee Goddd! It's just an unknown mission. I DO NOT LIKE Naira at all! XD Like seriously. I hate a couple of people, but she made this chapter's fun-factor go down ten-fold.

And what I tell you? Chase is freaking beasty, standing up to Aysel like a straight G! Imagine him in a white-t... Sagging and whatnot. XD And I swear man, I just swear. If Chase ends up dying... Whoever that unlucky killer may be, I am ENDING them! Because I also named this chapter after Chase. :3 He's like my favorite character. Or one of them from this time period. XD Like... I love Chase. He's not second to Kohana (who is? XD) but I will be insanely pissed if he died. How do I not know this? XD

Because I don't write this story. XD

Sadly, I do what plot tells me to do. :l

And sometimes, it sucks hard.

But I should be able to whip my plot myself! This is an outrage! XD I'm my plot's bitch...

Well. I'm just saying. I love plot and all... But if Chase dies... Bandele, (that's the name of my plot) will be very upset with what I will do. So please don't do not do it, Bandele. XD I've got to say it in code. Judging by that double negative, I do want her to do it, but I prolly want to test my strength! XD *shot* But anyway, last chapter for me~ Now go outside or something. XD

Oh, and I can't believe I didn't talk about Larunda. XD There's nothing much to say. XD Except... Maybe... Start paying attention to the little things. XD


	17. Decorating For Cinco De Mayo

**A/N:** Long time no see, guys! *blinks spastically* FF won't let me underline. Damn them all straight down to the deepest depths of hell! D: Anyway, so I was thinking about plot, and I thought of my baby, CCFA when I was 'pose to be thinking of CR. CR is like a fraction less mindrape than CCFA, but CR has ONE villain where as CCFA, in this arc, has about ten. XD

... And you guys aren't getting anything done why?! Like seriously?! Thanatos in CR took the whole house down by himself. ^_^ So I just want to tell all these bad guys in CCFA... XD They need to step up their game. Like, now. XD

And originally, this was chapter nineteen, just saying. Baaah. TT_TT

* * *

Baby-blue and kickass lime-green were not good colors for a funeral. Unfortunately, Sayuri couldn't find anything else to wear for the occasion. It was a sudden event that Sayuri just couldn't miss—Renata would not have let her miss it for the world. Curious, with a quirky expression, Sayuri leaned towards the taller girl, just a few inches away from her ear.

"What's going down in Chinatown, Renata? Why are all these people here, and why is everyone so sad?"

"I had a sister," the golden-haired teenager replied. "Renatari."

Sayuri had never seen her friend so despondent before. The purple-haired girl looked at Renata's face more closely, seeing through all of her wild makeup and glitter. "What happened, Renata? You can tell me, I'm your friend! Was it the way she died or something? I mean, death's not a pretty light thing to handle or talk about, so I feel your pain."

Renata hesitated, poking her two index fingers together. "I know I should be more saddened at this," she panted. "But I am not... And I do not know... I do not know what is wrong with me, Sayuri!" The teenage-Summoner's eyes widened, assuming the worse. Out of pity, she hugged Renata, making the blonde flinch.

"You didn't—"

"But my father told me to. And I have to listen to my father, no matter what he orders..." For some odd reason, Renata's heart started to beat faster. She was lost between feeling sorrow and disappointment in herself. Sayuri closed her eyes and could feel the Princess shaking.

"Why are you crying now?" she asked. "You can't rewind time, y'know. I guess you're lucky to have a friend like me, right? I can't bring her back... I can at least let you talk to her when you dream." Sayuri released her hug and looked at Renata's tear-filled eyes. "I'm good with dreams. And I'll assure you that they'll come true."

"I'm not crying because I murdered Renatari... I'm crying because I have such a good friend like you, Summoner Sayuri!" Sayuri wasn't used to being bowed to, so she didn't know how to take Renata's action. "But can you promise me something?"

"Sure, whatever you want!" The purple-haired girl raised her hand in the air as she stuffed her face with food. Renata only smiled.

"Promise me that you will find the greatest evil and take them down! Bring me back their head!" The two laughed, and Sayuri almost fell down the steps.

"Why their head? You sound like your old lady. How about I bring you an ear or something?"

"Or how about an arm?"

Sayuri blinked. "That's weird. But if you say so!" The Summoner raked her fingers through Renata's head, smiling brightly. "I, Sayuri Outtaike, promise to fulfill your wish!"

"Don't be silly!" Renata laughed. The two then proceeded to walk down to see the body, giggles filling the air.

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventeen: Decorating For Cinco De Mayo :-**

_Who's gonna fight for what's right  
Who's gonna help us survive  
We're in the fight of our lives  
And we're not ready to die_

_Who's gonna fight for the weak_  
_Who's gonna make 'em believe_  
_I've got a hero_  
_I've got a hero_

_Livin' in me_  
_I'm gonna fight for whats right_  
_Today I'm speaking my mind_  
_And if it kills me tonight_  
_I will be ready to die_

_A hero's not afraid to give his life_  
_A hero's gonna save me just in time_

"Hero" -- Skillet

I didn't know where I was. My hand was practically glued to my forehead... Not to mention my face was extra dry. Bandages were wrapped all around my head, just like that time when I was in Spectra. Why was I always the one getting messed up...? My hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, but this time I didn't wake up in a bed. I was sitting on the floor next to a wall. Some kind of hospitality this place had! I say we should have just let everyone in this place burn in hell for all I cared! Except... Except my wand was stuck to my hand, and no matter how hard I swung my arm, it wouldn't come off.

Damn.

Damn, damn, damn.

Everyone was looking at me now, curious about what the "Summoner" would do. "Everyone" consisted of Kokoro and Morta sitting on the side just as exhausted as I was, and that Shiva summoning chick was in this giant bed, resting. Wait until she woke up. She put me through hell today! This was... If it was still the same day we fought Shiva_... _They looked like they were all waiting for me to come to. One thing was for sure, we needed to come up with a game plan. We needed to go through the three main keys covering why the hell we were here.

"We've been waiting for you to wake up forever, Sayuri!" Kokoro said, stretching and yawning at the same time. He was sitting on the ground, Indian-style, his hands clutching his legs. "We thought you would never wake up. It's a good thing you decided to wake up when you did, though, because Aysel and Renata invited us to dinner today." You should have been there when he told me that. I couldn't even begin to describe how much my face scrunched up. I groaned and sulked as soon as that last sentence came out of his mouth. I looked at my nails, trying to process the problem at hand.

They tried to kill me and now they were inviting me to dinner?

Something didn't sound right with that at all. I felt better, at least, so I was up to crashing a dinner party if it meant that I had to. They had to know that all of this stuff wasn't sounding right, right? Especially Miyuki and Morta—I mean—all they did was stay quiet and think of stuff to do. "You guys do know how fishy this sounds, right? Because I've got a deep feeling in the pit of my stomach that means we're going to end up fighting them sometime soon. This "Aysel" person doesn't like me, or so Renata says..." I trailed off, standing up and making a fist. I pumped my arm in the air, a smirk on my face. "I say we go along with it."

"Our thoughts exactly, Sayuri," Morta said, standing up as well. "They gave us all individual rooms, but we weren't that stupid. We asked for one big room where we could all stay in and talk amongst ourselves. The girl we saved might not wake up until later today, and when that happens, someone will have to show her the ropes and tell her what she has to do as a Summoner." Ah, that's right. Well, that person _was not_ going to be me. That was Miyuki's job, wasn't it?

"One, we need to think about what world she came from," Miyuki said in a low-pitched voice. "All Summoners aren't just from earth. She'll be a great addition to our team. But as I've told Morta; the only reason we are here is to find the temple, enter the Cloister of Trials and obtain the hidden techniques within the temple. However—" She paused, gazing through the window. Now that I thought about it, the room we were in was decorated like someone snobbish did it. There were satin curtains over every window, the bed was queen-sized and had a dozen pillows on it... But I digress._ I really_ digress.

"You know, all of this stuff wouldn't have happened if we didn't come to this freaking place in the first place!" I yelled. "What's this place called? The Dark Ages?"

"Um, Sayuri? You sent us here, remember?"

"On accident! I was blindfolded and I didn't know what I was doing!" I shot back at Kokoro. "It was Itasca! It was all Itasca!" I calmed down, clutching my fists. All of this was Itasca's fault... But Itasca didn't know about all these other worlds. This made no sense at all! I was about to say something else, but the door swung open and this guy walked in... He was all dressed in a suit, and had about four or five dresses laid across his arms. I wasn't counting. I was too mad to do so.

"Sorry to interrupt you all, but the Queen and Princess are waiting for you." He sat everything on the foot of the bed, but I wasn't going to let him get away from me that easily! I pointed an index finger at him before pulling off the bandages on my head. They wouldn't come off and I was just getting more and more frustrated...

"You're not going to get away so easily!" I yelled, grinning a little. "You haven't even told me your name! Isn't that a crime?" I hissed sarcastically. "Can't you get arrested for not acknowledging the Summoner's presence?!" He didn't even flinch. This guy looked like a lost turtle turned on its back. This place was scary. It was filled with emo-people, crazy-people, stalker-princesses and last but not least, a queen out to get my soul. Yeah, I liked this place _so _much.

"My name is Adel, I'm sorry." He bowed. "I know that you have had a not-so-wonderful stay here, but you will learn to realize that Aysel's palace is the best place you could be in right now." I scoffed. Really? Hah, I think I'd take my chances in a butcher shop and stay there for the rest of my stay. Seriously, I don't think there could be anyone I haven't met that wasn't as crazy as the people that I've had the unfortunate chance of meeting.

Unless I found another doctor in this place.

Then, we'd have problems.

Urgh, I hated doctors so much...

I stepped towards the bed, grabbed everything and threw everyone a dress. Well, except for Kokoro. He had a suit. I wasn't going to let that Adel guy leave so easily. He'd have to show me where the bathroom was in this place! There was a bathroom in the room we were in, but I didn't want to waste hours and hours trying to wait for one of them to get out, you know? I sighed, clutching the purple dress in my hands. "Come on Adel. You seem nice, at least."

"Sayuri, you remember that you have an obligation to be at that dinner!" Miyuki shouted. Yeah, yeah. I knew that already. She didn't have to tell me twice. Adel started walking all professional like he had been walking ever since he was two months old or something. The air around us was really tense. I mean, really tense. There was no way I was going to talk to him, but I guess he decided to talk to me.

"You must be the Summoner everyone is raving about. You look much younger than they portray you of looking." I blinked. Compliment or not, I didn't want it. I just ended up sighing again...

"Everyone's been talking about me back there, huh? Yeah. Everyone hates me too. Say, Adel, why do you work in a place like this? You seem calm and collected... Like you know what you're talking about. I can't even begin to tell you how many insane people I've met... You're an alright dude." I nudged him gently in the stomach and he stopped walking. I thought he was going to say something, but he was pointing to the bathroom. I never would have found it. This place was huge and white... It had a lot of twist and turns inside of it so it was easy to get lost, you know?

"You seem 'all right' too. It amazes me—your speech patterns."

I rubbed my nose, clutching my dress. "Yeah. It's nothing special, though. All of you guys here talk weird anyway. Back home, this is a normal way to talk. My friends talk like this too. Even that uptight Miyuki does..."

"Have a nice dinner, Summoner Sayuri." He turned around and waved back at me. "You are like the daughter I have never had." Again, I blinked, not sure of how to take this. It seemed like everyone in this world were confused nutcases, even him. I was in this huge bathroom that had a giant mirror. I looked into it as I changed. I had to see my mom again, for real this time. I dunno, I thought I could just get a whole lot more stuff answered if I talked to her in person. Everyone was hiding something from me. Even my Essences were hiding something from me. Hey, if I still had my wand in my hand... I could summon a friend, couldn't I? Yep, maybe she'd know something that everyone else wasn't telling me! I was going to go for it.

"I humbly ask, with open heart, with open mind, my truth to find... Bless me with the patience to think before I say or do, wish the vision of light that guides me on the path of right. Bless me with the gift of charm which will keep me safe from harm. Give me the sight to see, the kind—a true friend of mine—will give me the power of my words. That my story will be good when heard." I didn't think it'd work at first, but it did.

"I... So you've got the answers to something I want 'answered' and you're the only one who can help me. You _are_ an Essence, right?" The girl stood before me with the same things I had on, except it was all in greyscale. Even her skin was dull. She looked bored.

"I dunno, you're the star. Use that head of yours to raise the bar," she said sarcastically. I narrowed my eyes. Me was making me angry. "I'm just a mirror image of you with a conscience. Asiryu's the name, and you say it just like this." Asiryu, huh? Wasn't that an anagram of _my _name? "I only fight like you've fought like before with your face washed in fury. Do you think that there's another Sayuri?" Nope, the one and only Sayuri was standing right in front of her.

The bad part in all of this was that I couldn't beat my own self. I guess... I guess Miyuki, Morta, and Kokoro took care of that for me. A mirror image of myself... "Well... What about Kokoro and Morta? There's two of them, right?" I asked, throwing my hands out. My head was spinning fast. Maybe... Maybe... Maybe... Maybe Asiryu was just confusing me more. Maybe I should have asked her a straight question. "Asiryu, have I been here before?"

"When the clouds burst and give you the will of the night, the little shimmer of light will begin to shine down into your damaged ego—and with that—you will become whole." _What? _"You've been here... Want me to accompany you? I'm sure it will make you happy, I'll see what troubles you."

"And have everyone look at you? No way."

"I am an Essence, not your babysitter!" Asiryu shot. I was getting tired of calling Asiryu "Asiryu", so I decided to call her Iru. Iru was less of a hassle.

"Suppress your emotions and they won't see me you dope! I hope you are going to listen to my notion!" Suppress my emotions? That was going to be a lot harder than it sounded... I closed my eyes and started to hold in my emotions, and then something weird happened. I don't know... It was like an out-of-body experience.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Kohana's little girl?" my mother cooes, walking in front of me. I remember clearly. This dream is one of the ones I have frequently lately. And it is scary. My mother looks demented, like she wants to take my soul. She holds a sword in her hand and she fidgets with it, trying to decide whether she is going to attack me or something. No, she isn't the Wickedness now. I don't know what she was.

"Mom?" I say, confused. This is the very dream I have on the night of every birthday I can remember. I am starting to ask myself if these dreams are connected somehow.

"What's wrong? I'm standing right here. Come and get me. Or are you so scared that you can't even more?" I can move—it is just like—I don't _want_ to move. There is something wrong about dreaming of your mother fighting you like this.

"I'm not scared!" I shamefully lie, knowing full well that I am fearing for my life. And then that's when someone from the shadows appears out of nowhere. Suzuki, of all people. His ominous leer is nothing short of pure evil. He is even dressed as an evil guy. I don't have any super powers, but I can will myself to have powers if I want to. This was a dream, after all.

"Silence!" Suzuki said calmly. Kohana just glanced at him.

"What is it now, your majesty?" M-m-majesty?! That was weird! Why did she call him that?!

"Your daughter stands before you driven by a fierce hatred. This does not aid us in our endeavors," he answers, not really sounding like the Suzuki I knew for a couple of years. Yes, this is a really weird dream and it makes no sense whatsoever. Kohana shruggs and rolls her eyes, sighing.

"What a hassle..." she hisses, sticking her sword up into the air.

"What are you guys babbling about?!" I exclaim, wanting answers now! It isn't like me not to have control over weird and freaky dreams like this one.

"He says we can't right today. Let's save it for later," Kohana answers, walking off. Why would I have fought her anyway?

"Wait a minute!" I yell, reaching towards her. "Don't bail out on me!"

"Do you hate your mother?" Suzuki asks. Suzuki looks at me with his purple eyes, making me tremble a bit. I was fully transformed and ready for battle. Oh, of course I hate my mother. I don't hate anyone else almost as much as I hate her. Miyuki—Anomino—Lucrecia—they all can't match up to the hatred I feel for her. I have to get her. But I know how this dream always goes.

"_Outta the way!"_ I hiss, clutching my wand and waving it to my side. "I'm not afraid to rough someone I rather dislike up!"

"I suggest you direct all that anger towards me!!"

"What does that mean?! Try making some sense!" I scream, trying to chase after Kohana. When it came down to it, my problem isn't that she got away. The thing that really makes me mad is—

"_It just isn't like you, taking orders like that!" _

I opened my eyes and Iru was looking at me. "So you don't know yet, do you Sayuri? By the way, the longer I stay; the more energy you use. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's okay," I said, pulling my dress over my head. That night... That day when I had fought the mirror Essence for the first time, I didn't just have one freaky dream. I had three. But that one was just... No words. After I thought that I looked and felt okay enough to leave the bathroom, I nodded my head. "Suppress my emotions, huh? So that means... Don't get mad. Don't get pissed, and no one will see you?" Iru nodded her head, almost like she was mocking me.

"How many times do I have to say it? You do have ears, right, Sayuri?"

"Of course I do! What a stupid thing to ask!" There was a long silence before she started to fade. "What? Where are you going?"

"You have friends, Sayuri, who will guide you through this madness. Bye bye for now!" Figures. Even my own self would abandon me. So what was I going to do now? I was obviously too confused to really come up with a plan, and I was obviously too headstrong to let anyone else know about my dreams. The only person I let know about my dreams was Tariku... And she was... No, maybe I could talk to Miyuki about this. Or maybe no one at all. Maybe I should have kept all of this to myself.

No one knew anymore than I did.

People in the Dark Ages seemed just as confused about stuff_ I didn't know about_. I had to be prepared. I had powerful Essences, right? Fire, water, silence, snake, song, and now the mirror Essence. And I had the power to control time, so that was a plus, right? Oh man, someone needed to kill me now. I wasn't cut out for stuff like this, but there was no way out.

"Hey, Sayuri, you okay in there?"

I glanced down into the sink. "Yeah, Morta, I'm fine." I walked out of the room and gave her a little head-nod. "I was trying to come up with a plan that involved a mirror image, but that failed. All this freegin' Summoner work is exhausting... I feel like I'm going to have to sign a whole lot of papers or something, you know?"

"You know what your problem is, Sayuri? I think you think too much about trying to make the wrong things right and your brain ends up melting because of it." Fuwaaah, that was a low blow! Talk about not having any sympathy for me! I ignored what she said and I focused on what really needed to be taken care of.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, I'm not up for it. I'm too busy worried about being killed, sorry. Now is this just a little innocent dinner with a "queen" and the "princess" or am I missing something here?" We stopped walking, and Morta touched her chin.

"You've got one thing right, Sayuri. Surprisingly, they invited all of us, including Miyuki to eat with them. This castle has something evil about it, like there is something we haven't really looked into yet. I'm sure if we did a little snooping around..." Oh, what's this? Morta talking tough and considering a little game of getting answers? That sounded good to me! But we needed to be at that dinner. We couldn't miss it for the world. "I can see the look in your face, Sayuri. No, we're going to go to dinner and then the two of us—just the two of us are going to look around. I figured I'd take you instead of Miyuki because she'd need to wake up Chio and teach her how to use her Summoner abilities."

"Chio?"

"Yes, Chio is her name. We found a wallet in her pocket." Damn Shiva with her _I'm-going-to-give-people-the-wrong-name-_ness.. "Don't you do anything stupid at the dinner. If someone says something that you don't like, bite your tongue." I really wanted to try and do that, but I knew that if the queen said something that set me off, she would hear my wrath!

"So do you think that Chio will freak out about being a Summoner?"

"Most definitely so. This is why Kokoro's going to stay with Miyuki." Ah. So then it was going to be us two. Oh yeah, revenge in the castle!

"So what do we do it we get caught?"

"We fight," she said with no fear. "We fight quickly. We restrain them and keep going. We knock them unconscious and get on with life. Besides, you seemed like the perfect partner to take with you controlling time and all."

"Yeah, but... I can't really hold time in place when I stop it. It can easily be broken. Morta, I'm not that strong of a fighter." And I was telling the truth. I really wasn't that much of a fighter...

"Sayuri?"

"Huh?"

"We're right in front of the doors." I swore at myself silently and I saw this big room with this big table that was draped in a white cloth. The room was ridiculously decorated like the room I was in earlier. The first thing my eyes were really attached to was this woman I had never seen before. She had a smirk on her face, and she had weird golden eyes. Those weird eyes were the same color as her hair, which was pulled loosely in a low pony-tail. Strands of hair... Strands of feathered hair laid in her right eye, and she was constantly trying to brush it out the way. Oh man, it was over as soon as she had looked at me. Today was going to be interesting from here on in.

"So, you must be this Aysel person I've been hearing about."

"So, you must be this Sayuri person I have been hearing about."

No. _No_. _**NO**_. Not again. Never again. I stopped in my tracts, looked down at my feet and sighed. Why did I look down at my feet, I'll never know. I felt my brain bringing back stuff from the past. Stuff that the chick sitting in front of me did. I glanced at Miyuki and it was sort of weird seeing her wearing a black, sparkly halter dress. It looked adorable on her though, but it was something that I never thought Miyuki would wear. Renata just looked really pretty. The dress she had was kind of weird looking too, but in a good way. It was white and black. It was a one-shoulder dress thing with a fitted waist, and it had a gorgeous high-low hemline with ruffling detail. She also had these long, elbow length white gloves on.

Judging by Renata's eye and hair color, this Aysel person was definitely her mother. Strike _two. _

But they told me to behave. I wasn't going to mess this up for all of them. Morta walked passed me and didn't even so much as to blink when she sat at the table. Oh man, how was I going to do this again...? Renata clapped her hands together, a lot of the sound absorbed by the gloves she was wearing. She had her hair pinned up in a bun so she looked different. And she looked very happy to see me. Before I walked in the room, I think she was looking all sad-like into her glass.

Wait a second, what the hell was I wearing?! I was so emo just a second ago, I wasn't even paying any attention! I looked down at myself in sudden rush of confusion. I had on a purple and black halter gown that had a keyhole cutout in it, a fitted purple waistband in a contrasting purple color, a side front silt revealing the lining of the dress, and a flowing train. Gloves? When did I have gloves?! When did I _put on gloves?! _I looked at my hand frantically, turning it—hoping to find an answer. I looked through the corner of my eyes, and Kokoro was playing with his silverware or something.

I don't know. It irritated me.

"Do you not remember, Sayuri? Remember the dress?" Renata asked. I narrowed my eyes, stomping on the ground.

"The hell I—" Everyone looked at me, and I think Miyuki gave me the most menacing look ever. Damn it. Damn it all. So what, I couldn't tell her how much of a psycho she was? Oh yeah, right, she's a freaking princess, and princesses are suppose to be treated with respect, right? Well, someone needed to put a crown on my head! As far as I was concerned, _I_ was a princess! And even if I was, I'd still be treated like dirt because I was a Summoner! Woohoo, yay, go me! Congratulations for being a failure, Sayuri! "No, Renata, I really don't."

"Where are your manners?" the so called "queen" said. "You have to call her _Princess _Renata! Why, you cannot grace the presence of Queen Aysel and call her daughter by her first name! How dare you!" Okay, it was all starting to come back. Me being thrown in jail, me being attacked and damn near killed by Lucrecia, me being basically held against my will to clean up this chick's problem with Shiva... And now she was telling me to bow to some chick I thought was crazy and whacked-up in the head?! I could _not _stop my eyebrow from twitching.

No matter what, I had to behave, I had to behave.

I had to behave.

I can, I can, I can.

"Oh no mother, she does not have to—"

I can, I can, I _swear_ I can.

"Renata, please! I, Queen Aysel, will take care of this! She cannot fight back against me! She may be a Summoner, but I am Queen Aysel!"_ Ffffpt._ Every time I took a step, I got horrible flashbacks. It took me a while to even sit in my seat. I put my hand over my face. What the hell did these guys even eat in this world? If I had to guess, it would be human hearts or heads. Whatever one was more disgusting. Renata happily, awkwardly uncovered her plate and—le gasp—it looked like real food. And then Kokoro got really eager and threw the thing off of his plate.

"All right! Cheese and a burger!!"

"What? What kind of language did you just use in front of Queen Aysel!? Insolent fool, it is a _cheeseburger._ Cheeseburger. Why would I, Queen Aysel, give you cheese and a burger?!" Aysel started laughing out loud, putting her hand on her chest like she was trying to be modest. What the hell was she talking about? I mean, I'll admit, it was pretty stupid what he said, but she didn't have to yell at him for it.

"It's just a thing of food," I said sarcastically. "Is it automatically holy?" I paused, putting my fingers up for emphasis. "Is it automatically holy because you made it or something?"

"Automatically holy?!" Aysel said, sipping from her wine glass. "Of course! Of course! What did you think it was? Tainted? By I, Queen Aysel? I am the best!" I kind of sunk in my chair a little, looking towards Morta who was silently enjoying whatever meal she had on her plate. Miyuki didn't eat, or so she said, but she was eating her food, too. I think the only one who wasn't eating was me. I kind of had a semi-pissed semi-blank expression on my face right now.

"Sorry, sorry," Kokoro said with his mouth full. I think Aysel's eyes must have zoomed in on him or whatever, and then she pounced.

"Urgh, such a grotesque way of eating! Have you no honor!? Eating like that in front of the Queen!" Jesus H. Christ! You have to be kidding me! Obviously, I wasn't going to eat whatever crap food that was in front of me! Yeah, I was hungry. Yeah, I was tired, but damn it she at least needed to acknowledge me! She didn't even say hello! "Summoner, are you not going to say hello to your Queen, Aysel?"

That's it. Strike three.

No. How about strike five? Yeah, has a nice ring to it. Strike five, because she was working her way up the food chain! "What the heck did you call us in here for, Aysel!?" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. I think Miyuki face-palmed, and Aysel looked like someone had just taken a big chunk out of her ass. "I mean, there has to be a reason!" I jumped out of my seat and slammed my hands on the table. Hell yes, I was about to unleash ten tons of holy hell on his lady! "It was YOU who threw ME in that jail-cell, wasn't it?!"

"Sayuri, please," Renata began, reaching out towards me. Too bad I was on the other side of the table. "I know my mother can be a bit rude..."

"Dearest daughter, have you gone insane?!" Aysel said brashly. "Yes, yes, I had you thrown in the castle. If I, Aysel, can forgive and forget, surely you can!" What the hell kind of apology was that?! Was that even an apology!? You know, from here, that sounded like a threat!

"And then you almost had me _killed,"_ I hissed, slamming my hand into the table. I think that was the worst part in all of this. Aysel just smiled arrogantly, dabbing her mouth with her napkin. My glass of water tipped over, but I didn't care. I wanted some answers, or at least a freaking apology!

"Who keeps track of all the vile vermin that go into I, Aysel's dungeon? Vermin look no different, naïve Summoner. And I have nothing to do with you almost being killed in the dungeon. That is something you should take up with Lucrecia, darling."

"And then you had me_ clean up all your dirty work after damn-near killing me..."_

"It was your mess, was it not?! Queen Aysel does not make messes as substantial as the one you brought into my kingdom! It was only fair that I had you clean it up, otherwise your friend would have been killed." You know what? Skip everything. I had wanted to kick a couple of people's asses today, but Aysel's ass? It just made it on the top of my list! "You are a Summoner, are you not? You should learn how to take devastating weather conditions! My, you would never make it on my own personal guard! Silly Summoner..."

I don't know what happened after that. I shot up, my chair fell down onto the ground, and I guess Morta got up too because she was holding me back. What the heck, man? She needed to let me go right now! I was going to show her what _devastating weather conditions _looked like! Starting with the fire Essence and working my way down to all of the other Essences I had ever collected! Aysel just continued to smirk at me... Trying to seem all-knowing. I just kept fighting around, trying to get Morta to get off of me!

"Sayuri! Calm down! We don't want to start a war, do we?" Morta said calmly. _Yes. _Actually, we do. "I'm sorry about my friend here, Queen Aysel."

"It is okay; I get a few idiots running in and out of my castle every week. She is just a special case. A person of her kind is very interesting. No one has ever had the guts to yell at I, Queen Aysel! Renata dear, do you want me to knight her as well? Ha!" Hold it, hold it, hold it, did she just call me an idiot?! Sure, Morta was holding me back, but nothing was stopping me from blowing Aysel's face off!! I opened my palm and my wand fitted perfectly into it. I think Aysel's eyes started twinkling. Really.

"Ah! The weapon that draws the infamous Wickedness near, I'm a correct?"

"Yes, the Magic Wand," Miyuki answered, keeping her hands folded on the table. "You want to do some kind of business with us? Now is the time to propose something." Thank God Miyuki picked up from here. Thank God. Because I was really going to kill Aysel. Morta let me go, and I sat back down in my seat, defeated. I folded my arms, biting my tongue.

"It is not what I want, but what I, Queen Aysel can give you!" I looked at my wand and hoped that I could take some of my anger away. I was going to pretend that I was not a part of this conversation.

"What can you give us?" Miyuki said in a curious tone. Like seriously, what could this stupid heap of garbage give us?

"Power! I have a plan that will get The Wickedness on my side!" Aysel yelled, throwing her arms in the air as if something was going to come out of nowhere and hug her. "I will bring The Wickedness here, and I will mend with it!" Aysel stopped, laughing at herself. "I promise to make your deaths quick and painless ones. I am great, am I not? Bow to your queen!" My... Mother? My mother...?! She tried to get my _mother _to work for her?! I got up again, my fists shaking.

"That's my mother you're talking about." Everyone looked at me, and I gritted my teeth. "Aysel, if you come within three feat of my mother, I'll kill you! My mother is not some game you can just buy and sell on the street, you hear me?! Damn it, why are you treating her like an animal!? She has feelings and aspirations... _Dreams_! … And she... Loves me. She really loves me. And if she loved me, there's no way in hell she'd work for you!!"

"That is not The Wickedness, child, The Wickedness is _power! _And that's all I want! I am sorry to say this, but your mother is gone, eaten within in the void! She will work for me, and you will too! Now I am not going to beseech you again. Bow to your queen!"

I clutched my wand, unable to hold my anger in. I threw it and her, and it hit the the wall behind her. No one even breathed.

"Nah, I'd like to dance, _Queen Aysel. _Her name is Kohana! K-O-H-A-N-A. Her name's not "Thing", "It", "Monster", or anything like that! I swear, as long as I'm standing here, you're going to treat her with respect! It's like you're just spitting in her face! Did you forget that Kohana can kill you without even looking at you?!" I yelled, desperately struggling against Morta's hold on me. I guess Morta was pretty strong, but she wasn't going to hold me back! It was true, I'd die for my mother, even though I didn't know why I would! "You think you're high and mighty, Aysel, but I'd kill you before her, I swear—" I was cut off due to Aysel just laughing in my face. She adjusted her gloves and pulled my wand out of the wall.

"What a violent way to talk, Summoner." Oh hell. She was holding my wand. But I was the only one who could use it! Either way, I didn't need my wand to kick her ass! "This is such a silly thing, is it not? How could one diminutive item protect a whole entire universe? And how could someone such as yourself use it? But I am a merciful queen! I will kill you last, Summoner."

"Not if I kill you first!" I spat. Aysel hadn't said anything for a long time, and that was scaring me a little bit.

"Hmph. How could you risk your life for someone who tried to kill you? This thing you cherish most—The Wickedness—abandoned you!" My heart stopped beating and suddenly my stomach wanted to upchuck things that weren't even in my stomach. How did she know that? Only Miyuki and I think Morta knew that. _Kokoro _didn't even know that, which was why he was giving Aysel weird looks. The hopelessness started to kick in soon after she had said that.

"Queen Aysel, I'm going to have to ask you to stop provoking my Summoner," Miyuki said calmly, looking at Aysel with her pink eyes. My wand disappeared from Aysel's hand and she examined her hand for a while. I felt something fit into my hand and I automatically knew it was my wand. "That wand is very particular about who gets to wield it. There is a reason why it choose Sayuri. Most humans don't survive the Essence transfusion. All three of these Summoners standing before you have something special inside of them."

"I will do what I want, Celestial Being!" Aysel shot, quirking her nose. "How dare you talk back to I, Queen Aysel like that!"

You know what? I didn't want to have this thing in the first place! My arm started shaking uncontrollably and I couldn't make it stop. I wasn't twitching... I just didn't know what I was—

"Mother, please!" Renata implored, standing up. "I'm asking you to please, stop it!"

"Silence, Renata! I am growing wearisome of your tongue! You creatures of abominations can stay if you want to witness my great power, but you will not live to see what I plan to unveil!"

"Okay, you're taking this too far, Queen Aysel," Kokoro intervened. "You don't have to be so much of a bitch about it!" My hand wouldn't stop shaking, and then I realized that it was because I had my wand in my hand. All of this—Kohana leaving me, Tariku dying—ALL of this was because of this stupid thing!! I threw it with everything I had across the room, making everyone advert all of their attention towards me. I stomped my foot down, closing my eyes and frowning.

"_I quit!!! I'm done!!!_ No one even asked me if I wanted to do this, and I sure as hell don't want to keep doing this!! You all can go kill yourselves and find another 'Summoner of Time' because I hope this world goes straight to hell!!" I paused and looked up with tears in my eyes. My wand was back in my hand. It always came back to me, whether I wanted it there or not. And it always came back in a frenzy of flashing lights and sparkling things. I threw it again and again, but it came back every time. It was like an annoying dog! _"Would you just leave me alone?!!! _But I can't, I can't quit right?! Because I was born with this thing, right? Right, Miyuki?! Because I'd die to win, because I'm born to lose?! How the hell am I going to get out of this..."

"Sayuri, we're your friends! Yeah, I don't feel the same way that you do, but I have to be away from my family and—" _His_ family? Kokoro's family? Newsflash, I don't even _have_ a family!! I opened my mouth to say something, but then I heard this loud popping sound in my stomach. I hunched over and then Miyuki immediately ran towards me.

"Sayuri, you do remember what my name is, right?" Miyuki asked, shaking my shoulders.

"_It is because you are cursed, Outtaike."_

My wand started to glow, and then it shot this beam out of its tip, crashing through a whole lot of the castle's walls. I think Aysel just about pissed her pants.

"_You shall become the Summoner again—again and again—wander the lands forever and ever."_

"I am not doing this again!!" I yelled. "No way, not me, I won't—!" I looked at Miyuki through my left eye. I could barely open the other one. I knew that she was named Miyuki, but who was "Miyuki"? Who the hell were all these people!? I snapped towards the short person standing next to me.

Aysel.

I had to do something about Aysel! I pointed my wand at Aysel and this spiraling fire thing shot out of it. Aysel smacked the whole, terrifying twister of flames to the side of her with a flick of her wrist, but now her _room_ was on fire.

"No, not my throne room!!" Aysel freaked. I think she was looking for some kind of spell to use to put the fire out.

"Is this what you're looking for?!" I yelled, my voice sounding like I had another person inside of me. I moved my wand upwards and water shot from underneath the ground in a whip-like fashion. It wrapped around Aysel's body. Her legs, her arms, and then her neck. "Don't you dare hurt Sayuri!" … I don't know why I said that, but it sounded better than nothing.

"Please, stop it, stop it!!" Renata screamed in discontentment. I wanted to turn around—to tell her off, but I realized she had a blade held up to my neck. My grip loosened on my wand, but only a little bit. "You weren't like this, you were never like this!" I felt some kind of water hit the back of my neck and my arms. So she was crying, trying to blink them away.

"She is a fool..." Aysel managed to say. And then she smiled smugly. "My soldiers will run to my aid in a matter of time!" My head snapped towards Aysel and I picked my wand up again.

"You! I should have killed you when I had the chance! Keep talking, your "Highness", and I'm going to sever your body in ways you couldn't imagine!" Renata twitched, but Miyuki motioned Morta and Kokoro to walk closer to me. I didn't care. There was no way they could save me now. They could never save me. "You don't know the bond between a mother and her daughter. You two... Go against me? I'll kill both of you at the same time—in the same minute, in the same second, and in the same millisecond. They don't call me the Summoner of Time for nothing. What if I decide to kill Renata first, Aysel. What would you do then?"

"You are killing me, Sayuri, you really are! I... You... You are not acting like yourself!" Renata babbled, unable to speak behind her tears. I smirked. Through the corner of my eye, I glanced at Miyuki.

"Your soldiers, Aysel? It might take me a millisecond more!" My wand glowed white, and Aysel's mouth was suddenly, hopelessly gone. "I don't want to hear you anymore. And I especially don't want to hear you when I take your limbs away from your body!"

"Okay, her magic is way too advanced!" Miyuki yelled. "Kokoro, Morta, grab my hands! The silence essence she has isn't that high, she can't make the water Essence retain a near whip-like form, her fire essence can't shoot out and spiral like that... That's not Sayuri standing in front of us..."

"What's happening to her, Miyuki?" Kokoro asked, staring at me in awe.

She wouldn't answer him. I'd make sure of it! I turned around, a slight smile on my face. "Oh look, Aysel's lackeys are here." I sighed. I saw some new faces, some old faces. "Adel, good to see you! Where's your daughter? I'd like to speak to her for almost killing mine!!!" He hesitated, blinking for a moment. "Don't tell me you forgot my name! Sayuri, Sayuri, dammit! And who are you two? We haven't met before." I eyed the two teenagers. If they weren't teenagers, they were barely adults, probably around twenty-two.

"I am Naira and this is Defina, and I'm placing you under arrest, you and your friends! Step away from the Queen and Princess, now!" I sighed, but still kept my mischievous smirk on my face.

"Even when I've saved this placed once, you all still persist on swimming around in your own damnation! No matter how many times I risk my life, you all do the same stupid things over and over again!!! I tried to save your pathetic Queen Aysel—I tried to spare her life! And what happens when I go against what should have been done?!!! Do you all not appreciate what I've done?! You all will drown in your own sins, forever and again, looking just as hopeless as you were before!!!"

"Just close your eyes and hold my hands, guys." Miyuki reassured them that I would be okay. Morta and Kokoro nodded their heads, hoping I would 'go back to normal'. There was never a normal for me!! "This is just her Overdrive form we were talking about back in Spectra, remember? She'll revert back if we concentrate hard enough..."

"Bring the Wickedness here, and it'll show absolutely no mercy!! And I won't hold back, because... Because! All of you deserve to choke on your own blood!! It's been years and years and no one had realized their own personal sin!! Because it was from sin that I was born!! The majority of you follow this foolish queen and her meek daughter, fight just to be fighting to prove you're the best, are willing to go through anything and anyone, blaming the world for all of the things that you brought on yourself—I won't hold back. I won't hold back!!! Pitiful frauds working their puzzles of lies, foolish romanticists gracefully entertain with their clumsiness, the premonition of the coming day when history will mean nothing. I tried to save you all from your damned futures... Like someone once said before; the answer is in the wind. I won't hold back, I won't hold back... Not because I can't.... Not because this thing'll take over me, but because you all deserve to die_!!!_"

I stopped and panted, not loosening my grip on my wand or messing up my stance. I looked down at my freehand and I started to fade.

"Hey, it's working," Morta said, slightly nodding her head.

"My voice is strained and my hands are gripped tightly and I wait for the time when my destiny is sure to change! With the faint power of a tiny love, I always wait for my sadness to be embraced... I wonder how many sleepless nights I have to count before I find my way, after how many lives are lost—will the strife end? Clowns that cannot be saved, just tumbling atop of history." I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry, Renata. But even if it's just a far off dream..."

I moved my arm to the left, slicing Aysel's arms and legs off of her body. From behind me, Renata fell on top of me, her body being being impaled by the water behind me. "Sayuri, what did you just do?!" Kokoro yelled, wanting to go near me, but fearing me as well. All three of them broke their circle, and I just smiled despondently.

"Queen Aysel!! Princess Renata!!" Naria exclaimed, running towards their corpses. "No, no, no! I cannot give that idiot anything to boast about! They cannot die, not now! Defina, over here, quickly!"

"Even if it's just a far off dream... I'll make sure it comes true..."

"_We should be able to fly even higher than anyone since what we can do just now is as large as life. Because we're not alone, you're always here. Stay here in the hard times."_

I collapsed on my hands, coughing furiously. "...This dream will fade." I glanced up and Aysel stood back on her feet. I didn't know how that was possible.

"Queen... Aysel? You're alive?!" Naira exclaimed, her hands trembling. I looked behind me and Renata was up as well. I kept coughing and coughing, and I could have sworn I saw blood around this place just a second ago...

It was hurting me to cough now, and Kokoro and the others keeled down to my side and helped me up. My whole body felt like soggy spaghetti. "What... What just happened, guys? What... What..." I looked all around the room, and then I looked behind me. I swore I saw Renata's dead body behind me, looking at me. _Crying _at me. What the hell just happened?!"

"_GET THEM OUT!" _Aysel roared. "Get them out now!!!"

I tried to remember, I really did. But I couldn't block anything out of my head. All I heard was screaming and more screaming and random sounds. "Why did you do this, Sayuri? Why did you do this to me?"

"Renata, I didn't mean to—!!"

"You're a failure. You cannot do anything right. And now you are going to leave me to die, aren't you, Sayuri? Friend?" No, I wouldn't do that to anyone, I promise! The others were trying to take me away, Miyuki, Morta, and Kokoro. I couldn't leave her, not when I was the one who...

"Let me go!" I screamed, shaking all three of them off me. And then I persisted to shake, clawing my hair. I closed my eyes and tried to block out everything. I was shifting in and out of my transformed appearance and I couldn't see straight. So I did the best thing I could and started screaming. I was screaming because I was afraid... I was screaming because I didn't know what had happened... I was screaming because Renata was in a bloody mess...

Was it my fault? I couldn't tell! What did I just do?! Everyone touching me... It felt like fire...

"Outta the way. It sucks that I can't even fucking relax and that I have to be called every time one of you guys fucks up..." I still kept screaming, but I looked up to see Lucrecia kneeling down and looking at me like I was some kind of lab rat. "Heh, her eyes are dilated," she scoffed, laughing to herself. Next thing I know, she pointed her mechanical index finger at my nose, and holy crap, this giant needle shot from underneath her fake nail.

I could not go. I hated _doctors._ I hated_ her._ I hated everything about this place!! … So I screamed out against her. I didn't want her touching me. "Aww, don't tell me that the damned brat is afraid of needles!" she mocked. I wasn't in the mood for this. Besides, that thing wasn't a needle. It was a weapon!

"Somebody get this chick away from me!!!" I yelled, trying to crawl backwards. Somehow.

"Oh please," she spat. And then she jabbed the thing into my arm, and everything started to get really hazy. My eyelids started to droop, but I could still see Renata so... Disappointed in me. "I'm pretty sure Aysel wants this damned brat to stay with me for a while, so she's going to be in my company. You guys better hope she comes back to you in one piece. Until Aysel tells me to give her back to you pathetic guys, then I will. Good fucking luck with that, because I'm not in the best of moods."

"Lucrecia," that orange-haired chick said. Naria, I think. I couldn't remember. "Everyone came here as fast as we could except Zed. Do you know where he is?"

"How the hell should I know, I was—"

"What did you just do?!" Kokoro yelled. "I mean, you can't just take her and think that we're not gonna—"

"It's okay, Kokoro," Miyuki said calmly. "We have no qualms with what you decide to do."

"Good. I just gave her something to make her stop her damn screaming." Lucrecia pulled me up by the arm and I could barely stand. I heard people start to leave—but—Morta and I had a plan! We couldn't leave, not yet...

And thus, the beginning of my hell.

* * *

**A/N: **I loved this chapter so much. I loved everything about it. I hate Aysel, but I love this chapter so much. *_* ... Hate Aysel, but I love this chapter. XD Did I mention how much I hate Aysel? And more than anything, I hate writing Aysel in first person. It's all too much for me. Sayuri made me so proud. :) Now she is starting to realize that the only person who she has to focus on fighting is Kohana, and Kohana had been trying to drill that in her head for a long time now. XD

There. Some help for all you non-alert readers that would otherwise be lost of the situation. And I wish I could also tell you guys why this chapter is so epic, but we'll have to save that for later! You know, I really get giddy whenever Lucrecia busts in trying to look all cool and badass. Obviously she was trying to intimidate the crap out of Sayuri. :P... And you guys know it. XD Back to Aysel though. She needs to like, die. Right now. XD I hate her so much. But she only has like third-level hate from me. There's other guys in The Dark Ages I'd rather kill too. XD

I think this is the chapter where Sayuri gains pluses, but also minuses. She's kinda, and I use this losely, becoming a hero. Slowly. She's still a scary bitch, but she's getting there! XD And look at Renata! I used to think she was the only character in CCFA that wasn't corrupted and whatnot, but nope. She's killed too. And Renata's really suicidal--again, for the non-alert reader out there. The only people keeping her from killing herself would be Lucrecia and Sayuri... So if something bad happens to them, things would probably not end well.

Now that Sayuri has been detained, let's see her in her own personal hell!

Sikeeee! You think Chiharu wants to write an emo-Sayuri? Oh Jesus no. Be prepared for a surprise and even new characters! :P

... Oh, and dammit guys. XD Just so you don't complain to me about not telling you stuff and employing mindrape for no reason; dammit, keep track of where Zed decides to go. :l

Okay, long **A/N**... DONE! XD;


	18. Visions In The Mirror

**A/N:** This chapter? This chapter gave us more reasons why Renata is a beast and shouldn't be taken lightly. XD And you guys know how much I like Final Fantasy, right? Well, the fight in here was based off the fight in Advent Children. ^_^ So all the hardcore fans will notice it and rejoice CCFA's epic inspired-by Final Fantasy even more so! :D ... And yes, just like I said in the last chapter, Renata has a sister. No, they aren't twins. XD

Also, this is the shortest chapter of the all so far.

* * *

"Stop making fun of me!!"

"I will stop making fun of you once you learn how to bow down to me, Renata! Then, I will be just like mother! Just like her!" Renata wiped her eyes with both of her hands, trying to stop her tears from falling. Her sister just looked at her with an underlying smirk on her face. "What, you do not know what bowing down means? You get on your hands and knees, but I am not going to practice it! It will make me look stupid!"

"I am not going to do it, Renatari," Renata said, behind her tears. "Just leave me alone!"

"Ha! At this rate, you will never be the new queen of this place! You are making this too easy for me, Queen Renatari!"

"You can have this kingdom, I do not want it!" Renata exclaimed, sobbing even louder than before. She, being the pacifist that she was, turned around to leave the room, but the taller of the two threw a marble at the back of Renata's head. Before it could reach her, Renata quickly turned around, the bag of marbles beside her emptying their contents all over the floor. Renata's eyes began to glow a ghastly blue, mist leaving the corners of her eyes. The amulet she was wearing began to gleam, and one by one the marbles flew towards her sister at ridiculous speeds.

Renatari stood there and blinked for a millisecond until she realized that she had no reason to be afraid. She was the daughter of Aysel, _the oldest _one at that. She could withstand anything! Unfortunately, the blood splattering on the side of the wall told her something otherwise. Renatari recoiled and quickly put her hand over her shoulder. "I am telling Aysel! I am telling Aysel!" she screamed. "You think you can become the next queen doing that, you—" Renatari's body twitched as six more of the marbles came at her, blood spraying across the room and on Renata's dress. The marbles went clean through the eldest one's body, as if they were bullets. "Renata, stop, it hurts!" she pleaded, collapsing on the ground and waving her arms out in front of her.

Renata blinked for a moment, her eyes turning back to normal. She flinched violently at how hurt her sister was. Almost immediately after, Renata ran to her side. "I am so sorry! I am sorry! I do not know how to control the amulet yet, I did not mean to—"

"That... Should be my amulet... Why does Father love you so much more than me...?"

Ignoring her sister, Renata knitted her fingers together and pulled them apart, a blue blanket eventually forming in between her fingers. She placed the blanket over her sister and gulped.

"I am sorry, I am sorry!" she repeated, over and over again. Renatari just scowled at her sister.

"I wish you were _dead._"

* * *

**-: Chapter Eighteen: Visions In The Mirror :-**

_What if I wanted to fight  
Beg for the rest of my life  
What would you do?  
You say you wanted more  
What are you waiting for?  
I'm not running from you!_

_I tried to be someone else_  
_But nothing seemed to change_  
_I know now, this is who I really am inside._  
_Finally found myself_  
_Fighting for a chance._  
_I know now, this is who I really am._

-- 30 Seconds To Mars – "The Kill"

"You seem like you have a lot on your mind, what's wrong, Princess Renata?" I looked away from Chase, playing with the ruffles on my dress. There were a lot of things wrong with me that I could not say out loud around the people in the castle, but to Chase? I could talk about anything. I knew Chase for a long time, longer than I let anyone know. He sat on the far end of my room on the couch, his sword resting on my dresser. I continued to look through the window. The stars were so beautiful and I was stuck down here. Oh, how I wished I could jump into the sky and dance with them as well! I would be able to shine so brightly... My light would never go out, and I would not have to keep lighting it. But down here where I am now... My light is almost exhausted. I took my crown off the top of my head and touched the jewels inside of it. Oddly, my eyelashes felt heavy, so I adverted my eyes rather slowly towards Chase.

"I..." Words did not want to come out of my mouth. What had happened at dinner today made me uneasy. Sayuri was... No, every time I reminisced on that horrible dinner, tears started to form in my eyes. That was not the Summoner I knew, and I refused to believe that it was indeed Summoner Sayuri standing in front of me. I had to save her from whatever darkness was refusing to give her back to me. I... "Chase, things... I sense_ things!_" I picked up my dress and walked hastily to my dresser. "The cold wind, there it is again! It haunts me, it never wants to go away!" I grabbed a pink brush and began to brush my hair. "I want all of this madness to end. The Summoner is with Lucrecia now, and I do not know what to think..."

The image in the mirror, the one that I was gazing at looked like it wanted to have so much hope... "I took everything the Summoner had to say to heart. I do not want this kingdom to fall. I want to save the Nocuous and I want to save the Enlightened as well. Chase, I cannot do both. If I charge the machine, I will betray the Nocuous, and if I do not charge to machine, I will betray the Enlightened. I need a way out of this, and I cannot even trust Summoner Sayuri and her friends even though I want to so much..." I gasped and noticed a lone tear sliding down my face. It crashed onto my oak-wood dresser and I stared at it for a while. Even my tears wanted to be free. I could not save everyone... I was just one person, one person who was not even strong.

"Princess Renata, I'm sure whatever you decide will be the best for this kingdom—this nation!" Chase said, getting up. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes, retrieved his sword, and sat back down. "You've been doing such a great job so far! You're a strong young girl, living in this castle... Living without your father and having to put up with that Queen Aysel..." Yes, my mother was an odd woman, but I still wanted people to respect her. Saying things like that was what created more unnecessary hate. I silently inhaled and began to undo the zipper on the back of my dress. I was done brushing my hair down, so I put it in a pony-tail.

"I am afraid for everyone in Austere. I have to go check on them, at least once more, Chase, you have to understand..." I smiled a little. He was cleaning off his sword, but he glanced at me and nodded his head.

"Of course I do. You should go check on Aline, however." I clasped my hands together in joy as I stepped out of my dress. "She's somewhat special to the children in Austere. Please, make sure she's alright."

"And you will be fine in here, wont you? I do not want to leave you here all by yourself... You are a Nocuous, after all, and Lucrecia has been running out of subjects..." I glanced down at my black jumpsuit, one that featured a collared halter strap, zippered front, skinny pants with the ankles cut out, and a white skinny belt. I checked to see if I had my gloves in my pockets, and I did! At least everything I had was still intact. It made me smile when I thought about going back to Austere.

"Please, Princess Renata, I don't want you to worry!" Chase was always my friend... When I first visited Austere, he protected me from all of those angry Nocuous... They did not like me because I was related to Aysel, but what set off the hating was the fact that I was an Enlightened. After that, I never went back there again. Aysel found out somehow and punished me for it. Over time, I realized that helping the Nocuous always made me feel special, as if I was accomplishing something more. I came up with a plan and covered my footsteps. I should feel guilty... But I don't. I was betraying my mother's orders to save the Nocuous.

"Okay, Chase, but just to be safe..." I clapped my hands together and pointed to the door. "Anger and sorrow be gone! Back to the earth, back to the ground. All of the anger, all of the pain, dissolve to dust in this earthly grave, never to return again!" A beam shot from my index fingers and the door was engulfed within a blanket of blue light. "I trust everyone in the castle, but I love you too much to risk you getting hurt." I smiled once more and took off my amulet. I tossed it towards Chase, and he expertly caught it. I looked out of the window and my eyes got lost in the stars again. Silly me! "The worst part of all of this is acting like her..."

"You'll be fine."

"I hope so."

"Come back as soon as you can, Princess. I don't want to have to go looking for you." I opened my window and propped my left foot on the windowsill. I nodded my head and propelled the rest of my body downwards. I had gotten used to channeling my focal energy, and so I focused a good portion of it into my feet. I was moving faster than anyone could see me, jumping to rooftop to rooftop on the castle to make sure my decent out of the sky was smooth. I loved falling in the air like this, but for now, I was Renatari. I had been to Austere many times before under the name Renatari. My sister's name. No one knew the Princess of Aysel had a sister... At least in Austere. When I first met Chase, he did not even know Aysel had her own personal guard.

I was eternally indebted to him. I could not thank him enough for his kindness. I was coming closer towards the ground, the_ real_ ground. I landed on both of my feet and started to walk towards the city. Austere. It was a city underground. The earth was still frozen from Shiva's attack, so it crunched a little under my feet. Perhaps it was just the grass, but I could not tell.

The entrance to Austere was a hole and I fell inside of it. Most of the houses in the city were expertly made from stone and dirt. They did not get much sunshine down here, and that made me worry about them. They did not get much water, either. My mother was making them live in these conditions. How could she...? It was really late at night, so no one was outside. If I knew anything about Aline, I knew where she would be. There was one building in Austere. It was damaged, but it was still standing. It was the church. I stood outside of its doors, smiling. Aline was a girl who really looked up to Chase, and over time, she managed to become one of my close friends. I had not seen her in a while, excluding the fight with Shiva. The church was in amazing condition... Sorry I said it was damaged. The only thing that was damaged about it was the the roofing. There was a big hole in it, but we did not mind. The church was an abandoned place where Aline and I used to sneak in to clear our thoughts. And it was the only place that had flowers down in Austere. No one knew why they grew in there.

The street lights were blinding me, so I walked inside to see a content Aline picking flowers. She did not notice me right away, so I put my hands behind my back. I needed my amulet to make a bouquet of flowers out of energy, but I could use my focal energy to make a small flower for her. "Aline, sweetheart, it's me, Renatari!" I chimed, smiling. She jumped at the sound of my voice, but then she noticed it was me. Her eyes lit up as she ran towards me.

"I can't believe it's really you, Renatari!" she said, wrapping her arms around my stomach. She was not really tall, but I think it made her look cute! I patted her on the head and showed her the red flower I had made.

"Careful, it's sharp." Aline took the flower and spun in around. The stem of it was the only thing sharp on it.

"This is the best gift I've ever gotten, Renatari! Thank you, I'm going to go plant it now!" I nodded my head as she scurried in the middle of the church. The church still had rows and rows of couches on each side of the room. In the middle of it, however, was a huge patch of flowers. The floor boards must have been taken up to let the plants grow. More than anything, Aline loved flowers. "Are you staying with me? Stay with me, please?" I wanted to stay with her, but I knew that I had to go back to the castle soon. I started hating myself; the time I spent with Aline was getting shorter and shorter because of my duty as the Princess. I smiled and nodded my head, despite of all the reasons why I could not stay.

"Yes, I can stay with you, Aline. Sure!"

Suddenly, the doors opened, and Aline jumped up again. "Chase!! Oh, is he here!? I want to tell him how heroic he was fighting Shiva! Oh, Renatari, he fought Shiva, y'know!"

I would have been surprised if it was Chase, but the man who walked inside of the church was not him.

Aline stepped behind me, and I tried to look at this man. He had spiky brown hair that fell into his eyes and really odd blue eyes. It was like his eyes did not belong to him. He walked into the church really slow and had some kind of weapon attached to his arm. At any rate, the weapon had two claw-like things that laid on top of his fingers. She thought it was Chase walking in... I was scared. I did not know what to do. This man was dressed in a black suit, which was not common in Austere. I wanted to cry. I was not like Sayuri, Lucrecia, or even Renatari. I could not protect Aline without my amulet! What was I going to do? The man extended his hands towards Aline with a very smug, playful look on his face.

"Wanna play, little girl? My name's Adair." I looked at Aline, and she looked just as afraid as I was. I thought she knew this man. My lip wanted to quiver, but I controlled myself. I needed my friends and my amulet... They were the things that protected me from evil. Swallowing my fear, I gave the man the most intimidating look I could muster. "So then I guess that's a 'no'?" Adair walked towards us, and Aline whimpered a bit. "Come on, kid, don't you want to—" He paused, stopping his walking. He quirked his nose and then looked at all the flowers he was stepping in. He sniffed again and covered his nose. "Gross." This person hated the smell of flowers? How could he hate something so beautiful? "Back to what I was saying, give me the kid."

"I'm not giving you Aline!" I yelled against my will. I wanted to cover my mouth. I wanted to hide away... I did not like fighting. The light from the hole in the ceiling made Adair's weapon gleam. I was glad he had stopped walking; every step he took was amplified and made my ears twitch in fear. Adair took two steps forward and cracked a smile.

"Fine. Play with me," he said, extending his hands out once more. I put my hands on Aline's shoulders and prompted her to run behind a fallen pillar. My heart started pounding inside of my chest as I looked at this man, my eyes pleading with him not to start any trouble, but my fists balling up in rage. I would do anything to protect Aline. Slowly, I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my black gloves. At first, Adair looked at me, confusion written all over his face. Once I was finished putting on my gloves, I made sure they were both on correctly, pulling them down more just to make sure. The sound of the vinyl stretching made Adair switch his footing. I took a fighter's stance, hoping that my fear of him would not show. Aline watched from the sidelines, shivering in fear.

"Huh!" Adair grunted, getting in a fighting stance as well. "This'll be fun."

This was it... I was actually going to fight someone I did not even know. I inhaled deeply, and quickly ran towards him. I tried to punch his face and he grunted, grabbing my arm. I did not hesitate. I quickly punched him in the face with my other arm, sending him staggering to the left. While he was down, I punched him again in the face and in his stomach, grunting every time I sent an attack towards him. I hit has face with the palm of my hand, and then the other. He gasped as he continued to be pushed back. I could not believe it! I was fighting! I was fighting for Aline! I thrust my elbow into his stomach, sending him a good distance away from me. He caught himself and tried to attack me again.

"Yah!" I exclaimed, lifting up my foot and sending him flying sideways across the church. I had learned how to fight from Lucrecia... But I had never used her techniques before. Just the fact that I could remember them flawlessly... I thought Adair had been sent flying, but with his left hand—the one with the peculiar weapon on it—he grabbed my neck, and electricity escaped from the claws on it. He pushed me back but I landed on my feet. I tried to catch my breath and wipe my mouth at the same time. He looked at me and smirked, laughing a little while his claws retracted. I had to keep fighting, no matter how much pain I was in. My left hand started to twitch uncontrollably as lightning danced in between my fingers. No matter how much it hurt... No matter how much I wanted to stop fighting, I could not let Aline be captured! I managed to ball my hand into a fist and stopped the twitching all together.

My pony-tail swayed in the wind as I ran up towards him once more. I tried to trip him off his feet and slid closely to the ground, but he jumped out of the way. He tried to turn around, but I was determined to make sure he did not hurt anyone else. I dashed quickly towards him, inconspicuously charging my feet with focal energy and punching him in his face. He collided into the western wall. I thought he was going to shatter the stained glass window. Still, I had to stay focused! Every muscle in my body wanted to spasm, thanks to the electricity he shot through me, but I followed my attack up and ran towards him. He saw me running towards him and quickly evaded me. I jumped on the wall and then I jumped in between the wall and the pillar. I kicked the side of his face once more, causing him to tumble backwards towards the ground. Somehow, he did a back hand spring, but I high-kicked him in the face, brought my leg down, and kicked his head towards the ground. Now, he was leaned over and I took this chance! Yes, I had been given lots of chances to protect the ones that I loved, and I failed at all of them. But this time, I was going to succeed! I smiled, imagining Aline happy that I won this battle, and I did a back flip in the air, kicking him in the face once more.

He, almost as if he was suffering from an upper-cut, flipped into the air but he managed to regain his balance. I wanted to attack him again, but he blocked my punch with that machine on his arm. I grunted and looked him in the eyes. He did the same thing to me, and our struggle was quickly shattered. He looked so evil, like he was enjoying this fight, to some extent. He pushed me back again and I broke out into a sweat. Who was this person? "You fight just like someone I know..." he said, pausing. "I just can't put my finger on it. Tell me, what is your name?" I looked at him, cocking an eyebrow.

"My name is Renatari." I inhaled, trying to regain my breath.

"I'll be sure to remember that when I kill you!" he grunted, kicking my face with brute force. The pain all around my body intensified and I let out a scream. I flew back but made sure to land on my feet, sliding back a few inches. Instinctively, my body crouched down. I could not forget that I was still fighting! I looked up, bit my lip, and there he was. He was aiming to punch my face, but I moved to the side. His hand collided into the wall, making it crumble a little. I kicked him in his stomach and—while he was flying in mid-air towards the west-end wall—I climbed on top of him and kicked off his chest. He hit the ground with force. He let out a gasp and I truly thought he was dead. The impact could have made his heart stop all together. I was going to land back on the ground, but Adair grabbed my leg.

I gasped.

He stood back up and started to swing me around. My whole world has spinning as my arms hung helplessly. He must have swung me around three times, and then he threw me into the wall. If I would have hit that wall...

Amazingly, I landed _on _the wall, defying all laws of gravity. My feet were planted firmly on it and I looked at him. He scowled. "You're a fly on the wall that I'd love to splat right now, Renatari!" White and yellow petals fell from the flowers and floated into the sky. I would not be defeated, not when I was working so hard! I wanted to throw up, but I was handling myself pretty well. I launched off the wall and prepared a fist to impact his face. He was hoping on punching me too. Changing my plan right away, I grabbed his face instead.

"Chaaaaa," I started, running forward and dragging his face across the wall. I threw him up into the air and did a back flip. With focal-charged feet, I jumped up into the air and punched him into the ground, breaking a lot of church seats. Was this what I was... Capable of? I came back down to the ground and realized that Adair was not moving. I sighed. That was the longest, most intense battle I had ever been in...

"Renatari!" Aline exclaimed. I quickly turned around. I wanted to cry! I had actually protected her! Someone I loved! I was going to hug her, but a cold wind suddenly passed us by. We both stopped.

"_Did you get the girl yet, Adair?"_

"_Nope... She's still here."_

There was a long pause, then I concluded something. Adair was an Enlightened One, so why was he attacking me...? He should have been able to sense my focal energy. He was talking telepathically with someone and Aline and I could hear them clearly.

"_Are you _crying, _Adair?"_

He emerged from the debris and stomped on the ground. "No, I'm _not_ crying!!! But I know what to do! I'll get the girl, okay?" He took two more steps and frowned.

"Now where were we, Renatari?" He stretched out his hand and his weapon made a gear-turning sound. Then, he threw a church couch at us. Aline screamed out loud. I had to save her! I stood in front of her lightning fast and with a flick of my wrist, I destroyed it. Unfortunately, Adair appeared in between Aline and I—behind me—and stuck his electric claws inside of my back. Aline gasped in complete horror. I did not want her to see that, but there was nothing I could do. My body was sent forward and I crashed into a pillar, but I did not break it. Sayuri would not have given up, and neither would I! I tried to regain my balance, but the electricity he shot through me killed all the control I had over my muscles. I was hopelessly falling towards the ground, until he somehow ran across the church, punched me in the stomach, and pinned me to the pillar with his claws.

My whole body went limp and my head fell. In an explosion of electricity, I was sent flying through the pillar and he caught my leg. He threw me into the patch of flowers. I whimpered in pain, my body twitching. I could not stop it. I heard his loud footsteps, which indicated that he was getting closer to me. I saw him tower over me, and then crouched down and grabbed my shirt collar. There was nothing I could do to stop him. He pointed his claws at my head, smirking. I thought he was going to kill me, until something whizzed pass his face. He started bleeding from it, actually. A closer look told me it was a flower, the one I gave Aline...

He dropped me on the ground and stood up. I could only watch as he walked towards Aline. She was petrified. I really tried this time! I really wanted to get off of the ground! Every time I tried, I would get an inch off the ground before I lost all of my energy.

"Chase..." she muttered, clasping her hands together.

"_Get away from here, Aline!!"_

* * *

**A/N: **I cannot stress this enough. XD Dude, everything beyond this point is going to be PURE mindrape at it's FINEST. You guys hear me? Mindrape. PAY ATTENTION GODDAMN YOU! Yes, I'm talking to you, person that's reading this author's note. It's not called an author's note for nothing because I know EXACTLY what's going to happen if you guys don't hold on to your hats and like, pay attention. D: Also, Adair is based off of Loz. Because I can. Okay, I don't know how much more blatant I can be. XD

THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE MINDRAPE! XD;;;

Adair's whole character is mindrape. What he essentially IS is the mindrape. Hold on to your hats, people. Please, for Chiharu. Because I warn and warn... And then **BAM. **XD And you know what the most epic quote is in CCFA? When Sayuri goes up and she talks with the final boss and it goes:

"Impossible, my dream is not yet over--"

And she goes "And neither is mine!" All like a hero and whatnot. *sniff* It makes me so proud! XD

Okay, that's enough triva. ^_^ Remember the first couple of lines. XD I won't suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted...


	19. Eye Of The Storm

**A/N: **Hang on to your hats, people. XD Because if you even as to read one sentence wrong, you might get slapped with high levels of what-the-eff-just-went-down-Chiharu?! I'm telling you, I'd never throw in something random to you guys on purpose, just to see you scream and cry and get all confused over my plot. So pay attention, please? Not for my sake, but for yours at least. I just feel like helping you guys out:

This flashback deals with Issaru, and for the non-alert reader (all you people who are most likely gonna get mindhacked from this chapter XD) Issaru was, obviously, someone Lucrecia liked very, very much. What happened to him? Well, I can't remember if I told you guys in the main story yet. So I'll leave you to think about it or wait. Which ever way you want! XD

* * *

A pinky-promise?

She had never heard of such a thing, but her eyes widened in amazement as he locked his pinky with hers. The orange-haired scientist smiled and brought his hand closer to her so she could see it up close. "This is what I meant by a pinky-promise, Lucrecia. It's when two people make a promise that you can't break."

She stared at their hands for a little while, confused. "What makes it so different from other promises, then? It's just two pinkies interlocked. What happens when one of us can't move our pinkies? What happens if one of us breaks our pinky? What happened if one of us dies?"

She looked at him, demanding a serious answer and not just some joke. "Well, Issaru?"

The orange-haired scientist smiled and broke away from Lucrecia's hand, grabbing a few papers off his desk and putting them neatly in a pile. He straightened out his white lab coat and put his hand up in the air. "Any promise is just a regular promise, but with a pinky-promise you're really giving someone your word by a physical bond, not just a mental one."

He walked back over to the brunette and laced his pinky with hers again. "So let's make a promise. Anything you want."

Really, Lucrecia didn't believe in promises. Either someone did what they had to do or they didn't. But she couldn't really say no to the man she loved. "Promise me you'll never forget me, and I'll promise to never forget you. No matter how far away we might be."

"Cheesy," he pointed out. "Getting soft on me? What happens if I lose my memory then, Lucrecia?" he playfully said.

"It doesn't matter!" she declared, throwing her hand down and letting go of his pinky.

"What if I forget how to feel?" he pressed, not letting go of the subject. She scowled. Did he really need to step on a dead joke?

"Oh trust me, I'll make you remember."

* * *

**-: Chapter Nineteen: Eye Of The Storm :-**

_All alone, and now it feels so hopeless.  
With the temporary blood that your draw.  
Keep in mind when I'm  
Trying to hold this together,  
Now you're gone and I'm wasting away..._

_There's another way,  
Can't find the words to say,  
I know I need to see you and feel you.  
These days just aren't  
The way they used to be._

_Wait! We're whole again..._  
_You were my pride,_  
_But where have you been!?_  
_(Fullforce) Fullforce (Fullforce)!!!_  
_Look up head!!_  
_(Mayday) Mayday (Mayday)!!!_  
_We're already dead..._

The Fall Of Troy – "I've Just Got This Symphony Goin'"

"Isaiah, what are you talking about, I said I already got the girl!" Adair whined and complained. He eventually stopped heaving and sat down next to me. He took his Death Bringer off of his arm, the thing that he fought with. He designed it himself and it looked so ugly. I'm sure he could have come up with a better design for that oversized taser of his. I sat on a rock overlooking a lake... This place was strange compared to how the land looked in this kingdom. Everything around me was beautiful and I couldn't have it any other way. "So, what the heck are you doing out here? The Superior isn't gonna like you just sitting down and looking into space." I glanced at Adair and put my hands behind me.

"It really isn't anything important, but... I'm having these weird dreams." My glance shifted to the right of me. Adair didn't really understand what I was talking about. We Shadows didn't have dreams, and none of them knew what dreams were. But my Other... My Other was really smart. I want to met him and thank him for the abilities that he passed down to me.

"I don't really get what you're talking about. You're just talking nonsense!" he declared, picking up numerous rocks and throwing them across the lake. "Huh, there you go again making up your own words. What are dreams then, Isaiah? Maybe if you can tell me what one is, I'll start believing you have these 'dreams'." I sighed a little and prodded the trigger on my weapon. My gun-blade sat on top of my legs. How could I explain my dreams? There was no sure-fire way to do so...

"Adair, I'm not even really sure that it's called a 'dream'. But I remember _him_ calling it a dream. A series of... Emotions. I felt emotions. … And sensations. And there were images that came up involuntarily inside of my head. Those things just came to me while I was asleep." He blinked and then started laughing, gasping for air. After he had gotten that laugh out of his system, he stood up.

"You're still thinking about your Other, huh? Leave that stuff alone, Isaiah! We don't feel emotions! We just fake like we do. Those things aren't real, and The Superior would kick your ass if he heard you talking about that stuff." Obviously, Adair was too absentminded to know what I was talking about. I could already sense him getting angry. I stood up and threw my gun-blade over my shoulder. "Our only goal is to follow The Superior's orders and fight. I already sent that girl back to Austere. She was fun to play with, and I hope she sends even more people for me to play with!" Argh, he was such a child...

"I think it's still a little unfair that I don't know who my Other is," I said, switching my footing. I pushed some of my hair out of my eyes. "Adair, you don't know what you're talking about. You don't even know who your Other is either. Only one person knows who their Other is, and that's Larunda. I don't know what's wrong with her. If I knew my Other was still alive, I'd love to meet them. But she just keeps her distance..."

"You really are an idiot!" Adair yelled out. "When we Shadows are born, we have to adapt, remember? We have to kill our Others! I'm not going to meet my Other and neither are you! I don't know how Larunda's Other managed to stay alive, but Larunda's running out of time to get the job done. I'd go kill the chick myself if my anathema didn't start messing up every time I got near her." Ah, Adair's anathema. It was just another word for his 'memories' that he claimed we Shadows didn't have. He just gave it a fancy word. I didn't know why he picked the word 'anathema' to replace 'memories', however.

"And plus, Larunda gets all pissy when we go into her room or something like that, so it's not like I can _ask _her to do her job for her." He paused and started playing with the taser on his arm. "But pretty soon, I'll get to play with all the people Aysel has to offer, and I swear my anathema won't go off! I'll have a fun time with everyone and everything, and no one will stop me!"

I thrust my gun-blade into the ground and started to walk forward. "Not even the woman that seemed to give you trouble back in Austere? You were crying, weren't you?" Adair frowned and stomped his foot on the ground. He had such a temper... I was only asking him a question.

"I was NOT crying!!!" he exclaimed. "She was just moving too much! I'd go back and give you her head if I really wanted to!!!"

"No one was saying that you couldn't, Adair. I'm going to go ask Larunda a question, mm'kay?"

"F-f-fine!" Adair stuttered. "Just don't come back to me whining and complaining when she ignores you!" I waved my hand behind me as I laid my gun-blade on my other shoulder. "And don't ask me to help you on any of your missions, either!"

"I'll remember you said that," I called out. "I won't ask you for any help, Adair."

"And don't ask me to share some of my playmates when we infiltrate Aysel!"

"If you promise not to cry when we start fighting, Adair." After I said that sentence, I turned the corner. Adair wouldn't know emotions if it killed him. He irritated me. I was tired of pretending that I didn't have these dreams and feelings. Why couldn't they feel what I was feeling? If a Shadow was really a being that couldn't feel, then what was I?

There was no doubt I was a Shadow, but I didn't act like one. There were three of us, Adair, Larunda and myself. There was this girl named Cecilia who could be counted as one of us, except she was a robotic being, not really coming from someone alive in the first place. It makes her sad when we single her out, so we call her Cecilia the Azul, since she has blue hair.

I am Isaiah the Naranja because of my orange hair. Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.

If you turn orange to red-orange, it demonstrates deceit and distrust.

Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action.

And gold. You can make gold out of orange. Illumination, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality. All of these things describe who Isaiah the Naranja is.

Larunda's color is purple. Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic.

Light purple evokes nostalgic and romantic feelings, while a darker shade of that causes frustration and evokes sad feelings. That was her in a nutshell. Purple is also feminine.

I walked into the castle... The large, white castle. There was nothing fancy about the place we Shadows resided in. Our base stayed on the far end of Aysel. Our home was surrounded by multiple clones of Cecilia. Nothing could get in, and only we could get out. We each had individual hallways corresponding with our color. However, the rest of the castle was white. Pure white, and nothing was supposed to taint its walls—the only exception being blood.

"Listen to my voice calling you, pulling you out of darkness..." Her voice was loud but powerful, ringing throughout the whole castle. It was accompanied by the sound of organs and flutes fluttering in the wind. Larunda must have been singing again in front of The Superior. He loved opera music and that was what Larunda sung. Her voice raised and carried when she wanted to put emotion on a single word. Then, in an instant, her staccato dropped silently, letting her voice mesh in together with the instruments around her. "Hear the devil's cry of sin, always turn your back on him." I walked in the middle of the grand hall and looked straight ahead, waiting for her to emerge from the court room where The Superior resided. He didn't like to be interrupted when Larunda was 'serenading' him.

"With the wind you go, still I dream of your spirit leading you back home. I will give my gifts to you, grow your garden, watch it bloom." She sung that last sentence with a bit more emotion than the former one. The music dyed down now... All that I could hear was the single pluck of a harp. "The light in your eyes is an angel up high." She paused. "Fighting to ease the shadow side. Hearts will grow though having to bend, leaving all things in the end..." Larunda carried the word 'end', not sounding like she was losing any breath. "Listen to my voice calling you, Pulling you out of darkness. Hear the devil's cry of sin, always turn your back on him." she repeated, over three times before she bellowed out the last sentence as loud as she could.

I decided to look at my blade a bit and after a while the huge white doors opened up. She wore a black dress with lace details and bow accents. It also had a waist clincher. She walked down the white steps and looked like she had lost something. "You look like you've been getting no sleep, Larunda," I said, trying to pick up the conversation. She arched an eyebrow and stopped right in front of me, blinking.

"Yesterday I went to go spread the flesh-eating disease. That woman must have had something bad about her. I haven't been the same since I went to administer it to the people of Aysel. Adair told me he gave that child the same sickness, yet he has been fine. I wonder if being called my Other's name is making my body uneasy." The 'flesh-eating' disease was called Apathīa, which was the Latin word for 'apathy'. The Superior made this disease in order to cause anarchy and confusion inside the places he abhorred. The war would start soon. All four of us knew it, and it was up to us to make sure we won. The Superior took us in when we had nowhere else to go. We offered him our lives. He cared for us and bought us our clothes.

He built this castle from his own two hands, ensuring we had a place to rest and be healthy. And in return we gave him our abilities. Even if the numbers were against us, I doubted we could lose. We had powerful people on our side. "You've just got to get use to it," I said, hoping that would make her feel better. I didn't know who my Other was, so I couldn't really relate to anything she was feeling. Once the disease got around, the children of Austere would be under our control. Under our _full_ control. They would be controlled by Adair. Hopefully, that would get the Nocuous to revolt against Queen Aysel. The sickness does much worse things to Enlightened Ones. It renders them _powerless_. It will weaken Queen Aysel's defense and then we will strike, making sure Queen Aysel's empire falls.

"Isaiah, I can't get use to it, not when I know there's another one of me running around in that... Palace," she said. "If anything, it's been eating me alive. I can't get anywhere near her... Nor do I want to." I think she had forgotten that we were right in front of The Superior's chambers. I put my index fingers over my lips and made a 'shushing' sound. We Shadows were beings without emotions. We just pretended we had them. But Larunda was putting on quite an act. "I'm not real." She blinked and looked at her hands. "We're the same person... I'm a part of her..." Involuntarily, she began to shake. Now I was slightly worried about her well-being. I was capable of some emotion. Or was I just putting on an act? "If I kill her, wouldn't I kill a part of _myself?_"

Unfortunately, Larunda excelled in the field of thinking too much about things. That was something she had gotten from her Other. "You are a different person. You two look nothing alike."

"That doesn't explain anything," she spat. "Things happen. I don't get all of this Isaiah, I really don't. How exactly were we made? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There must be something The Superior isn't telling us. He didn't just find us if I have a part of me living somewhere else. She has a name, she has feelings and she can feel things that I can't. I think I'm jealous of her._ I _should be Lucrecia, not her. What did she do to deserve my name?!"

I wasn't really a big person on cheering people up, especially people who weren't supposed to have emotions in the first place. "Your name is Larunda and her name is Lucrecia. It's just a coincidence that your names sound the same. As a matter of fact, they sound nothing alike." She balled up her fists, grinding her teeth and snarling.

"I was Lucrecia first," she spat once more. "And the other reason why my body wants to spare her life is because if I kill her, I'll kill apart of me." She wasn't making much sense and I didn't understand everything what she was saying but I was getting the gist of it. No... All of this stuff was confusing me too. I didn't know what to tell her at this point. I put my free hand on my hip and gripped my gun-blade even more so. I had made a decision earlier today... And I was going to ask Larunda if it would have been okay if I went and talked to her Other. At least... For a little bit. I needed to know if I was even a Shadow at all. I had emotions and feelings. I knew I did. The color orange had multiple characteristics that tied emotions to it; why couldn't I have the same thing?

"The real reason I came to see you would be because I wanted to know if you wouldn't find it offensive if I went to visit your Other myself." A frown, a simper, and then a scowl. She walked away from me, possibly going to her room. She stopped by the well-crafted white staircase railing.

"You act as if I have feelings."

I turned around and cocked an eyebrow. "You do, otherwise you wouldn't be so mad about Lucrecia."

"I only act like someone with feelings would."

"You're acting _ridiculous,_" I replied calmly. "Why don't you just come to terms with who you are?" I found my head tilting a little to the left. "Is there something you're not telling me, Larunda? You said when you went to go start the sickness, you heard Naira say something about the Summoners being there?" This comment only mad her madder. She stomped back over to me, prodding my chest with her index finger.

"I didn't tell you that!"

"Right, you didn't. I deduced it from you and Adair's stories." I blinked once more as she chewed her lip. "You've been dreaming haven't you? Just like me." I waited for her to give me an answer, but she didn't answer me. "_Haven't _you?" She stopped poking me and took two steps away from me. I think she was trying to find something in my face... Something that indicated that I could have, quite possibly of been lying about having dreams myself. She knew me better than that. I would never do anything to hurt her.

"I have dreams about some guy who looks exactly like you, Isaiah." I didn't know whether I wanted to jump in the air and smile because I might have had an Other, or if I wanted to sigh in defeat because I had an Other and that would ultimately make me a Shadow. "They're not the clearest things, but I think they are dreams nonetheless." If she thought she was having dreams, she must have known what 'dreams' meant. I didn't want to ask her if she knew. Not yet, at least. "So, are you going to tell me what you were dreaming of, Isaiah? Do you even know what dreams are?" Something got stuck in my throat as I tried to come up with a plausible definition. But that was what I had been doing wrong all along. I kept trying to come up with long, though-tout explanations for things.

"Something... That one wishes would come true, right Larunda? Like being real?"

She nodded her head and slumped over. "Go ahead, go and ask her whatever you need to know. Saivan forbid you come back in shambles. You might scare the poor thing." I ran my fingers through my hair. … That was a possibility... I sighed again. There had to be some way out of this damned fate I was doomed to walk in, and I knew Lucrecia had the answer to that. "But when you get back, you have to tell me what you dreamed about!"

I was going to take my leave, but a crowd of butterflies formed in between us, making both of us step back. It was none other than Cecelia. "Hi guys," Cecelia greeted in her normal cheer. She had always been an eccentric person, contradicting how we Shadows acted. She wasn't human like we were, but still she managed to show and feel emotions. So which was a more fitting fate? Being born with a heart, or having one only for it to be torn away? "What are you two babbling on and on about?" She wore hundreds and hundreds of butterfly pins on her jacket so she was rather noisy when she moved.

She had a full head of blue, bouncy hair that swirled down her back. She had butterfly pins on her slacks, on her tie—she wore butterfly pins everywhere, even on her arms. "Is this the new meeting place?" She looked up at the ceiling, the stained glass reflecting light off her pins. Larunda was getting impatient, looking at her nails. "I just got back healing from ambushing Aysel's guard..." She cracked her robotic neck. I had to remember that she was just a robot, but she had so many different human qualities that I was incapable of having. "They really know how to fight!" Larunda folded her arms, scoffing.

"Or they have someone that knows how to fight you."

Cecelia prodded the skin on her neck with all of her fingers until a white bone shot out of it with all of the gruesome sounds that came with it. The bone was pure white, deadly, sharp and straight. In short, no matter how happy and human Cecelia came off as, she was still made as a weapon. She got stronger with every battle. "They even had a Nocuous on their team. Maybe our queen had a change of heart?"

"Heh, yeah, that damn Nocuous," Adair said, walking in on our conversation. "I ran my anathema on that Renatari person and it's like she's in love with that guy or something. Disgusting!" Both Larunda and I looked at each other, and then looked at Adair. "At any rate, we should kill that thing. I wanted to play with that guy a little! No doubt he'll want revenge!" Adair was such an airhead. He even sounded like he had no brain and was all brawn.

I took several steps forward and gripped my gun-blade. "Okay that sounds logical. Let's take out the Nocuous then."

"That Nocuous is none of our concern," Larunda spat, crossing her arms. "We shouldn't kill people that we can't gain anything out of. Cecelia, Adair, stand down." Adair only brushed his arm across his nose, smirking playfully.

"Heh, _feeling pity_ for the poor guy?" Adair played too much for my tastes. He took things way too far when he knew things would blow out of proportion. Balling her fists, I knew Larunda would explode on Adair, but I put my hand on her shoulder. I thought that would have been enough to calm her down, but it wasn't enough to calm down a Shadow such as herself.

She broke away from me and launched her fist towards Adair but he quickly reacted, grabbing her wrist. "You better watch yourself, Larunda." He distastefully grinned. "I'd break this thing if I knew we weren't right in front of The Superior's room."

"Detain yourself, Adair!" I commanded, pointing my gun-blade at him from faraway. My weapon was a close-ranged one and a long-ranged one. "You break her wrist and I'll break your _neck."_

"You guys sure know how to babble a lot!" Cecelia exclaimed, spinning around in one place.

"Adair, if you don't let go of me, I'll blow you to the heavens before you get a chance to blink and I mean it," Larunda hissed. He let go of her hand while she was in the middle of her sentence. The air was always tense around the four of us. We all didn't know what we were... What we were feeling... Whether we were feeling actual feelings at all...

That's when the doors opened up and all of these Wicked Spawn flew into the castle. "Are you freggin' serious..." Adair complained, standing his guard. They were the type of Wicked Spawn who flew around... Just as vicious as the regular form of Wicked Spawn. The question was, how did these things get in here and where did they come from?

They weren't a problem for us, however. We were the elitists—we were made to be able to run into battle and take down all of our opponents. Aiming my gun-blade, I started shooting some of them in the air while Cecelia separated herself. There were three of her now, each one as deadly as the last and she started spinning, her bones shooting out of her body and retracting, taking a nice amount of them out.

Adair—on the other hand—fought recklessly, grabbing one of his opponents, slamming it into the ground a couple of times, then using its dead body as a weapon in beating the other black monsters surrounding him. Larunda stretched out her fingers, her weapons radiating poison before she started demonstrating just how experienced she was in the field of combat. She excelled at acrobatics and moving her body at just the right times to dodge enemy attacks. When she employed her defense, she had a deadly offense. All it took were two hits in the same location and her opponent would die.

And she had precise aim.

We had defeated the monsters in less than thirty seconds... Maybe a little bit more than that, but it was still a couple of seconds. Confused, we all looked at each other and were a little disappointed that we couldn't pin-point where the Wicked Spawn came from.

"You four fight just as well as I imagined."

I turned around and The Superior walked out of those double doors. The first thing I thought was that we had gotten in trouble and the we were going to get punished for it. It wasn't everyday that The Superior stepped out of his room. We always walked in to see him, not the other way around. "Your Holiness," I muttered, bowing down. There was something wrong with Adair. There had always been something wrong with him.

Adair ran to His Holiness—The Superior—crying almost. He had his arms outstretched like he wanted The Superior to hug him. Wrapping his arms around him, Adair went into hysterical sobs. "Daddy, Daddy, I went to go get the girl you told me to go get, but a new girl beat me up and made me have a headache for a while! Can I kill her, please? Pretty please?" I didn't like seeing Adair like that... At first he was going on and on about how it didn't hurt him when he attacked that girl... But now he was singing a different tune. There was no doubt about it... Out of all of us, Larunda and I were the most mature. His Holiness, golden hair and all, started running his fingers through Adair's hair—his slit golden eyes locked on us in the process.

"That... That is sad," Larunda sighed under her breath, face palming. "It's like he downgrades every time he sees the king. Pathetic." Before I got a chance to answer, I heard footsteps behind me, which was highly unlikely. One, I would have sensed an intruder walking inside of the castle and two... Given my prior mercenary status, I would have killed him when I was fighting the Wicked Spawn. I turned around to be met with Zed—his hands in his pockets, smirking.

I tilted my head. So the king had an audience?

"When did you get here?" I asked, putting my blade back down.

"Well, I just wanted to see how things were going." He said it like coming into the castle unexplained wasn't anything major. He swung his hands in the air, taking a few more steps towards His Holiness. My instincts were telling me that he had brought all of those Wicked Spawn with him. I had to of had emotions, because I felt angry... And I felt it even though I had no heart. "I have great news for you, King Saivan."

"Really?" Saivan said, amusement written all over his face. "Do tell. Do you have anything to say about my wife?" His wife... Queen Aysel herself. I glanced at the two of them before Cecelia thrust her hands out in font of her and touched her foot with her left hand, mechanical wings popping out of her back. Razorblades ran on the ends of them. She pointed towards the door, the blades on her wings spinning faster and faster.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she started. "We have an Earth Eater that's just dying to meet us." Shit. Why so soon? Why so sudden? "R17...G90..."

Adair's arm started pulsating with lightning, the one he wore his oversized tazer on. He broke away from His Holiness with a toothy grin, running in front of us. "Who cares, Cecelia? No one can decode that gibberish you speak anyway!" With a grunt, he lifted up his hand and slammed it into the ground. The whole castle shook in lightning. I put my guard up, but then Larunda started walking pass me, cracking her fingers.

"Sounds like everyone is putting everything they have into this," she said. "Must be big." We all knew what was happening. None of us were stupid...

"It's a gift," Zed said, waving his arms. "Now go on, we wouldn't want you all to slip on your abilities, would we?"

I ran my fingers through my hair and stared at the the Earth Eater knocking its way into the castle like we weren't standing there. I'd only do it because His Holiness was watching me. My grip tightened on my gun blade as Cecelia launched herself in front of me lightning fast, bare bones shooting out of her palms and impaling the beast in its eyes. It screeched in pain, the chandelier in the middle of the hall shaking wildly. Cecelia knew that Earth Eaters were basically underdeveloped experiments of her, but she didn't care.

She stopped running once she reached Adair and he looked at her, sort of scoffing.

"Go!" she commanded. Adair smirked as Cecelia grabbed his arm and swung him on top of the Earth Eater. Unable to see, the Earth Eater started shaking its arms around. Larunda acted quickly, knowing that if it hit the castle's walls, we'd all be punished for it. She extended both of her hands and blue strings shot out of her fingertips. Using the energy from her focal, she detained the beast's arms and pulled her arms back, making it fall on its face.

Adair stood on top of its head, but now that the monster had been toppled over, he was in mid air. "It's been fun playing with you!" he shouted, punching the overgrown monster dead in its stomach. It twitched for a while, lightning surging through its body. That was when Cecelia split into maybe fifty copies of herself... And they all started to cut the beast's arms and legs off with whatever bones they held in their hands. All you could hear was it crying and wailing and trying to get up.

Earth Eaters didn't bleed blood.

They bled a green substance... I had yet to figure out what it was... But it was staining the white floors and I guess His Holiness didn't care...

"Yes, like I was saying," Zed continued, or he tried to over that beast's wailing. "The Mistress is doing very well. She has even decided to bring The Wickedness to her kingdom. Ever the fool..." I had never met Queen Aysel, but His Holiness talked about her as if she was the worst woman on the planet. All of this just to get rid of that woman? It sounded illogical, but who was I to question The Superior?

"And her guard?"

"Just as weak as you would imagine, King Saivan."

"So they won't get in my way?" His Holiness had a strange allure about him. When he encountered bad news, he wouldn't react to it right away. Actually, he would still be pretty calm about the situation—and the when you least expected it—he would blow up like a volcano. As if to give His Holiness his assurance, Zed bowed down.

"I'll take care of everything King Saivan," he said, turning around and heading for the door. "Everything."

Everything, huh?

We'd see about that.

* * *

**A/N:** I hated writing this chapter. XD So now you guys know that not ONLY is Aysel a major antagonist, but so is Saivan. XD You've just gotta feel sorry for Renata. Her whole family is just insane. And you've gotta feel sorry for Aysel, but this is what she gets for marrying a guy just because he looks good. Because that's what she said she married him for in what? Chapter eleven? Look back, it's there. She says that and I'm not lying. Renata has no sister and now her parents are gonna start a war with each other. XD

Technically, I should really call Zed a major antagonist too, but I won't, because I'm Chiharu and I consider him nothing more than a snake that gets by on the other antagonists' coattails. So I am. You're a snake! XD;; And that's why I hated writing this chapter. All of those previous chapters about me sneaking in the foreshadowing and all of that--where did you guys honestly think this guy was? Hanging out with Saivan being a SNAKEEEEE. I hate snakes with a passion so maybe I'm being unfair.

Nope. Chiharu's never unfair. XD

¬_¬ BUT I WISH HIM DEATH! HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE DEATH!!!

Errhem. Back to what I was saying. Larunda? I hope that's her name ^^;; is Lucrecia's Shadow. And Lucrecia is _very _aware that she has a Shadow. Image how much she is gonna FREAK when she sees Isaiah. XD;; I'd be fun to write. XD Infact, all of the Shadows are people Lucrecia has met before. You'll see as the chapters go by. Effin snake. Messing with my Isaiah. I love Isaiah! D:

Anyway, that's all for this chapter! Hope your minds are still there! :)


	20. All These Things I Hate

**A/N:** This flashback helped me see what the future holds for Miyuki. XD It was kinda hard writing it, but if Miyuki plans on snaking, I'm gonna have to destroy her. XD

Also, I love my chapter names! XD

* * *

I felt cold for some reason. It was a forbearing cold, a cold that wouldn't go away. This was supposed to be the best day of my life. Do not get me wrong, it was the best day of my life. It was every girl's dream—to be married and have a wonderful life afterwards. Now that I think about it, the strange, cold feeling I felt could have been the reason why I was so happy. I loved him, that much I was sure of. I was surprised when Shirogane let us have our wedding in his castle. We did not have to spend any money; Shirogane said he would take care of all the expenses himself.

It was nice of him to do that, but I knew the real reason why he made such a generous offer. It was because we were going to be the most powerful couple in Spectra. The most_ dangerous c_ouple. I was a sickeningly happy person, and at that time, I failed to see why anyone would think I was dangerous. We both still attended the academy, but I could see how people labeled my husband as being unstable. He was the greatest soldier in the program, and was willing to die for both Shirogane and Spectra if the need came to be. Everyone knew that he was going to become the next Guardian that would aid the Summoners in their pilgrimage.

But _I _was dangerous?

I could not even hold my gun upright, let alone hurt someone. Just the idea made me noxious. No matter how naive I was back then, I understood that I was dangerous because I was marrying Gluttony. People thought that he would change me, and change me he did. My head was up in the clouds as I stared at millions of cumulus clouds overhead us through the window. I wanted to be alone—I did not need anyone to help me put on my dress. People that I did not even know started to worry about me. I hated having their pity. They knew he was a monster, but they respected him for it. It was not a respect out of fear, but out of _jealously._ I failed to know how respect out of jealously worked as well. To be a great solider of Spectra, you had to fight like a monster in order to win. Weak soldiers did not make it out alive. Being weak made you an easy target. So what was I, then? Was I weak, or was I dangerous?

You could be weak and dangerous.

You could have a weak mentality but a dangerous way with your words.

You could have sharp words, but lack in the field of fighting. There was absolutely no way you could only be dangerous. Even the most powerful of fighters had some weakness. Being fully dangerous just made you a flat out monster. Gluttony was not a monster. Just because he was good with a weapon did not make him a monster, and the people who worried about me did not see that. He hid behind a translucent wall for a reason. I didn't know how many times I had to reiterate it... To be respected and a high-ranking soldier in Spectra, you _had_ to be a monster, and that was what Gluttony wanted to convey. I did not understand it!

What made_ me_ so dangerous?

Was it because I had no real parents of my own? A lot of people in Spectra lost members of their family in the Wickedness attack not too long ago. I wanted to be a guardian—not because I wanted to protect eight people I did not know, but because I wanted _revenge._ I did not care who The Wickedness was... It took my family, and I was going to take _its_ life. Huh, Gluttony told me he wanted to be the Guardian because he wanted to save lives. He wanted to make sure that no one died for no reason anymore. He had such better intentions than I did. Revenge verses saving lives... No matter how many lives he aimed to save, he would always have to kill something... Fight someone to protect those lives. He would still end up killing a lot of people. But with revenge, I was doing it for a name! My family's name. My family that was not with me anymore.

Maybe the people that were worried about me knew of my motives, but were too afraid of confront me because I was "dangerous". But that would have been impossible; I had no wall to see through. I was just as happy as I could ever be. This coldness made me happy. The way my heels constricted the blood to my toes made me happy. Marrying him made me happy. I was not going to give up my happiness. My dress was simple, nothing too flashy. ...Which was strange, considering how loud I was back then. My dress was white, had a little bit of pink in it, and hid my feet so I did not have to worry about my shoes not matching my dress. It was made out of satin and had embroidery on it with metallic accents. The crystal beading, sequins, and sweep train were what made it a simple dress to me.

My hair was in a curly pony-tail that hung on the side of my face. It was a good thing too, because now my hair would not get into my eyes. I had never thought so much in my life. I think my wedding day was the day I began to change, because I really did not have the strength to go outside. Linnéa came into my room, slightly worried about me. "Everyone is ready, Miyuki. You are going to be late." I adverted my glace from the window and looked at her. Linnéa wore a satin, ivory-colored halter-dress that came with a satin belt. It had a floor length A-line skirt to it as well. All of my bridesmaids did. Truthfully, I did not know half of my bridesmaids. The only one I knew was Linnéa. "Did you hear me, Miyuki? We have to go, now."

I nodded my head, despondently. "I-I'm sorry Linnéa! I-I was just thinking!" I straightened out my dress and looked up at my idol. "No one is mad at me, are they? I will be down there right away, I—" She put her index finger on my lips, and just as quickly removed it. She started walking towards the door... Something evil about her just wanting to come out and jump at me. Was she evil as well? She couldn't be, right? No, she was dangerous. Weak, but dangerous.

"Miyuki, hurry or everyone is going to think you are running out on the poor man."

"Poor man"?

No, he was a weak and dangerous man. I followed Linnéa reluctantly through the door, sensing the jealousy she was feeling. I was confused now. Linnéa came to a reluctant stop, staring blankly into the air. I was training to fight just like her, but I knew Linnéa would have always been light years ahead of me. She opened the palm of her hand, and like magic, her weapon appeared in it. I had seen her weapon plenty of times, but I could never get over how unique it was. "Miyuki..." she said, her eyebrow twitching. "You should go down the stairs immediately." I could fight now. It had always been my dream to fight next to Linnéa and her chain-dagger.

And I was going to make sure it was a reality.

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty: All These Things I Hate :-**

_I'd steal your eyes, (I'd steal your eyes)  
Just so you can never see me fall (see me fall)  
I'd steal your tongue  
And I'd steal your tongue  
Just so you could never tell me to let go again_

Bleed The Dream – "Who's Killing Who?"

"It's cold when you're lonely, isn't it, Sa-yu-ri?"

I had my hands wrapped around my knees, looking up at the person glaring at me. She had long, dark-brown hair that cascaded down her back in waves. I didn't want to talk to her. I just wanted to sit there and cry. I was at the lowest I could be... I didn't see any other way to make things right at all. I was so confused... I was so submerged in my own sadness that I couldn't even breathe. I had forgotten who I was. And I was an idiot for realizing that I had this... This thing eating me ever since Kohana left me. Why did she leave me?

And no matter how much I pleaded and begged... No one would answer my question. No one_ could_ answer my question. I had talked to Kohana many times over—but she never gave me an answer to why she left me. She would just feed me garbage and things that I really didn't understand. I wouldn't fight or complain about having to stay with Lucrecia for who knew how long. As far as I was concerned, I... I... I couldn't fight fate, and I knew as much as anyone else that I was screwed! There was no way out of this and I couldn't help but think that destiny hated me!

There was no other explanation—whoever it was pulling the strings around here hated my guts! They hated me more than anything else on the planet, right? I wanted to scream and cry, but I felt so weak. I was expecting my eyes to water, but I felt... Whatever she had put in me... I felt so lightheaded and weak. I wanted to throw up too, but I couldn't... Why was I the one being tortured for something that I couldn't even control? I couldn't save this world from whatever darkness was eating at it! I couldn't stop Aysel—she was Renata's mother and if I tried to take Aysel out, Renata would have been sad, wouldn't she?

Yes, fate wanted to put me through the ground... I just didn't want to fight anymore. If fate wanted to do that to me, I couldn't say anything to make it stop. I was just as useless as... I couldn't... I looked up at Lucrecia and she just narrowed her eyes at me. Then she walked towards her desk and sat in her swivel chair, poking at her cheek with a pencil that she held in her mechanical hand. "Why, you look like you want to cry, Sa-yu-ri. Why the long face, I'm not that bad," she said, with an underlying tone of sarcasm and just being plain screwy with me. I didn't answer her. I was just going to act like a normal prisoner and wait for my death. "You know... You Summoners amuse me. How long do you think it'll be before your friends come and try to save you? And I'll kill every single one of them that tries to crash through my door..."

"They're not coming," I spat, stretching out my arms. "They aren't idiots, Lucrecia. My friends are smart and they could take you out in a heartbeat. Now leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you. Just... Just do whatever you want but please don't talk to me." Lucrecia laughed a little, spinning in her chair again, her left leg over her right one. She was unbelievable. I think before I started freaking out at dinner, she was planning to go to sleep, which would explain why she was in her pajamas. I couldn't believe that was me at that dinner. What was I thinking? I couldn't hurt anyone... I couldn't hurt Aysel or Renata even if I tried, so what was going through my mind when I tried to... I just didn't get it.

I didn't remember ever blowing up on them, but Morta, Kokoro, and Miyuki looked like I had just killed someone...

She stood up and walked towards me again. "You want to cry, don't you Sayuri? You want to cry, and you want someone to console you, right?" If I cried now, no one would be there to tell me that everything was going to be okay—that everything was going to be all right and that I was just overreacting. That was Kohana's job. That was Tariku's job. And... And I could never see them again! They'd never come back to me because I had let them leave forever! I wanted to cry, but I couldn't, and that made me want to cry even more-so. I hadn't had a good cry in so long and I needed to release my emotions, but Lucrecia—that chick—did something to me and I was going to make her pay for it! I snarled, looking up at the wannabe-scientist. She tilted her head in amusement, putting her hand on her hip. "You're so fucking pathetic that you can't even fucking cry!"

My eyes were saturated with rage. I didn't want to talk to her. I told her I didn't want to talk to her, but she insisted on talking to me! Where did she get off?! "Lucrecia, I swear on everything I love, stop talking to me! Stop talking to me, please stop talking to me!!"

"So now you're going to get mad because you failed at killing Aysel, Sayuri? I have to give you your credit, even though you're such a crybaby-ass. You tried to hurt her. At least you came close!"

"Graaah!" I yelled, standing up and stomping my foot on the ground. "I did not try to kill her, shut up talking to me Lucrecia!" I pointed a finger at her and she just smiled at me. "I did not try to kill her, I swear it." My breathing slowed down and I glanced towards the ground. But I wanted to. I really wanted to kill her. "I didn't try to kill her..." Or maybe I did. Maybe I wanted her to pay for all of the pain she put me through. "I didn't try, I didn't try..."

"Let me tell you something kid," Lucrecia said, laughing in-between her words. She turned around and tended to her work. "You should know that crying hurts like hell. So don't do it." Who was she to tell me what I could and couldn't do?! But I was useless now... I had always been so useless, so I guess I would have to try not to cry and hold in all of my emotions.

* * *

_Move in for the kill and forget my name. You know you _can't_ forget my name. Make no mistake, she always knew I wouldn't break..._

* * *

I felt warm all over, like there were people around me that I could trust. I closed my eyes again, looking at Kororo and Morta looking at me. They were nice people, and they kept telling me not to panic. I smiled back at them, tilting my head. Morta, the girl with the wavy brown hair, was leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. She looked like something was on her mind. Kokoro was sitting on top of a box of some sort... He was going to break it sitting on it like that. "Why would I panic?" I asked, tilting my head. My hair was still straight, so it managed to get in my mouth a little. "You guys saved me! Just like the people in the books—I thought I was never going to wake up!"

"So, you knew you were asleep?" Morta asked, standing up straight and pacing around. "So you know that you're a Summoner, just like we are?" A Summoner? I didn't know that was what I was called... I knew I had this power to summon things ever since I was little. I looked at my hand and gazed at my ring. There was someone else in the room, but she was sound asleep, curled up in a ball. She looked so adorable. Maybe I'd meet her in the morning? It looked like it was pretty late, so why weren't these two asleep?

"Yes, I knew I was asleep." I nodded my head, my earrings jangling. I loved to collect earrings, especially the dangly ones. I collected a lot of things, but more than anything, I loved to read fairytales. I must have had every book ever known to man. They were very interesting, and sometimes I'd make my dad read them. When I was asleep, I couldn't remember my dad—or anyone from back home. I sighed, trying to figure out where to start telling my new friends my story. "Well, I've had this ring for as long as I can remember. When I was born, my mother said she found this ring... And it just appeared on her finger. My dad didn't buy it for her, and she said it was a good luck charm or something. When I was a baby, she gave me the ring, but kept it somewhere safe. When I turned four, she let me have the ring and I've never taken it off since." I flashed my hand towards them, and Morta nodded her head. Kokoro stood up too and punched the air in enthusiasm.

"Yep! That sounds like a new partner to me, right Morta?"

"Whatever you say, Kokoro. Chio is taking all of this better than what I predicted. But we need to figure out what we're going to do about Sayuri. That's what you've been thinking about, yes?" Naturally, I wasn't really a bright person. I didn't catch on to things like everyone else did, so I asked a lot of questions. I hope these guys didn't find me irritating... Kokoro nodded his head and then he frowned a little—only a little. He was an energetic person, because he smiled soon after that and looked like he was going to run a marathon.

"Excuse me, but why are you guys up so late? And who's Sayuri?"

"Well," Kokoro said, scratching the back of his head. "Miyuki is used to this kind of stuff. Before you woke up, we went to dinner with this queen and princess..." Did he say princess? Like in the books? Now I was really interested in what he had to say. I put my hands over my mouth, my sleeve covering the whole bottom half of my face. "We went through a lot of trouble to save you, Chio. You attacked us and Aysel—the queen here—almost had you killed." I gulped. I would never hurt someone on purpose... I raised my hand up and they both blinked at me.

"Yes?" they both said at the same time, before looking at each other.

I nodded my head and smiled. "Guys, I'd never hurt you. I was sleeping, so I didn't know what I was doing. Shiva likes to visit me in my dreams, see? Even when I'm awake, Shiva watches over me. Other people can't see her, and they look at me crazy when I talk to her. I try to tell them that she's right next to me, but other people just end up thinking I'm pretty crazy. But you guys saw her, right? Isn't she the nicest person in the world?" They took a long time to answer me, but Kokoro smiled back at me, nodding his head.

"Of course Shiva was nice! She was sleep too, and she didn't know what she was doing, which is why she attacked us!" Kokoro sneezed, neglecting to cover his mouth. After that, Morta sort of sighed, agitated. They were funny people. "She was really hard to fight, though. And you and her are really strong, Chio. Listen, I'm the Summoner of Fire!" he declared, pointing at himself. "And that's the Summoner of Death over there. I couldn't stand when I was fighting Shiva! She was cramping my fire." Oh, those names sounded interesting. All of a sudden, the room had gotten brighter and Kokoro held some kind of ball inside of his hands. It was crystal clear, and I could look through it. Fire danced inside of it, like it wanted to escape and burn everything that stood in his way. "My weapon is the Conflagration Orb. For something that looks so light, it sure is heavy. And when I first figured out to summon it, I dropped it on Morta's foot on accident. Are you still mad at me, Morta? Sorry?" She muttered a bit, and then waved her hand.

"It's okay, it was an accident so I know you didn't do it on purpose—"

"May I touch it, Kokoro? Just once?" My eyes widened at the sight of the flames. I couldn't take my gaze off of it. It was enchanting. "Oh, I'm sorry for cutting you off, Morta. I just have a lot of questions that need answers."

"Oh, well in that case, I'll keep going! Only I can touch this thing, because it's really hot, Chio. It burned Morta's shoes when I dropped it. Moonlight and everyone else said they'd give her a new pair, so it was all good!"

"It must be nice to have the power over fire. What about you, Morta? Can I see your weapon?" I asked, intrigued. Morta put her hands out, like she was preparing to grip something. All of a sudden, everything got really dark and cold. I sunk back into my blankets a little bit. She held some kind of scythe in her hands, and it looked absolutely beautiful! It had a whole lot of gems and jewels incrusted on it and it was purple. Purple was such a nice color.

"This is called, to my knowledge, The Freezing Scythe of Salvation. It actually has the power to kill anything in one hit if I use my death-strike. Well, I'm always using death-strike, since it's embedded inside of my weapon. Kokoro's weapon has fire-strike, and since we are the Summoners of Fire and Death respectively, we don't need our weapons to control our elements." She looked like she was dropping her scythe, but it disappeared before it could hit the ground. "I know we should really wait for Miyuki to wake up, but if that ring is really your weapon... Why don't you try summoning it without transforming?"

"Transforming?" I asked, tilting my head. "You guys can transform?" There was still snow floating in the air from when Morta called her weapon. Kokoro nodded, like he wanted to answer the question before she did.

"Yeah!" Kokoro shouted, jumping up. Morta told him to shush. He looked at her like he knew he had done something wrong, and looked back at me. "We would show you, but Miyuki's asleep and all—"

"Well, Kokoro, Morta, I'll take it from here." There was a really short lady standing right behind Kokoro, and he jumped realizing that she was standing behind him the whole time. She looked strange—in a good way. She had apricot-colored hair and pink eyes, and wore this orange and pink leotard-dress with a diamond keyhole on it. I did expect her to dance for us, but she looked like a serious person.

"Ah! Hi, Miyuki!" he greeted, stepping back. "She's okay!"

"Yes, I heard the whole conversation," the woman said, stepping towards me. She extended her hand, pointing at my right hand. "May I see your hand, Chio? I'm Miyuki, your Guardian. I'm the person who makes sure you, Morta, and Kokoro don't end up dying during this pilgrimage. I'm glad you're okay." I gladly complied, putting my hand in her hand. She stared at my ring for a moment. I couldn't believe that I actually had a _guardian_... I had never had a guardian before. Well, besides Shiva. While Miyuki was still looking at my ring, I still had a lot of questions that I needed answered. "Um, excuse me?" Miyuki looked up at me and I nodded my head.

"So, where's this Sayuri person?"

"She's not with us," Miyuki answered. "Sayuri is your leader, however, and she is the Summoner of Time. Chio, you are the Summoner of Convene. You are able to call beasts of folklore from The Land of Summons. You must be happy, you seem happy about this." Miyuki took my ring off of my finger and put it in the palm of my hand. "Think of what you want to say, okay Chio? Think of what reminds you of this ring. I want you to know what your weapon looks like." I closed my eyes and tried to comprehend what Miyuki was telling me. It was hard, but I could see something throughout all of the darkness. My ring started to glow when I opened my eyes, and then it turned into this bright, light-blue staff. It was really long and had a dark blue diamond in the middle of it. The diamond was surrounded by an arch, and the arch had strings dangling down from it. The strings had diamonds tied to them and the staff was incrusted with diamonds.

The one thing I really liked about the staff was the ribbon tied to it. I felt stronger holding it, just like I did when Shiva was around me. "Congrats, Chio!" Kokoro said. I nodded my head in thanks.

"Yes, that's her weapon. Now can you transform for me, Chio?" I blinked. Sorta...? I didn't exactly know how to... Miyuki helped me out of the bed and I stood up. For some reason, my staff disappeared from my hands and I inhaled. I felt empty... Not holding it. "Now, unlike the other three Summoners, they can use their main ability without holding their weapon. But you, on the other hand, need your staff." It took me a while to process what she was saying, but I got it! Now all I had to do was transform. I held my left hand out, my whole body tingling.

"Convene Metaphase!" I snapped my fingers, and something blue climbed up my arms. They were long sleeves to a blue and light-blue dress that had a deep-v neckline and gathered bust. The inner shell was dark blue, and the outer shell was light-blue. I wore blue boots with it, and my ring came back! I was kind of happy. "Is this what I was supposed to do?" I asked. Miyuki nodded her head.

"Now let's see you try to summon. Here's the problem, Chio. You can be a _very_ powerful Summoner, but every time you summon, you use up a great amount of your energy. As soon as you summon, I want you to dismiss the summon. How many summons do you know of?" Miyuki paused, glancing down to the floor. "Oh yes, that's right, you've only got one and that's Shiva..."

"Yep, yep! Now here I go..." I knew what I wanted to do, but if I tried to summon Shiva in here... Wouldn't I get in trouble again? And I didn't think it was safe to summon her indoors... "Didn't I get Sayuri in trouble for summoning Shiva in the first place?"

"No, Sayuri just had some problems and couldn't stay with us," Morta said quickly. Kokoro looked like he wanted to say something but she beat him to the punch. Well then, if Sayuri couldn't come with us, we should go get her, right? Besides, I wanted to meet her. She sounded interesting enough as it was. I wish I had the ability to control time like she did. "So what do you want to do now, Miyuki? Are we going to stay here? You heard Aysel and her plans of obliteration and destruction. Do you want us to fight her? Should we start planning now?" I took it that Aysel was some sort of evil queen, like in _Snow White_. This was surreal... Miyuki shook her head.

"First we have to get Sayuri back, but I don't want to start any trouble around here... I wish Sayuri knew how to bite her tongue..." I raised my hand again, and everyone stopped talking.

"Mm'kay, so why can't we go get Sayuri back? I'll help you guys fight! This has always been a dream of mine! I've always thought of going around correcting things with some of my closest friends. Shiva told me it was going to happen one day. She said I'd be able to come back home after we beat the bad guys, so trust me, with me and Shiva on you guy's side, we can't lose." I smiled, and then Kokoro patted me on the back.

"That's a girl, Chio! With that attitude, I think we'll get along just fine!" I was going to say something else, but someone came bursting through the door. All of us turned around, and this tall, muscly guy stood in the doorway very frazzled. He wasn't breathing badly or anything, but it was just the way he looked at us that made us all worry about him.

"Chase, what is it?" Morta asked. "Are you okay?"

"Renata's gone, Summoners, and I don't think she's okay."

Kokoro grunted and turned all of his attention towards him. "You mean, she's hurt? How? Why?" Chase walked into the room silently, putting his arm into his coat sleeves.

"I let her go down into Austere since she really wanted to see if the people down there were doing okay. She wanted to make sure Aline was okay, and I knew something was wrong when her necklace just stopped glowing. Summoners, we have to go help her." He looked serious and I didn't even know who he was. I wanted to help him, but I had to tell him my name.

"Excuse me..." I whispered. "My name is Chio, and don't feel so bad. We'll help you. Who's Renata...?"

"The Princess," he replied, nodding his head. "I couldn't ask Queen Aysel for help or even tell her because Renata snuck down there. It's such a long story that I know I just don't have time to explain. We have to go down there and make sure she's alright." He paused, inhaling. "Please...?"

"And you said she was with you before she snuck out?" Morta asked. All three of them nodded their head. "Sure, Chase. We'll help you. Now show us where she's at."

* * *

_Who's killing who? Tell me again, I'll never be the same again. She'll never see my face again, again, again, again..._

* * *

So now we were at some place, Lucrecia and me. She said she sensed that Renata was down in Austere, and we were standing outside of some busted up church... No, I was sitting against the wall, minding my own business, and then I just heard something snap. After that, Lucrecia said, "Shit." and then she told me to get ready and go to Austere. Well, she said I'd better hurry up and prepare myself, and that she was teleporting us there. So here we were. Lucrecia was about to walk into the place, but then I sensed something weird, so I turned around lightning fast.

"Hey guys, it's Sayuri!"

My face lit up, but only a little. I remembered that voice—it was Kokoro, wasn't it? "Hi guys! Over here!" I waved my hand in the air and Lucrecia turned around, scoffing.

"Well, if it isn't your pathetic friends... What the fuck are they doing here?" I took a closer look, and they had Chase with them. All of them met up with me, including the girl that we had saved during the Shiva fight. We both looked at each other, and I was trying to figure out why she was looking at me so hard. She was transformed alright and had her weapon in her hand. I took one look at that thing and got so angry. I think my face turned four shades of red. She was the one... She was the reason why I was in so much pain! If she didn't pull off her Shiva stunt, I could have still been with my friends!

"Excuse me, Sayuri..." She had her hand over her mouth, which was totally covered by her sleeve. "I'm Chio!" Next thing I know, she jumped on me and tried to hug me, almost knocking me over. "You must be the Summoner of Time! Nice to meet you, Sayuri! I would have never thought you'd be down here."

"So you're a new bastard?" Lucrecia grinned, touching the door handles with her fingers. "Aww, it must be sad. You're going to end up dying here just like all of the others of your fucking kind!" No way, she was trying to intimidate poor Chio! Chio stepped back and help her staff closer to her. She didn't say anything back to her, which seemed like a good thing. "I'm sure your friends came down here for the same reason we did, Sayuri. Renata's inside of here, isn't she, Ch-a-se? Well? I don't have all fucking day! It's late and it's fucking hot down here." I looked at him and he looked like he was going to rip Lucrecia apart. "Well, Nocuous?"

"Of course she's in there," he replied. "I let her go down here and she got hurt somehow. I was with her the whole time before she came down here." My heart jumped out of my chest and I couldn't form words. I busted through the church's doors and couldn't believe what I saw. This place was totaled, but that wasn't what I was worried about. Renata was lying in the middle of the church... Laying in a circle of flowers.

"Renata!" I yelled, walking towards her body and then stopping for no reason. No way... I... If I wasn't so freaked out and depressed... If I didn't freak out at the dinner... Renata would have still been okay. She looked extremely pale—well—she was pale to begin with, but she was really sick and kept twitching. Chio held her staff close to her, not knowing what war and battle looked like. I felt kind of sorry for her. She was new to all of this and I didn't know how she would take seeing Renata laid out on the ground like this. Chase was absolutely devastated, walking towards her and putting her necklace around her neck.

"So she was the princess?" Chio asked, hugging her staff even closer to her. Morta nodded her head and put her arm in front of the frightened girl. I just kept freaking out. I had half of my team now. Kokoro, Morta, Chio and I made four people—but I felt like it was me fighting against the world. I wanted to protect all of my friends, just like Renata wanted to protect us. "How did she... Why is she...?" I couldn't stay away from Renata forever. Something inside of my exploded, and I think it was my pride. My dignity as a Summoner. I ran up next to Chase and collapsed on my knees.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!!!" I kept punching the ground, tears falling from my eyes. "Renata, why didn't you ask us to help you?! Why didn't you ask us to help you, dammit?! Why, why, why?! How the hell am I going to explain this to Aysel? Who did this to you?! Please, who did this to you?! If I wasn't so out of whack... I'm... I'm... I'm out of my league. I can't do this! If I let you get hurt this badly, then I can't—"

"Summoner Sayuri..." Chase said solemnly, folding his arms. He was just as sad as I was and he wasn't reacting as bad as I was. Did he even care that Renata had gotten beaten up? How the hell did she end up down here?! What happened, dammit?! What went wrong?! I could have stopped all of this—all of this! I didn't want anyone else being hurt because of me! If I was there—if I was there—Renata could have had a chance!! "You don't have to cry, I kind of let her go. If there's anyone that should be crying, it's me..."

"So you're the one who let her come to this hellhole? Give me three reasons why I shouldn't fuck you up." Lucrecia gritted her teeth, glaring Chase down. Chase didn't even bother to look back at her. "You Nocuous crap, what made you think that you could come into the castle and then send Renata fuck knows where?! You know who's going to get bitched out because of this?! I am, not you, not all of these damned Summoners, but me! Fuck my life—you guys are all persistent-ass bastards that deserve to die. Once this thing spreads around Aysel... I swear to God I'm not taking the fucking fall for this." Lucrecia wouldn't even have to take the fall if it weren't for me... I...

"Chio, look at this right here. If I die, since you don't know me that well anyway, don't feel sorry for me, okay?"

"Sayuri, what are you talking about?" Kokoro asked. Of course he wouldn't know what I was talking about. Did he not know that I was going to die if I kept fighting like this? I felt miserable—absolutely miserable. I wasn't a good fighter, everyone else could fight just fine without me. I couldn't do anything right, which was why bad things always happened every single time I opened my mouth. I was the reason why my mother killed Tariku and tried to kill me. I was the reason why Japan blew up... I was the reason why Natalie died—and—and I was the reason why Chio almost died and...

"We should take her back to the castle and everyone should explain what happened to Aysel as slow and efficiently as possible," Miyuki said, twiddling her thumbs, which was really weird for her to do. She knew Renata was hurt because of me. Renata was supposed to be knocked out, but she was still twitching too. Lucrecia, of all people, stepped up and grabbed Renata's hand carefully and examined it.

"So someone with some ability to control electricity and force it into someone else's body... Any of you bastards have the ability to control lightning?" She was accusing us of hurting Renata and dropping her inside of this place, of all things! No way, no way, no way!!! Lucrecia couldn't so something like that! I swear, I couldn't believe she would do something like that!

"How dare you!" I yelled, pointing a finger at Lucrecia. "I've had it with you! I'd never hurt Renata like this!"

"You've got an alibi, Sa-yu-ri?" she said, pointing her mechanical index-finger at me. She pushed me back a bit with it. I scowled.

"You know damn well that I was at that freakin' dinner until you took me away like a crazy psychotic were-bitch!" I seethed, balling up my fists. "I swear Lucrecia, before you start pointing fingers around here, _where the hell were you at_ when I was at dinner? Before I went there, I was knocked out cold just like Renata was and then I went to dinner and Renata was there too! And then you came—and just because I can't remember exact details doesn't mean I could just magically appear down here and drop her off you crazy bitch!" The whole place got silent and Lucrecia actually thought it was pretty admirable—what I did. Well, she was smiling, so I thought she liked the fact that I had the guts to speak out like that. I was still very depressed, but I wasn't going to take the fall for something I did not do! Or maybe I did do all of those things...

"You shouldn't point fingers at yourself, Sa-yu-ri, because judging on what you guys did the last time you were here, you're number-one-fucking-suspects until Renata comes to."

"What, you're going to throw me in that cell again? What then, Lucrecia? You're going to try and kill me again?" My wand appeared in my left hand, and I was ready to do battle. "Because I don't fall for the same tricks twice. Get in my way of finding justice for my friend, and I'll kill you. I'm so sick and tired of people like you thinking you can do whatever the hell you want around here!"

She tiled her head and smiled. "Oh, and you think I use the same techniques twice, why?"

I just shrugged and flipped her off. It wasn't even worth fighting with her anymore. "All I'm saying is, if Chase was right about saying he spent the night with her until she decided to leave, then someone must have known she was going to Austere, which means they knew she was going to see someone here. But who? Lucrecia, I don't like your ass, I never liked your ass, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to_ kill you _if I find out you had something to do with this!"

"Acting tough are you, Summoner? You're starting to piss me off!" Lucrecia yelled, her eyebrow twitching. "Weird shit didn't start happening like this until you and your fucking friends came into town. Every time I see you and your band of prissy Power Ranger friends something bad always fucking happens to _me_, not anyone else. You're a bunch of walking omens, you half breads!" I wasn't going to break to this argument. It was true though—bad stuff always happened to me and around me. I only brought other people pain because I... I didn't even know. Maybe I did hurt Renata. Maybe I just couldn't remember it, but maybe I did...

"I did it, I really hurt Renata!" I wailed, covering my eyes with my hands and rubbing them. "I did it, I can't believe I did it, but I did, I remember seeing her all dead—"

"Sayuri, stop being silly! I was with you the whole entire time!" Kokoro said, putting his hand on my shoulder. I jerked, continuing to drown in my sorrows.

"Ha, I knew it. Aysel's going to make sure you guys die today!" After that, I guess I just stopped listening to everybody. Miyuki was arguing with Lucrecia about how she was in charge of her Summoners and how she would never let something like this happen. Chio... Poor Chio didn't know what to do. She was just looking lost... Not really understanding anything. I think she didn't understand a lot of things. She was too new to understand, and that sucked because she had to remember me as the leader who hurt people for no real reason whatsoever.

"Lucrecia, your persistence to make my Summoners look like the bad guys in this world is really starting to make my calm demeanor collapse."

"I'm not making them out to be the bad guys," Lucrecia spat back. "They _are _the bad guys. And you are too, which is why I'll take you back to the fucking castle with Sa-yu-ri and her friends too, including the new chick."

"We're not letting you take us anywhere!" Kokoro yelled, throwing his arms out. "We're going to fight you, and there's no shield to stop us all from fighting you at once! Sayuri might be down, but I have Chio, Miyuki, and Morta to help me this time. I don't want to fight you, Lucrecia... I just want to find out who hurt Renata, and I know that wasn't Sayuri."

"Umm, excuse me..."

"Well then, if it wasn't her, then who the fuck was it? Well, ha, accusing you of doing it would give you way too much credit. I doubt you have the balls to attack the princess like that! So I know you didn't do it."

"Sayuri! Stop crying hysterically and get up," Morta said, standing over me. Her hair was making my shoulders itchy; I really wished she wore it up instead of down all the time. But none of my wishes ever came true...

"May I have a word...? Please...?"

"And why do you think it's Sayuri? Do you have any proof?" Kokoro asked pointedly, raising a brow.

"Why wouldn't it be that chicken-shit? She's got a knack for doing stupid shit and running off. Did you forget about my arm?! My fucking arm that she stole?! Who knows what the hell she's done with it, but I'm not going to forget the day she made my life hell." Lucrecia paused, grinning. "And I'm going to make her life hell. Starting with this—!"

"EXCUSE ME!" Chio yelled at the top of her lungs. Those other guys stopped yelling at each other, but I was still crying. "Sayuri saved my life, didn't she? So then, then..." She couldn't let go of her staff. It seemed like she held it close to her every time she felt too many emotions. "Sayuri can't be all that bad Lucrecia, honest!"

I shook my head. "I_ am_ all bad, I am! You'll end up dying eventually and I'll lose all of you guys and I'll be all alone and I'll die too without you guys because all of the Essences will kill me and then Lucrecia will kill me and then Kohana will come and kill me but I won't die and my whole life will be a cycle of me being killed and knowing when and how I'll be killed but being powerless to stop it and I'll wonder why I couldn't be killed like you guys and—"

Next thing I know, something jawed me. Hard. Really hard. I felt like the left side of my face exploded in flames and I was sent flying across the church. Like, far far away. I face-planted into the ground and I blinked for a couple of seconds. I sputtered a bit, tasting blood in my mouth. I looked up and saw Morta shaking her hand. "B-buh... Did you just..."

"I think I broke my hand," Morta said, glancing at the hand she used to slug me. "You've got a hard head, you know that, Sayuri?" My face was in some extreme pain. I spat on the ground and stood up. Chase was being really silent now, which was weird. He was usually more talkative and all smiles. I glanced around the room, and it was only us. Just like the Shiva battle. Only now, we had Chio in the fray. I touched my cheek with my left hand, despondent, then I laughed a little. Actually, I laughed a lot. For no reason... I just felt like laughing. It felt good to laugh, even if there was nothing funny about Renata being laid out on the floor.

"I'm... I'm sorry for freaking out, guys!"

Miyuki raised a brow, folding her arms. "What's so funny, Sayuri? We need to figure out what happened."

"That's why I'm laughing in the first place! We spent all of this time fighting with each other, blaming each other—when Renata's not dead! When she wakes up... We'll ask her what happened!" I stopped laughing and put my hands to my side. My smile faded, and I gripped my wand with both of my hands. "As a matter of fact, I'm the Summoner of Time—maybe I could rewind time!" Almost everyone gasped. I didn't know if I could rewind time or not... But I would try!

"That's awesome, Sayuri!" Kokoro praised, tackling me. Argh. I almost fell, but I managed to stand up straight.

"Than you, Sayuri! Great thinking!" Chio said, clapping her hands together and smiling. She had a nice, big and bright smile, and that made me feel better. "We have to save the princess like in all of those fairytale! We'll be the heroes, I know it! If I'm supposed to save the world, I want to do it like the professionals!" Miyuki stepped in front of me.

"But you can't do that, Sayuri. At least, not yet."

"I can try," I shot. Miyuki was always bringing me down.

"But you can't try something that you don't know how to do."

"Miyuki," I said, turning around, fire in my eyes. "I'm going to try, okay?!"

Lucrecia just rolled her eye. "I doubt'll work. Ha, you think you've always got the answer to a problem, Sa-yu-ri. What if I put you in a predicament you just don't know your way out of?" I turned around slightly. This was my thing. I had to save these people. Not anyone else. I was going to get back in this game! No one said I was out for the count yet, so I had to be strong. I glared at Lucrecia.

"Then I'll find my way—" I didn't even get to finish my sentence. Something came at me ten-strong... Something fast. Something quick. Something deadly. Luckily, my reaction time was much better now. I put my wand out in front of me, sliding back a bit. My wand had absorbed the impact of whatever tried to punch me, sending a wave of sound reverberating through the church. "What the hell is this thing?!?" Everyone prepared to battle. Everyone. To Chase to Chio, everyone was on their toes. I got sent backwards, placing my feet on the wall. I was going to launch off of it, but I waved my arm in the air. "Let's go, Asiryu!" My trusty self appeared on the other side of the room with a wand in her hands.

"Damn it, why the hell do I have to fight now, of all times?!" Lucrecia carped, pulling her weapon out of her lab coat.

"Deal with it," Morta answered back, swinging her scythe in the air. I looked at Kokoro, who was transformed and ready to go. I was planning to use to fire Essence to take this thing down, but I only had a fragment of it—my prize from taking the fire Essence down. Kokoro, however, had the full-blown version, which made his fire _way _stronger than mine. Light-years stronger.

"Kokoro, get ready on the count of three..." I don't know what kept me with my feet on the wall. I was standing horizontally in the air, defying the laws of physics. Everyone was going to attack, but Chase thought he'd get Renata out of the way and so he threw her over his shoulder. The wind picked up again and there was a shady figure... She looked like someone I knew, but she was just a kid.

"Aline, is that you?!" Chase exclaimed, his jaw dropping. That was Aline? No way, she packed too much of a good punch... That wasn't her... Her teeth were jagged and her eyes... They looked ominous. Kokoro put his guard down.

"There's no way I could fight a kid..." he said, putting his weapon on the ground. I scoffed. Here we go again. Dude, if there's a chick, and she tries to kill us, she_ has_ to be beaten! Aline grinned at us, my mirror-self copying everything I did. I frowned, and so did she. "Aline! Are you under some kind of mind-control or something? Speak to us, will you?"

"Ahahahahaha!!!" the kid laughed, cracking her neck. Chio stepped back, almost disgusted by the sound. "Don't step on the flowers! Don't step on the f_lou_wee_rs_! I've got the infection, and now I'm going to give it to you!" Chio took the first step. She swung her staff across the ground, ice-crystals shooting out of the ground. It started to snow inside of the church through the hole inside of the ceiling. Taking in the fact that we were underground, that was impossible, but who was complaining? Chio spun around three times, dancing with the staff she had in her hands.

"Absolute zero, come now, Shiva!" The crystals shattered, and up from the broken crystals came that woman... Shiva. "Freeze their souls, Shiva!" I remembered Shiva like it was yesterday. It_ was _yesterday, but still. Her skin was blue, and all she really wore was a bikini top and a half-skirt and trailed down to her ankle. Ice was stuck to the left side of her face, over her eye. Her hair was put into a whole lot of braids that had some kind of charms on the end of them. A wind of ice circled around Shiva, which gave her an air of mysteriousness.

We weren't cold, but the church? It was_ frozen. _

The flowers were frozen in place.

"We don't have that much time, Sayuri!" Chio insisted. "Shiva'll have to go soon, we have to fight now!" I rolled my eyes. Oh, thanks for telling me that, Chio. Thanks for summoning Shiva and rushing me to fight. I didn't want to fight Aline either, but if she knew something about what happened to Renata...

I brought my wand up again, and it started glowing red.

Then I _had_ to fight her.

To save my friend.

* * *

**A/N****: **What is this, update number four? I've been sitting here in front of my computer doing these chapter things for you guys all day. Man does my back hurt. And Star Ocean is kinda sorta waiting for me. XD So we met Summoner number four, Chio! Now, the reason I don't want all of my Summoners coming in all at once is because this story will be over 150 chapters long, I shit you not. Like Suzuki said in one of these chapters, chapter 14 I think, he has a Summoner with him. But we have half of our team now, and that same half is going to be the same half that puts the lid over the Dark Ages.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at the team who will battle insane things in this Arc. And all the nasty stuff that comes with it. We're locked, we're loaded, we're this much closer to taking on Aysel, Cecelia, and all the other nasties in this Arc. XD Lu never fails to make the author laugh. She manipulated Sayuri there like... Perfectly. XD Thank goodness Morta punched some sense into her. That was kinda my fav part. XD It's not fun writing emo-Sayuri, but someone has to do it!

Look at what you did, Kohana! D:

You made Sayuri all emo! Bet money Kohana's prolly laughing at her ass right now. XD And poor Aline... All infected and whatnot... There's an epic battle coming soon! :D It made me laugh to hear everyone fighting with each other about how Renata all knocked out and yet... We readers are all knowing! Right, guys?

Well I'm the writer, so I'm always knowing, but it's nice to be able to know something they don't, right guys?

Juuust like how Zed is snaking people. :l

... Don't worry. That's prolly gonna be all I tells ya before I go back into army mode--protecting my plot. XD


	21. The World As We Know It

**A/N:** This flashback is like... The standard flashback but it's not like all the others... It's kinda just telling about everything that just went down in the last couple of chapters. XD Aren't I nice?

Yes, yes I am.

Thanks Chiharu.

You are very welcome. *nod*

* * *

He is a chronic liar, something short of being downright insane. He has been planning this operation ever since he has gotten married to that woman—Aysel. For it is she who is set to doom the kingdom, not he. He cracks a smile as he talks with his soldiers, his army. He plans to put the blame all on his wife, and she will not be none the wiser.

And with the Summoners coming back and causing anarchy around the kingdom, he feels as if he can obtain anything and everything he wants without even lifting a finger. But what good is fighting against someone you love if you cannot see the face they make when they realize that you have been lying to them the whole time? Nothing. So he plans to see her himself without any interruptions.

He believes that he has a greater armada than Aysel as he strokes his perfect fingers through Adair's brown, spikey hair. He knows that his soldiers will do anything for him. Die for him nine times over if they could. He watches as Cecelia spins around in circles, her butterfly pins making noises as her speed gets faster and faster. She falls towards the ground, laughing as she tries to get up. She pushes some of her blue hair behind her ears and starts spinning again. She is the essence of childhood dreams.

He figures Cecelia just simply enjoys spinning around, losing herself in her own make-believe world. He then turns towards Isaiah, who is busy making sculptures out of wooden blocks with his gun-blade. Such concentration! Saivan approves. Such a thing is needed in combat, he assesses. He glances at Larunda, who is busy stretching on the other side of the room. Though she does not know it, she thinks stretching is something that people tend to do for fun, not for readying their body for combat. Savian smiles a toothy grin. He needn't worry about her being a capable fighter. She is already preparing herself.

And even though he seems to have everything he needs, his plans are nothing without his trump-card, the one person who makes sure his plans run smoothly. Savian stands up, welcoming Zed for visiting him once again with important news.

News that will concrete the existence of the world as we know it.

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Three: The World As We Know It :-**

_So these tears keep falling I'm drowning in my very own misery.  
I'm sinking can't you see?_

_Standing neck deep in your ridicule.  
It's time for one of us, to stand like we said we would.  
You're not one of us.  
Of us._

_And I will get through this, just wait for tomorrow.  
Just wait for the sunrise.  
We should not be shy, on the best day of our lives.  
So what are we good for now?  
What are we good for then?_

"Sink And Die" — Scary Kids Scaring Kids

I gripped the hilt of my sword, staring my opponent into her clouded eyes. I wouldn't have ever suspected that Aline would turn so vicious. Something had to be wrong with her, and I was the only one who could turn her back to her normal, smiling self. I didn't understand too much about what was going on and I didn't need to. I was a fighter of Austere, and it was my job to make sure everyone who lived here were okay. I couldn't have messed up this bad. I didn't know what I needed to do first, so I trusted my gut. I placed Renata down on the ground, making sure her necklace was fastened around her neck.

Renata had already been saved, so now I had to save Aline from whatever was possessing her. This wasn't her, and I was not going to be fooled with petty tactics. I would find out who messed with the two of them even if it cost me my last breath. I had already made a vow that I would never let the people that I considered dear to me be hurt, and this was how I upheld that vow? This was how I treated my honor? I wasn't much of a fighter. I could attack someone if it meant I could protect my friends and family, but I was more of a pacifist if anything else. Seeing Aline standing in front of me, thirsting for a battle made my heart drop.

Was this what I was teaching the children of Austere? That survival meant getting what you wanted by any means necessary?

I looked at these kids and I saw the determination in their faces. They weren't even old enough to know what battle was. They shouldn't have known how to stab something, they shouldn't have known how to kill. And yet, the Summoners knew all of that and more. I wanted to admire them for at least knowing what they were fighting for. They weren't just fighting for the heck of it. They wanted to truly save Aline, just as I did. It brought a slight smile to my old face. "If you're not going to wake up and listen to us Aline, I'm going to make you snap back to your senses!" Summoner Sayuri exclaimed, attempting to punch the little girl in the face.

Aline had unusual reflexes, stepping out the way, accompanied by a wicked laugh. Sayuri blinked, not comprehending what had just happened and Aline kicked off of the ground—a much bigger version of her foot appearing in a blue-mist, (something similar to focal energy) and Sayuri yelped in pain, instantly letting go of her wand and being sent upwards into the air. She grabbed her backside for dear life, flying across the church. Poor Sayuri...

Her wand fell down and found itself stuck inside of the ground. "Go, Shiva!" Chio exclaimed, waving her staff across the air. She closed her eyes, ice crystals flying from around her. The way she moved was truly beautiful; it was as if she had transformed the art of battle into something she could call her own. "Heavenly Strike!" Shiva obeyed her Summoner's command, running at fast speeds towards Aline. Kokoro ran along with her, kicking his orb towards the girl. I think he had some kind of plan, but that boy was always a mystery. He stopped earlier than Shiva did, pointing his index-finger at the girl.

"I gotcha!" he yelled, the orb colliding into Aline. Flames danced all around her, and with an abrupt stop, Shiva waved her hand across the air, sending an iceberg falling on top of the girl. I could hear her sinister laughter again, and this time it was nothing short of pure evil. The hand appeared again, grabbing Kokoro by his leg and swinging him into Goddess of ice, sending the two of them tumbling backwards and through the church walls. Someone ran from behind me really fast, and I noticed that it was their Guardian, Miyuki. She threw four cards in front of her silently, and then another round of four cards that looked more deadly then the first round.

"Russian Roulette!" she exclaimed, all eight of the cards glowing brightly with an orange hue. Aline's whole body was paralyzed in place as Miyuki scratched her nose. "Now, pick one card. And if you don't pick one card, you will be attacked by all of them. Your whole body is under my control now. I wish I didn't have to tell you the rules of this game, but this is how it must be done. There is one card that will guarantee your safety—the other seven will cause bad things to happen to you." Miyuki paused, shifting her glance to the other side of the room. "Aren't you glad you don't have to say anything for this to work?" Once again, Aline's hands appeared in mid air, but this time they didn't go towards a card. She grabbed Miyuki, constricting her in her grip. I couldn't take seeing that, so I tensed up.

"Let her go, Aline, now!" I ordered. Aline only snickered.

"She stepped on the f_lo__u_r_eer_s!" Aline said... It was like she didn't know any other words. The ghastly hands she had sent out to catch Miyuki exploded, and I couldn't tell where Miyuki went. It turns out she appeared in front of the little girl, attempting to punch her in the face. The Guardian actually connected, but Aline looked like she didn't care too much about the pain. Miyuki was a very wise fighter, not letting Aline's lack of sensing pain derail her. Each one of her attacks were followed by the next one and Aline only expertly blocked them. Miyuki grunted as Aline grabbed her fist and tightened her grip so hard around it that I thought she was going to break the Guardian's hand all together. There was no way she had all that strength, and that blindsided Miyuki.

Aline twisted Miyuki's wrist and threw her into the air. Before Miyuki could recover, those blue hands appeared and let off a blast that propelled Miyuki through the ceiling. Debris fell down and I could only look at the ground. How much more damage could this building sustain?! "Midnight Wind!" As if it wasn't cold enough, Morta swung her scythe in the air, a wave of wind hitting the girl, knocking her off her feet. I think Morta may have had something here! She swung her scythe over her head and swung it three more times at the girl. Once she believed she had winded Aline, she began running up towards her.

"Hey Morta, watch out for that—!" Kokoro was panting, coming back into the church from a hole in the wall. Shiva disappeared completely, and I believed she evaporated when Kokoro collided into her. I was in no position to help them. Even if I tried to fight, I'd get no where. Summoner Kokoro was drenched in water, and he could barely even speak. Morta turned around and ran straight into a wall of blue light, falling back limply on the ground. "Dammit, I tried to warn her!" He came through the hole and Sayuri started laughing as she got back on her feet.

"Ah hah, you just fell—" Sayuri paused, seizing her laughing. She took two sniffs of the air and glanced at her feet. Kokoro's orb was right next to her feet, and somehow she caught on fire. "Ahaaaa! Crap, crap someone put me out!!!" Panicking, she ran around the whole church as fast as lighting. One shouldn't laugh at another's misfortune. "Put me out, put me out—Where's my wand?! I can use it to put myself out!" I felt kind of sorry watching these kids trying to fight an obviously un-winnable battle. Dropping on the ground, the Summoner of Time began rolling around. Eh, maybe I should have just given it a shot, but I really didn't want to fight Aline... "Now you've had it kid!!" Sayuri ran towards Aline, only to be propelled backwards by an unknown force, almost smacking into Lucrecia. The scientist ducked, simpering.

"Why the fuck would you do something like that when I'm trying to heal Renata's ass you fucking nuisance?!" she hissed, standing up. She was some ways behind me, so I stepped out of her way. "This is how you guys take on a child! You don't waist any fucking time trying to decide what happens, okay?! You kill this bitch without thinking twice about it, because she's just another damn statistic for Nocuous garbage!!!" I really tried to ignore that woman's hits at my race, but there was nothing I could do about her foul mouth. Sayuri tried to pry herself off of the wall, clutching her fists.

"Don't you kill her!" she growled, stomping on the floor.

"You don't tell me what to do, shut your damn mouth or I'll kill you too!"

"EXCUSE ME!" Chio exclaimed as loud as she could. The two looked at her. "Who's going to help Morta up?" They just ignored her, like she didn't even count as someone helping in this fight. Lucrecia took out her sling and spun it around. I closed my eyes and folded my arms. If the Summoners couldn't get through to Aline, I doubted she would kill Aline. She couldn't have... She didn't have enough power and will to do it. I didn't exactly know why she killed, but her reason was weaker than the Summoner's resolve. She tried to throw it, but it stuck to her hand. She blinked in irritation and tried to throw it again. She seemed so happy just a second ago, what happened?

"Dammit what the fuck is going on?!" she yelled, trying to get her feet off the ground. There was some kind of sticky substance under her boots. Now, she looked like pure evil, trying to reach out for the girl. "I swear if I come away from this spot, I'm going to smear your whole body all over this fucking church! You better not let me come up from this spot!" The hands came again, grabbing her arms and keeping them extended to her sides. Aline walked up to her, smiling sweetly, her hands behind her back. Lucrecia looked down at her—something of a pissed-off expression on her face. I watched the girl walk pass me, and she didn't seem anything like a monster!

"Don't worry, this won't hurt! You saved me, remember?" Aline chimed, pulling out a feather. The oddest thing happened. She started tickling Lucrecia's stomach with it, making the scientist squirm in unwanted joy.

"Stop—kill—get away—_aha hah_—s-some one get this kid away from me!!!" she pleaded, almost crying from being tickled so much. "S-sayuri—put your—do—dammit—stop—s-stand—there!" Sayuri blinked, finally seeing her wand on the other side of the room. I think she was contemplating whether or not she should have helped the scientist, or retrieved her weapon. Instead, she limped towards Morta, picking her up off the ground.

"Wake up! You don't have time to sleep!!!" Sayuri yelled. She didn't get a response, so she smacked her lips and raised her hand above Morta's face. "Tch, I've always gotta do everything around here! Chio, where's Miyuki?! Can you see her?!" Sayuri started moving her fingers, a purple anagram forming around them. "Damn, what the hell was that wall made of? Cement!? I can't wake Morta up for some reason! Open your eyes!" After that, Aline upper-cutted Lucrecia and she spun into the air before coming down. I couldn't believe she could do that—and with such a sweet smile! Lucrecia started coughing on the ground, clutching dirt in between her fingers. And she still couldn't get up. She sputtered a bit, some of her hair falling into her eye.

"I'm gonna make sure you _die!!!"_ she yelled, trying desperately to get off the ground. She was bound by the same substance that halted her movements. All right, it was time for me to try my hand, as much as I didn't want to. I took my shades out of my pocket and put them on, grasping the hilt of my sword.

"Oh here we go again..." Kokoro said, sweatdropping. I smiled at him and threw him a thumbs-up. I got into position. It was time to rock-and-roll. I put my sword out in front of me, knowing that I couldn't hurt Aline. I only prayed that she took it easy on me.

"For your actions, Aline, I have to detain you!" I exclaimed triumphantly, striking a pose. And I just as quickly got tripped. My face collided into the ground, and Aline bent over to look at my face, smiling.

"Sorry, Chase!" she laughed. "I guess you can't really do anything to save me now-a~" That really hurt me. I knew that she wasn't thinking for herself, but...

"Call the quarters to begin, protect the Space enclosed within. Air and Water Earth and Fire, keep us safe from all that's dire! Three times three, and round we dance, protect all here from word or glance. Return all ill from whence it came... Three times round and back again! Salt and Iron, Herbs and Hair, Precious Oils to bind the air. Cast your spell around this space, that all may live in Joy and Grace. That it harm none... So mote it be!" I looked up, and focal energy surrounded Aline, encasing her in a bright-blue ball that floated up into the air. That sounded like Princess Renata's voice! I got up on my feet and turned around to see Renata standing up with both of her hands extended towards Aline. She collapsed onto her knees with her arms still extended.

"Princess Renata!!" Kokoro and Chio yelled, running to help her stand back on her feet. Sayuri glanced at her and her eyes widened. She stopped trying to speed up Morta's unconsciousness and carried her over to the Princess. I was at a loss of words. Renata was capable of so many extraordinary things. And I had failed her, which meant that I wasn't worthy to be in her presence. I placed my sword on my back, dusting myself off. Renata moved her fingers as Sayuri sat Morta next to her. Smiling sweetly, Sayuri nodded her head, noticing Renata's lower lip quivering.

"If you can't do it," Sayuri said, her smile getting wider. "If you can't do it Renata, no one can. Please, help Morta wake up?" Silently, Renata waved her right hand over Morta's body. The Summoner of Death reacted quickly, waking up and standing up without any problems at all. Renata clutched her fist, nursing it back to heath with her other hand. I heard the doors open behind me, and we all looked to see Miyuki walking back into the church, leisurely. She was holding a deck of cards in her hands.

"Princess Renata," Miyuki said. "You want to tell us what happened to you inside of this church? It would help us find out what happened to Aline, and it would help us catch the person that hurt you—"

Lucrecia grumbled, grabbing Renata's arm. "C'mon, let's go! Sorry Mi-yu-ki, but that's _our _job. And by 'our job', I mean 'Aysel's guard's job to find out who did what to Renata'. And as for you." She paused, scowling. "Aysel's gonna have a bitch-fest when she finds out you've been down here. What the fuck were you thinking in the first place?! You made me come all the way down here to find you. Well, at least make yourself useful. Who the fuck hurt you so me and the guys can turn them inside out?! Was it someone from here?! Huh, Renata!? Speak up now, you had the strength to sneak out, and you even fucking decide to knight a Nocuous—why won't you say something?!" Still, Princess Renata wouldn't speak.

"Stop yelling at her, will you?!" Sayuri yelled, placing her hand on Lucrecia's arm. "She just woke up, she doesn't need you yelling at her!"

"Do you _want _that arm, Sa-yu-ri?" Lucrecia hissed. With her free, mechanical hand, she grabbed Sayuri's face and a blast shot out of her hand that exploded _against _her face, sending Sayuri tumbling through a wall. Everyone was in shock. Chio's eyes teared up, and she ran after the wounded Summoner. That scientist was a cruel witch. She only stood there and smiled. I knew when to bite my tongue, however. Some things were better left unsaid. Kokoro stomped on the ground, gritting his teeth.

"Why do you keep doing things like that?!" he yelled. "We're only here to help! Stop beating us up, or we can't even do that, Lucrecia!" He was right. They were the Summoners, and they were the only ones who could save us from this darkness.

"You haven't got it yet?!" Lucrecia laughed, jerking Renata's shoulder to the left. "I fucking hate you guys. I'm not any of you guys' friend, mother, or sister. I don't even like my own family, so why would I respect you bastards?! Nobody here likes you, mm'kay? And now you're trying to take my job? As if, you fucking bastard." She rolled her eyes, sighing. "It's late, okay Renata? I'm sure everyone is sound asleep, and I guess you're going to wake them all the fuck up. I wish you weren't so fucking stupid..."

"I want to talk to Chase!" … My heart jumped at her request, and Lucrecia couldn't do anything to stop her from speaking to me. But why would she want to speak to me? I turned around, making sure that I didn't disgrace her. She looked at me and stood up, breaking away from Lucrecia. "What are you going to do to Aline once you bring her back to the castle? That is what you are going to do, are you not?" Lucrecia's frown turned into a blank-look, then she put a smile on her face before snorting.

"Well, of course I'm going to have to take the bitch back to Aysel... Hand her over to the Science Department and see if they can run tests on that monster from Hell that attacked me." She paused, grinning a toothy leer. "Attacking a person of Aysel's guard is a really big offense. Maybe if you get on your knees and beg, I won't make her life a living hell, Ch-a-se." I didn't even so much as to blink at her threat. I focused all of my attention back to Renata. I tried to form words, but... I didn't think I could say anything to her that would matter too much.

"Princess Renata, I'm sorry..." That was it? That was all that I could utter? "I shouldn't of let you come down here, but please, tell me, who attacked you?"

"Yeah! Tell... Us." Sayuri joined us, coming back into the conversation, her face scratched up a bit. Chio was helping her walk. It seemed like Lucrecia had done a number on her. No matter what seemed to happen to these Summoners, they held strong, not letting the simplest of things break them. Renata put her other hand down, closing her gold-colored eyes and then opening them. Now they were sparkling with tears, and she couldn't form coherent words. Her tears hit the ground, and everyone around her started sighing. "Ah no, don't cry, Renata! You don't have to think about it—just tell us went went wrong around here and we'll fix everything, okay?"

"I cannot—I cannot tell you guys..." she uttered, trying to keep her eyes as closed as possible. "The price of freedom means the death of a hero..." I could understand what she meant by that, and I was in no position to change her mind. However, that still was no reason as to why she couldn't tell us who hurt her.

"Renata, please..." I asked. "All you have to do is give a name. Any name. We won't hurt them, only teach them a lesson in why they shouldn't hurt people such as yourself." That didn't calm her down one bit.

"I—I can't remember." Princess Renata wasn't a wonderfully convincing liar, not in the slightest. Lucrecia cocked an eyebrow, pulling Renata up.

"Well, I hope you get your damn memory back just in time for Aysel to bitch at your ass," she hissed. She looked at Sayuri, and then her gaze went to Miyuki. "You can have your nuisance of a Summoner, I don't think I can handle both of these idiots at the same fucking time, I'm only one person, you see. Anything else you want to say to your friends, Renata? Before we go away and you never see them again?!" Lucrecia had a tone of mockery in her voice, finding Princess Renata's misery amusing. Renata inhaled, seizing her crying.

"Chase, don't go anywhere." It was a strange thing for her to ask, but I nodded. "And whatever you do, please watch over the Summoners while I'm gone. And make sure... Make sure nothing happens down here. I'll take care of things topside." Topside, eh? I smiled. Even when she was feeling terrible, she managed to keep her sense of humor.

"All right, okay, time to go." Lucrecia shifted her footing, extending her hand to the ball of energy Aline was in. I would have to go tell her parents what had happened to her. I knew that Aline had a really tough problem trusting Enlightened Ones, but I was sure that they were the only ones that could help her out of her darkness now. There was nothing I could do. "I'll be seeing you again, Sa-yu-ri~" Lucrecia cooed, disappearing within a burst of blue light. Sayuri tensed up, kicking dirt off the ground in Lucrecia's direction.

"I can't stand that bitch!" Sayuri exclaimed, closing her eyes. "If there's one person that gets under my skin, it's definitely her!" The purple-haired girl retrieved her wand, and before she could pull it out of the ground, the whole church started to sparkle. All of the damage that had been done to it disappeared without a trace. Even the flowers were back. Sayuri was standing in the flowers, so her mouth shaped into an 'o' as she looked around her. "Man, I still remember how my mom used to love to plant these things... Every time I see a bunch of flowers, I always think of her..." The wind picked up, and Kokoro started waving his arms, trying to get all the water from off of him.

"And whatever you do, Chase, please don't die..."

That was Renata's voice. She used her powers to rejuvenate the castle... Aline was gone as well, and we all looked at each other in silence. Morta's scythe disappeared, and all of the Summoners detransformed, save Sayuri. "So now what do we do?" the Lithuanian asked, folding her arms. Sayuri put her hands on her hips and then pointed at all of us.

"There's something fishy around here guys, I smell it! Don't you guys smell it too, Chio, Chase, Miyuki? Morta, Kokoro?" I couldn't help but agree with the Summoner.

"The world as we know it is taking a turn for the worst I fear, Summoners," I said. That must have been my first line without being extremely saddened. "I haven't said this before, but I want you people to know of my true intentions. I want to help save this kingdom, and as Summoners, you are the most holy people in the universe. You are the saviors of the world... No matter what happens, I'll stand by and fight under your name." I paused, smiling. I put my hand out, and all of the others blinked at me. "I'll fight for the good of this kingdom! For Princess Renata! Who's with me?"

"That's the most wonderful of wonderful ideas!" Chio chimed, covering her mouth with her fist. With her free hand, she put it on top of mine. "We'll save the kingdom and save the Princess! And do away with the evil queen and everyone who wants to put this world in danger! We'll find out what's wrong with Aline, and we'll make the Princess feel better again! I'm in love with this plan, Chase, I really am!" She was so perky, and I was glad I had gotten her help with this mission. Sayuri, with her wand in her right hand, joined in with her left.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, Chio! You've got the right mentality! With me on the team, we'll never give up! We can't give up, it's not even in our vocabulary! Nice to have you with us, Chase! You're the first person we _know_ we've got on our team!" I nodded my head, and then Kokoro put his hand in.

"If my whole team goes in, I go in."

It seemed like the other two didn't want to join in on our "group-hands", but soon Morta submitted to the power of it. "Only because it has to be done, and I don't want to feel like a loser. Whatever fate has in store for us, I'm not afraid of it."

"A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory..." Miyuki said, joining in. "Let's put the pieces together." She nodded her head, and the weirdest thing happened. Our hands started to glow, the whole church erupting in rainbows of light. I had never seen anything like it. It was the first time I had seen magic come from my hand, so I was a bit scared, to tell you the truth. Sayuri snatched her hand away, shaking it fiercely.

"Damn it Kokoro!" she hissed, frowning. "Watch that stuff, will you?! I can't afford to have my hand melted!"

I tilted my head. Was I the only one who noticed the rainbow of colors?

No, of course not. They may not have seen it, but they felt it.

That much I was sure of.

* * *

_Now it's time for both of us to stand up for what we said we would. You're not one of us, of us.._

* * *

I knew my mother wouldn't believe anything I had to say to her. She failed to understand the situation, and there was nothing I could do to make her see all of the wrong she was doing to the people in Austere! But no matter what, I had to stand up for people like Aline and Chase who were down there trying their best to live! Aysel was furious, her face painted as red as a tomato. She stomped across the room, even let out a few curses.

"Unexceptional!" she bellowed, pointing her finger in the air. "Renata, my dear sweet daughter, I, Queen Aysel, want to know what corrupted you to this madness! I told you to stay away from Austere and you defy my orders? Your cupidity to see those monsters doesn't amuse me one bit!" I balled up my fists. How dare she say something like that! That wasn't true—she didn't even know the half of it, but she was my mother, and I couldn't speak out against her... The light was messing with my eyes and I couldn't stand forever. I was in so much pain... Oh, how I envied the birds... They had it so much easier than we humans. They didn't have to become princesses, or argue with their parents. They were eternally happy.

"Cupidity is a really arrogant way to put it, mother..." I insisted. Aysel only thought I was biting off more than I could chew, gasping at my outburst. She really wasn't being fair, and before she could say anything else... While I was already in enough trouble as it was, I was going to let her know what I thought about her in the whole "Summoner" situation. "If I have told you over and over again, Mother, it is that you cannot take over the world. Do you want to be so wicked? So evil?" My voice got louder, and I didn't think it could get any louder. I was_ yelling _at my mother now.

Yelling at her.

I surprised myself more than I surprised my mother...

"I do not know where you got this disobedient personality trait from, Renata, but I, Queen Aysel, do not like it one bit! Why, if it is not cupidity, then what is it, daughter? Do not tell me you consider some of those fiends down there as... Friends!" She gasped, stopping her sauntering. "This angers me, my daughter. It almost makes me want to charge you with treason—" I stomped my foot on the ground, my earrings dangling. Why would my mother ever say something like that? I thought she loved me!

"I cannot have a simple conversation with you stuck in this gelid attitude! Where is my father?! Where is he, Mother?! Because he would understand where I am coming from! All of this talk about destruction and taking over the world... The world is already yours, Mother, what more could you want?!" I sat down on my bed, clutching my knees. "What more could you want? People are dying down there, and all you are doing is sipping your wine and acting like an ignoramus! I am done with this tarradiddle you persist on spitting out, Aysel!" Aysel stopped looking so mad and her eyes softened.

"The old you would never prevaricate. Why must you avoid the truth, Renata?"

"Where. Is. Father?!" I asked once more. She sighed again. "You do not know, do you? Now who is prevaricating, Mother? What are you going to do with your life?" Once I had managed to countervail her, she stopped being so wicked. In this situation, I was not afraid to speak my mind. Sayuri would have done the same thing—I was glad that she reminded me that I had a voice of my own and I could use it if need be. "You do not know where he is, but we both know that he will come back. Someday, right mother? And your truth..." I paused, standing up. "Is not the right truth. It is clouded with hate and distortion... Verboten is your truth, Mother. I am sure you have heard of Aline's condition, right?"

She gave me a disappointed glance before smirking. "Ha! Queen Aysel dose not pay attention to such vile creatures. I have heard of her but it is not like I am going to look into her condition!" My mother was such a weird woman. She had heard about the condition Aline was in, but was not going to do anything to counteract it. "Clearly you have not gotten enough sleep, my dearest daughter! You need rest, right? Why, it is three in the morning! Obviously you are not going to think and say things right!" It _was _three in the morning, and I felt so empty... I was not sleepy... The concern I felt for the people of Austere was real, veritable, and it would not change within a couple hours of sleep. "Come morning, and we have to talk about the Mammoth Machine—the thing that will make me the most powerful thing on the planet! I, Queen Aysel, will make my name known!" She wanted me to charge the thing that would cause the destruction of the planet... My planet... "With all that has been happening around here, I, Queen Aysel have decided to make some changes in the way this kingdom is carried to ensure that my plan does not go askew!"

I laid in my bed, my stomach feeling like it had been stabbed from the inside out. My head felt like it could have exploded. My legs felt like I could no-longer walk anymore. My mother put a blanket over me, running her fingers through my hair. She kissed me on my forehead, making me feel really unsure about the way I felt about all of this. "I will have to talk to my guard to determine what your punishment will be for defying my orders." For what? _Treason?_ I was only doing what was best for my kingdom... I sighed, turning away from her.

"Oh, and mother?" I said, in my normal voice. "Don't kill any of my friends."

Aysel flinched at that comment, and then I could hear her start to grumble. "If your friends are my enemies, dearest Renata, I am sorry to say that I, Queen Aysel, am going to do whatever it takes to make sure no one stands in my way." She started to walk out of the room, and I was counting the steps she took until she made it out. Sadly, my mother turned around and waved her hand across her neck, as if she was trying to behead herself. A blue light shined throughout the room and she had encased me in a wall... I was not free to get up from my bed until morning came. "Sleep well, my daughter dearest. Sleep well."

It was like she was believing in me to doom my kingdom.

* * *

_Breathing deeply. The saints and the sinners will see the same white light. And we do not need to be shy. That's right. On the best day of our lives._

* * *

"What's wrong, Mistress?" I cooed, knitting my fingers together. All of us stood outside of her daughter's room, the whole entire guard. The Mistress never seized to amuse me. She walked passed us and we all glanced at her while she made her way to her room. Adel put his arms to his side—he was a very amusing character—choosing to keep his mouth closed instead of saying anything. It did not really matter to me, it was his choice if he chose not to open his mouth.

The youngest member of us—Defina—let out a yawn. She and her sister were dressed for bed. I felt so sorry for them, not being able to get the sleep that they deserved so much. "I—I'm sleepy, is everything okay now? Does anyone know if we can go back to bed now?" I took my book out and began reading it, catching Adel's attention. I knew sooner or later he would want to know why I was so calm about this whole situation. There was nothing to fear! So long as you were with Saivan. Silly man, what was it that he wanted to ask me? He glanced at my book, but quickly adverted his gaze towards his daughter, the Doctor.

"Is everything okay, Lucrecia?" he asked in a deep voice. She only looked at him with a ferocious intent, leaning against the wall and eventually sitting on the ground. Was it not evident that Aysel wanted us to watch Renata's room to make sure she did not come out? Renata had the pendent—the necklace Saivan had built to further help his plan succeed. With that pendent, she was more powerful than The Mistress herself, and she knew that.

"Why are you fucking asking _me_ that? Does everything _look _okay?!" She seemed to have been toying with something on her boot now, not paying attention at all to her father. Look at the relationship these two had. It made me laugh to think that these two were actually _family._ They had no cooperation skills whatsoever, but they still had the gull to call each other family. It made me sick. But of course, you could not expect anything less of the Doctor. "I hate that bitch, I really do. It's late as fuck and she expects us to guard her fucking kid all day long. She's really asking for it." She paused, looked up from her shoe and glanced at the ceiling. "I'm tired of saying 'one day', too. That bitch is going to get something that she isn't going to see coming toying with my sleep like this..."

"Aww, but Doctor, I thought you didn't like to sleep!"

"Shut the fuck up, Zed. Please." She folded her arms and closed her eyes, trying to ignore me and everyone else. I snorted a bit, bringing my eyes back to this book. Defina yawned, using her sister as something of a pillow, falling back to sleep with her thumb in her mouth. Such children should not have been allowed to serve Aysel! I had to keep myself from laughing at The Mistress's poor choice of people in her guard. At this rate, she would fall sooner than I predicted, and at such a fast pace, too. All I had to do was get the Summoners out of my way. That would not be too hard, seeing as how they left once, and they could surely leave again.

"So, are you going to stay up all night and watch Renata? It seems like the women of this team have decided on going to sleep. I would not blame them. It was really too early for Queen Aysel to ask us to get up and go on guard duty." His voice had no pitch change—it was the same, monotonous thing over and over again. That irritated me a bit, but I did not let it show, just like he did not let it show. I smirked, just a bit—just enough that would put him in an uneasy spot.

"You do not like me, do you, Adel?" I asked, flipping another page to my book. He was smarter than he let on. With his scatter-brain ability and whatnot, I had always considered him to be a threat. "You have known all along, have you not? Lucky you, you seem to have an actual brain. So why have you decided to keep it a secret for all this time? Cat got your tongue, Adel?" He glanced at me through his light-brown eyes, folding his arms.

"Whatever you are planning," he said like nothing could shake him. Admirable, the fool. "Is doomed to fail, Zed." Ah, but that did not answer my question. Adel could not tell the future, unlike a particular person residing inside of the castle that I had not had the fortunate chance of meeting. This "Summoner of Time" everyone was raving about. Maybe I should have met the children before I put them away into oblivion. Perhaps even get one of them to speak of my future when all of this is all said and done. Adel was a fool who would never realize the potential of my intentions.

"Why do you not say what I plan on doing?" I said, trying to stifle my laughter. I would not have wanted to wake the other three up. "What makes you fear telling someone? Are you afraid of me, Adel?"

"No, I just—" He paused, letting his arms fall again. "I do not want to get involved with your funny business. But if need be Zed, if I realize that what you are doing is going to far—" All of that banter... For someone who was in The Mistress's guard, he sure was dense and cowardly. I closed my book up, making him stop his sentence. I looked him in his face, a smirk dancing across my lips.

"I simply do not care about your fatuous threats." I tried to sounds as nice and nonthreatening as possible, but it was hard to tell if he was fully handling everything I was telling him. I abhorred talking to idiots of his kind. "Though I do not find you as dangerous as you come off, please know this, dear Adel. You should start ignoring the memories you see inside of ones' head, because you might not like what happens to the Doctor because of it."

"She will kill you, I will not even have to lift a finger." So he thought he could counteract my claim? My promise to him? Heh, ever amusing, the fool.

"Who ever uttered that I would be the one to cause her pain, Adel? You love her that much, right? Because she is your beloved daughter—your only daughter—and you would do anything for her to ensure that she is safe, correct?" The fool nodded his head a little, closing his eyes and sighing.

"You will never find a sure-fire way out of this once you dig yourself in deep enough." Still he persisted on trying to find a way to convince me that what I was doing was the wrong thing to do. "I am warning you... This plan of your is going to break."

"Just like your daughter is when she realizes that her heart is nonexistent—that it is in a thousand little pieces when I remind her of such a fact?" This was the only time he looked at me—truly looked at me like he thought I was insane. Perhaps he had gotten angry at that sentence, because he growled and the grabbed me by my shirt collar. I could only smile at his reaction, I knew he would eventually crack.

"Don't do anything that you wouldn't want to happen to you, you hear me?!"

"Anything as in what?" I asked coyly. "Tell me Adel, what are you thinking I will—"

"Hey! Shitheads! You guys can hold hands later, I'm trying to fucking go to sleep and I think I can do that much easier if I can sleep without you two screaming at each other in my ears!" He abruptly let me go, straightening himself out. I tried my hardest not to laugh at the poor man.

"I'm sorry, Lucrecia," he said, bowing. After that, he started to walk down the hallway. He didn't say a word to me. I opened my book again, standing where he once stood, being lost in the world of actual intelligent literature and not that vile trash everyone swears are readable books.

I could taste my victory a mile away.

Or perhaps, it was right next to me.

* * *

**A/N: **Fuck no Adel doesn't like you! D:

... Nobody likes you! ... Okay, maybe Naira because she assrides, but that's iiit. Gah, note to self, never attempt to write Zed again and/or put it at the bottom of the chapter like a idiot. XD;;; Can you guys believe that it took me about an hour to type everything else, and then once I got to the last part it took me _four hours_ to turn out some stuff?! D: Exactly. And you know why? Because I really don't like his ass at all. Adel goes hard. And if Adel wasn't such a scary-ass, he could drive him into the dirt! D: Adel's power is decent too. He'd destroy Zed but I don't know why he didn't say anything. Well, he did, but you know where I'm coming from. XD

Aysel too! The bitch is pissing me off! Damn it, get over yourself and realize that because you're drowning in your own ego you're missing important stuff!!! IF YOU PAID ATTENTION TO ALINE'S ILLNESS, you'd know Saivan is snaking you! Well, Saivan isn't really snaking--he was never on Aysel's side to begin with, which is why I'm not so pissed at him. I can't stand snakes guys. And Renata. Poor her. She better not charge that machine.

Yay for Lu insination that Zed and Adel are gay for each other! XD;;;

Let's see. What's gonna happen now? XD The world may never know. But we had our first real day in the Dark Ages. Obviously guys, I'm a very avid Lucrecia/Zed shipper--more than I should be. XD I can't resists, stuff happens. :l So like, you guys should do me a favor and not be for Lucrecia/Issaru. XD;;; Please? No? Okay. XD

... Erm, yes! Who wants to see Chase be knighted?

I sure do, Chiharu!

Yes. Quite.


	22. The Other Promise

**A/N:** Guys. This flashback. Is so awesome. And it makes me squee. You guys might laugh because of one thing, but I'm laughing at another. I love Sayuri. Enough said. And no one is going to get the connection. Sad. XD

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"I'm not going to help anyone but my family..." There is an intent ferocity in her jade-green eyes. She glances at the ground, nodding her head. Her purple-hair cascades down her back, the green feathers on her headband soaked in blood. "...And my friends." She looks ahead of herself, glaring at the man standing in front of her. He has transformed into something of a monster—horns sticking out of his head and a pair of wings protruding from his back. His wings are in the shape of human hands—to which Sayuri quirks her nose. His grin gets wider and wider—until she believes he will crack his face from smiling. And even after spending all of that time trying to intimidate her with his beast-like form, he reverts back, clutching his ox tongue, a broad-headed double-edged halberd.

She tries not to think about how tired she is, and for a moment it works. She has a few cuts and bruises on her body, but she figures it is nothing that cannot heal. The two stand in a laboratory, eying each other. Sayuri snorts, stretching out her fingers and clutching her sword. She wants to get in a fighting stance, but she hesitates because she does not know which one of them is in the wrong here. "I think..." she says, her gaze meeting with the floor. "I think all I want is redemption. Nero, we don't have to fight," she insists, extending her right hand towards the scientist. He is amused by her offering of peace, for he understands well that peace does not exist in his world—the world of the Dark Ages.

Her green eyes plead with him as she tilts her head. "Please."

He chuckles. "So you are not hurt, are you?!" Sayuri takes a step back, putting her guard back up. She is unsure of his actions at this point. He laughs at her and laughs at her until she is sure that if he keeps laughing like that, he will die. Suddenly, her whole body ripples in pain and she bends over to try and sooth her aching stomach. With one eye closed, she looks up at the deranged scientist, her abdomen glowing a mixture of green, pink, and yellow. "My creation will bring a new era! All thanks to you, Sayuri my dear! I owe all of this to you! You!" He cackles again, and with each word that flies out of his mouth, she cringes. Her eyes twitch. "Oh how much of a beautiful specimen you truly are!" She swallows and tries to move, but her muscles are shot, thanks to the infection he has given her.

She knows she is in a bad position, especially since she cannot read Nero's moves and motives. However, she knows his plots—which may not be his weakness—but is the closest thing to beating him as she will ever have. It feels like something is eating her from the inside out, making images from the past reappear in her mind—memories that she swore she would put behind her. Her pupils dilate and she clutches her stomach even harder. "Are you not proud, Sayuri Outtaike?! You are the first Summoner ever to be inflicted with my baby! I've spent years constructing the perfect virus... The perfect infection! And I have given it to you! Because you are unlike any other! I will be loved for this! People will rain their affection on top of me! My dear, you make me so happy! I almost feel sorry for you that you are another experiment in this world! I must say, I—_hahaha!_—love the results!"

Her vision is hazy, but she continues to look up at him, smirking almost. "What does that have to do with me?" Her voice is full of determination and self confidence, knowing deep within her heart that this is a battle that she is not looking forward to lose. She cannot lose. Sayuri stands there, clutching her stomach waiting for an answer from the scientist. He glances at her through chocolate-colored eyes, showing his interests in her.

"Think about it!" he declares, throwing his arms into the air in a reckless spout of affection. "You and that weapon of yours! They are perfect! How do you do it, Sayuri?" he genuinely asks, rubbing his hands together. She knows he is just mocking her, but she is determined to answer his question. "Tell me, how do you possess so much power? And your will is almost even to be desired of! I'm surprised your mind has not been taken away bit by bit yet!"

She stands up straight, making sure to grip her sword just right. She does not want it to slip out of her fingers—but she does not want to clutch it too hard either. "First I whip it out," she says, swinging her sword to the left. Nero's amused expression slowly fades away and turns into something of repulsion. "Then I thrust it. With great force! Every angle...!" She demonstrates her claim by stabbing the air from multiple angles with her sword. "It penetrates! Until...! With great strength! I... ram it in! In the end, _we_..." She pauses, smirking. "...Are all satisfied, and you are set free!" She props her sword on her shoulder, smirking triumphantly.

"You... Imbecile!" he hisses, throwing his arms out. "I should have never expected such scum to amount to anything!" She wants to say something else, but goes into a hysteric fit of coughing. She covers her mouth, but the red substance oozes through her fingers, spilling out onto the floor. He cocks a brow, thrilled that his creation has an effect on her after all. She curses at herself, mainly her body—angered that she is letting something like this deter her. "You thought you could overcome my power?!" he laughs, wiping a tear out of his eye. "Think of all the people you are going to fail when you die, Sayuri Outtaike! You came all this way—even went so far as to mess with that Lucrecia woman—to fail! I will be praying that Saivan takes mercy on your soul when I kill you!"

Breathing slowly, she dares to move but almost falls down. She regains her position before Nero inters a fit of laughing again. "Thank you for being so useful!" He almost sounds like he appreciates everything that she has done, which makes Sayuri scowl. She is not proud of her actions, nor is she upset by them. They were things that had to be done—things that she had no control over and he knew that. "May you meet the one who you have been long seeking out in the afterlife! That so called mother of yours cannot help you now!" For a second, she stops breathing, her pupils dilating once more. The dark images come back ten-fold and she lets out a shrill scream, one of which is mixed with confusion and aggravation.

She does not move as Nero—out of psychotic admiration—hugs her. With darkened eyes, she mutters, "I will see her again." Ignoring her words, he drives his halberd into her stomach, causing more of the red liquid to spray out of her mouth. And he does this over and over again, until she can hardly breathe. Her grip around her sword loosens and loosens, but she desperately tries to hold on to it. "I will—find the—cure for this—"

He bats his eyelashes, playing with her emotions, to which he succeeds. "And this is why you did not bring your friends, Sayuri Outtaike? For it is foolish to attack me alone!" He thrusts his halberd into her body once more until the virus she has takes over her, causing her to envision rain. She does not hold her sword anymore—more so her wand. Sayuri is on her knees, struggling desperately to get up. She is soaked in water, and does not know if she can keep on fighting. Her stomach starts to glow again, but for a different reason. She touches it once with her left hand before her sword reappears within her right hand.

She senses him behind her—the scientist. Slowly she stands, snarling. Never before has she felt herself get so angry over something so trivial... She grits her teeth and turns around, almost falling in the process. "Nero!!!" she yells, stumbling forward as fast as she can. Her sword skids against the ground, slicing a clumsy line into it. She wobbles quickly to her foe, jumping up into the air. Suddenly, she feels a stinging pain in her stomach and realizes that she is pinned to the wall. She hisses in pain, but then glances at the sharp weapon pierced in her stomach. She puts her right hand on it... Realizing she cannot do anything to stop this man from killing her now.

"I only help..." she reiterates, breathing heavily. "My family, and my friends!!!" Her whole entire life flashes before her eyes, and for a split second she gets a look at all of the people she has met during her stay in the Dark Ages. She pulls the bloody halberd out of her stomach and sticks it into the wall behind her. "Renata and Lucrecia are my friends!" She grips her sword lightning fast, much to Nero's disappointment. His eyes widen as she stands up, thrusting her sword into the middle of his chest and holding it there. "I only do what I have to do, Nero. And one of those things is killing you! I will not let you corrupt this land more than it already is!"

Her eyes darken as she slides her sword down the rest of his body, watching it break in two. She scowls, shaking his blood off her sword. "When I see my mother, I'll tell her you said hi. I'm tired of this bullshit."

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**-: Chapter Twenty-One: The Other Promise :- **

_In you and I, there's a new land_  
_Angels in flight,_  
_(I need more affection than you know)_  
_My sanctuary, my sanctuary,_  
_Where fears and lies melt away,_  
_Music will tie,_  
_(I need more affection than you know)_  
_What's left of me,_  
_What's left of me?_

_I watch you fast asleep,_  
_All I fear means nothing._

Utada Hikaru — "Sanctuary"

"Stand up straight and stop slouching! You will look like the Nocuous that you are if you cannot learn to stand up straight and look like you have a brain, _Sir_ Chase," Naira hissed, messing with Chase's shirt collar. She looked really frustrated and she kept accidentally biting her lip. I laughed a bit, covering my mouth with my left hand. I tilted my head, looking out of the window. There were a lot of people walking the streets today, happy to see Chase be knighted into Aysel and I's guard. He looked really uncomfortable, so I tapped him on his shoulder, smiling.

"It will not be that bad," I said, poking his nose. "You'll be able to wear anything you want when you get your new room in the castle, Chase." I was happy that my mother let me knight Chase after all. I told her that I only let my closest friends guard me, and well—Chase was one of my closest friends. Naira looked like she was only getting angrier and angrier with him and I kept laughing to myself. I tried to keep things as light as possible between the two. She was wearing a black, strapless smock with linen jumper pants. She wore a white sash across her waist that cascaded down to her knees, her sword secured in place. She wore her orange hair in a spikey ponytail that laid on her back as always, her orange eyes glowing with animosity. "Just think of all the things you'll be able to do once you are knighted, Chase!" I clapped my hands together in joy.

Naira hissed again, pulling a red ribbon from Chase's collared shirt. "Hold still! Stop moving!"

He scratched his head, staring at what she was doing. He looked so oblivious to everything that was going on around him. "It feels like you're constricting me!" he complained gruffly. I giggled to myself again. "Why can't I wear my cloak? It's just as good and it doesn't make me feel like I'm twenty-years younger than my age!" Naira did not acknowledge him and she kept fiddling with his arm cuffs, trying to button them. "My hands don't feel right with them buttoned! Can I just leave them like they are? I like to have a little bit of freedom!" Now Naira put the red ribbon she was toying with just a second ago in her mouth, trying to pull on it. _Tightening _it, much to Chase's dismay.

"Stop moving! You are making this worse than it all ready is!" she spat. "And stop using contractions—it makes you sound lazy and unintelligent. You will learn to see that Enlightened Ones speak perfectly here. We use no slang, so you should not either. Princess Renata, this is just further evidence that you can take a lion out of the wild but not the wild out of the lion." Chase jerked back a little, making Naira simper and pull on the ribbon even harder. "What part of 'hold still' is not getting to your brain?" These two were an absolute riot—but I preferred to stand back and watch them. Chase was not really accustomed to our ways, so I expected him to do things that angered a few people. It did not matter, however. I would be by his side always, making sure that he was never in harm's way.

"But... What about Lucrecia? She talks just like I do, doesn't she?" Naira's eyes widened and I stood back up, nodding my head at Chase. That was a touchy subject for Naira—I could sense that she really did not like Lucrecia—as we all could. Chase was none-the-wiser to how angry he had just made Naira feel. He did not mean it though, so I thought Naira would forget that he even said that. Unfortunately, Naira's grip tightened on the ribbon as she gritted her teeth. Oh no, I knew she was going to say something to him now and I did not want her making a scene inside of the store. Regardless of how Chase might have looked now, he was still a Nocuous, and Enlightened could sense that trait within him.

"Do not speak of that idiot to me!" she said, frowning. "I do not know what is wrong with her, but that woman is not in her right mind! She is an idiot, and she sounds like one too when she talks—regardless of any education she might have obtained. Adel does not talk like that around her so neither should you. It is a wonder if you think about where she obtained such an idiot way of speaking. But that is all unimportant. The important thing here would be for you to stop moving so I can tie these ribbons up and we can be on our merry way!" Naira growled in aggravation, but she took the whole thing easier than I had anticipated. So I smiled some more. Chase jerked back a bit and Naira frowned.

"Stop moving! Every time you move, the laces come undone!"

"Stop tying them so tight then! Please?"

"This is a situation of life or death!" Naira shot. "If Queen Aysel saw you without your laces tied around your arms, I would be punished! Not just me, but everyone in her guard! And I simply cannot let everyone be punished for my actions! I would rather myself be punished for something that I have done myself!" Chase tilted his head and sort of let off a pout, pointing at his cloak and then folding his arms, causing the laces to slip out of Naira's hands. She gasped again and the two sort of glared at each other.

"Let me tie your laces, please," she asked hotheadedly.

"I need my sunglasses! At least tell me I can wear those—" Chase started to walk towards his cloak, but Naira tackled him in a desperate attempted to detain him, making me flinch in fear. I would have never imagined Naira would do something like that! I glanced at the two and put my hands behind my back. Poor Chase would only stand out more with his sunglasses on. Enlightened Ones were used to the sunlight being on them—considering we were living in the sky in my mother's palace, inevitably closer to the sun...

"Now guys," I said, bowing down, "play nice..."

"I am! … Playing..." Naira said, struggling to detain Chase. She grabbed his arms, trying to hold him down. "Nice!" she exclaimed, getting one of the laces in her mouth and pulling on it ferociously. Chase's face lit up three shades of red.

"Ack! You're stopping blood from getting to my fingers!" he complained, trying to get up. "Let me _breathe,_ Naira!"

"Silence! Or I shall not be responsible for what happens to you! Let me just tie these laces and I will be done with this ridiculous banter!" They were making me laugh, but at the same time I felt a little sorry for them both. Here they were, in the middle of the store, on the floor yelling at each other about laces. I giggled just thinking about that, and people started to take notice of them. That was not really a good thing for Chase, but if the people saw me with him, they would not even think he was of Nocuous decent. "Where is the other lace at you fiend!?" Naira hissed. Chase let out a slight smile, holding what looked to be the other lace... Ripped from his shirt. I sweatdropped as Naira stood up, glaring over him. Poor Chase! He never stopped making me smile!

"This... Is... Impossible!!" Naira shouted, pulling at her hair. "How many shirts here are we going to go through, Sir Chase, before you realize I cannot buy the whole entire store for you?!" With every movement she made, her sword moved with her, piquing Chase's attention. "What are you looking at my sword for, might I ask? It is not going to help you look up to Queen Aysel's expectations, mind you." I really wanted to know why Chase found a sudden interest in her sword too. It was sheathed, so it was not like she had drawn it out on him.

"Princess Renata!" he said triumphantly. I flinched at the sound of my name being called.

"Yes?" I asked, ready to do anything that he might have asked me to.

"Bring me my sword," he said diligently, as if he was from a wealthy heir. He closed his eyes as well and tilted his head upwards, quirking his nose.

"What do you need your sword for you inconsiderate—"

"Yes, _Sir_ Chase," I said dramatically, clapping my hands together. I bowed to him, even though he was on the ground. His sword was leaned against the wall and I bounced towards it. It was cold to the touch—the handle of it, and it was very heavy. I managed to lift it up off the ground after a minute of struggling. "Anything for you, _Sir _Chase." At that notion, Naira unsheathed her sword, pointing it directly in his face.

"Just what are you planning? It had not be something fishy." She shrugged her shoulders and let out a defeated sigh. "But I guess if the Princess likes you so much, you would not be able to hurt a fly, would you? Let us try this again, Sir Chase. No need to get your sword. Just stand up, and pick out something you like before I go insane from wondering what I have gotten myself into today. Aysel could have picked someone else to do this with you, you know?"

"Maybe this old man wanted to meet you, Naira," he said, standing up. She took two steps back and put her arm to her side. I handed Chase his sword and he gladly took it. Now he looked fairly serious. I stood back and wanted to observe what he would say to her from afar. I always loved the way Chase handled himself in different situations. Everyone I had met had a different way with handling things. To Lucrecia's brash nature to Defina's silence—everyone here in Aysel was completely different, no two people the same.

We were all like...

"Snowflakes," I said, nodding my head at the two. "We are all like snowflakes. You, me and I! Snowflakes! We are all different, but we belong to the same category of species. We are all human, right Chase? Naira?" I waited for an answer. The two of them both looked at me—Naira looking for something to say and Chase smiling. He looked at his sword for the longest and raised it high in the air above his head. He was pointing at something but I could not tell what exactly it was. "Snowflakes we are... Each with our own different patters and stories of how we got our scars... We don't fall down to the earth in the same direction—we take our own paths. Eventually, we mesh into one body—one soul—and we cover the earth with our crystalline beauty. I like it!"

"Take it from a fellow swordsmen," Chase said, his gaze still locked on his sword. "Often, we're cheated out of the battle, but we have to carry on—everything we stand for in our swords. You know how that feels, right Naira? Like nothing else in the world matters anymore? All that matters is protecting the ones you love with your sword. You carry memories of them inside of it, and you'll die making sure that your sword stays intact if you win the battle for what you believe in. Wielding a sword..." He paused, scratching the side of his face with his free hand. "Is the sign of a true hero." He put his sword down and Naira looked at him for a while. I think she was contemplating on whether or not she should have listened to him. She eventually nodded her head and put her right hand on her sword's handle. "Now then, never forget what you fight for, Naira."

"I wont ever do such a thing," she replied, scoffing a bit. Her frown turned into a slight smile soon after. Chase got through to a lot of people when he needed too. That was another thing I liked about him. "I have always had an interest with fighting with a sword, but my sword is not like yours. It is a whip-sword, so I make time with it. I excel at fighting long-ranged and short-ranged, wherein your sword can only get you so far." She turned around and pulled something off of the nearby table. It was a pair of gloves. She tried to hand them to Chase and he looked at her as if she was insane in the head. "Yes, I want you to put these on as well. And you will need a sheath for that idiotically big sword. Now how are you going to carry that thing around?" She did not know Chase too well did she? Her obliviousness to his lifestyle and his character made me laugh—which was naughty of me, but ever since I had decided to come with Naira and Chase to make him look like an Enlightened One, I _could not _stop laughing.

They were my friends, and that was what friends are supposed to do; make you happy and forget all of the pain and sorrow you feel inside of you. Aysel still had to assign me a punishment, and there still was the matter of charging up the Mammoth Machine, but for now... All of those things could wait. I was having the time of my life just being in the presence of my friends. I closed my eyes and lowered my head. 'Friends' was such a great word to say, and to claim that I had friends made me feel really good about myself. I wished that I could laugh like this forever—just in the presence of my friends and my family. I wished that Aysel was not as power-thirsty as she was right now and I wished that Summoner Sayuri would smile more and tell me stories about how she fought Essences with the help of her friends... But I knew those things would not come true unless I worked hard to will them to.

"Aww? Why gloves?" Chase complained, rubbing them against the palms of his hands. "If there's anything I can't stand, it's wearing gloves."

"Gloves are a symbol of high wealth," Naira said, absentmindedly. "Sir Chase, just take your own advice and pretend that everything you love resides in those gloves. Everything else about you could go horribly askew, but if you are not wearing gloves, Aysel will have my head. The common Enlightened male wears gloves."

"I don't want to be the common 'Enlightened male'. I want shades. If you make me wear gloves, I should be able to wear my shades." That was Chase... Always defensive about his sunglasses. I let out a small giggle and he glanced at me. "I can put an act on, but I can never change who I really am inside. If the people realize I'm Nocuousian, then so be it! Most Enlightened couldn't stand a chance against me and my friends. The Summoners. They promised me that they would help me through even the thickest darkness. I trust in their abilities to help guide me. Don't you, Naira? Princess Renata does." He was right, I believed in all of the choices the Summoners made. They helped me out of my darkness many times over. Naira thought about this and touched her chin with her right hand.

"I do not believe in such made up beings," she spat. "You expect someone like me to believe that a horde of teenage delinquents came here—defeated Lucrecia, defeated Shiva, saved Austere from destruction, attacked Queen Aysel and saved you from a guaranteed death? Do not make me laugh, we are all sensible adults here in this room, correct? I have gone through rigorous training after rigorous training to get to this point and they just start their pilgrimage, if everything Adel says is true? And that girl—Sayuri Outtaike... I've heard stories about her. I have not met her yet, but..."

"She is a hero," I interrupted, nodding my head. "She will help this place, Naira. I will not have you speak bad about the Summoners." I glanced down at the ground and shifted my footing. "At least, not in my presence. They saved a lot of people, including myself! In more ways then one."

"But Princess Renata! What 'mystical' thing have these people done for us? All they do is bring anarchy and destruction to this place! I had never in my life heard about Lucrecia until news of the Summoner started going around about her ripping off her arm or something quizzical like that." It was as if she was questioning why the sky is blue, or why everyone is born with ten fingers and ten toes, or why we were all different. There was really no way to explain how helpful the Summoners were. One sees how pure they are and accepts it. I didn't need to ask them questions.

And before I could get a chance to silence Naira, Chase straightened his back and dropped the pair of gloves Naira had given him. He grabbed his cloak and took out a pair of shades. "Come one and come all," he said triumphantly, putting on his glasses. "Let's go find the others and get this knighting thing over with so I can have some fun. Princess Renata, I have a question to ask you though first."

"Yes Chase?" I pipe up, automatically snapping out of my gloomy state.

"Will I ever be able to go back to Austere again?" I had to think about that. Knowing my mother, she would not let such a thing happen. But Chase lived there. He had friends there. And it was selfish of me to take him all for myself because he made me happy. He saved lives down there.

"Of course not—"

"—If my mother does not let you go back down there, I will try my best to sneak you down there myself anytime you feel like seeing people you love," I said, smiling. "It is the least I can do for being such a good friend to me, Chase." Naira realized that I was speaking out loud on purpose. I wanted everyone to hear that I was not a person who followed my mother's every whim and command. I had a soul, and Chase had one too. I could feed my mind and body here with my mother and my guard, but not my soul. Not like Chase could.

Chase finally got what I was hinting at and slapped me on my shoulder, which made me cringe in pain. "That's what a true friend does for another of her kind! I'm so proud of you Princess Renata! Why, I could hug you right now!"

"Then do it!"

"... Look at all of the fine suitors you have towering over you, Renata? And you failed to see them why?" … S-suitors? I looked all around me, and he was right. There where people staring at me, which made me really uncomfortable. Naira drew her sword and marked her territory.

"The Princess is not interested in meeting anyone today. She is very busy, so I suggest you all go on your merry way now. There will be a time when she considers someone, but that time is not now. Good day, gentlemen." Even though Naira said that, they still stood in their same spots, making her grit her teeth just a little bit. They were not looking at me—they were actually eying Chase and they did not get that yet. Refusing to get into any more trouble than I already was, I curtsied and grabbed Naira and Chase's arms.

"Come on, we do not want to be late. Hurry now."

* * *

_You show me how to see that nothing is whole and nothing is broken._

* * *

"I hate this freakin' place," I said, dangling my legs off the edge of this floating palace thingy. Everyone was out having fun—doing whatever the hell was considered 'fun' in this place and here I was sitting on my ass with my wand next to me. Meh, whatever, I really didn't feel like going out and inspecting this place or something like that. I didn't want to find out about anything new... The stuff I knew already about this place was overwhelming enough. Man, did I have to clear my head about all of the stupid crap that was going on here. Even Miyuki decided to split on me. Well, at least today couldn't get any worse. Or any other day, for that matter.

Now, all I had was peace... And silence. Silence, and peace. No one barking orders at me and no insane people looking over my shoulders. Ignoring the growling in my stomach and my aching muscles, I tilted my head back and decided to listen to nature for once in my life. I wondered when would be the next time I got to talk to Kohana. I knew she could at least see me right now—or else she wouldn't have known that I had gotten beaten by the mirror Essence. She was always looking over me, but for how long? … None of that stuff even mattered anymore so I blocked out all of my thoughts of her. The worst part was that I couldn't stop thinking about her, even when I _wasn't _thinking about her.

Confusing, huh?

Unlike any confusing thing you've ever witnessed in your life. It's like she was apart of me, so of course I couldn't just forget about her that fast. I felt the wind go through my pigtails and closed my eyes. This 'palace' was in the sky, but chained in place like a ship when it lowers its anchor. I liked Aysel's creativity. Notice the sarcasm. I'd make her remember who the hell she was talking to... If it was the last thing I did. She would remember my name before we left this place! … Well, okay, she already remembered my name—but why? How? When? Where? Gah. I was stressing myself out trying to remember whether or not I had been here before.

"I guess all I really want... Is to remember..." I murmured. I opened my eyes and gazed into the sky. "If I could put together the pieces—string together all of these dreams—yours, and mine... Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish. And who knows? Starting a new journey may not so hard, or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky—one sky, one destiny." … One sky... One destiny. That was how I knew we'd meet again someday. In person. Kohana use to tell me that all the time and I... Well I would just brush it aside. She was always telling me mushy crap...

"You must really miss that person..."

I turned around. It was that Defina girl. I sighed again, not wanting to believe that she had intruded in on me. There wasn't anything I could do though, it wasn't like I had restricted the area anyway. I wasn't a celebrity, so I wasn't going to be treated like one. I glanced at her—she had red highlights in her black hair which looked kind of cool... I don't know. I was still thinking about Kohana. I scratched the back of my head, leaning back and forcing myself to laugh a little. She was standing over me and looked kind of confused. "Well, what can I say? I do miss her." A part of me wanted to slap myself for saying that, but it was true. "But more than anything, I wish she would tell me she loves me. She used to say that to me all the time, and well... Now..." Defina sat next to me, putting her arms around her knees. She had a whole lot of bite marks running up her arm, which made me think about what the hell she does in her free time... But you know what? I'd rather not know.

"What was she to you, Summoner Sayuri?" Again with the _Summoner Sayuri _crap. I really hated when people called me that now.

"Just call me Sayuri," I answered. "I don't need another robot calling me Summoner Sayuri. It's bad enough that Aysel does it and I don't really like her too much. Eh, you saw what I almost did to her back there." I promised myself I wouldn't open my mouth, but Sayuri Outtaike doesn't bite her tongue for no one! Not even people I don't know too well! "... So, what's with the bite marks? Chased by dogs or something like that?" She looked at her arms, rubbed them, and glanced at me.

"It is nothing, these are just the marks of those who need healing. My blood... Has a healing factor—"

"And you let people _bite _on you? Gross," I interrupted. "Aren't you ever afraid you're going to get an infection or something doing that? Does it hurt? Oh hell, now that I'm thinking about it—ouch." And ouch was_ right!_ Every time I kept looking at her arms, it made my skin crawl. Thank God for seven layers of skin! ...Who bites someone that hard anyway?! … Okay, now I was just scaring myself, but even if I was hurt and knew I would die without this person's help... There's no way... I kept shaking my head, disproving the act of biting.

"You get use to it," she replied. "There is no such thing as pain when you fight, right Summo—Sayuri?" Negative. … Negative to the second power. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I cupped my head in both of my hands, sighing. Obviously she had been in too many battles and seen to many things to make her numb to pain. I was getting angry. Not angry at her... But just angry... "My arms—are not the best place to draw my blood." Wait. What? I turned around towards her when she started fiddling with her shirt collar, she that's when she showed me all of these scars, right next to her—

"I'm leaving," I said, standing up in a fit of rage. "That's insane."

"Summoner Sayuri, wait!" Defina called out, still sitting on the ground. "It is not as serious as you are believing it to be." What did she mean it wasn't as serious? I think when you have bite marks on your arms, that's serious. And then when you have them near your heart, that's pushing things. I can't believe... This place was insane. How did it get so bad around here?!

"I'm mad that you let people do that to you, and I'm even more pissed off at the fact that there are people willing to just—scar up your body to replenish themselves! Damn it, that's what they have hospitals for—and doctors—as much as I don't want to say that. Things like that Defina should be illegal. Totally illegal. So since it comes from your heart, it heals the other person more, right?" I was waiting for an answer, but now my arms felt all tingly just looking at her arms. I clutched my wand, looking up into the sky. "I'll make it so that you never have to let someone bite you to help themselves. I'll make it so that you won't need to offer your blood to anyone else. Defina, I promise to you and everyone living here—I'll make this place a better place to live. Somehow, someway. I will not let Aysel corrupt this land more than it already is!"

She just sighed and fixed her shirt back up. "I just thought I would show you since you were curious. Tell me Summoner Sayuri, were you always like this?" Something got stuck inside of my throat. What did she mean was I always like this? I didn't understand what she was asking, but I did have enough common sense to know that she was asking about the 'first' time I had been here. I wasn't going to lie to her, and I wasn't going to lie to myself. I knew what I did and didn't do, and I didn't come here before. That much I knew. "I am curious. I have never met you before and the people that have met you tell others that you come across a bit—"

"A bit what?!" I yelled in frustration. I was frustrated alright.

"...Lackadaisical." Are. You. Serious? My eye started twitching when she said that. I was not lackadaisical. "But... You seem to be driven... And you seem to do a lot more than what you are able to do. I believe in you, Summoner Sayuri." It took me a while to process everything she was saying to me. She _believed_ in me... To keep my promise to her? At first I thought she was against me. When I first came to the Dark Ages, I would have never of thought I'd have so many friends and allies that wanted to see me succeed... I smiled at her. I couldn't let her down. Not when she believed in me. "I know you will find that person which you are looking for, and I know you will tell them how you really feel. Why, honestly, I have never seen Princess Renata so happy. She had been having a really bad time until you and your friends showed up. If she believes in you, then so will I."

"Tell her how I really feel huh?" I said, sitting back down next to Naira. "You want me to tell her how much I hate her? Because I hate that old bat. I _hate_ my old lady." I paused, thinking about it for a minute. "And you know what else? I want to tell her how much I hate her to her face. She's around here somewhere, and when I find her Defina..."

"Why do you hate her?" She tilted her head, trying to understand my situation. She didn't even know the half of it, and I wasn't going to sit here and try to tell Defina my whole entire life's story. She didn't need to know that much about me anyway, but it would have been nice to tell _someone _about my family problems. "She seems to be very special and important for you to travel all this way to tell her something to her face. Is there any reason why you cannot do it over the phone?"

I got up and stretched. "Ah no, it wouldn't be the same. And besides, I miss her." Now she was just really confused. She didn't understand anything I was saying.

"But why would you go through so much trouble to meet someone you hate?"

"Because I want to protect her," I replied extra quick, without any thinking. Again, she didn't get that. Nobody ever got anything I was talking about.

"Why would you want to protect someone you hate?"

"Because," I said, starting to walk off. "I'm not going to help anyone but my family... And my friends. And you're one of my friends, right Defina?" Seriously man, Defina looked like she had just seen a ghost or something. I turned around and started waving my hand in front of her face. "Hello? Are you still there? Cat got your tongue? Need me to help you stand?" What the heck was wrong with her?! The least she could do was answer me or nod or something!

"S-summoner Sayuri," she said, blinking.

"Yes?"

"... There was not just two of you standing there, was there?" No! Of course not! There's only one me, for the last time!

"Nah," I replied. Then I started to walk away. Ah great.

More people.

In this city.

Of stupid people.

"When I see my mother, I'll tell her you said hi. I'm tired of this bullshit."

* * *

**A/N: **I'm going to help you guys out again. Nero was the one who made the illness Saivan is going to use against Aysel and her guard. Though Aysel _is_ an antagonist, the Summoners are, essentially, on _her side_. Lee wooohoo! Also, Chiharu approves of Chase/Renata now. This chapter has made me see the light and I'm dead set on making it become a reality. XD On the offside, we have more Sayuri-thinking-of-Kohana goodness! :D Kohana and Sayuri have that bond man, a bond that can't be destroyed by space and time--for they a part of each other.

And no matter what happens to Sayuri, Kohana will always be there watching over her. Aww. XD Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be mauled by bears? ._.' Okay, I take it back. XD THEY ARE DESTINED TO FIGHT IN THE MEMORIES' LIGHTWAVE! D: Okay Kohana, okay? Let's talk about Defina and the bite marks all over her body!--*shot* No really, they're all over, you guys think I'm bullshiting. XD;; Guess what though? This is my last update of the day, and YOU GUYS ARE ALL CAUGHT UP! ^_^

Yep, that's right! I got thissss far! XD

Hooray! Despite the fact that I spent the whole day proofing, this was fun! And are we considering pairings, people? I know I want Chase/Renata to work. I want to. That doesn't mean Bandelle is gonna let me have it though. Either one of them could die... Eff, I dunno. XD Chase is a rebel. And he is right, heroes do fight with swords. This chapter was easy going and all of that stuff. ^_^ Next chapter will be even more decent! We'll get Sayuri flashbacks and Cecelia and all of that wonnerful stuff.

You know what I'm dreading though? ... I know Aysel's gonna do it, I know. XD;;;

And I hope she doesn't. Because I'm not looking forward to writing it. D: At all. But after people come to the knighting uninvited, let's just say the guard is going to be put in pairs of two. Dear sweet Jesus. XD;;;


	23. Sworn By an Oath of Blood

**A/N:** I know this chapter is short guys. I know. I know. Please don't eat me. XD But guys--this chapter is more of an info-dump. And I think that my more better readers already know most of this stuff anyway.

But I kid you not, the next chapter will be twice as beasty! Twice as decent! I swear to you! :D

* * *

There is a sharp pain in her chest, like a cold that refuses to go away. It travels to her stomach and bounces up back to her chest. She winces in the pain, but still she tries to keep her emotions inside of her, no matter how much she wants to scream at the top of her lungs. Standing up straight and gripping her wand, Sayuri gazes at her three teammates standing in front of her. She smirks slightly, closing her eyes lethargically.

Where is everyone else?

Surely the rest of her team would be here in her time of need. Sayuri straightens herself out, chewing on her bottom lip. "I've decided, guys, that I'm going to stop being a Summoner." Almost immediately after, the three people standing in front of her flinch. Sayuri lowers her head, feeling ashamed that she would make such a decision. However, there is a part of her that does not care about what they think. "I want to run away."

The wolf sitting in front of her has a stave clinched within of the confines of its teeth. Its coat is silver—a red crystal tattooed underneath its intimidating right eye. "Sayuri that's insane. Please, you've helped us all out and you can't quit on us." The wolf wags its tail, bearing its fangs. It is apparent that the wolf is not mad at Sayuri—more so riled at the sudden decision the purple-haired girl has taken to leave the team. "Without you here, the team will crumble. We need you. The only reason why The Dark Ages is still standing is because of you!"

"Isleen, don't you think I know that?!" Sayuri shoots back, balling up her fists. "I'm not going to do this! Because of Nero—because of idiots like Nero and Saivan, I had to do something I didn't want to do! Don't you see Isleen?! I can't—I won't—Lucrecia... I had to—even though I didn't really want to..." She pauses, feeling frustrated. Isleen tilts her head, dropping her stave. "I don't want to do anything like that again to one of my friends to save their lives, Isleen!"

Isleen stomps her paw on the ground, growling even louder. "Sometimes you have to do things like that, Sayuri! That is no reason to give up your obligation to us and as a Summoner! Obviously I'm not even in a position to _be_ a Summoner! Summoners are humans. Summoners are people. I'm not a person, Sayuri, I'm an animal who just got lucky and found this stave. Now I have the ability to shape shift and talk to people of your kind. When I was just an animal, I didn't understand emotions. You brought me those emotions! Without you I wouldn't be here right now and you're planning to leave?! To leave us?! We've followed you for so long... There's no way I'm letting you walk away from us. I don't know what Leyiko and Nina are going to do, but I'm not going to watch you walk to your own death by quitting."

Sayuri balls up her fists once more, aggravated about how Isleen will never get where she is coming from. "You know nothing about me, Isleen." Sayuri's eyes darken and she looks down at Isleen, which makes Leyiko—the white-haired humanoid raise a brow. "You haven't lived a day in my life, don't talk to me like I'm a kid! Don't talk to me like I haven't fought the same things you've fought! I can hardly keep up with my own life—what makes you think I want to keep up with yours, Isleen?! If you want to fight me then fight me with all you've got! We aren't saving lives, we're destroying them!!" Sayuri crashes onto the floor on her knees, her eyes dilated from fear. She claws the sides of her head. "We're killing them. What is Lucrecia going to do now...? What is Renata going to do now?! What is going to happen to them now?!"

Silence.

The only things standing in-between the four girls is silence. "If you guys can't tell me what is going to happen to them now, then I'm leaving. "Time..." She pauses, breathing in. "Time is what we don't have. I'm the Summoner of Time. I don't have time, and therefore I don't have time to give to anyone else. Damn Shirogane for giving me this power! What good is it if I can't do anything with it?!"

"Sayuri, you've got to stop thinking like this! Lighten up and hold you head up high! You make what we're doing stupid and boring and—put some sound into your world," Nina says, tapping the winged-headphones on her ears. The dark-skinned blonde smiles, her ring shinning in the sunlight. "Dude we're only trying to do what is best inside of all of these worlds and you know that Sayuri. Shirogane knows it too. Put all of the technical stuff behind you. Lucrecia and Renata will be fine! More so Lucrecia, that chick doesn't play. Man does my back hurt from fighting her." Nina pauses, looking up into the sky. "Renata has Aysel... As long as she doesn't find out what Saivan's up to, we have no business in this world."

"Who's going to protect them when we're gone?!" Sayuri shouts, standing back up and pointing an index finger at Nina. Nina jumps back, startled almost. "We're going to be gone for a long time—do you think the world can hold up until then?! I don't think so. I want to stay here. I want to stay here and make sure they're okay! There's not much Lucrecia can do with only one arm!!!" Just thinking about what the future holds for Lucrecia is enough to bring tears to the Summoner's eyes. Leyiko walks up towards Sayuri and embraces her in a hug.

"Please do not cry, Sayuri," Leyiko says, her face unemotional. She is a robot, after all. "It... Hurts my internal programming when you cry..."

"Fuck your internal programming," Sayuri hisses. "I don't care!"

"That's enough!" Isleen howls, stepping in front of Sayuri. "Leyiko, knock her unconscious, now. All these people in the world we need to save, and you worry about a less-than-important-third-world-scientist and her arm?! What kind of leader are you? We're going to beat this into your head. We are the soldiers of Spectra. Shirogane created us to take down the giants. To fight the impossible. We protect _the worlds_ from danger, not the people!" Sayuri breaks away from Leyiko's embrace, standing up and glaring at the wolf. Isleen's stave starts to glow and so does her eyes. Now she takes on a human appearance, her pupils silted like a wolf's eyes—her grey, messy, spikey hair falling down her back. Slowly, with her black claws she takes her weapon out of her mouth, a trail of saliva coming from it. The two stare at each other.

"The people_ make up_ the world Goddamn you!" Sayuri shouts, anger written all over her face.

"You don't know how much you make me want to slit your throat, Sayuri!!" Isleen roars back, her incisors clearly visible. "Well, tell me if you are leaving then so I can break both of your legs and drag you back to Shirogane's castle, explaining your situation. You and your human emotions—when will you learn that they only hold you back?!"

"Go ahead and try!" Sayuri's eye twitches. "Let me go Leyiko! I'm going to kick the holy hell out of her ass and give her a lesson in freakin' morality!!! Let me go, let me go, let me go!" Sayuri's attempts to break free brings a smile to Isleen's face, and that is the very thing that breaks Sayuri. Leyiko is sent flying back, Sayuri clutching her wand and trying to stab Isleen in the chest. Isleen catches Sayuri's wand, which makes Sayuri grunt and frown. "Get out of my face!" Isleen quirks her nose and twists Sayuri's wand to her left, making Sayuri's arm twist in various, painful positions.

"Stop thinking like an idiot!" With that said, Isleen readies her black claws, slapping Sayuri. Blood sprays across the field, Isleen panting. The both of them stand still, something stopping the two from moving.

"Move Suzuki," Sayuri says, looking up to face everyone. Her cheek is bleeding profusely, blood leaking out of her face from the claw wounds Isleen has just given her. Sayuri starts to shake. Why did Suzuki feel the need to interrupt them? Where did he come from?! All she does now is bite her tongue.

"Ah, the pretty boy is here," Isleen scoffs. "You can let go of my hand now." Suzuki does just that, letting her blood-soaked claws fall to her side. He also lets go of Sayuri's wand. The Summoner of Time quirks her nose, thrusting her wand to her side.

"Play nice Sayuri. Isleen," Suzuki says, smirking. Sayuri just stands there.

"Oh how I hate you, Suzuki..." she says with no facial expression change. "You always show up when I don't need you, but where the hell are you when I fight something big? Like Nero? Where were you when we were taking on Lu?" Her eyes twinkle as the smile she is trying to make_ cracks_. Her corset is soaked from the blood dripping from her face.

Nina shakes her head, trying to draw attention away from the fact that she is standing, staring. "Stop fighting guys." Sayuri knows how Nina's mind words already. That's just how Nina is, she likes to watch fights unfold, and regardless of who it is that is fighting. Sayuri blinks, only to find Suzuki gone. At this, she starts to laugh. At first her laughter starts slow, but then it increases in speed, as if she is a madman.

"Oh Spectra please help me," she says despondently.

"Sayuri," Isleen whispers, holding her as close as she can. Her fingers dig into Sayuri's back. "I'm sorry, I love you." And as her cold, icy cheeks press against the fresh wounds on her face, she begins to wonder about how many people really love her.

And they share the blood of their burden.

Both of them.

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Three: Sworn By an Oath of Blood :-**

_Pretend it's not forever_  
_I'll pull myself together_  
_I'll say that I'll forget her,_  
_I'll breathe_  
_And I'll say she never hurt me_  
_And look at it as learning_  
_And laugh about the good and the bad_

_I won't forget you_  
_I won't forget you_  
_I'm not gonna let you win_  
_I'm not gonna..._

_I've hung up my guns. I won't kill again._

-- "Discovering The Waterfront" -- Silverstein

"Hey Kokoro," I said, putting my wand behind my back. So it was us and the whole crew. Well, not really. I didn't know where the hell Chio decided to go but I really didn't care about her all too much. Now I was standing with Kokoro, Naira, and Renata. Naira had her eyes closed, her hand fidgeting with the hilt of her sword. We were all looking at something in the sky. It looked kind of weird if you tilted your head a certain way. Eventually, I decided to point at it with my left hand, closing one of my eyes and zooming in on it, you know? "Do you see that thing? I mean, I don't know, maybe your wonderful powers of fire can help you see far?"

"I err—" Kokoro paused, trying to see what we were seeing. No wait! I had an even better plan! My grip tightened on my wand and I thrust my left hand to the side of me, accidentally sucker-punching the guy in the face. Kokoro leaned to the left a little, but I knew he could take it, right? I gave him one look before I kinda focused back on what I was about to say! Yeah, I had a wonderful plan! "Ouch Sayuri! Watch where you decide to punch things, you could really hurt someone you know!" I loved Kokoro and how oblivious he was. I had already hurt someone now, right? Which meant it was already too late! Now stop interrupting me!!

"Anyway, like I was saying!" I said, getting back into my awesome-revealing position. "Kokoro, my plan is so great I tell you, nothing can come close to it! We'll see what that thing in the sky is in no time! For my plan is..." I paused and everyone else looked up at me. "Kokoro, does it hut you when you look at the sun?! Then look my friend! Look until you find out what it is up there!" Hahaha! I told you my plan was fool-proof! But everyone kinda still looked at me like I was insane. What? I had cracked the code. "Well don't just look at me Kokoro, get to looking at the sun!"

Naira sweatdropped, looking at me through the corners of her eyes. "So this is Summoner Sayuri..." I'd take that as a compliment! Damn straight! The one and only Summoner Sayuri in the whole Dark Ages! "Princess Renata, please do not tell me this is the holy Summoner that is destined to save us from our damnation." She sounded like she couldn't believe that I was standing in front of her working my magic! I didn't know who Naira was for like... Ever. So she had better kept her mouth closed, using my name in vain and insulting my prowess!

"And I'm Summoner Kokoro!" he said, swinging his arm across my shoulders. What had I told him about doing that?!

"Yo Kokoro," I hissed, trying to get him off of me. "Exnay on the hangstay, huh? You throw my center of balance off every time you do that, stop doing that! One day you're just gonna end up breaking my back! One day I'm not going to be prepared for the hell that involves you throwing your arm around me and we're just gonna fall." We all stopped walking, all of us, and he just kept smiling his big, dumb smile.

"Oh sorry Sayuri. Sometimes you say stuff and I can't help it."

"What the hell kind of stuff do I say that triggers involuntary shoulder-latching?!"

"I just thought that I would express my appreciation for the team..."

"Gah, don't give me that crap, you never do that to Morta. Or Miyuki. Or Chio, even! Why me?"

"Because they don't talk as much as you do, silly!"

"So I shouldn't talk at all? Anything to keep my center of gravity."

I looked towards Naira and she stopped in front of us, that sash around her waist flowing beside her. "And this... 'Summoner Sayuri' defeated Lucrecia? Really now?"

"Yes really now," I spat. "What, I don't look like I could take Lucrecia out?! Of course I took her out! But with the help of my team." I put my free hand on Kokoro's arm and he smiled at her. "But enough about her, damn. You guys talk so much about her... Is she some kind of celebrity around here or something?" Now that was a real question, I really wanted to know if she was someone famous or something. Renata wasn't even paying attention to us; she was just looking at the nature around her—thinking I guess. But the best part was that Renata was smiling and she was alive... I think that what was what made me really happy I guess. Defina decided to get into the conversation again.

"Summoners, I think you individuals may have forgotten how the dynamics of this kingdom work..." Defina said, knitting her fingers together. "Lucrecia is the highest... Lucrecia is the best warrior, the best fighter currently residing in Aysel—no—anywhere in this kingdom. This nation. And for that—Lucrecia is talked about in heavy honor. She is also an exceptional scientist, which earned her a spot in Aysel's guard. She is feared all over the world. And just the fact that you were able to defeat her in battle... De-arm her—" Okay, I was with Defina up until she said that I de-armed her. I had been getting a decent ego-boost before that.

"I didn't take her arm," I protested. "Right Kokoro?"

"Right!" He agreed with me without a second thought. Heh, he didn't even know what he was agreeing with.

"Right," I said, rolling my eyes. "Now get your damn arm off of my shoulders!"

"Roger Sayuri!" He grinned playfully. Jesus H. Christ sometimes I didn't know about that guy. Really. "So Defina, Naira... Being in Aysel's guard is an honor it sounds like. So how did you guys get into her guard?" Naira was quick to answer, clearing her throat.

"Ah yes, how I got into Aysel's guard. I am twenty-two and my sister is twenty-one. Everyone in Aysel's guard are adults. We are as old as Renata is, and we two are the youngest in her guard. The oldest would be Adel, who is Lucrecia's father. He is about forty, the same age as Aysel. Adel has been with Aysel for a long time—she likes loyalty. That is to be expected of her, Aysel only lets the best join her guard. Lucrecia's twenty-nine. And just because she thinks she is older than I am does not mean she can order me around." Woah, way to go Naira. Speak to me all calmly and then flip out when you start talking about Lucrecia. Yeah, that's what I've always wanted. "I used to be the best fighter in the kingdom. You can see where that went."

"Yes, but you still are, Naira," Renata chimed, joining the conversation. "Both of you do fantastic jobs protecting me. I am forever grateful." Well, at least I've met everyone in Aysel's guard it sounded like, so now I knew what I was dealing with. These guys... These guys... They seemed cool enough to work with if I put Lucrecia's to the side. But man was she an old lady. She was almost thirty... My mom was thirty-three! I can't believe I was fighting with an adult. Gah. So Adel was her father? He was a quiet dude... He could have at least told me. But the fact that he lets Lucrecia basically do whatever she wants is kind of scary. "And you forgot about Zed. Yes, the only people I let guard me are my family and my friends!"

"Your family and your friends, huh?" I chuckled to myself. Nice friends and family she had. I was mostly taking a hit towards Lucrecia with that last comment. Yeah, I'd rather have enemies. "So who is this Zed person? Why have I met everyone else besides him huh? I mean, I've even met Aysel. I'm not looking forward to seeing that... _Aysel _again, just let me tell you that, Renata." Naira stepped up to the plate again. She looked like she was getting irritated though. Hey, if she didn't want to answer my damn questions, she should have just let Renata or Defina do the talking for her! I hate people like her. Always trying to check people like me!

"I do not believe I ever said how I was inducted into Aysel's guard. At a young age, my sister and I were prepped for this kind of training and fighting. When I was ten, I finished school. When I was thirteen, my kill-count was higher than most of Saivan's soldiers' counts. When I was eighteen, Aysel recognized my success and I was put into her guard. Now here I am. Defina got in the same way that I did. We only have each other and we fight side-by-side. Now Zed—he is a highly regarded tactician. He is the best in the land. He does things step-by-step, getting them done the way he thinks they should be handled, which is almost always the right way. He is somewhat similar to Lucrecia—if only in a reverse form. You will meet him eventually I trust, the man has a to spend a lot of time to himself."

"Oh, that's nice," I said. Freak yeah, anything 'reverse of Lucrecia' is actually day-making. Excellent.

"I would make you Summoners a part of my guard," Renata whispered, a smile on her face. "But you guys have to leave. You always leave and... It is just not fair." Woah, woah, who said anything about leaving? About us leaving? And now Renata looked like she was going to end up crying. Naira was quick to say something.

"Princess Renata, I—"

"Silence Naira!" Renata shot. Naira flinched, gritting her teeth and balling up her fists. Was she jealous of us?! Wasn't she already in Aysel's guard? I sensed some bad blood, so I had to give it to Naira straight.

"Listen lady!" I yelled, stomping my foot and smirking. "As a Summoner of the Magic Wand, it is my worldly obligation to, in fact, protect the worlds. To guard your world. Like it or not, I'm not only looking after Renata already—I'm guarding you too, so stop being so freaking anal and let loose." Ha! How was that for a thought? Obviously, the fact that Naira was way older than me and was an adult didn't faze me. Hell, I fought my own mother. Authority figures—that law no longer applied to me. I didn't know what I was talking about, but yeah!

"Such a sharp tongue!" Naira snapped. "Aysel would never let you in her guard, do you know how much I have sacrificed—" Naira didn't know me too well. Clearly.

"Oh shut the hell up! Do you know how much _we Summoners sacrifice_?!" I yelled. "You see your family. Kokoro and I can't even see ours. Ever. Hell, they might be dead. Here's a note for thought, Naira! 'Aysel's guard' is nowhere _near _our level. And if I could underline in words, I would! At all! You guys fight backward-crap criminals. We, on the other hand, we're made to fight a big effin' whale capable of eating worlds and destroying time and space." I paused, looking at how mad Naira was getting. Defina was trying to calm her down with the look in her eyes.

Renata just stood in awe.

"There. Check that." I folded my arms, trying to look all cool pointing to Kokoro and leaning back a little. "We run this."

"You most certainly do," Renata said. "I have to get dressed and prepare for the knighting. Renata didn't even walk away. She disappeared completely. And now I was left with Dumb, Dummer, and Dumbest. I breathed in and pointed at the sky with my index finger.

"People, move out!" I exclaimed. Just as we were about to move though, Naira put up her guard.

"We've got company," Kokoro said, that same thing we were all looking at coming closer to us. I clutched my fist, turning into my Summoner form. Kokoro stomped on the ground, fire coming towards me like always. So it was a bunch of Wicked Spawn flying towards us all this time? Great. You know this was just what I needed.

"If we've got company, then let's take them down! Leave it to the Summoners!" I exclaimed, the two of us charging into the cloud of winged scale-like creatures. We were going to do our magic, Kokoro and I, but before we could like decimate the competition, Naira started swinging her sword from all the way behind us and took out a whole chunk of our monsters!

Fah.

"Oh no you don't!" I hissed, "Darksome powers of the night, gather round my candle's flame. Send my enemy in shaded flight, send my enemy away in shame!" With that said, my song Essence kicked in, amplifying every word I said, making the Wicked Spawn stumble and just go into a frenzy. "You can take it from here, Kokoro!"

"I gotcha!" he said, spinning his ball or whatever on top of his index finger, it flaring up. "Solar Flare!" he shouted, throwing it into the air and kicking it towards the cloud of monsters. And really, Kokoro was more badass than he let on. He took them all out, Wicked Spawn falling on the ground before disappearing. Both of us detransformed and Naira and Defina followed behind us.

"You know, Summoner Sayuri..." Defina said, touching her chin. "Wicked Spawn only come when The Wickedness is near..." Is that so huh? I didn't believe that one bit! "The Wickedness always comes back for its children. Always."

Always huh?

At first I stopped and glared at her, snorted and then I quirked my nose. All I wanted to know was why the hell all of these Wicked Spawn decided to show themselves up here?!

Kohana would never come back for me.

* * *

**A/N: **How did you guys like that flashback? I loved it. XD I've never had so much fun writing a flashback in my life. ^_^ Anyway, next chapter, the knighting is still going to go on! XD And like I said, you know how in some novels there's always that one chapter that's like two pages? Well, this chapter was like half the length of a standard CCFA chapter, you see guys? And I need more of these mixed in with the longer chapters, you catch my drift? Anyway, the next chapter I have a lot being planned like I said.

Something involving 'putting fear' into one of our Summoners (oh look, who could that be?). Because we all know that the way you control people is by fear. XD

¬_¬ It doesn't even have to be Lucrecia-fear. Maybe something more... I dunno... Snakeage? XD

... And it's not Sayuri. XD As if Sayuri is controlled by fear. I mean... *points at Kohana*

I've got the whole scenes etched into my head. It's gonna be beasty. XD I think the main reason why I stopped this chapter was that I didn't want to write Chio's PoV. At least not yet. ._. You guys must understand that this fight is gonna make us move towards the rising action of this arc. XD That's RIGHT! We're still in the exposition. STILL! After all these chapters, I shit you not. We've got to get people meeting each other! :D

Until next time, guys! XD


	24. My Teenage Angst Has A Body Count

**A/N:** This will be the last Sayuri flashback for a while, guys. But in these three flashbacks, there is supposed to be something important you pick up from them. XD So yeah, pick up on that thing now. And the site still isn't letting me underline. Bah.

I love these flashbacks though. TT_TT Shame.

* * *

It isn't like she is defeated. No, she is far from it—but she can't bare to look at her team the same way anymore. Going to different worlds only burns her now. She saunters behind the rest of her team, her eyes locked towards the ground, refusing to look up. She is starting to wish she was never made a Summoner in the first place. Out of all the people in the world, why did she have to be chosen to become one? The party of four girls continue to walk into the city until they all stop—Sayuri being the last one to stop her walking.

"Ahhhh."

"What was that?" Isleen asks, bearing her fangs. Nina and Leyiko turn their heads, trying to find out where the sound came from. Sayuri, on the other hand, decides to stay out of the conversation—standing a good five feat away from the party... Looking at the her friends through the corners of her eyes. She has a scowl on her face for reasons unknown to the rest of her team. Nina licks her index finger and sticks it in the air.

"It sounds like someone tried to scream... Was it a scream?" Nina asks, truly worried. Leyiko shakes her robotic head, her white hair bouncing with every movement she makes.

"I'm sorry, Nina, but for a scream, it lacked a sense of urgency..."

"Oh dear. Please stop. Somebody save me." With that said from the unknown voice, Leyiko raises her arm up—a computer-like panel shooting up from it. A blinking sound goes off before she starts to touch things inside the panel—her eyes glowing a deep blue. When she is done, her skin covers the computer-panel in her arm and she puts her hand back down to her side.

"I've verified that the source of the voice is up ahead," Leyiko begins, nodding her head. "I've determined that there are multiple life-sources up ahead in the vicinity." Nina bends over a little bit, putting her hand on her knee and pointing at the robot.

"I knew it was a scream!" Nina says triumphantly. Isleen nods her head, looking up at Sayuri fairly serious.

"Sayuri!" Isleen calls, waiting for an answer. The whole team is, in fact. Without Sayuri telling them what to do... They don't know how to respond to the situation at hand and Sayuri knows that.

She almost flinches at the sound of her name being called. Everyone turns around to face her, but she refuses to give anyone her attention. She keeps looking at the ground. That is all she wants to look at. She opens her mouth, wanting to say something—wanting to tell them to leave her alone—but no words leave her lips. She lets out some sort of sad grunt, which makes Isleen bite her tongue.

"Regardless of the situation, it is our job not to ignore a cry for help!" Isleen exclaims, running in the direction Leyiko pointed them in. Everyone else soon follows after her—the only one who hesitates being Sayuri.

"But I..." Sayuri says to herself, looking at her team run away from her. Her gaze soon connects with the floor once more. "...I..." And instead of running towards the scene of the crime, Sayuri prefers to saunter behind her team. She just wants to watch. To wait. And hope they can solve the problem without her.

"Somebody!" the mysterious girl says, being pulled by three other men dressed in really suspicious black clothing. The party stops, Isleen pointing towards the girl with her stave in her right hand. "Please save me!" The girl's voice is sweet-sounding; now the party knows why the girl's cry for help didn't sound like a cry... She was incapable of making her voice sound desperate.

"Unhand that woman!" Isleen demands, growling a bit. Even now—even when they are in a new world she can't seem to suppress her animal-traits. The men stop their synced walking and turn around to face the party. Nina flinches at their faces—which are covered by masks. Their eyes glow red and the two men holding the woman make her face the Summoners, drawing their swords and crossing them around her neck. The woman looks at the party with pleading eyes as the two swords clash with each other—letting off a sound similar to two metal poles brushing against each other. The man standing in front of them unsheathes his sword, the same sound being made as he gets into a fighter's stance. All the men look the same.

Isleen grunts, Nina flinches, and Leyiko steps back.

"What cowards..." Leyiko mutters to herself. The men take one last look at the Summoners before they circle around the girl and continue to take her to where ever they were going in the first place. And they just stare at them... Walking away with the girl that, at an instant, really looked like she was in need of help. Nina and Leyiko look at each other and they nod. The robot gets into a fighting position—since the men aren't walking that fast anyway—and Nina gets ready to attack as well. Isleen has an intention of fighting them too, but neither one of them are prepared for what happens next.

"Damn it all!" Sayuri shouts, her sword gripped tightly with both of her hands and firmly held to her side. She runs from behind the three girls, fire in her eyes. The first man turns around, looking at the determination inside of Sayuri's eyes. She isn't scared. She swears she isn't scared. She jumps up and side-kicks the man in the face, sending him flying into the side of the building. The man lets out a grunt, letting go of his sword and falling onto his back. Sayuri lands on the ground, knelling almost. The other two men holding the girl immediately let go of her arms and take out their swords.

The girl turns around in awe, staring at Sayuri as she arises from her couched position, spins two times, and knocks one of the men's sword out of his hands. It hits the ground, just in time for her to thrust her sword high into the air—disarming the next grunt and sending his sword flipping up into the sky. He falls back on the ground and Sayuri wastes no time. She grabs the girl's hand and drags her back to where her friends are.

"Woah, whoa whoa—oh my!" the girl says as Sayuri pushes her behind herself, pointing her sword at all three of the men. And almost as a finale, the sword that was sent flying into the air not too long ago hits the ground, sticking itself into the soil. The girl looks shy and afraid, but that doesn't stop Sayuri from looking like she will blow the whole town up if she has to.

"I know... I know I'm not supposed to be doing this..." She pauses, gripping her sword with both of her hands again. "But..." Sayuri looks at the girl and pushes her to the side, grunting. She swipes at the air, thrusting her sword behind her. "Damn it!" The three men try to crawl to their feet as Sayuri begins to breathe heavily, her eyes dark. "Get out. Get out of here." When they don't move, she only gets further irritated. She swings her sword at the air, which prompts all of the men to scamper at their feet. "I'm telling you to get lost! Just go!" Not knowing what to do with herself, she breathes again, angry at herself.

"So you're just gonna... Let them go like that?" Nina exclaims, a frown on her face. Sayuri calms down a bit, sheathing her sword. "Shouldn't we go find them and like, turn them in or something Bosslady?" Sayuri only disregards Nina's comments and collapses on her knees, looking towards the ground.

"What the hell am I doing?" she says, pounding her fist into the ground. "No contact. No interference..." She pauses, shaking her head and putting her hand on her forehead. "That's what I_ swore!"_

"Sayuri..." Isleen says, worried about her friend's well-being. "If someone asks for help, you help." Isleen tries to crack a smile, even though she knows Sayuri is unable to see it. "That's just the way you are... So why do you look like you want to cry? You haven't done anything bad." The girl turns around, folding her hands and smiling.

"Oh! Me and my manners... My name is Jessica Stanford! I haven't even thanked you for rescuing me yet! I appreciate your help!" she says, bowing down. "Thank you. I'm so fortunate you came to my aid..."

"Please. Just stop," Sayuri says, despondently.

"Pardon?"

"I didn't have any intention of saving you," Sayuri says, pausing. "I didn't mean to get involved."

"But the end result is that I was rescued!" Jessica pipes up, tilting her head. "And for that, I must thank you! Right? I really, truly, must give you my thanks!" She nods her head, closing her eyes. Treating Sayuri as if she is some kind of god. Sayuri gasps for air, looking the other way. "Oh?" Jessica takes another step closer to Sayuri. "Oh! I've seen you before! Yes... You look just like the statue in the Purgatorial! You should go see it. There's a statue there that looks just like you!"

"Should we go see this thing?" Nina exclaims, stretching in the air. "Sounds like a plan! Will you come with us?"

"She's coming with us?" Leyiko inquires. "That would be most fortunate."

"Yes, it would be nice having a guide from this world," Isleen adds, scratching her chin. Sayuri stomps her foot on the ground, scowling.

"Forget it! No! No! _Absolutely _not! We are NOT traveling with someone from this world! Right now I might not be in command, but I will not allow it! We don't want to have anything to do with _your_ kind!" In a fit of anger, she looks at Jessica. "I'm done here! Please, just... Just go away!" Everyone gasps at Sayuri's fit of rage, but Nina is especially hurt by it.

"Sayuri, don't you think you're being a little bit too hard on her?" Nina whispers, frowning. And to this, Sayuri doesn't have a word to say. "Whatever our initial reasons, it is we who made first contact. And Jessica is clearly motivated only by kindness." Sayuri sucks her teeth while Jessica waves her hands out.

"Oh no, don't be concerned with me!" she insists, clapping her hands together. "Well, I must be on my way! Thank you for saving me!"

Sayuri doesn't feel thanked.

She feels cursed.

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Four: My Teenage Angst Has A Body Count :-**

_I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance _  
_Never settle for the path of least resistance _  
_Living might mean taking chances _  
_But they're worth taking _  
_Lovin' might be a mistake _  
_But it's worth making _  
_Don't let some hell bent heart _  
_Leave you bitter _  
_When you come close to selling out _  
_Reconsider _  
_Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance._

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance _  
_I hope you dance. _

_Time is a real and constant motion always rolling us along. _

— "I Hope You Dance" — Lee Ann Womack

Such a glorious day it was! Who would have though that I, Queen Aysel would attend a monster's own knighting? The whole kingdom was standing here before me, cheering me on! They loved me, how could they not? It was only destiny that the crowd jumped at the sight of me! I let out a chuckle as I stepped forward, the crowd of Enlightened cheering louder for me. I was dressed in the most expensive spoils—the most extravagant jewels and gems... The only person who could come close to my beauty was none other than my daughter! Renata stood next to me, holding our family's sword with both of her hands! She had such a gorgeous way with holding it—making sure not to cut herself with it! Only my daughter would know how to handle my family sword with grace and precision!

My dearest daughter had her hair pinned back, strands of her golden locks falling into her eyes. She looked happy! Why, I had never seen her look so happy before! The only reason she could have been was because she was with me, Queen Aysel! I would not fathom them ruining my ceremony of knighting! Even if it was just for Nocuous garbage, if I, Queen Aysel, had the power to step out of my castle to help Renata with her first knighting—I would not be interrupted by those imprudent fools and their degenerate magic! I quirked my nose, making sure my white gloves were fitted on my hands.

White gloves looked more radiant on I, Queen Aysel, then anyone else on the planet! Just like the perfume I was wearing! Only someone of my status would know that different things are not the same on other people! My perfume was peach-scented, but on a lesser person, it would have smelled like the worst thing in my kingdom! Things liked me because I was Queen Aysel! I ruled everything and there was nothing I did not have control over! I looked across the crowd of people singing the hymn to our kingdom. I snickered to myself. Everyone knew my name! I turned around to face my guard, Renata walking over to Lucrecia, who looked rather nice today. Hmph, she might have looked exceptional today, but she could not touch my beauty! And neither could my daughter, because I am Queen Aysel!

"Please hold this, Lucrecia?" Renata asked delicately, handing Lucrecia my sword. Ha! Why would my dearest daughter hand my sword to that thing from purgatory? Even though Lucrecia was asked to hold our family's sword with pride—honor—that fiend blinked at her and shrugged her shoulders. That idiot! That fool! That thing! Lucrecia made I, Queen Aysel angry! Just the way that she stood made me want to condemn her. Her hair fell down her back and it moved with every move she made because she proclaimed that her hair was naturally wavy. And she thought that she looked better than I, Queen Aysel? Why are the youth so foolish?

Hopeless brunette, did she not know that blondes have more fun? They had more fun because I was Queen Aysel! Lucrecia swung her mechanical arm around, testing it out. "You want to know something, Renata?" Lucrecia said, glancing at the crowd through her left eye and smiling. "I fucking hate wearing dresses. Because I really fucking hate looking at my arm not being there. And you want me to hold this Goddamn sword like you don't see that I haven't checked my arm out, just so you can knight a fucking Nocu—_mffpt_!" I was being angered, but I, Queen Aysel would not lose my cool! Naira was always alert and knew how to handle Lucrecia. She would put her life on the line, for I am the best!

"Watch your language, Lucrecia!" Naira hissed. "You have the audacity to say things like that in front of Queen Aysel and Princess Renata?" Naira had her hand over Lucrecia's mouth, to which Lucrecia narrowed her eyes. Ha! I hoped Naira planned on burning that hand! I would hate to put my hand across anyone's mouth, for I am Queen Aysel! Naira refused to remove her hand—smart girl—but Lucrecia grabbed Naira's arm. Naira was behind her, trying to free herself from Lucrecia's grip, but she ultimately fell victim to it, her arm waning, slowly falling down as Naira glared bullets in the back of Lucrecia's head. I abhorred Lucrecia, but the strength she possessed was wonderful! Such strength was required to guard a queen such as I, Queen Aysel!

"Don't put your fucking fingers in my mouth!" Lucrecia hissed. "The ceremony hasn't even started yet, don't think I won't tear you apart right now!" She paused, glaring at Renata and snatching the sword away from her. "Give me that!"

"Who do you think you are snatching from?" I demanded, looking at Lucrecia. "Watch what you are doing, Lucrecia! In the presence of I, Queen Aysel, your queen? You would really even think of snatching something away from my daughter?"

"Mother it is—"

"Unexceptional! Why are you looking at your queen like you do not care what I say? Lucrecia, I order you to keep your mouth closed in front of I, Queen Aysel!" I demanded. The infuriating ape rolled her eye at me, pushing her thin-rimmed glasses up with her index-finger. Who did Lucrecia think she was? Did she not know that I would have her condemned? I would have Lucrecia deported back to the land in which she came! But I was a merciful queen—the best! Lucrecia did not know how easy she had it with me looking over her head, making sure she never fell to the Nocuous' ill behavior!

"I don't care about this damn knighting," Lucrecia spat, tapping her fingers on her arm. "And I don't give a damn about you, really I don't! You and this little organization that you seem to care oh so much about can go to the deep depths of hell." Why, I never! "And another thing Aysel—the only reason why I came was because Renata begged me to come. Drill that inside of your fucking head. I don't need anything you want to give me." She was trying my patience, but I decided to ignore her for now! I did not have time to waste trying to discipline Lucrecia—as of late she had been acting rather strange lately. Just like my precious Renata.

At any rate! I nodded my head and stepped up to the podium in front of me. It was decorated with diamonds and jewels... Anything I was going to touch had to be luxurious—it had to have my style incorporated with it! And as my podium sparkled, I, Queen Aysel, smiled! I tilted my crown on top of my head, looking at the increasing number of Enlightened cheering me on. This was my kingdom and no one else's! Everything in front of me was mine! All of it was mine! I threw my hands out into the air, smiling. I had the whitest teeth in the land—no one could match my smile, for I was Queen Aysel! I did not have a microphone—Enlightened did not need microphones. Ha! Such a simple way of living life! Well, I, Queen Aysel, would take that back. Only Enlightened like I, Queen Aysel could amplify my voice without such pitiful technology! And since no one else in the world was like me, I was the only one who could use my focal energy to speak louder without even trying!

"Welcome friends, family, guests, and followers of Queen Aysel!" I said, throwing my hands into the air. "I am here today to tell you all of very good news. The people you see behind me—the individuals that are standing behind me are none other than my guard. Cheer for them, for they risk their lives every day to protect your queen! And even though my life is more important than theirs, they still manage to balance caring for themselves and looking after me at the same time!" I raised my arm and prompted the crowd to cheer—and cheer they did! It brought a smile to I, Queen Aysel's face! I loved my kingdom because they loved me! How could they not love I, Queen Aysel? "And now, on this glorious day, my dearest daughter Princess Renata has decided to knight another in my lovely guard..."

I turned around and Renata nodded her head, her hair decorations chiming in the air.

"Yeah, go Renata!" I blinked. Who was that interrupting my speech? The crowd looked back and there was that ignorant boy that traveled with Summoner Sayuri. Kokoro, I think his name was. He was being an obnoxious little fool, waving his fist in the air and making gorilla-like noises! I implored him to stop! How dare he interrupt his queen! He was not transformed so the people of my kingdom did not recognize him as a Summoner—though they knew he was not native. Curse the Summoners and their persistence to ruin the things I upheld! "Go Renata, we love you!"

"As I was saying!" I huffed. I turned around to face Renata and she was trying really hard not to let out a few giggles. Did she actually think that monster's actions were funny? That they were appropriate for the situation? My daughter was getting stranger and stranger everyday... I did not know what was wrong with her anymore... Oh dear Saivan, I hope I was not going to lose her to those retched Summoners! They did not deserve her like I, Queen Aysel did! I raised Renata with my own two hands! I would not allow such a thing to take place! "Princess Renata wants to knight her first person into my guard. This is not only an honor, it is a privilege as well! Unfortunately, Adel could not be here today—he has become ill—but you all remember the great deeds that Adel has done, correct Enlightened?" They all cheered, making me smile again. "He predicted when and where the Summoners would come! Without him, we would not be prepared for what they planned to do! He was my first knight; the first person inducted within my guard some years ago. Let us thank him for the way he has unveiled to the rest of my guard!"

"Oh bother..."

"Lucrecia!" I shouted, turning around. She knew exactly what she had done! And she had the audacity to look at I, Queen Aysel like she had done nothing wrong! She rubbed her eye, looking at her nails.

"That's my name, Aysel..." she sighed. "What the hell do you want?" I balled up my fists, shaking from the anger! She was messing with I, Queen Aysel, the best! I would have her head after this ceremony was over! But now everyone in the crowd was looking at me. I had to set an example for the people of my kingdom! Lucky for me, I had the ability to think quickly unlike Lucrecia or anyone else because I was Queen Aysel!

"And this is Adel's daughter, Lucrecia, who I am sure you all know." A plan such as mine was destined to work! The crowd roared in contentment; they all seemed to really like Lucrecia, and she only simpered at the crowd's response.

"Fuck them and fuck you too, Aysel. Now hurry up—I've got bodies to mark." I was speechless! It was one thing to insult the people of my kingdom, but it was another to insult me, Queen Aysel! Her and her foul language—I would never let words like that slip out of my mouth! Enraged, I stomped away from the podium and sat down in my throne, tapping my fingers on my chin. She would rue the day in which she insulted I, Queen Aysel! Defina touched Lucrecia's shoulder, genuinely worried about my well-being.

"Do you not think you are treating Aysel without respect, Lucrecia?" Defina asked. Lucrecia quirked her nose.

"No, I think I just want to go home," she shot, poison dripping from her words. "Renata, go on. Do whatever you have to do. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can do what I want to do and be far, far away from Aysel and all of these people who don't give a Goddamn thing about me! They cheer, and they cheer, and they don't even know what the fuck they're cheering about! I'm so sick and tired of dumb-ass bastards who always think they know someone! This whole thing is irritating the shit out of me." I ignored Lucrecia's little rant completely! What she had to say did not even matter, not one bit! All that mattered now was that I was Queen Aysel, and Lucrecia was a lesser person! It would always work out like that! Renata kept her smile on her face and _listened _to that cretin!

"Renata!" I called.

"Yes mother?" she responded, turning around in mid-stride. She was unaware of how much she was shaming our family and our kingdom! And yet she was oblivious to the fact that she was listening to everything Lucrecia had to say! Why, she would not even listen to me like that and I was her mother! Yesterday was just an awful experience, and with the way she was acting, I would not imagine her listening to anyone! … And yet she did everything Lucrecia told her to do without hesitation! What was happening to I, Queen Aysel's kingdom? My sanctuary?

"Nothing dearest daughter, keep going," I said, moving my hand in the other direction and imploring her to keep walking. Her smile had gotten bigger as she gripped the edge of the podium. I think what I, Queen Aysel needed, was a good night's sleep! Something that I was denied to have last night! Renata's golden hair fell down her shoulders and against her back, her earrings jangling as she tried to stop moving. She was really excited and could not control herself. My daughter—the one that I raised—had self control because she was I, Queen Aysel's daughter! This was all Summoner Sayuri and her friends' fault! I blamed them for my kingdom crumbling away in front of me! I abhorred those teenagers—wrecking havoc in my lovely home. They were no different from the Nocuous and they did not aim to "save" my kingdom!

Save it?

From what?

"People, lend me thine ears and let us hope that today will not be the last day we will see each other again," Renata said, bowing her head. No one dared to interrupt her speaking! They all knew the consequences to such actions! I smiled as I saw how well-trained my kingdom was! "I love each and every one of you, and let me just say that I miss every one of you as well. My duties as the princess of Aysel have been strenuous—things that I could never think of possibly doing alone without the help of you all. I have met some friends along the way—ones that, in one way or another, have helped me carry on with my life." She paused, her smile getting bigger. "Those people are the people in my guard, and I cannot thank them enough for deciding to protect me. And if I could do a thousand and one things to make up for them always being there with me..." My dearest daughter trailed off, looking behind her and smiling at us. She was always such a well-mannered child. "Then I would do them in a heartbeat."

I got up from my chair and stood next to Naira, who inhaled. "Queen Aysel, I think she is doing a wonderful job, do you not think so as well? She is handling herself well for someone who had no idea what she would say in front of all these people. I think Renata has a gift for talking in front of people and telling them what they should be hearing." Of course Renata had a gift! Renata had multiple gifts, because she was I, Queen Aysel's daughter and nothing would change that! I nodded my head like a normal queen would, but I was not a normal queen! I was Queen Aysel!

"Mistress, is it not rude to talk while someone is speaking?" Curse that infuriating fool Zed, I knew that Renata was talking! But I was Queen Aysel! I could talk... And I could interrupt anyone speaking because I had power! Authority over all of those lesser than me! I ignored him just as I had Lucrecia and Naira. No one could get me to take my eyes off my dearest daughter! If only her father was here to see her in her shining moment! I was sure Saivan would have wanted to see her knight her first person into the guard...

"I—I picked this man to be knighted into my guard—our family's guard because if you all recall, the kingdom had been attacked by the Aeon Shiva not too long ago. And even though this man was not a part of my guard, he still did all that he could to try and save me. He fought with brilliance, bravery, and he was really good at swinging his sword at all the right times." She stopped and giggled for a moment, which made the crowd stare at her in bewilderment. Was she... Intoxicated or something of the sort? What was wrong with my daughter, and why could she not stop herself from laughing at every other word? "He saved my life on more than one occasion, and without him, I would be totally and utterly lost. I owe him my life as well. More than what anyone could imagine." She closed her eyes and faced the sky, letting the wind go through her hair. "Lucrecia, my sword, if you will."

"Oh yes. Your sword," Lucrecia mumbled, picking up the sword. That idiot! She had put our family's sword on the ground? I could not be bothered by her foolishness right now, because I was Queen Aysel and I needed to cheer my daughter on, making sure she did everything she was supposed to do! The crowd cheered as Lucrecia brought Renata her sword. How could they love such a monster? For her skill in battle, if nothing else? Ha, such idiots they were! They saw her as some type of gladiator! If that was what the people sought out as interesting and worthy of cheering and praise, then who was I to dissuade them in what they liked? Oh yes, I was Queen Aysel, so I could do whatever I wanted to do with my kingdom! Renata took the sword out of Lucrecia's hands, holding it with all of her might.

Eventually my dearest daughter pointed the claymore into the sky, right at the resilient sun. "The sword that has killed many," my daughter said, blinking. "The sword that has let millions sleep. The sword that is the key to our kingdom. My father's sword. This sword has the honor of a thousand men stored inside of it. And everyone standing in the back of me have been blessed with the power it possesses. But what if I want to bestow someone with something more than just power...?" Pardon? What was Renata planning to do here? What could she possibly give to the Nocuous? Whatever she was planning, I knew it was going to be something that would go down in history! Something magnificent and wonderful! "Not everyone wants power... Power is just something that other people abuse. Some people..." She paused, clearing her throat. "Are not ready for that kind of power." Of course that Nocuous garbage was not ready for the power she was about to give it! That was a given! And my dearest daughter knew that, because she was the daughter of I, Queen Aysel! "And give him this power... I shan't do."

My heart must have skipped a few beats...

Renata's amulet started to glow, and soon after, the whole sword started to glow as well. I heard a very loud snapping sound before our family's sword crumbled into a million pieces. Everything was silent and I sprung out of my chair! My mouth was agape—I had seen nothing like this before! "Renata! Why, I would have never thought—!" I tried to say something, but she looked at me with dangerous eyes... I had never seen her like that before!

"Mother, stay away from me!" she bellowed. "This is my knighting and I shall do this my way! The way I want to do it! That sword... That sword is nothing but a gateway to destruction! Everyone who has been touched by that sword has been twisted in some kind of way..." What a coward my daughter had turned into! She would dare to put her hand up to me, Queen Aysel? There was nothing I could do. I did not want to order my guard to detain her... Not in front of the whole city—especially the Summoners. All I could do was sit and watch until this dreadful thing was over "I want... I want to give my new knight something more! Something that the Summoners are wishing for! And that sword cannot grant that." Why was my daughter such a buffoon? Why did she have to speak of the Summoners? I cursed my luck as Lucrecia started to snicker.

"Oh what a world we live in..." she said, amused. "I knew this was going to happen."

"Of course, Doctor," Zed answered. "Renata has met the Summoners after all. It seems that they seem to rub off on certain individuals."

"Well I think you both are wrong," Naira said, putting her hand on the hilt of her sword. "If Renata attacks Aysel, I will be forced to take action. Before Renata's safety, Queen Aysel's always comes first. That being said, are the two of you going to help me if things should get out of line to the point where it will be useless to go on ignoring them?" That was the honor and bravery I had been talking about! Naira was an excellent fighter, unlike the two of them! I was proud of Naira's effort! She would even take down my daughter to insure my safety! That was the kind of person Renata needed in her guard! She did not need a Nocuous!

"Fuck no, you attack Renata and I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you out of commission," Lucrecia said, smirking. "I'm oh-so sorry, Naira, but at this point there's no law saying that Aysel comes first." ... She would dare talk about me like that? In my presence! She was asking to be put out of my guard in a heart beat! I would see to it that Lucrecia was punished after all of this is over! "I've been looking after Renata ever since I came here. You might like riding up on Aysel's ass, but when Aysel is gone and down for the count, you are going to need some other stupid bitch to protect. That stupid bitch is standing right in front of you. Before I die for Aysel, I'd die for Renata, though I don't think I'm going to die for anyone except for myself. So stop kissing Aysel's pampered ass and get yourself a mind. You know, one that actually works."

"Lucrecia, I am going to have to ask you not to talk to my sister like that," Defina said, stepping in-between the three people. "She has a point. This is Aysel's guard, not Renata's guard."

"I don't care _who's_ fucking guard it is, as long as I have a _job_," Lucrecia spat. I got up from my throne, tired of being silent. How dare she come at I, Queen Aysel like I was not even sitting behind her, hearing every word she said! "You fail to realize that Aysel has every fucking technique under the sun." She paused, swinging her arm out. "The bitch is fucking _lazy_! You think I'm going to die for someone that's lazy? You both can bite your tongue—as far as I'm concerned you don't get a say in what I do. So are you going to fight me if I jump to Renata's aid?" I knew what the two sisters would already say. I tried to get into the conversation but Lucrecia would always ignore I, Queen Aysel! Today was not a good day for me! I should have stayed in my castle and tended to my daily rounds. But I was a generous queen, always sacrificing myself to help other people!

I was not selfish!

"Urgh," Naira hissed, looking towards Zed. "What about you? You still have some sense?"

"I am merely a spectator in your little game," he answered back, turning towards Renata. It was then that my daughter turned around, glaring at us.

"Even as heroes, the world hates," Renata said, gritting her teeth. "Why can you guys never seem to get along? This is why I want someone in my guard that is able to get along with just about everyone without fail." What could a Nocuous accomplish for my guard? What could anything accomplish for my guard! They were this lands best fighters! They could not be beaten! I only have Renata the best and still she did not notice that?

"Hey, I'm only looking out for you, Renata," Lucrecia says, shrugging. "Act like a dumb-bitch if you want to, I'll walk out of this thing in a heartbeat. Damn misquotes. They're every fucking where. You and your damn hair-spray, Naira!" Renata ignored Lucrecia's comment and kicked the podium off the stage. My diamonds! My precious diamonds! They all fell down to the ground, scattering everywhere! Enlightened from left to right aimed to take what was not theirs! I could only watch in horror as my jewels were taken in an instant! I, Queen Aysel, worked hard for all of that stuff that I earned! Why did it have to be taken away?

"Now that that's out of the way..." Renata chimed, clapping her hands together with that same smile on her face. "It is time to handle what I really called this meeting for. The knighting!" Everyone cheered louder than before—the five of us looking less than happy. Renata turned around swiftly, a white circle appearing on the ground. It was an anagram made out of some sort of white substance. I did not know what technique it was. Perhaps it was something she had learned from the Summoners behind my back. Whatever the case was, she pointed her right index and fore-finger towards the circle, closing her eyes. "Arise, arise! Guiding angels, I ask your charity, lend me your focus and your clarity, bring me to my friend at this time, restoring me that and my peace of mind... With harm to none, this spell be done. Let it be not reversed, or placed unto me as any curse. May all astrological correspondences be correct for this working. As I will it, so mote it be."

The wind started to pick up around her, her golden hair swaying the air. What was my dearest daughter planning to do now? I felt as if I did not know her anymore! That was impossible! ...I... I was Queen Aysel! I knew everyone in my kingdom, especially my very own daughter! She tried diligently to hold her stance, even though the wind was trying to knock her over. She was not the most heaviest person in Aysel. Why would she be? She was I, Queen Aysel's daughter! I would not tolerate her turning into some sort of walking bacon! The anagram on the ground started to glow, and in a puff of white smoke, that Nocuous appeared, clutching the hilt of his sword. What was this madness? Why was he wearing sunglasses! No, no, everything about him looked wrong!

"I am deeply sorry, Queen Aysel," Naira said, bowing down before me. She knew that I was very cross with her already! How could she _not _know? I was Queen Aysel! I was too busy gawking at what the Nocuous was wearing to give Naira an answer. And she did not need one! The Nocuous took one step forward, switching his footing. He brought his free hand up on his shades, taking them off. He looked around—as if he had never seen this place before—and blinked.

"Uh, hello people of Aysel!" ... And STILL the crowd goes wild? What is wrong with my kingdom? They cheered even louder than before! This was horrid! That monster was so enthused by the crowd's reaction that he threw his sunglasses out into the crowd! The people were fighting over them like it was a piece of meat or something. Scavengers, all of them! "My name is Chase!"

"Chase," Renata said, bowing down. She smiled for a second, but then she quickly picked herself back up. "It is nice to have you here, Chase." She turned around, facing the people. "This is the man who will be knighted into my guard! But by what, you should say." She raised her hand in the air, looking fairly serious. "From this point on, I am stripping this man of his branded label as being a Nocuous. And he shall be considered as an Enlightened from here on in. Anyone seen giving him any problems will be dealt with by Lucrecia here." I wanted to snap the arm of my chair in half! How could Renata do such a thing? And the crowd bought every word she said!

"Why me...?" Lucrecia sighed, cracking her neck. Her saddened expression then turned into something of excitement. "I can live with that. Sure as hell will bring some fun to my day." Chase put his hands out, shaking his head. Lucrecia was already forgetting that the man standing in front of her was a Nocuous? Did Renata really have that much power now? When did this happen? I was losing everything I, Queen Aysel, had to my name!

"Aww, Princess Renata, you don't have to do that you know..." Chase insisted, glancing at the cheering crowd. "I'm fine with whatever anyone calls me. Just remember, people of Aysel, that no matter where I come from I still fight with this sword, the same sword I'm going to use to protect your princess." That was unexceptional! How dare he protect my daughter with such a dismal sword! Renata stretched out her hand and Saivan's pin appeared in it. She was not going to put it on his, was she?

"I destroyed the sword, but we'll buy time," Renata said, fumbling with it. It was clear that she never learned how to pin it on someone. But she was I, Queen Aysel's daughter! She should have known right away! "And of course I have to, Chase. This is just one step forward to a change, and with the help of the Summoners, that change will come soon." Once she pinned it on, she motioned for Chase to get on one knee and he did just that. She touched her shoulders and then her chest, bringing her hand over his head. "May you always serve King Saivan, may you be the best knight you could ever be." When she was done saying that, Chase stood back up and the crowd went wild. They should all know how to behave in the presence of I, Queen Aysel!

But before anything could resume, someone came on the stage. Who was that blue-haired fiend? She came out of the sky and was dressed in some sort of suit! She was not one of mine! But the way she looked into her hand—the technology protruding out of it into the sky like a hologram—was she even human? I could only stand up in awe. She looked busy, like she did not even care she was interrupting my knighting ceremony! She had tacky butterfly pins clipped on every article of clothing on her body. Even on her hair. She took one look up, simpering.

"So she's not here either... Silly Adair, why do a I choose to listen to him anymore...?" Who was this woman searching for? I turned around and looked at my guard.

"Apprehend this woman—!"

"Hey, chick, move out my freaking way!"

I blinked. I looked into the crowd and I saw Summoner Sayuri, transformed, pointing her wand at the woman. She interrupted me! Everything had fell silent until that Summoner showed up! Everyone in the crowd looked at the Summoner—especially her wand. They had not seen anything like it before. "Yeah! You! Blue-haired freak-o'-nature lady! I spent an hour just about trying to see over everyone's heads, and you decided to jump on stage in front of everyone? Why don't you do the world a favor and get off the stage so I can see my friend being knighted?" The woman looked up at the Summoner, smiling a bit.

"Hmm," she said, tilting her head. "And you might be?"

"Summoner Sayuri! Summoner of the Magic Wand, Summoner of Time, and the person that's gonna end up kicking your ass if you don't move!" That grabbed everyone's attention.

"It is the Summoner?"

"The Summoner is here, right now?"

"She is standing right behind me?"

"Oh boy, Sayuri, what have I told you about not making yourself known?" that Morta girl said, bringing her palm to her face. She had been standing right next to her. "Now what do you think is going to happen? Miyuki is probably in the crowd right now throwing a fit..." This day could not get any worse! Sayuri slightly dropped her wand, smirking a little.

"Hell no, I'm not backing down to anyone, Morta! I've got this! I can handle this chick! So lady, are you going to get out of my way? Why don't you introduce yourself since I told you who I was?" The woman put her arm to her side, standing with such wonderful posture.

"48 Cecelia Leingod," she said, deadpanned. "You must be Summoner Sayuri... Such a wonderful name you have made for yourself, Summoner. And I take it that is your friend standing behind you?"

"Cecelia?" Lucrecia gasped, stepping back. "What the fuck are you doing here? Aren't you... Dead?" I looked at Cecelia, concern written all over my face. Did that mean Lucrecia was not going to fight this woman? Did she know this woman? Cecelia glanced quickly at Lucrecia.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I know you." Her reply was cryptic, as if she was hiding something. Lucrecia did not take well to the comment, gritting her teeth and balling up her fists. "As is, my conversation right now is with the Summoner and her comrades. Associating myself with people who should be more dead than I am is not my aim."

"Listen Cecelia! 48—whatever the hell your name is," Sayuri said, bringing her wand back up. "I don't know what the heck you're talking about, but back on my planet, what you're doing is called crashing a perfectly good party!" I looked towards Naira, hoping that she would do something about that fiend, but she was fixated on the Summoner, gritting her teeth as well. Defina was just winded about this whole entire thing... The Summoner slid her hand down her wand—it protruding a purple substance. "I'm ready to freaking go! Chop chop, just get off the stage!"

"Summoner Sayuri, as much as I love it that you have so much fire, I'm afraid you are in no position to oppose me."

"Says who?" Sayuri shouted back. Cecelia extended her hand and it turned into some sort of contraption—a sort of... Cannon? "... _Holy_...!" The rest of the Summoner's sentence was muffled due to an explosion. No one in the crowd had enough time to react—they all thought they were going to die! I, Queen Aysel, even thought _I_ was going to die! What was wrong with my guard? They would help me in an instant! When I didn't see an explosion take place, I opened my eyes. Sayuri seemed to have dropped her wand, her hands in front of her.

Morta was transformed as well, holding her scythe in front of that missile. It was stopped right in front of her weapon. Sayuri let off a smirk, putting her hands down. "I guess... You forgot..." she panted, looking up. "That I told you I'm the Summoner of Time!" At that notion, everyone in the city started to run around frantically, desperate to get away from the monster standing on my stage! Her arm returned to normal and she tilted her head upwards again, looking at the Summoners from the bottom of her eyes. Miyuki and her other Summoners met with Sayuri and Morta, all five of them ready for combat, unlike my guard! The missile dropped, rolling on the ground. Sayuri retrieved her glorious wand with her left hand, throwing it in the air and catching it.

"I'm glad we met, Cecelia. Now it's time to die! When you would willing put thousands of peoples' lives on the line..." She stops, looking towards the ground. "Then you deserve to die."

"Waaah~" Chio said, holding her wand and holding her skirt down from the wind. "Who said anything about killing anyone Sayuri?"

"Act fast Summoners, and don't hold back," Miyuki said, both of her hands equipped with cards.

"Got it!" Kokoro answered back, throwing his hand in the air.

Cecelia slowly stepped off I, Queen Aysel's stage and onto the ground. She walked slowly towards the Summoners, but left a lot of room in between each other. "Summoner Sayuri, it will be an honor killing you."

"Too bad," Sayuri said, snickering. "I can't say the same for you."

* * *

**A/N:** :D

... I can't stop my face from smiling. XD;;;

I love this chapter, as you can see! And I'm so proud of myself! Because guess what? This whole entire chapter was written in Aysel's PoV! I never would have thought I would accomplish such an outlandish thing! It's the greatest thing I've ever done in my life! I hate Aysel and I can't stand writing her, but I did a whole 8k in her PoV! You know what this means? I'm getting better! Or, of course, April is influencing my... Way to do much more better stuff!

How many people think this fight is gonna be decent! Yeah, it's one against five, but remember that fight Aline, and how everyone got their asses kicked? XD Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen here! And Renata is making me so proud. She destroyed that sword. ^_^ She's really becoming something... More of herself. In no time, she'll make a decent hero! She has the power, she just doesn't know what to do with it! XD

I just love it when everything starts coming together. Bandelle is doing such a great job. ^_^

And honestly, I love Cecelia. XD She's a war machine. XD

Until next time, folks!


	25. Nails For Breakfast, Tacks For Snacks

**A/N:** Yeah. I lied. This is the last Sayuri flashback. XD

Oh come on! This chapter was a fight scene damn near! D:

* * *

No. Sayuri can't be asked something so dire... No, she can't be asked to save the world! Not again! And with Jessica kidnapped a second time—she can't bare to look Lady Kaelyn in the face, the sacred fortune-teller that asked to see her and her friends. The blonde fortune-teller sits before Sayuri and her friends, intent on getting their attention with the look in her eyes. Panting heavily from just telling them something from the future, Lady Kaelyn puts her hand on the desk, trying desperately to look at them.

"Lady Kaelyn!" Nina says, jumping out of her chair.

"Please, don't feel any pain for me," she pants. "Jessica's death brings with it this land's extinction. There is nothing that can change that future. No matter how many times I foresee that bleak future, the land's destruction is inescapable." Sayuri looks down into her lap as the other members of her party pay close attention to what Lady Kaeyln has to say. "But if you can manage to save Jessica, perhaps it can be adverted. I would like to—_argh_—pin my hopes on that. I'm seen all over the world as a woman with high fortune-teller powers, but look at me." She pauses, looking up at the ceiling. "My body wrecked from telling the very things I'm known for. Unable to help anyone. Unable to save my friend." She puts both of her hands on the desk, looking directly at Sayuri. "Please! Save Jessica. Save the world! I beg you!"

Sayuri just stares at Lady Kaelyn with an unsure frown on her face. "Miss Kaelyn... Please stop... You can't... Please, don't ask me to get involved with the fate of an entire planet...!" Isleen automatically looks towards her leader.

"Sayuri..."

Sayuri stands up on her two feet, looking around the room. "Jessica's one thing... But... An entire planet..." She turns around, looking towards the wall. "I... I can't. Not... Not again!"

"Foolish... Human..." Lady Kaelyn says, trying with everything she has to get out of her chair. She only ends up falling over sideways. Isleen, Nina, Riona, and Leyiko rise to their feet, trying to see if Lady Kaelyn is all right. All four girls work hard to tuck her in her bed, throwing her blankets over her. Lady Kaelyn is broken out in a cold sweat, twitching. Isleen stands on the far side of the room, holding both of her hands together. Sayuri glances over to her animal-teammate, frowning.

"She's out cold!" Nina says, shaking her head.

Isleen looks at Lady Kaelyn with fire in her eyes. "Let's go. To the Purgatorial."

"Isleen..." Sayuri mutters as everyone walks over to the two. The Summoner of Change turns around to face Sayuri.

"Frankly I don't believe in this so-called resurrection business... But it's clear that Jessica is in grave danger nonetheless."

Leyiko nods her head, looking towards the bed-ridden fortune-teller. Riona shakes her head, stands up, and puts her scythe against the wall. Not being one of many words, she sits back down in the chair in which she gets up from. She only intervenes when she has to. "She still isn't showing any signs of waking up... And we don't have any way of getting inside of the Purgatorial either..." Leyiko says, blinking.

"Then we'll just have to make one! Even if it means blowing up the _entire_ structure!" Isleen says frankly, looking at Leyiko. Sayuri gasps, her eyes glued to Isleen.

"No way! I'm not going to let you do anything that crazy!" Sayuri says, shaking her head. Isleen steps back, taken aback by Sayuri's outburst.

"Then what would _you_ have us do!?"

"Wait," Sayuri says, looking towards Lady Kaelyn. "Wait until Kaelyn wakes up."

"We don't have time for that!" Isleen shouts, looking at the ground.

"She told us to go to the Purgatorial to stop the rituals," Sayuri says, taking a step closer to Isleen. Sayuri is a bit angry, but she is trying her best to stay calm. "But we don't have anyway of getting deeper inside. Kaelyn must be aware of that." She pauses, walking towards Lady Kaeyln "She knows how to get inside. She has to. I'm sure of it." Isleen refuses to make any kind of eye contact with Sayuri, looking at the empty space in front of her.

"Don't you understand Sayuri?! You heard what they'll do to Jessica!" Isleen says, her voice cracking a bit. She looks up at Sayuri, trying to get the real reason out of her eyes. "Are you just going to give up on her?! On this world itself—!?"

"Isleen that's _not _what I'm saying—!!!" Sayuri shouts back at her, making even Leyiko jump in fear.

"You may as well be!" Isleen interrupts, swiping her arm across the air. "If you were the Sayuri I knew...!!" She looks towards Sayuri and, in a failed attempted to keep eye-contact, looks the other way. "You wouldn't have even hesitated!" She says, stepping towards the door, once again denying Sayuri of eye contact. "Even when we were on Earth... In Spectra... In the Dark Ages... " She pauses, looking back at Sayuri. "You never took your eyes off your goal or let _anything _scare you! You always moved forward! That's the whole reason I wanted to come with you!"

_"Me?!"_ Sayuri interrupts. "I'm the girl who damned the Dark Ages just because I didn't think things through!! I think about that happening again... And I get so scared I—I... I can't even move!"

"But what about Suzuki?! You fought for him when he was in trouble!"

_"Damn right_ I did! But that's not going to make this fear go away!"

"Both of you stop it!" Riona says, stomping on the ground. Her straight black hair hangs in her eyes. The two Summoners gasp and turn towards her. Riona looks at Sayuri. "Let me ask you one thing. You're not giving up on Jessica, are you?"

"Of course not," Sayuri answers with no hesitation. Riona then looks at Isleen.

"Isleen, I understand your concern for our friends, but you too have to understand that our leader is Sayuri," Riona says, nodding her head.

"All right," Isleen answers, looking down on the ground. Nina looks at the Summoner of Death with wide eyes, her mouth open.

"Riona. Wow..." Nina says in admiration. "I wouldn't want to get on your bad side." To this, Riona only chuckles to herself. And they all stand before Lady Kaelyn shows signs of getting up. Lady Kaelyn sits up on her bed, sleepy, and looks towards Riona. She sees Isleen and Sayuri standing with their backs towards each other.

"Girl," she says, referring to Riona. "Tell me what happened."

"Well you see..." Riona says, looking behind her. "We were talking about how to get inside the Purgatorial and well... There was a difference of opinion..." Lady Kaelyn looks up and sighs, pulling a card out of her bra.

"Here, take this," she says. "I suppose if I would have given this to your earlier, you could have skipped the whole thing in the first place. That was my fault. I suppose if you would have rushed in the Purgatorial without the key, you would have gotten Jessica killed." Isleen takes one step back, but proceeds to smile at Sayuri.

"It looks like you made the right call, Sayuri," she admits, forcing a smile.

"Yeah..." Sayuri says despondently. Nina throws her arm up into the air and runs towards the door.

"We've got the card guys! Let's go already!!" She makes it out of the room, Leyiko and Renee soon following after her. Sayuri and Isleen try to follow them, but Lady Kaelyn puts her hand out.

"Human. I don't know what it is that frightens you..." She says, putting her hand on her knee. "And neither do I care, but I will say this. Stop being so full of yourself," she hisses, scowling. "It's _ridiculous!"_

"Wha?!" Sayuri says, turning around. Isleen gasps and looks at Sayuri.

"The universe is endless. Its skies are vast an unknowing. If you presume to think you can carry it all yourself, you're a fool. It is the stars that proceed to carry it all together. They determine if life survives, or dies. Or are you so arrogant as to believe you can manipulate fate itself? Don't be so presumptuous, you _idiot."_

"No, that's not it at all—!"

"What you are capable of doing, and the influence you wield is limited. Yes, something you trigger might develop into an enormous wave, taking up everything... Yes, the fate of an entire world might even be swayed, but your actions alone are not enough. A great many factors conspire to bring a world's fate to its final conclusion."

"Lady Kaelyn..." Sayuri mutters. She wants to say something but the fortune-teller out-tunes the Summoner of Time.

"Fret! Fear! Weep if you must, but do not stop! Leave pride by the wayside. Move forward with every fiber of your being, and you will begin to discover what you are capable of. Insignificant as you are, you will discover something that only you must do. That is the path you must walk." The blonde then looks towards Isleen.

"You there. You're from Earth too aren't you? Stay with the foolish human. You with the power of the divine Goddess Spectra inside of you—child of hope."

"Inside of me...?" Isleen mutters. And for some reason, words can't seem to express the gratitude she feels. She only nods her head, blinking tears away "Yes Ma'm!" And the two of them walk outside to meet their team. Sayuri stands, looking at everyone intently.

"Guys, give me more time. The old Sayuri may be coming back."

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Five: Nails For Breakfast, Tacks For Snacks :-**

_The could not do_  
_The lies inside you_  
_The would not do_  
_The dwells inside you_  
_The could not do_  
_The lives inside you_  
_The should not do_  
_The dwells inside you_  
_The could not do_  
_That's how it started_

— "How It Started" — Rublebee

So this Cecelia person thought that she was going to get the upper-hand on us? Well, I wasn't going to let her try and take anything away from us! It was one against five! How hard could that be, right? I gripped my wand, all of my attention focused on that blue-haired freak-of-nature standing right in front of me! Who did she think she was, just standing in front of us all calm? I bet she thought that we couldn't beat her! I couldn't tell. She had no emotion in her face for me to tell. "Wow Summoner Sayuri. Such a stance... You fight different from the last time I fought you so many years ago. I don't expect your pitiful human brain to remember such a time in which we battled, but perhaps when I kill you we can find out?"

What?! I jerked back a little. "I have never seen you in my life!" I screamed at her. Damn right I had never seen her in my life! Who was she? And why did everyone in the Dark Ages claim to know me? Was I missing something here? Yeah, the people in this city knew me because they heard about me... But there were people who knew me because they had _met _me... That's it! Maybe I had just been playing this little game all wrong! I gritted my teeth, my grip tightening around my wand. "If you want to fight and see what I can do..." I said, pointing my wand at her. "Then let's go! Everyone! Let's go!"

"Don't get yourself hurt okay, Sayuri?" Kokoro said, spinning his Orb of Fire on his index finger. I didn't need him to tell me anything! I got all of these fights now! Yeah sure, I'd always end up hurt after all of them, but the fact of the matter was that I always won them! I couldn't be afraid of getting hurt in a battle! It was a battle, for Hana's sake! Of course I was going to get hurt! The orb on his finger was surrounded by flames. I thought he was going to get burned, but he's Kokoro, after all. The Summoner of Fire. He doesn't get burned. Ha, showoff. He threw the thing into the air and as soon as it came down, he kicked it towards Cecelia.

It came at her lightning fast, and that's when Miyuki threw like ten cards in front of her. They weren't cards anymore; they were like these razor-sharp things... Morta knew what to do and she came from the side, coming in closer towards Cecelia. She wasn't afraid. Why wasn't Morta afraid of being hurt by Cecelia? I sure as hell would have been afraid. Cecelia wasn't even human... She was like a robot thing... Which meant that Morta's scythe probably had no effect on Cecelia! That's what she wanted to do... She wanted to put a huge gap in between us so we would run up, thinking she could be cut by blades and stuff.

I had no time. This was an intense moment, so I did what was best. "Freeze!" I yelled, putting my hands out. I wanted to stop time around Morta, but she was too close to Cecelia. Nah, but that wasn't the problem! For some reason, I didn't stop time at all! The smoke around Cecelia disappeared and Miyuki's cards bounced off of her. I was right. Cecelia was made out of pure metal and nothing else. And she did something really weird to my time magic. A blue anagram appeared around her and... Believe me or not... My time magic just disappeared all together. Like it died.

The purple light just fell towards the ground.

Morta stopped, putting her scythe to her side. "Who are you?" she asked, and it was the same thing I wanted to know. "You claim you know my leader, so there must be something more to you Cecelia Leingod. There's something you're not letting us know." Morta was... So much stronger than I was. Here I was standing in the same place... And practically my whole team was surrounding Cecelia, save Chio. She had summoned Shiva, so Shiva was standing in front of Cecelia. Since we were outside I guess—it wasn't as cold. Either that or Chio could control the temperature around us now... If only... If only I had the same strength as my friends!

"Silly, I told you all who I am," Cecelia said, flipping her hair. "I am who I am, and nothing is going to change that. I go by many names, but the one I like best is Cecelia the Azure." Next thing I know, Cecelia closed her eyes and there were like... Okay, how do I explain this over my fear? You know what this place looked like when the knighting was still going on? With all of those people standing around? It was packed! Now picture that, but now all of those people are replaced by Cecelias. I'm not even kidding right now, tens... Hundreds... Thousands of Cecelias crowded around us. I turned around and chewed my bottom lip, gripping my wand. "Today, I'm going to earn a new title," she said, spinning around. "I'm going to be known as the person who killed four Summoners and their Guardian!"

Dude, Kokoro and Morta didn't even care. They had been Summoners longer than Chio, but... Kokoro's hands were covered in flames and he just started punching any Cecelias he saw. They were trying to fight him back, but with every punch he threw... He was amazing! He was punching them through the stomach—machine parts flying into the air. "Gah! All of these things... Every time I take one out three more take its place! Is this what Cecelia's capable of?" He wasn't even breaking a sweat! And Morta was just ten times worse. She had her scythe and she was just making a pathway for herself to clear through. With her long-ranged weapon, she was just clearing those robots out.

"Keep your eyes on the real Cecelia!" Miyuki said, breaking out her marital art techniques. She used her cat genetics and was even jumping on their heads. Chio however, needed my help. She backed up at the sight of Cecelias coming closer to her, not knowing what to do. I was going to help her, but Shiva ran through the crowd, a handful of robots turning into ice sculptures by the time she reached Chio. It was impressive. Shiva picked Chio up and sat her on top of her shoulder. Chio gripped her staff, a little scared of falling off.

"Are you okay, Summoner Chio?" Shiva asked, standing in one place. The wind that always came up from around her feet and up her body was acting like a shield, so the Cecelia robots were staying away from them. Without words, Chio nodded her head. Why weren't the robots after me...? What was I doing that made me so special? I didn't want to fight... But I wanted to keep my friends out of harm's way! Why was I so useless?

"Damn it!" Morta muttered. "I lost the real one, they all look alike..." That's it, I couldn't take it anymore! I had to help them! They couldn't do all the work! This is how they must have felt when I was taking on Lucrecia. That's right. Lucrecia was here, wasn't she? She loved to fight more than anyone I knew! Where the hell was she at? I looked up on the stage and she was just standing... Watching us with some other guys. Defina, Naira, Aysel, Renata, and some dude I didn't know. She didn't look all too happy. If she had enough nerve to fight me... Without even knowing me... Then I knew she could help us fight Cecelia!

This was making me mad! I balled up both of my fists and looked down at the ground. "Lucrecia!!!" I shouted. That caught her attention and she looked right at me. I looked her in the eye, trying to keep my cool but I knew my emotions were eating at me. "What the hell are you moping around here for!? Get down here and fight!! Your job is to protect Renata and Aysel, right?" I paused, feeling my nostrils flair up. That's all it took to get me angry. When someone didn't do their job! "Get down here and fight already!!!" At first she looked at me—as sad as I had ever seen her. And then her frown turned into a smirk.

"Come and get me," she challenged, throwing her hands playfully towards me. Err, that... That...

"Gnaaaaaah!!!" I yelled, charging into the crowd. I was going to get her all right! I swung everywhere I could, stabbing the machines in every vital area I could find! I was stabbing the Cecelia clones in their necks with the end of my wand, mostly. They just fell towards the ground when I pulled my wand out. After they fell, they would disappear. "Just watch me find you, Cecelia!! I'm going to find the real you, and when I do, you'll wish you never even started this battle!!" I stopped for a second, watching my wand glow green. "There has been unfairness done to me. I summon the elements, I invoke them! I conjure them to do my bidding. The four watchtowers shall lay their eyes and minds. There shall be fear and guilt and bad blood! there shall be submission and no pity! I point the threefold law against thee! It shall be pointed threefold, a hundred fold is the cost for my anger and pain! Thee shall be blinded by the fear, blinded by the pain, blinded by me, binded by me... Cursed by me! So mote it be! Arise, Snakey!" Yeah. I had to call the snake again. The first time I called him I didn't know what to do. That wasn't going to happen again! I swore it!! I thrust my wand into the ground and Snakey came out of the earth. I stood on top of his head while he did it, so I was high in the sky now.

"Summoner S-s-sayuri. You smell... different... Are you ready now?"

"More than ready!" I said. "More than ready! Let's go Snakey!"

I motioned my wand towards the ground and he slammed his whole body down into the crowd of Cecelias. I don't know if I squashed my friends, but I knew that if they saw a huge shadow over their heads, they would have known it was me. I had basically just made myself a gateway towards the stage. I couldn't be bothered with making my way through all of those machines. Once I got my first foot on the stage, Snakey disappeared, and the only person I was interested in was Lucrecia. I don't know why the rest of Aysel's guard didn't charge in as soon as Cecelia split apart, but there was something wrong with Lucrecia, and I was going to find out what!

"What are you doing, Summoner Sayuri!?" Aysel said, jumping out of her seat. "Save my kingdom!" What?! Was she asking me to save her kingdom after what she had done to me not too long ago?! I was going to—grah!

"Can it you old hag!!" I hissed, swiping my arm across the air. "You don't tell me what to do! Unless you're going to get your butt in that crowd, then you have no right to order me around! I'm not Enlightened... So don't treat me like I'm a part of your world!" I had to lay down the law! I was Summoner Sayuri... A solider from Spectra! Born and bred in Earth! I didn't come from this place and I didn't plan on coming from this place either! I walked towards Lucrecia, who put one of her arms on her hips. "You... You can help us," I said, grabbing her fleshy-hand. What was I doing, though?! Lucrecia would end up killing me, wouldn't she?! I didn't even care about all of that. "If there's anyone I know that can help us, it's you."

"Let go of me," she spat. "I can help you. So fucking what? What do you want me to do? Wish you luck?" Gah!! She knew exactly what I was talking about! "You looked like you were doing such a great job a moment ago! Why do you need my damn help, Sa-yu-ri?" She said it like she got a kick out of me asking her for help! And I would admit it! I didn't like getting help from other people! It was just... Getting help from anyone else besides yourself was stupid! I shook my head, noticing those robot things getting the best of Miyuki. She was kinda moving slower like she needed a breather or two. Without warning, I pointed my wand at them. Okay, I'll admit that if my aim was off I could have hit Miyuki, but right now I didn't care about all of that!

"Read, aim, fire!" I said, my whole wand glowing red. It made that little laser-cannon sound before a huge wave of fire escaped from it. I put my wand to my side again, looking at Lucrecia from the corner from my eyes. "If my friends end up being hurt... If my friends come out of this with so much as a scratch, I'll never forgive you! Hurting me is one thing, but when it comes to my friends... When their lives are on the line... I'm the one responsible for them! I'm their leader, and I make the best possible choices for them! You know what that means?! That means that I get to do whatever I think is best for the situation. Lucrecia, I... I need you to help me." I don't know what came over me just then. My eyes started getting teary and I think my smile cracked. "P—Please. Please just... Stop being a bitch and help me."

"The Summoner is right," Naira said, sighing. "It would be quite dishonorable if we were to just stand here and watch them struggle against this unknown opponent. We all need to join in on this fight to make sure none of them end up hurt. Queen Aysel, if I may." Naira looked towards Aysel, wanting the okay.

"Absolutely not—"

"Tag you're it!!" I yelled. I dropped Lucrecia's hand and ran behind Naira, pushing her forward. Yeah, take that Aysel! I knew what she was going to say! She was going to tell her that she couldn't help us! But Naira's job was to fight! Aysel wasn't a good leader! She didn't know what the heck she was doing, so I decided to take matters into my own hands!

"What are you doing—?!" Naira hissed before falling into the crowd. I turned towards Aysel and Renata. Renata had a defeated look on her face... I ran over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. Chase was standing with them too. I didn't have to worry about Chase. I knew he would help us regardless.

"Renata, it's okay. We're going to fix this. All of this." I tried to smile, and I think I did a really good job with trying to fake one. Renata didn't turn around and look at me though. Instead, she fell down on her knees, folding her hands near her heart. "Renata... Please... Don't take this out on yourself. This would have happened anyway... I..." She... She didn't need to feel pain for this. This was Cecelia's fault, not hers. And the key thing here was that no one had gotten hurt! They all ran before Cecelia split herself up...

"So much fighting. So much destruction... Summoner Sayuri, when will it end?" Renata looked into the sky, but I really didn't know what to tell her. How did she expect me to know the answer to her question?

"Honestly," I said, licking my lips. "I don't—" I felt something behind me. Creeping up on me. I thrust my elbow back and I hit something in the jaw. It was a Cecelia clone, but it was cloaked! "_Sonofa_," I said, turning around and facing Lucrecia. "They can make themselves invisible too? That's great! Just great! Lucrecia, Chase! Let's do this again like old times, say? We need you guys to help us! We can't save this place alone!" Chase grabbed the hilt of his sword, looking at me with intense eyes. That was Chase for you. Always standing up in the face of danger. That old guy had a lot of respect from me.

"Summoner Sayuri... Don't let them see you cry." What was he talking about? I was trying to figure out what he was getting at. I looked to my right, looked to my left, and then I touched my face. So a tear had decided to fall out of my eyes. I touched it and shook my head. It was nothing, honestly! I was just feeling too many emotions and you know how things like that can go... I just... "I'll fight for you until you accomplish your goal." I heard Renata saying something like that during the knighting, even though I couldn't see her. Heck, she talked about the goal we Summoners had, but I didn't even know that goal.

"What goal is that?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Freedom." And then he just jumped into the fray. Fearless. I shook my head, not knowing what to say. Freedom? I wanted freedom. I wanted to be able to take my eyes away from stuff like this. I didn't want to be a Summoner anymore... And instead of fighting all of these people... Traveling from world to world and getting my ass handed to me on a silver plate, I wanted nothing more than to just spend my time with my mother. Chase was right. I wanted freedom. And I would fight to the death for my freedom, making sure everyone is alive to celebrate that freedom with me!

"Renata, it's going to be okay..." I coxed, trying to make her feel better. The last thing we needed was Renata getting hurt. I was going to say something else, but I think my ear drums popped. There was a loud explosion... Something just... I turned around quickly, trying to see what it was. Well, what do ya know? It was Lucrecia in all of her exploding-blue-stuff glory, pointing at a section of the crowd and firing at will. I kid you not, there was a complete circle... Just... There wasn't a robot in sight. My jaw dropped. She had_ incinerated_ those things! And that could have been me at any moment! I looked at Lucrecia and she had this toothy leer on her face. He hand was still extended towards the circle, a blue mist coming from her hand.

"I think you're going to need my help, Sa-yu-ri." If she says my name like that one more time, I'll scream. "I'm the only one who knows how to fight them—I've done it plenty of times before. Watch and learn, idiot." With that said, she just walked into the crowd of robots with no fear. All I saw was that same blue mist after that. Then she started to talk to me inside of my head. _"You know, they haven't even gotten to the fun part yet!"_ Oh my God that was weird! Her voice sounded all echoey and whatnot! I thought she could only talk to Enlightened Ones in her head! I was getting lightheaded, but then I snapped back into reality.

"The fun part?!" I squeaked. All of the robots stopped moving... And I heard the worse sound I ever think I will hear in my life. Bones... Bones from every part of their bodies just shot out... It was worse than when Lucrecia took out Natalie's thingamawhatsit. I almost puked, but I managed to hold it in. I started blinking really fast... Skin was everywhere on the ground, but those bones looked like they were really sharp. One of the robots even had bones sticking out of its eyes! It was like a horror movie I knew I didn't want to see but my friends still bought me to see anyway!

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and it was Defina. "Are you okay, Summoner?"

I wasn't okay. But there was no way in hell I was going to tell Defina I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I—I... I just nodded my head. If I lost my cool... Miyuki! Morta! Kokoro! I got back on my feet, clutching my wand. "Dance! Dance! Dance! _Hahaha! _Make sure no one stands!!" That woman! It was Cecelia! That meant that she was still alive! And now the robots were twirling around! I had to get back in the game! I put my hand on Defina's, prompting her to let go of me.

"That's my cue," I said, scoffing. "Defina, you make sure Renata stays right here. Don't let her get involved with this. Whatever happens happens." I gave one last look at Aysel and gritted my teeth. Now she was smirking. Oh ho ho. I knew why she was smirking. She was smirking because I bet she thought we were going to save her! Whatever! "I'm going to clear this place out!" I was going to run for the edge of the stage, but I heard my name being called. It was definitely by someone who I didn't know, so it must have been that dude that I didn't know. Why the hell wasn't he doing anything? I had to go save my friends—I didn't have time to play catch-up...

"Summoner Sayuri," he said, just staying back there were he was. "You and your friends fight well."

"Yeah, yeah I know." I couldn't afford to lose anymore time, so I jumped in, my wand glowing blue. Water swirled all around me—but the amazing part was that the water was cutting all of the robot's bones around me! Could my powers actually do something like that? It was amazing! I stood back up, my eyes dark. I wasn't going to let myself die from this! "Show yourself, Cecelia!" I was going to take another step, but... But... I looked ahead of me. All of the robots disappeared and... And... "Kohana?!" I choked on the air I was breathing. "K-kohana?"

She was... Walking towards me. Kohana was walking towards me. But she was smiling and had on her sundress and hat. She was holding a bouquet of flowers in her hands. The trees were green and the wind was blowing... "Sayuri? Sayuri dear, are you okay?" He voice was heavenly. Lovely. That was the old Kohana in front of me. Had I finally won? I had finally found Kohana? I was so happy that I couldn't figure out anything else to say. I smiled, tears just pouring out of my eyes. She walked towards me, giggling almost, telling me how much she loved me and how I should get off the ground.

But I couldn't move! The sun was shining down on the both of us and we were right in my backyard. Right underneath the cherry blossoms. It was just like old times. Just like the old times... Kohana knelled down and hugged me, running her fingers through my hair. I think the best part about all of this was that she smelled like flowers... My mom smelled like flowers and I could smell them on her perfectly. "Aww, what's the matter, dear? Did you have a bad dream?" She was always asking me that. Whenever I was sad, she would ask me if I had a bad dream... I did. I did have a bad dream. And I was going to tell her everything... "I love you, Sayuri!"

"I—I..." I said, struggling to form words. "I love you too, Mom."

Something snapped after that. I looked in front of me, and my mom... My mom's head just popped clean off, like someone had just cut it before my eyes! Everything in my body stopped working. My blood stopped flowing... My heart stopped pounding, and it was at that moment that I felt like I wanted to curl up into a little ball and die. "Sayuri! Sayuri!" I didn't want to answer. Who was that? I wanted to see if Kohana was okay! I wanted to see if my mom would make it! I—I... "Sayuri! Wake up!!" I opened my eyes and Morta was in front of me, shaking me. We were still surrounded by the robots and I blinked. My eyes were really dilated...

"Where's Kohana!? Where's my mother?!" I shrieked, grasping Morta's arms. "I just saw her, where did she go!?! What did you _do!?"_ I screamed. Morta brushed my hands off her shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you almost got yourself killed," Morta said, helping me stand. "What were you doing there? You practically let that clone hug you, and then... Sayuri, what just happened to you back there?" What? I looked down at the ground and I blinked my tears away. I... I... So it was all just an illusion? It wasn't a dream...

No, that had to be a dream. But it was so real—I didn't know what had happened to me back there just a second ago! Morta put her scythe in front of me and she looked into the crowd of Cecelia clones with intensive brown eyes. "Sayuri, I'm not quite sure what just happened to you, but if I hadn't of seen you just standing there, you wouldn't be here right now. Please, if not for us, try not to get yourself killed. I know you have an ego the size of Texas, but there are people here that love you that would lose themselves if you died." Who the hell did Morta think she was?! Of course I knew that bad things would happen if I died! And I did not have a big ego! Anyway, she swung her scythe over her head and it secreted a purple mist.

"Midnight Wind!" she yelled, swinging her scythe in front of her. She knocked down like twenty of those things! And they all split in half! Damn, Morta was really good with fighting. "We lost the real Cecelia as soon as the battle started. And even though we seem to be taking out a good number of these things, that's not going to stop them from coming. I think Cecelia is replicating herself every time we destroy one of her clones. If we can find the real Cecelia and take her out..." Of course! I knew that too! But there was no way in hell we were going to be able to find the new Cecelia! And even though Morta had saved me, I couldn't stop thinking about Kohana.

I folded my hands and looked up into the sky. "Was that real?" I whispered to myself. "Kohana, are you still with me? Can you hear me?" I knew she wouldn't answer, but I had to give it a try. And even though she didn't answer, my wand started acting up for some reason. I don't know... It was really weird. It started to glow a lot of weird colors, interrupting my thoughts. I knew I had to at least tell Morta that I had gotten Aysel's guard to help us out a little, but she had probably all ready seen them. And judging by everything Naira said to me the other day, this was perfect for them because they were trained to take out the 'common criminal'. Ha. I hope Naira was getting her ass handed to her.

"Try not to lose yourself again, Sayuri!" What was with everyone thinking I was going to lose myself all of a sudden?! I was perfectly fine! First Kokoro, now Morta... Watch, I wouldn't be surprised if Chio came out of the woodworks and—

"Sayuri! Watch out!"

Damn me and my bad luck! I looked overhead me and there was this huge block of ice. Of course that was Shiva's technique, Heavenly Strike. And it was about to hit me right on top of my head. I had to do something, quick! I had no time to move and I could tell! I was the Summoner of Time, remember? And unlike Aysel, I'm not going to say it three times! Aren't I a great person? I just stood there, staring at the thing until I felt something wet on top of my head. I was right. I was drenched in water right now, and the ice block disappeared. I sputtered for a moment, shaking my arms. "Hey Sayuri! That was close, wasn't it?!" Yeah, I kinda figured that Kokoro melted that block of ice. Now he was behind me, holding his orb underneath his arm. Chio jumped off Shiva's back and walked towards me.

"Ohmigosh, Sayuri are you okay?!" she asked. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!" You know, I liked Chio. Scratch that. I like the kind of person she is, but I could care less about the stuff that she does, you catch my drift? I never liked the things she did ever since I had to fight Shiva. Ever since then I've wanted to put my fist in her mouth. And when I heard she was sleep, I wanted to punch her to get her to wake up. Right now, I felt the exact same way, but it's happened to all of us at some point, so I nodded my head.

"I'm fine. Did you find the real Cecelia by any chance?" I asked, tilting my head. Chio shook hers, looking sad.

"I'm sorry Sayuri, but there's just no way of telling which one is the real one. I'm running out of power and I don't think I can keep fighting with Shiva anymore... That's why I came to find you. We need to find her quick or I'll collapse..." Damn! That was just great! I grunted, waving my wand infront of me. Yeah, we were in some really deep trouble now. I was going to push the robots away from us but Kokoro stepped in front of me.

"Don't worry Sayuri, I can take care of this. Solar Flare!" And he kicked his orb at the robots once again! And this time they exploded on impact! And plus we got a lovely wall of fire in front of us to keep the robots at bay. At least he was good for something. "Chio, you don't have to keep fighting. The last thing we want to happen is for you to get hurt, okay?" Yeah, I agreed with Kokoro. I didn't want either one of them to get hurt. But that was selfish of me, because just like myself... They were Summoners too, and they had every right to fight just like I did. Who was I to tell them what they could and couldn't do? I was nobody. Chio's face got really red all of a sudden, and her grip tightened on her staff.

"No!" she exclaimed, raising her staff in the air. "I want to fight with all of you! I'm helping save this kingdom too!" Shiva stepped in front of us, waving her arm to her side. "Shiva!" she said, looking really scary. Kokoro and I looked at each other, sweatdropping. Woah! I didn't know Chio could get so mad in her life! I waved my hands out in front of me.

"Ah jeez, don't listen to Kokoro! He doesn't know what he's talking about, Chio!" I said, lying my ass off. Just a second ago I was agreeing with everything Kokoro had to say! He looked back at me and waved his hands in front of him. We both had the most awkward smiles on our faces.

"Nah, it was all Sayuri's plan, honest! I just read her mind!" Jerk.

"Since when the hell do you read minds?"

"Ahhaha," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Just... now?"

Chio pointed her staff in front of her and the diamonds on it jingled. "Now Shiva, Diamond Dust!" D-diamond Dust? That was Shiva's Overdrive, wasn't it? Oh boy. Shiva brought her right hand up to her mouth while she spun around in place... And like... The whole entire area in front of us was covered in ice. If Chio didn't stop the real Cecelia in her tracks, I didn't know what would... "Freeze them for an eternity, Shiva! Give them eternal rest!" Shiva thrust her right hand out in front of her and this really strong wind just escaped out of her hand. Chio wasn't kidding when she told Shiva to freeze them... They were crystallized! She had managed to freeze hundreds of them. T-thousands of them! Holy crap, when did Chio get so strong?!

Once the wind died down, Shiva raised her right arm and snapped her fingers. All she did was snap her fingers. And everything in front of us _broke._ Kokoro and I were speechless. Chio turned around, her skirt spinning in the wind. "How was that? Did I do well?" Did she do well? She did... Damn... I think she took out more of those guys then I would have hoped to. But before I could tell her that, she just collapsed on the floor. Kokoro got up and ran to her side.

"Chio, are you okay?" I knew something was up the moment Shiva disappeared. "Sayuri!"

Why was he looking at me for? I didn't know how to heal anybody! "Kokoro, I don't know what to do, I—I..."

"Guys... Don't worry about me!" Chio managed to say. She was always so lively. "Find the real Cecelia and take her down! Like the heroes in the books..."

"We're not leaving you!" Kokoro said. We didn't have much of a choice. She took out a good number of those robots... We had to do something... Everyone else was out fighting. I heard some footsteps and I looked up. I don't think I had ever been so happy in my life. It was Chase! Chase had his sword in his hands and he walked up to Chio. Kokoro looked up behind him and smiled. "Chase! I'm glad you're here!"

"I'm glad to be here!" Chase replied, chuckling to himself. He knelled next to Chio, putting his hand over her forehead. "Poor girl, she's all tired out from fighting. This is why I think women shouldn't try to do a man's job..." You know, whatever made Chase's boat sail. I had no time to argue with him now. But what he had just said was really stupid and dumb. What was he talking about? Fighting—fighting was something that all of us did, males and females! "I'll take care of her. I'll bring her to Aysel and Renata. Up there, Renata should be able to do something about Chio. In the meantime, you two go find Cecelia." Kokoro and I nodded my head as Chase disappeared with her. Now it was only us two.

"Thinking about separating or do you need me to stay with you?" I asked, getting into a fighting stance. He just looked at me and smiled.

"Do you want to stay with me, Sayuri?"

I scoffed. "I asked you a question!" And he needed to hurry up and answer too, because the next wave was coming towards us! I didn't have time for this. I needed to find the real Cecelia... I needed to come up with a plan! Where the hell was Miyuki? Miyuki could come up with anything, especially if Morta didn't know how to find the real Cecelia! Kokoro grabbed one of the robots by the arm—being careful not to cut himself on its bones—and lit on on _fire. _After that, he threw it towards the crowd that was coming towards us and it blew up on impact, sending pieces of itself across the sky. Ha. Showoff. "Okay, I see you can handle yourself. I'm going to go this—this...This... Holy..." I turned around and there was this big thing... The Cecelia robots behind me must have mended with each other, creating a _super Cecelia!_ "Kokoroooo..." I said, breathing heavily. "We've got a problem!"

He turned around. "Woah! That thing is huge!" Yeah, I knew that! It was towering over us... I knew everyone had to see it! They would help us in no time, right?! Right?! Wrong. Why did this kind of stuff always happen to me? Why could I never have a normal life?! Why me?

"Pitiful Summoners!" That sounded like Cecelia messed together with a thousand other voices. So that must have meant Cecelia was inside of that thing. "You have seen nothing yet! The power I possess is endless! This is only a fraction of my power, and look at how much your friends are struggling!" That bitch... She looked like a whole bunch of TVs jumbled together, but she raised what appeared to be her arm up into the air. After that, some sort of hologram appeared in the sky and we saw how everyone was fighting. No, Renata would see that thing!

"Kokoro, we have to destroy her arm!" I commanded, pointing my wand at it. I had glanced at the screen, which had Lucrecia fighting on it. She wasn't getting beaten at all in the slightest. In fact, she was handling herself pretty well! How come she was kicking more ass than all of us combined? But then it went to Miyuki, who was pretty tired out from fighting. Her reaction time was getting slow and she had a lot of bruises on her arms. Kokoro let that get to him and he stood in one place, not knowing what to do. Dammit! "Come on, come on!!" I yelled, shaking my wand. "This is not the time to spazz out on me, wand! Could you please just work for me?!" After I said that, my wand stopped glowing all together. This was just great! I didn't have time for this.

I didn't have enough damn time for this!!!

I didn't know what I was thinking, but I was going to get rid of that arm even if it killed me! I dropped my wand behind me and dashed towards her foot. My feet charged with something... I don't know, but purple anagrams formed underneath them as I ran up Cecelia's right leg. Sure she was big and tall, but nothing was going to stop me from taking her down! I had to! That hologram was a distraction! I made my way to her stomach, standing horizontally in the air... Well I was on top of her. Either way you saw it, I was standing on her. "Watch, Summoner Sayuri, as I take everything away from you that I love!"

"Everything that I love has already been taken away from me!" I spat, looking up into the air. "I have nothing else to lose anymore!" Unless she was talking about my friends. That's when it clicked inside of my head. "Kokoro! Oh dear God Kokoro!" She raised her other arm up—and remember she was as big as a building now—her hand turning into that cannon thing again. I could not lose another friend! I learned the hard way what that felt like... I learned the hard way with Tariku. And now that I understood my powers... Now that I understood how much I would be lost without my friends, I would never let Cecelia take the people I loved the most!

He didn't pay any attention to me. I wonder what was wrong with him! At any rate, now was not the time to think! I tried to run up Cecelia's stomach and towards her other arm, but I knew I wasn't fast enough. That cannon was going to fire, whether I liked it or not. "Kokoro, get out of the way!!!" Was there something wrong with his ears?! Maybe he was doing the same thing I did when Morta was with me! Yeah, that had to be the only explanation! That would be the only thing I excepted anyway! Okay, I was going to give it my all! I breathed in, putting both of my hands in front of me. Cecelia fired her missile and my eyebrow twitched.

"Freeze!" I yelled as loud as I could. I didn't know if I could stop a full-blown missile... But I... I had to try! Time was distorted for a moment. Everything around me started moving like a wave inside of an ocean. My head started to pulsate, but I couldn't let my guard down! I couldn't back down! But what if I stopped the bullet? It would fall on top of him, and that was even worse! Perspiration started to slide down my forehead. Could I even do this?! Could I keep myself suspended in mid-air and concentrate on the missile she was going to send out?! ...Was I that powerful?! "I'm not... I'm not..." I said, shaking my head. My body felt like it was going to explode. I couldn't go on like this! "I... I'm sorry Kokoro. I'm sorry I failed you. I'm not that strong."

I inhaled once more, my whole body tensing up. "But I...! I will...! _Make_ myself stronger!" I gasped, feeling something ripple inside of my body. I didn't know what it was, but the diamond on the edge of my corset started to glow. My wand on the ground... I could see the diamond on it glowing white. Was this my Overdrive Miyuki was talking about? It had to be! "I'm going to try this again! Freeze!!!" When I said freeze that time, everything stayed right where it was. "Smitten, battered, beaten, torn I prick at thee as if a thorn. Suffer now I will not wait. With this pin I seal your fate. Pins so sharp and made of steel, I strike at thee, these pins of time you'll feel. Smitten, battered, beaten, torn I curse you now, your pain is born!" The missile from Cecelia's hand warped. Yeah, that's right! It moved for a minute and then it just warped! I was that strong! Time resumed and Cecelia looked like she didn't know what she wanted to do. I opened the palm of my hand, forming a fist afterward.

"What... What happened to me?" Cecelia said, her mouth open from confusion.

"I'll tell you what happened!" I said, running towards the arm that was giving off the holographic image. "You messed with my friend, and I'll never forgive you! What is wrong with him Cecelia?! Answer me!" Even if she did answer, nothing was going to make me stop! Nothing in the whole entire world was going to make me stop! Not Kohana, not Aysel... No one! I was on fire, literally! Nothing could bring me down now! Not when I was in Overdrive! Finally, I reached her arm, standing onto of it. Now how would I do this? Easy. I opened my hand up yet again and my wand appeared in it. This was my time to shine. This was my victory! I promised Renata I would clean up this mess!

My wand sparkled. It wanted me to do this. As soon as I blew up this arm, I would fly towards the other part of her body until I took all of her down. "You think you've won, Sayuri Outtaike?!" Cecelia said. How the hell did she get my full name?! "You forget that I've already scanned your data; I have seen every inch of you! I know all of your plans from our previous fights!" Tch. I stuck my wand inside of Cecelia's arm, sparks flying across the air.

"Now it's time for you to end this fiasco!" I yelled. "Earth, bone, and winding sheet, let this spirit come to me. Yet send it in peace, or not at all. Fire Essence, ignite!" Her _whole entire arm _blew up, and I had planned to fly from her arm but the funniest thing happened.

Her whole body blew up.

And that wasn't my fault. I think she blew herself up on purpose!

I thought I was dead. I had to be dead. I wasn't alive, that was for sure. There was no way I survived that explosion and I knew it. So why was I on the ground? Someone was holding me bridal-style. I looked up and it was Naira with her sword sheathed. Lucrecia was standing next to Kokoro, her hand on his shoulder. He looked winded too. "Hello again, Summoner Sayuri," Naira scoffed, raising an eyebrow. Lucrecia pounded her fist into her left hand, a leer on her face. But anyway! Back to Naira!

"Um, sorry?" I said. Even though I wanted to yell at Naira for hesitating about helping us and asking Aysel first, I had to thank her. "Naira, if you weren't there I would have been toast. Thank you for everything." I nodded my head. Hopefully Naira and I were on good terms now. I hoped. She still looked mad at me.

"For the almighty holy Summoner, you sure are hasty about the decisions you make." She put me on the ground and I could hardly stand. I wobbled a bit, trying to keep my balance. I would forget that she said that.

"Naira, Lucrecia! Did you two find Cecelia?!"

"Nope kid." Lucrecia smiled. Did she have a trick up her sleeve? ... Was I going to die today? Why was Lucrecia smiling at me?! That was a bad sign. That was a really bad sign. Lucrecia never smiled. "You half-ass Summoners have been coming at the situation all wrong, got it? You can't just go through a whole bunch of these bitches expecting to find her. I remember being in a simulation like this before. Everyone has a certain feel to them, got it?" A feel to them? "You can tell what's fake and what's not by standing still and taking all of your seven senses into account." Hey, that sounded like something Miyuki was telling me from a while back! Except she was talking about Essences and how everyone had their own, individual Essence! And if the count was off...

"Lucrecia!" I shouted, getting a bright idea. "So does Cecelia have an Essence?" I had to ask. Lucrecia looked towards me and nodded.

"So you aren't the dumb-shit I imaged you to be. Smart girl," she sarcastically spat. "Before Cecelia was what you saw earlier, she was a human, so she has one. But it's been buried under years of experimentation. Naira and I aren't strong enough to pin-point it with our focals, so maybe you Summoners have something up your sleeves." I got where Lucrecia was coming from now. But wait, I had a question to ask her!

"So how do you know so much about Cecelia?!" I asked, shifting my footing.

"Because that bitch was my friend," she said, shaking her head and looking at her fingers. "Time changes everybody. It's a known fact. But I know that something made her like this. She would never hurt me. Believe you me, that bitch tried once and I beat her so hard she would never fucking try it again." She was her... Friend? Would my friends end up like that? Would I have to fight my friends sooner or later? I never wanted anything like that to happen to my friends! I shook those mental images out of my head.

"Well, you're right about the time thing. It does change people..." I said solemnly. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Summoner Sa-yu-ri. Now hurry up." I looked up at Lucrecia and she looked back at me.

"Right!" I yelled. I put both of my hands in the air, dropping my wand again. "As it be thought in the mind of others both familiar and strange, both sisters and brothers, may it be heard in mine own head, loud and clear as if it'd been said." A clock appeared behind me. After that, I closed my eyes. Yes, I could see it now. All of these robots had an Essence. But their Essence was bleak... They weren't shining brightly. There were diamonds all around me. Our diamonds... Summoner's diamonds... We had two diamonds stuck together, which indicated that we had two Essences in our bodies. So far, I couldn't see anything weird. All of the clones' diamonds were dull, but I couldn't see Cecelia's. "It's not working..." I mumbled, biting my lip. Was I doing something wrong?

"Think fucking harder, I know you can do it!!"

Gee, thanks for the pep talk Lucrecia. I looked towards her and then I looked at Naira and Kokoro.

Holy syrup on cake, I knew what was wrong!!!

It was so obvious! So right-in-my-face that I was mad I hadn't seen it before! "I got it!" I exclaimed, opening my eyes. Lucrecia and Naira looked at me, curious to know what I had found. I couldn't tell them though, especially Lucrecia because she would blow my cover and Cecelia would know that we found her. That meant that I had to do this alone with no help. Damn it all to hell. I stood up straight. My Overdrive mode had ran out, so that meant I was almost out of energy to fight and that sucked. But I was tired of falling out every fight! I wouldn't let myself be defeated!

I had to ask Kokoro for help! I had to find him first... I limped towards him. "Ko—ko—ro," I said, reaching out towards him. When I felt I was close enough, I stood right where I was.

"Sayuri, is that you?" he muttered, rubbing his head. "I thought I would never see you again!"

"Me too Kokoro, me too," I said, grabbing the sides of his head. I helped him stand up too. It was really easy. I just pulled him up. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, okay?"

"Don't worry Sayuri, I won't!"

"Good."

_Ccraaack!!!_

Okay, now I was seeing things. Because I had just given Kokoro the worst head-butt from Hell I could muster. I stepped back, wobbling. But Kokoro, my dear lovely Kokoro, he started to flicker. Oh, of course that was Cecelia in disguise! Who else did you think it was? But she did make a very convincing Kokoro! She flew back a couple of yards and had a crack in her forehead. Wow, was my head that hard?! "Happy little button-tops and spinning 'round and 'round... How many seconds will it take until happy Sayuri hits the ground...?" I muttered incoherently. I was going to fall backwards, but Naira caught me. All of the clones disappeared.

"Summoner Sayuri..." Naira said, looking me in my eyes.

"I know Naira, I know," I muttered. Lucrecia walked over to Cecelia, looking over her.

"Well, well, well, look who it is?" She picked Cecelia up by her hair, holding her head to her face. "I thought I would never see you again, Cecelia."

"Unhand me," Cecelia said in monotone. Her voice sounded really meshy—like she was going to shut off. She was a machine after all wasn't she? "How... How did the Summoner know...?" Was she asking _me _a question? Sorry... I couldn't really see her face, so I had no idea of knowing. Even if she wasn't asking me a question, I was going to answer her anyway.

"The Kokoro I know," I started, standing up, "is a Summoner!"

"Summoner Sayuri, please don't stand!" Naira said. Psh! I was okay enough to stand! I wiped some of the blood away from my lip.

"He's a Summoner all right, which means he has a connected diamond... One that you lacked. He's unlike you and you could never pull him off. You staged yourself to be him after he started to freak out. He's over there, in fact, lying on the ground." I pointed in his direction and everyone gazed over there. Cecelia gasped. She thought because he was covered in debris that I wouldn't notice he was there. Who did she think I was?

"How did you... Know?! You didn't think he was... Dead?"

"No. The fire inside of him is always burning, unfortunately. You can tell a mile away. You can throw a truck on him and he'll still be okay. Now I'm done talking to you, Cecelia. This fight!" I exclaimed, pointing my wand at her. "Is over!"

"But—But!!" Cecelia said in a feminine voice. "It can't be over, I won! I swear I won! I can't be defeated, if I'm defeated I'll have to—I'll have to—!" Her voiced changed from monstrous and downright robotic to scared and afraid. What had happened to her? She looked like a scared little girl now... One that I wouldn't _think _about hurting.

"In need of a desperate upgrade, Cecelia?" Lucrecia cooed with an underlying tone of sarcasm. "I don't know why you're alive, but if you say you need an upgrade, someone must have been upgrading you. And still the trails and tribulations run, huh? That's okay, I'm going to have to take out your memory chip and see what you've fucking been up to, yes?"

"No—no—Lucrecia! Don't do that! I love you!"

"I love you too, Cecelia," Lucrecia answered back. "But I love it even more when you beg for me to stop." What was wrong with Cecelia? Why was she acting so squirmy all of a sudden? This wasn't like her at all! I almost didn't want to mess with them now. My head was pounding, I was in pain everywhere... It seemed like a lose-lose situation if I interrupted the two "friends", I guess. Cecelia did the strangest thing though. Like, her head twitched.

"I won't let you...!" Cecelia said, before her whole head just popped off. Now... I mean... Lucrecia was holding Cecelia's head, and the rest of her body just fell down on the floor. Holy cripes! I jumped back, making sure I didn't get anything on me. Well, sparks were flying from Cecelia's neck. I didn't want to get stung or something. Lucrecia was even more concerned and she examined her head.

"Scary bitch, she went and died on me!!!" Lucrecia shouted. She looked at Cecelia's head some more and took two steps forward. "I guess I'll keep this thing as a prize."

"L-L-Lu!!" I said, shaking in my boots. Lucrecia turned around, looking like she was going to kill me! Okay, I know I called her Lu, but for good reasons! Cecelia's body was squirming on the floor, and then it got up! "Lu! What the h-hell is that!!" I pointed at Cecelia's body, backing up into Naira. That was the scariest thing I had seen all day! Lucrecia turned around and cocked a brow, putting her freehand on her waist. "It doesn't even fucking matter! That dumb-ass bitch ran away from me!!" What was the matter with Lucrecia?! Cecelia's body was walking away from us! It was even hovering in the air above us! Was there anyone sane left on this planet?!

I heard some bloodcurdling noises before Cecelia... Grew a new head.

Yeah.

I was about to lose my lunch in a moment.

"Summoner Sayuri, Lucrecia, it was such a pleasure meeting you two again," Cecelia said, hovering in the air. "And I will have the pleasure of killing you both before this game is over, I promise you that!" This game? Meeting me again? Lucrecia looked just as confused as I was.

"Naira..." I said, shaking. Yeah yeah, I couldn't stop my body from shaking. I was scared as hell right now! I slowly turned around, letting go of her shirt. "Do... You hear something beeping?"

"Beeping?" Naira said. "Now that you think about it..."

We both looked at each other, and then we looked at Lucrecia.

"Lucrecia!"

"What the fuck do you two want?!"

"The head it's—" We tried to warn her. We tried to warn her and she didn't want to pay any attention to us. Noooo it was always about what Lucrecia wanted. And that was why Lucrecia just got herself blown up. Now she was crouched down, electricity flying from her mechanical arm. She held it with her flesh arm, panting heavily. "... Going to explode." I finished, putting my index-finger in the air. Next thing I know, Miyuki and Morta ran towards me. The first thing Miyuki did was grab my hand.

"You're not hurt are you?" Miyuki asked.

"No, I'm fine," I said. "Where were you two a second ago?"

"We saw that all of the clones disappeared, but I ordered Morta to stand back until we were sure Cecelia was either detained or gone," Miyuki answered, all calm and whatnot. I sighed.

"Why are you always so calm?!" I asked. "Anyway, Kokoro's over there, so someone needs to go get him."

"And you can't?" Morta said. No, I was hurt beyond all things sane. I lifted up my arms and looked down. Yep, I was totaled.

_"Please_ Morta?" I asked, batting my eyes and clapping my hands together. I even stood up against her and gave her the puppy-eyed look. "It would make me really happy if you went over there and helped me out!"

"Argh, okay okay, Sayuri," she said. Yeah! I knew it! See, I can get anyone to do whatever I want them to, isn't that great? I waved towards Morta, watching her as she tried to dig Kokoro out from under the debris. That's when I looked back at Lucrecia. She walked over to us, holding her arm like their was no tomorrow. I didn't think it would be a good idea to ask her if she was okay, so I didn't. Instead I looked at Miyuki.

"Do you know where everyone else is?"

"Chio and Chase are with Aysel and her guard," Miyuki answered, sighing. "Summoners," she said, pausing. "I think this was our first real battle." Oh you think?!

I nodded, blinking. I looked into the sky. Even if it was our first real battle, we made it out alive. And I fought for my friends. All of them. And I kept my promise to myself. I would make myself stronger. If Kohana was looking down on me right now, I'm sure she'd be smiling ear to ear right now. Miyuki started to walk towards Kokoro and Morta. Morta had Kokoro's left arm slung over her shoulder as they tried to walk towards the stage. I looked up at Lucrecia, who had a frown on her face.

"Thank you," I said. She just looked at me, all disgusted.

"What the fuck are you thanking me for?"

"For helping me out!" I exclaimed. Why was she getting mad at me for thanking her?! "I asked you to help me and you did, so I'm doing the grown-up thing and thanking you for it!" I was waiting for her to reply to me, but she started laughing really weird-like. That was Lucrecia for you. Always laughing at things that weren't even funny!

"I wasn't even worried about fucking helping you! I was just helping myself. Number one rule in life, brat. No one ever helps you. You just have happy accidents that help you win." I could believe that. I looked all around me, staring at how much of a mess we had made.

A happy accident, aye?

"That sounds just about right, Lucrecia," I said, slowing down my walking. "A happy accident. Just like meeting you was."

"Well guess-fucking-what? Meeting you wasn't too short of a happy accident either."

I smirked.

Maybe we could have more happy accidents like this.

* * *

**A/N:** Hell yes! This was CCFA's first real boss-fight! *shot for game lingo*

I wrote all 12k of this today people. Because I can't resist a fight scene! And this fight scene was the best chapter I've written. XD I think. You be the judge there, hnn? I told you this fight was going to be epic! :D And Cecelia was a champ until the end! I love love love it! Now you guys need to go vote on my poll so I can see what I'm going to write in April! That being said, CCFA updates might be slow. I loved this fight so much! You see? Do you see how everything is coming together just how Chiharu plans it?! And could this be the start of a Lucrecia and Sayuri friendship?

Prolly not, but one can dream! XD


	26. Ha, Yeah It Got Pretty Bad

**A/N:** Hello, guys, people, friends from all over the world! XD And I mean this world. The one that we're on now! Welcome to CCFA chapter 26! Why am I so happy? I'll tell you why. Because this chapter was silly! Silleh! Yeah, this is a filler-chapter, sure, but it was the most fun I've ever had writing a filler-chapter in my life. XD And the Sayuri flashbacks are back! ^_^ I just love them too much to let them die. And speaking of letting someone die... XD

Addy. Stop it. Sayuri and Isleen are partners, and they have that sisterly bond. XD I hope.

... That is all. XD

* * *

Sayuri knows what she wants, and she did not come all this way to fail. With her teammates walking behind her, she eyes the man standing in front of her with his arms in the air. The man looks up towards a statue, smiling from ear to ear. His fingernails are sharp and dirty, which makes her own fingers twitch. Still, she disregards that. There is an anagram on the ground that is lit a bright purple. She looks to her left and sees Jessica laying on a nearby table. Isleen takes two steps forward, her fangs showing.

Isleen's wolf ears twitch in anticipation as she starts to growl. Sayuri puts her hand up behind her and The Summoner of Change seems to calm herself down. The man turns around—his blue eyes wide and his pupils enlarged. He smiles at the group of girls, his hands still suspended in the air. "It is a pleasure for all of you to come today! Come, let us offer our prayers to Agathangelos!" Sayuri stares at him for a moment with determination, not once faltering to his hand movements towards her. "Come, and we shall witness Lord Agathangelos' resurrection together! And together we shall be destroyed so that a new world should emerge!" The whole team is taken aback by those words—all except Sayuri—who takes her stance.

"We aren't here to worship Agathangelos," she says, sternly. "We're here to save our friend!" The man looks at Sayuri, confusion written all over his face.

"Friend?" he says, leaning his head in towards her. "Oh... You must mean the lovely young woman who is of holy blood..." The man looks over to the table, which makes Sayuri tense up.

"You can worship any archfiend you please!" Sayuri says, fire in her eyes. She nods her head to help further indicate her claim. "But only after you've righted your wrongs!" The man looks up at her, confused again. He appears to not know what Sayuri is talking about, but she sees through it. Right now everything is riding on her and the only things she has to hope on is her Summoner's intuition. And right now it is telling her that this man... This man standing in front of her was not in his right mind.

"I must confess," he says, bringing his left hand up to his head. He rubs his temple, shaking his head. The anagram behind him starts to flicker. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Don't play dumb," Leyiko says, stepping up. "We already know how you kidnapped Jessica and planned on using her 'holy blood' to resurrect Agathangelos. We already know that you were spreading around the rumors in order to formant unrest."

"Hmm. But I ask you. Where exactly is the sin in that?" the man cooes, looking right into the Summoner of Fire's robotic eyes. Sayuri grits her teeth.

"Wha?!" Sayuri utters, taking a step forward. The man smiles at her reaction.

"The world is slowly but surely heading on the path of destruction! Our activities merely serve it to help it along to its ultimate destiny. Your friend shall have the honor of becoming that world's cornerstone!" And with every word he says, Sayuri's lower-eye begins to twitch. Everything he says is getting to her. The man tilts his head back, putting his arms in the air. "Why would you... Her friend... Not rejoice in the honor that she has been granted? I do not understand you—"

"Nonsense!!" Sayuri yells. "The destruction of the world? Give me a break! That's not what Jessica wants—"

"My my. You speak foolishness my daughter," the man says, looking towards Jessica once more. "That is _exactly_ what she wants." Sayuri almost falls over when she hears that. She is stuck between standing where she is and rushing towards the man, but she knows that she must not do anything rash. The man looks back at her, appearing to be smiling even harder. "I know it to be true. Yes... I know very well," he says, tilting his head back. Everyone behind Sayuri gasps. "Even if she may not, _I _know it!"

"Sayuri," Leyiko begins. "What is this creature that stands before us?"

"He's creepy..." Nina says, stepping back. Sayuri does not take her eyes off the man.

"Taking this form... Allowed me to truly understand the appetite of human beings is insatiable! Humans are never satisfied for what they have for very long! They endlessly seek new and exotic pleasures! But the reality of this world is not compatible to supporting such an appetite! It has limits, you know," he says, pausing. Sayuri scowls. He acts like he's telling her something she really needs to know. He puts his hands up towards his mouth. "Thus, you see, I am unsatisfied... Land, glory, money!!! No matter how much I obtain, I have completely exhausted the world's resources of such things! But still I want more, _more,_ _more!"_ He raises his arms higher into the air. "Yes! Even if my mortal body should decay and burn! Now you see just how unstable the human body_ really_ is!!" he declares, closing his eyes towards the ceiling. It is then that Sayuri starts to shake.

"You... You bastard!" she says, raising her hand up. "You... You _miserable bastard!_ You'd kill Jessica for something so stupid?!" She balls up her fist, arching a brow. "Everyone who lives on this planet?! Your entire world?!" Her wand appears in her clutched hand as everyone and everything around her starts to glow a bright purple.

"So... This is Sayuri's power?" Isleen says, staring in awe. "The power of time..."

"Such heat..." Leyiko mumbles, looking at everyone else.

"The light!" Nina exclaims, smiling. "It's so pretty!"

"People, it's time!" Sayuri shouts, tensing up. "I may be insignificant, but now I found something that I'm capable of! And I'm going to see it through!" The man only smiles at her outburst. Her wand disappears as she unsheathes her sword. "This world... This world doesn't want this kind of death! We're stopping this resurrection, and we're getting Jessica back!"

"Very well," the man says, his hands still in the air. "For the sake of a new world... I bestow upon thee... _The sake of destruction!"_

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Six: Ha, Yeah It Got Pretty Bad :-**

_I'm begging for your hand, screaming at your face._  
_Come with me kid we'll leave this place._  
_I'm all yours because I hate this house_  
_and how sad it makes you in the morning,_  
_that I'm hoping will never come._  
_I just want to watch this sky and some,_  
_stars, are out I do believe._  
_And this winter came I think we made it through the freeze._

_Someday we'll drive away._  
_And we'll cut up my face 'cause it's too plain._  
You are this!  
_I swear it's this town I'll never see again._  
_If I have my way and time, just to sing._  
_I swear it's this town I will not see._  
_Ha ha, ha, ha ha, I tricked you again._

— "Laugh Before You Grin" — Lydia

They had a kitchen here! A bright wonderful kitchen with stoves and tables and chairs and silverware and it was everything I imagined a kitchen in a castle to be like! Oh, this was so awesome! I grabbed three spoons and hugged the dear life out of them. The castle was so wonderful and prettyful and delightful and beautiful and—and—"It's heaven!" I said, looking at the ceiling and drooling a little. Only a little bit! Sayuri was standing next to me with her arms crossed, giving me a weird look. I loved Sayuri! I loved her so much that she made me want to spin in place and keep spinning and spinning and spinning~.

"Um, Chio?" Sayuri said, putting her hand out in front of her. "Are you okay?" Yes I was okay! Why wouldn't I be okay? I was so happy right now! Miyuki was in the hallway with Kokoro and they were talking to some of Aysel's people—talking about really important stuff. I didn't know too much about this place, so I wasn't going to put my nose into anything. I exhaled, dropping all of the spoons on the counter.

"I'm..." I said, smelling the smell of the kitchen in Aysel's castle! Squee! "...Fine Sayuri! Honest!" Sayuri took two steps away from me. Ever since that fight Sayuri and Kokoro hadn't looked at me the same way anymore... I wondered what was wrong with them. Oh well, it couldn't be helped! I couldn't stay in one place thinking about what was wrong! I had a whole kitchen to explore in! A whole kitchen! That was twice as much as I had before I walked into the kitchen! I took one last look around—and that was when I saw Lucrecia walk in, just as confused as Sayuri.

"What are you...?" Lucrecia said, pointing at me. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing~!" I chimed, hopping towards the sink. That's when I got a bright idea. "Say, Lucrecia! Come and make cookies with me! Doesn't that sound like a good idea? Making cookies with me? Making cookies at anytime for any reason is always a good idea. Then we can give them to everyone in the castle for working so hard. It'll be awesome, won't it? And I can teach you how to make them!" I paused when I saw her face. For some reason Lucrecia got angrier and angrier with me.

"No I'm not making Goddamn cookies with you!!!" she growled, her mechanical fingers twitching. I jumped back and hid behind Sayuri. She didn't have to be so mean about it! She could have just told me no, y'know? "That's the most fucking childish thing I've ever heard in my life! Do you Summoners have brains or do things in your head never make much sense?!"

"Sayuri!" I mumbled, touching her shoulders with the tips of my fingers. Aww, she could save me from the evil dragon lady! "You're nothing but a meanie!" I said, pointing at her. Lucrecia's frown disappeared and it turned into a rye smile.

"I'm a... Meanie?" she said, amused. "That has a nice ring to it. Maybe I'll go around calling myself 'Lucrecia the meanie'."

"You're nothing but a bully!" I said, pointing a finger at her. She just twisted her nose and started laughing... Like she didn't even care! "A bully dragon lady who goes around destroying things for no apparent reason!" I let go of Sayuri's shoulders and put my left hand on top of my chest. After that, I saluted. "Because in the colors of red, white and blue! Underneath the stars...! We slay dragons!"

"That's _America,_ Chio," Sayuri said, sweatdropping. Oh yeah. That's right. America... Silly me.

"That sounds even better!" Lucrecia said, chuckling evilly to herself. "'Lucrecia the meanie bully dragon lady'. People will fear me even more across the land." She stepped closer towards me and I started shaking. Then she leaned over because she was so much taller than I was... She was like a tower! But now she was looking right at me—_agahafah_! "Thanks, girl. What was your name again?" she paused, tilting her head with a leer on her face. "Chi_o_?"

"Waaaaah!" I cried, running towards the other side of the kitchen. "She's scary, she's scary, she's scary!" And Lucrecia just cackled, putting her hands on her waist. Her laughter got so out of control that I thought she was going to fall over!

"Har, har," she said, folding her arms. "Yes, I'm so fucking scary, aren't I?" I wasn't going to answer her! Big fat meanie! Lucrecia turned around, facing the giant cabinets with all of the food and things inside. "You want to show me how to make cookies? Ha, you're funny. I like you." I perked up, even though she was mocking me. Laugh-mocking me. Sayuri was standing there, looking at us. I glanced at Lucrecia again and she had a big, scary knife in her mechanical hand! She looked so weird and demonic! I hid behind Sayuri again, shaking.

"Ah, okay Lucrecia, you've got your kicks, could you leave the girl alone?" Sayuri said, sighing. What...? Was Lucrecia doing all of that on purpose...? Lucrecia would never say all those mean things to hurt me, would she? "Yeah, I'm sure you've had your fun. You can stop now Lucrecia because I've watched this for far too long." Sayuri didn't sound like herself! She sounded kind of sad and even Lucrecia knew that. She threw the knife in the air, caught it with precision, and magically the refrigerator behind her opened up. How was she doing that? It was amazing! I stared at the fridge for a while, my jaw dropping from the blue magical mist surrounded the door of it. Was that Lucrecia? I wanted her to teach me how to do that! But I knew that was something only people from her world could do.

"Sayuri?" I said, turning around. "There's something I have to tell you."

Sayuri shook her head for a moment, turning around. "Yeah. Sure. What is it that you need, Chio?" Yeah, she didn't sound like herself all of a sudden. What was wrong with her? Something was up—and I was sure Kokoro could get it out of her! But I needed to tell Sayuri something really important! Something that I had forgot to tell Morta, Kokoro, and Miyuki when I was staying with them! I put an index finger in the air and blinked.

"I... I don't know what world I come from."

"WHAT?!" Sayuri said, her jaw dropping. She started poking me for no reason, narrowing her eyes at me. "What do you mean you don't know what world you come from, Chio?! You come from Japan, right? That's what your name would suggest! And you knew what America was, which would suggest you came from where Morta, Kokoro and I came from! You're from Earth, born and bred! Don't say anything like that ever again! You are with us. You're one of us." My lower lip started to quiver.

"To tell you the truth, Sayuri... I—I only knew what America and Japan were—because I wanted to be just like you all. There are thousands of books on where you all come from on my home planet. I—I guess you can say when I learned that you guys were all from Earth I didn't want to be the odd one out. I wanted to be just like you guys so I lied a little." I was really sorry for lying to Sayuri. I didn't think telling her I wasn't from Earth was a good idea anyway; it just made her frown some more. Lucrecia was minding her own business for the first time, chopping up the cookie dough in front of her. Wow, she had such a way with chopping things. She must have been really dedicated. She must have loved cooking more than I did. "So will you... Will you help me find my home world? And my parents? I don't know what happened to them—all I remember was that I was cold. I was lost, and I couldn't wake up. Things were touching me all over and I didn't know what to do... And then you all saved me!"

"Tch," Sayuri said, holding her right arm with her left hand. "There are a lot of worlds out there, Chio. You think I can find your world out of them all? I can barely find myself in this world. It's all... Too hard and too much for me, okay? Let's focus on what we need to do here, and then as time goes by, we might find your parents and where you come from, okay?" Even if Sayuri wasn't smiling, she sure made my day just by saying she was going to help me. I nodded my head, holding my hands behind my back. Sayuri didn't know this but... I really looked up to her, Kokoro, Morta, and Miyuki. They all went around helping other people who needed their help! And they didn't want anything else back in return! They were all so brave! And just being able to come with them—we could all be brave together!

But there was something about Sayuri that made me a little sad. Just the way her eyelids started to droop down made me feel kinda sad... I took two steps around Sayuri and walked towards Lucrecia. "You really know how to handle a knife, Lucrecia! How long have you been cooking for?" She glanced at me from her right eye—snarling almost. I tried to hold in the 'meep' I wanted to let out! I didn't understand! What was Lucrecia mad at me for this time? I didn't yell at her or look at her the wrong way! I just asked her a question! She picked up the knife and swayed her arm across the air. She wasn't even paying attention to how she was holding it! She was just—the knife was just—she was ignoring the fact that she was holding a knife! That was so dangerous!

"How long have I been cooking?! I've been fucking cooking for as long as I can remember!" she yelled, stabbing the counter. I jumped, holding my breath in. I think she would have gotten mad if I even decided to_ breathe _in her presence! "I like to cook! You can think of it as a hobby! But you know what I love to do more than cook?" She paused, looking at me. I—I don't know... Was she asking me a question? I had no clue! "Well, are you going to answer me?! Even if you don't know the answer to my question, you should at least try to make some shit up and at least sound intelligent, Chio."

"Um..." I said, poking my two index fingers together. "Flying kites?" Lucrecia seemed like a kite person so me! And the weather outside was nice for kite flying. I hope I was right... But I didn't know anything about Lucrecia! How could she have expected me to know something about her?

"Right," Lucrecia cooed sarcastically, stabbing the counter even more-so. "I like kite flying. Get your head out of the fucking clouds; do I look like a teenager to you?! I don't fuck with nature and all of that stupid shit. I don't get my precision by cutting up cookie dough and putting it in an oven."

"Really?" I said, my eyes twinkling. She must have had a secret technique! I had been cooking ever since I was little! If she taught me everything she knew, I would be a professional in no time flat! "What is your secret then, Lucrecia?" Before she answered me, she let out a laugh before positioning all the slices of circular cookie-dough on the cookie sheet. She wiped her lips with her flesh-hand—I don't know why she did that—and stuck her knife into the counter. Then she left it there, I guess.

_"I kill people!"_

"You... You what?!" I shrieked. There was that look in her eye again... The same look that I had ran away from earlier! Where was Sayuri?

"I'm going to bed..." Sayuri said, zombie like. She was hunched over, her arms dangling to her sides. She looked like she wanted to cry.

"Sa-ayuri!" I called, holding both of my hands. "Where are you going?"

"No one cares about me..." Sayuri mumbled once more. I cared about her! More than she would ever know! I cared a lot about her, so she couldn't just leave me here with Lucrecia! If she left, I would have no where to go! "I'm a failure. A pathetic failure that shouldn't even be called your leader. Just let me die." Why was she acting like that? It didn't matter anyway because she had walked out of the kitchen and I couldn't see her anymore... After Sayuri disappeared, I turned back around to see Lucrecia smirking at me. Waaah~ Sayuri, come back!

"I kill people! How much more can I break that down? You know, you can't depose of a body as it is—you have to chop it into a million itty-bitty pieces. Per se... If you ended up dying today, Chio, I would have to cut every part of you up. Doesn't that sound like fun?" I thought I was going to have a heart attack! I—I didn't want to die! I wanted to live and find out what was wrong with Sayuri! I crashed down on the ground and made sure my skirt didn't float up as I did it. I wish Lucrecia would stop being so scary! When she wasn't scary, she was a meanie, and when she was scary, she wasn't a meanie! I—I couldn't make friends with her even if I tried to!

"You monster!" I shrieked, crying a little.

"What? How can I be called a monster if it's what I get paid to do—_ha_ha_haha_a!"

"They... They pay you to do that?!" I tried to hide behind my hands, backing up into a wall. Lucrecia nodded her head, throwing the cookies into the oven. She slammed the door really, really hard with her mechanical arm. What monster would pay another monster to chop up other people's body?! What did they deserve to have their body chopped up like that? Did Lucrecia have no feelings? Did they at least give those people proper funerals? That was insane! No one should have their body messed up like that after they die...

"Of course they pay me to do it. Why else would I do it?"

Maybe I was thinking about it too much. All that mattered was that she was getting paid to do her job and that she was doing it, right! I'm sure she was doing it for a greater good! This was Lucrecia I was talking about! She helped us with Cecelia! There had to be some good inside of her, right? "Do you... Do you like your job then, Lucrecia?" I wiped my tears away, standing up. She snorted, taking three steps towards the door. I bet her feet hurt walking around in those heels of hers. Ouch. I couldn't image walking and fighting in those things! She must have been really strong!

"Do I like my job? I love my fucking job—and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world!!! And I wouldn't give it up for the any amount of money! Without this job... I don't think I would have a reason to live anymore, got it?!" Yes, I got it! I nodded my head. "Why don't you run off and go play while these cookies cook or some shit like that? I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyway." Why? She didn't like eating sweets or something?

"Don't you like cake and ice cream or things like that?"

"Nah, all of that shit is what little kids are into—I like bitter tasting things."

"Bitter things, like tea?" I asked, walking towards the door. Tea was okay in my books. It was something that you could drink and you would never get bored of it! And tea could sooth someone's soul. Ah, on my planet, I used to love tea a lot. It always made me feel good. Lucrecia cocked a brow, her smirk fading into her trademark leer.

"No, like blood, for instance. It's red, and it's bitter, and it tastes fucking awesome." That was... That was weird. I decided that I shouldn't mess with Lucrecia anymore so I walked into the hallway. Well, I didn't walk into the hallway. I kind of_ ran_ into the hallway because Lucrecia was weirding me out. I still liked her anyway. Anyone who was a friend of Sayuri was a friend of mine! And oh look! Kokoro and Miyuki were talking with Renata. Renata was beautiful! And she was a princess! She was a beautiful princess! I had never seen anyone else like her. She had snow white, radiant skin and her hair was long and golden... Her eyes shined whenever she stood in the light and her smile was big and white. Her voice sounded so sweet—like she could call thousands of animals to help her on all of her travels!

And she was nice! The total opposite of Lucrecia!

I almost thought she was an angel when I had met her! I stepped towards Princess Renata, clapping my hand together and smiling. Kokoro looked towards me and nodded his head. "Hi, Chio! You were just with Sayuri, weren't you? Where is she at anyway? I haven't seen her since we got back from fighting Cecelia! I just wanted to tell you that what you did out there was brave and the whole team appreciates every second you spent fighting along side us!" Aww, that was so sweet of him!

"Thank you, Kokoro!" I said with a smile on my face. Renata looked towards me, smiling just like I was.

"And you must be the Summoner that called Shiva down to our land, yes?" Renata said. I nodded my head. That was me all right! And I never knew I had that much power inside of me! I wasn't fully conscious, but I had called Shiva down here for a really long time! Longer than I could even think about!

"Yes, yes that's me! I'm so sorry Princess Renata for causing everything on your land to get all frozen! I was asleep and didn't know what I was doing, you see? So could you forgive me? At least this once?" Renata poked my nose, smiling.

"Of course you did not cause any trouble. You are actually welcome to stay as long as you want in my castle. You are a dear friend to me now; I could never think of staying angry at a person who risked their life to save me. You do not have to call me Princess Renata either. Renata would easily do." I was right. She was an angel, wasn't she? She was nice and pretty... And she was a princess! A person like her should have had wings to take off and fly with... "Miyuki, your Summoners are one-of-a-kind! Whenever I meet a new one, my emotions get tangled up inside of me and I can't contain my excitement!" Miyuki nodded her head, shuffling her deck of cards.

"Well, they do follow after their Guardian's example. But we need to talk about what we were chatting about before Chio came. I understand you need help. And we are ultimately here to grant help to anyone who needs it." See, what did I tell you? They were all great people! "Renata, please, you can tell us anything. The person who attacked you in the church... We think it may be the same person who controls Cecelia. As is—Cecelia is a robot like Lucrecia said. Robots are given orders that they follow. At least on my planet, Spectra, they are. Though they may not be beasts, they are easily controlled by words that should hold no power over them. If you remember something—anything about the person that hurt you, we could apprehend the person who dared to attack you and bring Cecelia to justice as well." Renata's smile disappeared and she looked like Sayuri did just a second ago. What was wrong with everyone being all sad today? The only happy people I saw today were Kokoro and Lucrecia...

"Guardian Miyuki, I—"

"No need for formalities," Miyuki said, her pink eyes moving towards Renata in an instant. Miyuki was really short—but who was I to complain? I was only a couple of inches taller than her! I was 5'2", so she must have been 4'9"! Renata's breath caught and her eyes softened.

"I am sorry, Miyuki, but I cannot allow you to know the name of my attacker."

"So you know who attacked you?!" Kokoro exclaimed. Miyuki grabbed the back of his shirt with her tail and pulled him down to the ground. Wow, did Miyuki just do that? Kokoro rubbed his head, looking up at her.

"Ouch... Why did you do that?! You're just as bad as Sayuri!" he said, standing back up. Maybe Miyuki didn't want everyone in the castle knowing about our conversation. I felt like a spy... Like I didn't belong here. But it was exciting and interesting to be a part of something no one wanted floating around the castle. And it was a big castle, by the way! This wasn't the average castle you read in books! It had a lot of windows and a lot of rooms! You could easily get lost in Aysel's castle and that's what I really liked about it! How did she build this thing? It was amazing...

"It is okay, Miyuki. You can let as many people know as you like," Renata said solemnly. "I just refuse to give my attacker's name out. It would only evolve into more violence around this kingdom, and that is the last thing I need. You three are not a part of my world... I do not want you all dying here—as it is not where you came from. I do not know what would happen if blood from another world was spilled here. The man I fought... Said I reminded him of someone." She paused, looking down at her hands. "The way I fought reminded him of someone. But I do not know how to put the pieces together! That could mean anything... I wish I could figure all of these things out myself. I wish I did not have to use you all..."

"You're not using us at all, Renata!" I said, smiling. "The only way you could make us sad is if you don't let us help you at all! We're Summoners! We are use to battling the impossible! I say you let us know who this person is so we can teach him a lesson! If you don't tell us who he is, he'll only go around and hurt more people! Please, you have to trust us!" I paused, gulping. I didn't want to look weak in front of Miyuki and Kokoro. "When I met these guys, I wasn't afraid of them. And I should have been because I woke up in another world. But I learned that they saved me, and..." A tear rolled down my cheek, but I couldn't stop smiling. I wasn't sad! How could I have been sad? "And now I get to journey with them! It's like a dream come true! You can trust them, just like I trusted them!"

"Well said, Summoner of Convene," Miyuki said, nodding her head. Miyuki complimented me! That made my day. Renata looked at me and started to smile.

"It is complicated," she said, pausing between her words. "Before I tell you guys about the man that attacked me, I should be able to tell my guard. I do not know what it is that makes me trust them more than I trust you all... Just give me more time. I am not ready to tell you all such things." What did she mean she wasn't ready to tell us such things?! Renata was toying with my emotions! I extended my hand, my staff appearing in my hand. Kokoro looked at me like I was insane, but I knew what I was doing! Everything would go according to plan... Just like the villains in the books! Except... Except I would not fail and I would not let anyone down! I pointed my staff at Renata and she jumped almost.

"Chio... You shouldn't kid around like that!" Kokoro said, grabbing my staff and stepping in front of me. "You could really hurt someone like that! You have to be careful with what you point your staff at! You could even hurt yourself if you're not careful!" I didn't care about what Kokoro had to say! His smile meant nothing to me! Miyuki took another long look at me. She even stepped right up close to my face! I could smell the scent of cat litter falling from her stale-smelling breath! I didn't like cats and she was a prime example of why I couldn't stand them! All cats smelled really bad and they needed to be locked up in a jail cell.

"Chio, is there something wrong?" Miyuki asked.

"Get out of my face, you stupid, silly cat!" I hissed, pushing her out the way. "Renata, when you want to talk about something real and meaningful, you can hit up my line, mm'kay? You shouldn't work with these pansies; they're doing it all wrong! How do they expect to get something out of someone without using force! Smashing their faces in, you know? Jesus, have you guys ever heard of an interrogation? Rough up the princess! Apparently she likes it rough because she'll just let a random guy leave her in the bottom of a church on the floor, twitching in agony and despair—!" I didn't even get a chance to finish my sentence! I heard those annoying footsteps again... No! It was more like heels beating against the floor! I looked up and it was that woman Lucrecia! What the heck did she want? I was in the middle of telling a very good story!

Renata looked absolutely mortified! Like she was about to cry. Aww. "You want to cry, Princess Renata? Wah, wah, wah! Start crying then, you're wasting our time!"

"What's wrong with you, Chio?!" Kokoro growled, looking at me like he was going to do something.

"Hit me!" I challenged, jumping in his face. "Hit me with everything you've got and see if I don't tear your face off!" He stepped back like I knew he would! Everyone in this castle were a bunch of pansies! Except Kokoro. He was a man-pansy! I could even picture a skirt on him! But you had to admit... He looked great in a skirt! At least... The one I was picturing him wearing! Lucrecia stepped in between all of us like we had invited her to join the party! She was always being stupid. Who told her to ruin our fun?

"Chio, you're being really mean and there's no reason why you should say such harsh things to Renata..." Lucrecia said, her lip quivering. Renata stood there, dumbfounded. Kokoro seemed just as confused as Renata was and they both turned around to face her. Miyuki kept a straight face. Ha! That was my Guardian for you. A stuck-up snob that thought she knew everything! I didn't understand why Kokoro, Morta, and Sayuri liked her so much! I hated that stupid cat... "Renata, you don't have to listen to the foul things that come out of her mouth. You're a princess and you should be treated as such. I must say Chio, I'm disappointed in you. Didn't we just have a conversation about this in the kitchen?"

"I call bullshit!" I exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. "I was in the kitchen reading my stories! I asked you for new books but you wouldn't give them to me! You are just as bad as Renata here!" I felt fire swirling up inside of me! I had to state my opinion! I was being oppressed around here, what was up with that? "Just because I'm new doesn't mean you all can treat me like crap!" I stomped my foot on the ground, my earrings dangling! Hey, why did I even by earrings? They were nothing but annoying trinkets that irritated the living hell out of me! I wanted to rip them out of my ears but I had payed so much money for them. I needed to wear those earrings because I couldn't get my money back. Damn... "You denied me of my rights and started making stupid cookies! Who makes cookies anymore, Lucrecia?! Are we five now? And where the hell did you hide Sayuri?!"

"You hid Sayuri?!" Kokoro said, looking at Lucrecia. Ha! Look at him, not knowing where to look! He was so stupid! Betcha I could turn his mind inside out in an instant! You want to know why? Because he didn't have one! Lucrecia put her hands out, shaking them. Tears were forming inside her of eyes. Oopse! I'm sorry, her _eye_! Because Lucrecia only had one eye! Ha, I bet she was miserable!

"I can read minds!" Lucrecia said, almost close to tears. Her knees buckled but she managed to stand. Ha! She could read minds? So I bet she could hear what I was saying right now! But thinking of bad things to say about her wouldn't be too much fun. I needed to plan all of this stuff out. And besides, saying that she sucked in her face was much more better than thinking about it! "You shouldn't make fun of my eye, that's not very nice! I only have one! And I didn't hide Sayuri!"

"Urgh, God," I said, wiping my forehead. "I wish I only had one eye. So I couldn't see your ugly-ass..."

"Chio! You aren't acting cool!" Kokoro exclaimed. What was he going to do? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Because Kokoro was a scary-ass!

"You _did_ hide Sayuri!" I shot, scoffing at her. I folded my arms. "You know, you aren't very funny. Your jokes suck too, Lucrecia! I tried to read but she kept telling joke after joke... You guys know how annoying that is? And then she kidnapped Sayuri! Anyone know where the hell she is? I think not! Because Lucrecia ate her!"

"Ate... Her?" Renata said. After that, Renata's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell out. BAM! Just like a gunshot! Why she fell out like that was beyond me! I liked Renata. Heh. Funny she decided to fall out on the ground like she did. Oh well! It wasn't anything that could be helped. Lucrecia was such a scary-ass. She flinched really hard at the sound of Renata falling on the ground. She tried to pick her up all by herself, but she was too weak. Lucrecia couldn't do anything right! She looked towards Kokoro and Miyuki—thinking that they could do something to help her! They were weak too!

If it was up to me, I would have created my own team full of the best evil villains in all the lands! That way—that way nothing could stand in my way! Not even useless sacks of life like Lucrecia! Kokoro walked up to Lucrecia, helping her hold Renata's bod up. "Something's... Definitely up with Chio..." he said to Miyuki. Miyuki nodded her head wordlessly. My God, do you know how annoying that is? It really got on my nerves. Lucrecia didn't even say anything! She just dropped Renata's whole body all together and put her hands up to her mouth.

"The cookies! My cookies! They're going to burn!!" And then she ran to the kitchen all distraught! I hope she fell over! Kokoro gave me the evil eye, looking at me all weird.

"What has gotten... Into you?!" he said as he tried to pick up her body alone. I chuckled at him. Nothing had gotten into me. At least I didn't think so... I started poking my skin. Nope! I was still Chio on the inside and on the outside! I was still me all over the world! "Chio, you better not be for real about all of this stuff! You're not acting like yourself at all!"

"Maybe it's you who should toughen up!" I shot back. "You're supposed to be a man! Why don't you carry yourself like one!? Better yet, why don't you carry Renata like you're a man so you can stop struggling! It's ridiculous! You're the most... un-guy I've ever met in my life! No wonder Sayuri doesn't like you—nobody could like you because you're so weak! You should be put in jail you're so weak!" Poor Kokoro! He only got madder and madder with every word that came out of my mouth! But he wasn't going to do anything because I knew his one pure weakness! He couldn't fight girls! But he should have made an exception with me! Because I was going to make his world spin in a minute!

"What are you talking about Chio?! I'm trying as hard as I can! And everyone likes me!"

"What, are you going to pull the whole, 'everyone likes me, for I am Queen Aysel!' stunt? Nicely done, Kokoro. For the Summoner of Fire, I thought you would at least have some originality to you! Sucks to know you're a part of the crowd, doesn't it? You might as well go kill yourself now!" I meant every word I said and it was really getting to him. "Everyone knows that you just suck and life and suck as a person! You can't even get Sayuri to like you, and that's why she left without telling anybody! She didn't want to look at your sorry-self crying and whining about how she left!"

"Miyuki! Do something about her, please?!" Kokoro complained, groaning.

"This is not for me to get myself involved in," Miyuki said, folding her arms. "You are a Summoner, after all. I don't know what's wrong with Chio—maybe this is just another one of those human phases she's going through. What is it called? A mid-life crisis? Celestial Beings don't have those. I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you."

"She's... About our age, Miyuki!" Kokoro said, struggling to hold up Renata's body. All of a sudden, I heard those heels again—the same ones that scratched the floor before. It was Lucrecia again, and this time she had two handfuls of cookies. Then she did the weirdest thing!

She started _fanning _Renata with them.

"Don't worry guys! She'll wake up! Princess Renata can't resist the smell of cookies!"

"Or maybe she can't resist the smell of how horrible your cookies are," I snorted, folding my arms. For a second, Lucrecia stopped fanning Renata with the cookies all together. She stood up straight, looked at me, and I honestly thought she was going to fight me! Oh oh. I couldn't fight Lucrecia! I was prepared to run for my life! Even though she was a sissy, I couldn't afford to get my hair tangled up! It takes a whole lot of my time and effort to get it this straight. Oh... And my... My nails! I couldn't break them! Heck, I just couldn't hurt anything else on my body! My body was a temple and I couldn't have it being thrashed around!

"You... You..." Lucrecia mumbled, growling almost. Oh hell! I really messed up this time! I messed up! I—I had to think of something! I couldn't just not do anything and have her beat me up in front of all these people! And then they would just think I was really weak!

"And besides!" I snorted indigently. "I just wanted to read something! Get the hell out of here with your cookies! Since when do they wake someone up?!" I folded my arms, scoffing. Lucrecia's gaze fell to the floor and I could tell I really hurt her feelings. She was going to cry! Yes, Lucrecia was going to break down and cry! I had been looking forward to this moment for such a long time I could hardly contain myself! But the best part about all of this was that I wouldn't get beat up! I was going to say something else but this book—this book just floated right in front of me... Right over my head. I didn't know what else to do, so I just grabbed it.

It was a really weird book—I couldn't read the title!

So I turned it around! There we go! I always seemed to read best when I turned to book upside down! That was the best way to read, you know! There was a man behind me who looked really stupid, but he stepped next to me, almost hitting me in the face with that stupid hat he was wearing! I sputtered, feeling things just sit on my tongue. What if it was a piece of hair?! That was my worst nightmare! Getting someone's hair on my tongue! That was the most nastiest thing that could ever happen to me!!! I started sputtering even more until I was sure I had gotten everything off my tongue.

But still I wasn't convinced!

I held my tongue out, glaring at everyone in front of me. "Wwht bluuu ya bink yaur bluin'?!" I said, holding my tongue. I looked back at the book and scoffed "Blee Blawas ov bay Tinous?" What kind of book was that?! Where were the fairy-tales?! The Sherlock Holmes? The Dragon Tails?! Waaaah~ I didn't want to read this! I blinked. Whoa, was that just me? Of course it wasn't! I had to pay attention to what I was doing! Phew, I could have lost a eye or something like that!

"Oh poor you, Doctor," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. Then he looked at Renata. "Interesting turn of events here... May I ask what happened?" Miyuki glanced at the guy, shaking her head. He then looked back at Lucrecia, amused almost. "Why do you look like you want to cry, Doctor? Why, I have never seen you so sad!" I kept turning the book over and over, trying to figure out what was wrong with it! Why couldn't I read it right? All of the words were in another language! That book sucked! It sucked for no reason at all and it kinda smelled funny! It smelled like wine! I didn't even like wine!!

"You must be in Aysel's guard!" Kokoro said, sighing. "Do you have any idea what's wrong with Chio? She's standing right behind you! Something's up with her and Lucrecia! They're acting... Really weird! Like they're copying each other—except it's more like Lucrecia is exaggerating Chio and Chio's a more 'calmer' Lucrecia. Renata fell out and... We need your help to figure all of this stuff out!" The guy kinda stood there for a second. Stupid! He needed to make a choice! What was he going to do! Was he just going to sit here, or was he going to do something about all of this!

I felt fine, but apparently the little lame in front of me didn't think so!

"Ah, my apologies," the guy said, tipping off his hat or whatever. This wasn't the damn medieval times. Or maybe it was. How the hell should I have known?! "My name is Zed. And correct, I am a part of Aysel's guard. Unfortunately, I do not excel in the field of fighting. Perhaps there is an Essence among you? That is what it seems like—there is no other explanation I can give you. Sad." Essence?

"What the heck is an Essence?!" I shouted, throwing the book at the wall. It almost hit Lucrecia—but she was so busy crying that she didn't even notice! Did I insult her that bad? Ha! She should have learned how to suck it up! Nothing in life was nice! At least, not to her! She was a waste of human life!

"An Essence?" Miyuki inquired. "You know what... You're right. An Essence could be doing something like this. But which one? This is the problem with Essences—a slew of them could be causing what is happening to these two. The personality Essence, the florescence Essence... I have no idea what could be doing this to them. But an Essence causing this hits the hammer on the head..." Again! What the heck was an Essence! I should know everything there is to know!

"Why isn't anyone listening to me?!" I growled, stomping my foot on the ground! "All you guys ever do is pay attention to Lucrecia! I've been here working my ass off and no one notices me! Instead you all are worried about her crying! Pay attention to me! Lucrecia is nothing! And her cookies suck! And they aren't even tasty!" Ha! That showed them! Lucrecia's cookies slipped out of her hands one by one... Until she only had about six left in her hand. "Wow, you have big hands for someone who calls themselves a girl!" I snorted. "Oh wait... One of your hands isn't even real! That explains it, at least a little bit! Sucks for you and your big hands, though!" That would teach her to mess with me! Lucrecia gave me one look before she buried her face into the sleeve of her lab coat. "Ha, look at you! You wear a big, dumb, stupid handkerchief!!"

"It's not a handkerchief!" Lucrecia sobbed, wiping her eyes. "It's a lab coat!!"

"Handkerchief!"

"Lab coat!"

"Handkerchief!"

"Lab coat!"

"Handkerchief!" I said one last time, smirking. "And your mother's an idiot!" Now Lucrecia was just crying! She didn't have anything else to say to me! She had lost this fight after all! Kokoro grabbed his face and looked confused at us.

"I don't know what life is anymore..." He muttered, sinking down to his knees. "Where the hell are Sayuri and Morta? They would help me out here..." Sayuri and Morta couldn't do anything to stop me!! What were they?! Girls?! So what! The only thing a girl could do better than Kokoro was actually fight me! "Chio, stop it! You're embarrassing us, as much as I don't want to say it!" I was embarrassing who? So Kokoro was three people now? Miyuki seemed just fine with everything I was doing! Kokoro was just weak! I quirked my nose.

"Someone get that girl to just SHUT. UP!!!" I yelled, pointing at Lucrecia. Yeah, her! I was getting tired of hearing her voice and listening to her cry over absolutely nothing! She was just so annoying! I wished she would end her life and just die! Zed walked up to her, stopping right in front of her and waving his hand in her face.

"Hello Doctor, are you still there?"

She was such a wreck that I don't think she could even form words! Ha! How pathetic could one person be? She looked up at him slowly and cried even harder. "Chio... Said... My cookies were horrible!" Oh wow. Yeah, I said her cookies were horrible! What was he going to do about it? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

"Doctor, do not mind me, but maybe your cookies _are _horrible," he smirked, standing like he had just solved life's greatest mystery. All of these people made me laugh! They were all so funny! So very funny! Who did they thing they were? Lucrecia dropped two more of her cookies, her legs shaking. She extended both of her arms out, bowing her head.

"Here! Here! They're not bad! You can't say they're bad until you try it!" I think the sad part was that she was really serious about giving Zed her cookie. I turned around and something ran past me REALLY fast! It looked like a purple blur.

"GAH!!! SOMEONE HELP ME! FOR GODSAKE'S SOMEONE HELP ME!!!"

"Sayuri!" Kokoro said, perking up. He looked behind him and Sayuri was backed into the kitchen's door, trying to turn the knob. Sayuri glanced at all of us, not even worried about what was happening. Her heart was beating out of her chest! I could see it! "Sayuri, what's the matter? We could use your—"

"Holy crap it's still chasing after me!! EVERYONE GET THE HECK AWAY!!" Sayuri clumsily twisted the knob and almost fell trying to run into the kitchen. Wow... Sayuri looked really afraid. She looked_ terrified! _What was it that she was running from? Curious, I turned around and Aysel was running after her! She was making all kinds of kissy-faces, trying to hug Sayuri.

"You are so cute~" Aysel said, chasing after her. Sayuri looked like she wanted to hang on for dear life! Her eyes were really dilated and she fell on the ground, mortified.

_"No no no no no no no no no no no no!!!"_ Sayuri said, backing up. "Holy crap someone save me! What did I do to deserve this?! All I wanted to do was sleep and be by myself and then this happens?!" Sayuri—in a frenzied panic—grabbed her wand with both of her hands, trying to fend off Queen Aysel. "I don't deserve this! No one deserves this!" Aysel kept smiling at Sayuri, aiming to hug her.

"You know what you did~" Aysel said, taking another step towards Sayuri. Sayuri frowns and tries to move away. Oh dear...

"No!"

"You saved my kingdom, I have to thank you!" Aysel batted her eyelashes, cupping Sayuri's head and pressing it against her chest. She almost had her! Sayuri looked out of the corner of her eyes, terrified of how close her face and Aysel's lips were.

"No, no, no, no, no!!!" Sayuri exclaimed as Aysel got closer. "Rape, rape, rape!! Someone save me!" Sayuri gripped her wand and it started glowing. She narrowed her eyes, and that's when I knew she had a plan! "So there's an Essence causing this stuff to happen to Aysel?! Why didn't anyone tell me that! Miyuki, what do I do?!" She tried to break herself free from Aysel's grip. Miyuki? Miyuki was here? Since when did Miyuki get here...? Where was I...? I looked around, curious, and I saw all of Lucrecia and I's cookies on the ground. I put my finger on my chin, trying to remember what happened.

"What... When... How..." I said, blinking. I saw Kokoro holding Renata—and then I looked up and I—I didn't even get a chance to speak because Lucrecia—out of the blue—she was holding out a cookie and then smashed it in the guy standing in front of her face. She looked really angry—angrier than I had seen her!!

"What the fuck is going on?!" She growled, taking a step forward. Miyuki kept paying attention to Sayuri.

"It's not a very wild Essence, but now I think I know which one it is, judging by the color your wand is giving off!" Miyuki said, standing up straight nonchalantly. "This is the yin Essence—the companion to the yang Essence. The one inside Aysel—which I'm judging was just infesting Lucrecia, is the yin Essence. This Essence, once collected, allows the wielder to see the good in the most evilest person. And if used as an offense, it can do what it's doing to Aysel if it's strong enough."

"I didn't ask for a definition!!" Sayuri said, worried about how close Aysel was to victory. I was still so confused! What was I doing? "Tell me how to get this thing off me!" While Sayuri was saying that, she broke free from Aysel and scampered to the other side of the room. "All right, I'm going to give this all I've got! Freeze!" Sayuri shouted, unkempt hair and all. She pointing her wand at Aysel and a really bright light shined from her—it was so magical—Aysel was glowing white... Even her eyes were glowing white! I stared at the light for a while before it went into Sayuri's wand. Aysel fell down on her butt, looking cross at everyone.

"Why am I, Queen Aysel, here of all places?!" Yep, Aysel was back to normal! Sayuri gritted her teeth, walking past her.

"_You! ._..You stay away from me!" Sayuri shouted, pointing at Aysel. Then she looked at Miyuki. "Ah, Miyuki. Wonderful, refusing-to-help-me-Guardian," she spat sarcastically. She even bowed down to her. "Won't you show me where the hell the other Essence is? Kokoro said you guys needed my help, so that must be the yang Essence is somewhere... Around... Here..." Sayuri dropped her wand down to her side. I looked behind me and Morta was standing there—her scythe in both of her hands. But now she looked scary. I thought Lucrecia looked scary but Morta looked _really _scary! I jumped, hiding behind Miyuki. Sayuri scowled, biting her lip. "And now the roaring flashbacks are all rushing back to me." She waved her wand to her side, looking at Morta. It was like a face-off now! They looked so cool!

"Thank you for capturing my annoying sister!" Morta hissed, grinning wildly. "She was a pain in the ass! Always thinking just because she comes first that she's number one all the time! No one likes a crybaby! And I'm going to take down this whole entire castle with this scythe just because I can! That'll teach her to learn that good doesn't do anything over evil, don't you think Summoner Sayuri?" What happened to Morta? She didn't sound like herself!

"Spare me the dramatics," Sayuri shot, pointing her wand at Morta. "All it takes is one word and you're gone. So you can get out of Morta now, or I can_ force _you out. You've caused enough problems around here—you and your sister. You're both just as bad! Dammit, I was sleeping until I was rudely interrupted!"

Morta lifted a brow at Sayuri, putting her scythe at her side. "I—I didn't mean to make you mad, Summoner Sayuri! I just... Thought it would be cool to be a human for once! Don't hurt me!"

"Then walk!"

"Aww, okay..."

The same thing that happened with Queen Aysel happened to Morta, and then she fell on the ground too... And then we all looked at each other. Kokoro stood up, trying to hold up Renata the best that he could. "I err—I'm going to go make sure Renata gets some sleep." He started walking down the hallway, walking right past us... Morta looked really confused too, like she didn't know how she got there. I think what everyone needed was to just walk away and think about what just happened. Or... We could have all just forgotten about the whole thing... Lucrecia dusted herself off and walked behind him.

"Obviously the bastard doesn't know where the hell he's going," she spat, glaring at the back of his head and she followed him. Sayuri stepped out of the kitchen, lowering her head down in shame again. Her wand disappeared and she slowly walked the way she came.

"No one cares about me... I'll just go sleep my sorrow away..." she said in that zombie like voice. "So... Tired..." Miyuki stepped next to me, watching Sayuri from afar.

"There's something wrong with that girl," Miyuki said, walking in front of me.

"Wait, Miyuki! What are we going to do now?!" I asked, reaching out towards her. The man behind me just picked up his book and walked the in the opposite direction of the others. Actually, I think he was checking to see if Queen Aysel was okay. But Aysel stood up like she had so much energy... It was kind of weird... Like she had just eaten something really sweet. That's when I turned around, pointing at her. "Q-Queen Aysel!!!" I shrieked, making Miyuki stop. "Did you just eat that cookie from off the ground?!"

"It was on the floor?! N-Nonsense!" Aysel said triumphantly, getting the wrinkles out of her dress. "You do not know what you are saying, Summoner. My head is hurting... Da—Zed! Pave the way for me so I do not step on anymore of these... Cookies that are on the floor! Yes, that is right!"

"Of course, Mistress." And then they just... Disappeared. I turned around and looked at Miyuki.

"We wait," Miyuki answered, looking into the hall. "Another day marks another adventure and learning something new. Go on and do whatever you feel is necessary, Chio. I'll be watching over Sayuri, making sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

I guess Morta went to follow Miyuki. "Sounds like a plan. I'm going to need someone to fill me in on what just happened."

I bounced up. "I can do anything? Okay! I think I'll go make cookies!" And I ran to the kitchen again.

* * *

**A/N:** So let's talk about this little number! I wrote this because I was writing the Cecelia fight whatever or however long ago it was... And I was just thinking to myself... Where the hell is Sayuri's abilities?! XD Turns out, after that Shiva fight I must have forgotten about the Essences. Great job, readers, for making me forget all about them! This is the problem with CCFA: there's way too many things to remember. So I wanted to give Sayuri two new powers and I wanted to write people all OOC and stuff--if even for a second.

At first I was going to have the ink Essence come, but that was too boring. So I came up with the yin and yang Essences! :D

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. XD I think Aysel made my day though... She made my day the most. And so did Chio. XD Clap for the stars of this chapter. And if Sayuri doesn't pick up her face, I'll scream. =_=

Stop emoing, Summoner of Time~ D: XD;;;

You're making it hard to write you! XD So yes, we'll get back on track next chapter.


	27. A Reason For Broken Wings

**A/N:** ... Last time on Dragon Ball Z--*shot*

And the crowd goes wild! Chapter 27 of CCFA is a go! XD

This _is_ chapter 27... Right?

The more I write this story, the more I'm certain it would make an awesome action movie or a show or something. One day it will happen! XD So yeah, this flashback might make some of you upset and all... And the stuff that happens in the chapter might cheese some of you off. And maybe it might confuse some of you all because you're trying to figure out things you have no buisness knowing. Someone of you are old-time readers. You know the drill. You have to think, but just don't think too hard. Urm, what else?

Ah yeah. XD That's pretty much it. Enjoy it while it lasts. This story is going on a full blown war here. I've never written a war before, I'm so esssssiiited! XD Can't you tell? XD;;;

* * *

"Ow. It hurts. It really hurts..." Isleen says in a daze, turning her head to the left and right. Her eyes are closed; she only wants the pain to go away—the pain sitting on her chest, right where her heart should be. Everything inside of her chest feels like it is on fire. Everything inside of her feels like it is ready to burst into flames. She squirms around, unsure of how to take the pain. Blood seeps through her Summoner outfit and as she rolls around. Blood taints the ground. She is in so much pain that she bites through her lower-lip with her fangs, blood protruding from it.

"Isleen!!" Sayuri shrieks, crashing down on her knees, her eyes widened. She grabs the Summoner of Change's hand, looking into her seemingly blank eyes. Sayuri's breathing grows more rapid... It's the only thing she can do as she looks at the serious wound running across her silver-haired friend's chest. She doesn't try to stop her tears. Her tears don't listen to what her body has to say. They rain down her cheeks like a waterfall—beautiful to look at, but for all the wrong reasons. As her tears fall, her resolve crumbles, and so does the last of any faith she has.

"Am I... Am I going to die? ...Like this?" Isleen asks, distraught. Her pupils dilate and she goes into a frenzy, hyperventilating. Sayuri's heart stops. Isleen? Her partner? Asking such a question right in front of her face? But she doesn't know what to do. There are one hundred voices screaming in the back of Sayuri's mind. _She doesn't know what to do!_ She can't save her friend. Just like Lady Kaelyn couldn't! Just like she couldn't save Lucrecia's arm! Just like she damned the Dark Ages! She was always the screw-up, she couldn't do _anything_ right. And now... And now her friend was going to die right in front of her, and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it!

And it was all her fault.

Everything about Isleen being hurt was all her fault! Why did she have to be the only one who could have seen their opponent?! Why couldn't her friends see them as well—the purple beings? Why did the whole village have to be destroyed by people the can't even see?! But Sayuri saw it all. Sayuri saw the monster that slashed Isleen. And she saw it run away. Everything is all her fault.

"You won't!" Sayuri says, tears streaming down her face. It's the only thing she can think of to say. Unfortunately, she doesn't even believe herself. "Don't worry! I'll take you to our friends! You'll be okay!"

"No... No! I don't want to die!" Isleen says, grabbing Sayuri's hair. Sayuri looks back at her, completely eaten alive by her fear. All the while, the only thing that is playing over and over in her head is _'Please don't die Isleen. Please don't die!' _She wants to scream it out. She wants to whole world to know that Isleen is here right now—in need of help. But the fact of the matter is that no one is going to care if she dies. Everyone will continue to live their lives as if nothing happened. They will be totally unaware that a hero just died. "I've spent my whole life being rejected and despised everywhere!" Isleen says in a voice full of panic. "Then... I finally met you and... At last... I could do some good!"

"No! Don't say anything else!! Isleen!!! Isleen!!" Sayuri shouts, a tear falling down on the wolf's face.

"For the... First time in my... Life I finally met someone worth dying for... And I would do it all over again... Just to see the smile you make when my eyes close and you stand up, looking towards the sun... Leading the rest of the team on—fighting for the millions of lives in this world..."

"Screw all of that!!" Sayuri shouts, sobbing. Her words are almost incoherent. "Screw the worlds, they could all die and burst into a million flames!! Isleen, Isleen stop thinking like this, it'll be okay!! Please! I couldn't... I couldn't think of saving the worlds if you die! Please stop, please stop! Don't leave, you can't leave! If you die I may as well die too, because—because—through all of these times—all of the worlds you were the only one who stood by me! We started this journey together! At first it was me and you! Me and you!! I couldn't leave you! What will I tell Shirogane?! The others?! What will I—_urgh_—what will I do without you?!"

"Being with you... Being with you showed me that I had real emotions... Before you came—I would have died a long time ago. I'm still a wolf aren't... I?" Isleen's eyelids start to droop, making Sayuri's grip tighten on her hand. "He can... Shirogane can replace me, can't he?"

"No he can't!! Don't you get it, he can't! No one can take your place Isleen! It won't be the same!!" Sayuri shouts, her sobbing getting even worse. When she thinks of her friend... Her best friend being replaced by someone who can't hold a fire to her flame... No. No way. "There's no way in hell I'm letting someone take your place Isleen!"

"Promise me..." Isleen says, her breathing slowing. "Promise me that you'll fulfill your duty as a Summoner and save the worlds from The Wickedness. No matter what it takes, Sayuri. When you accomplish that—I'll be on the other side—waiting for you to come back to me... Fang... I finally found... Someone... That I love..." With that said, her body falls limp—limp within Sayuri's arms. She doesn't know how to take that last line, but she tries desperately to keep her sanity.

"No... No... You can't! Don't die!!" Sayuri buries her head within Isleen's chest, sobbing loudly. Nina walks behind Sayuri with a little boy's body. The Summoner of Time doesn't take that too well. She glances at the boy's body and closes her eyes.

"Why... Why did this have to happen?!" Sayuri yells standing up and unsheathing her sword. At first she swings at the air in a violent frenzy before she brings it up to her neck, prepared to end it all without hessitating. Nina runs over to Sayuri, wrapping her arms around her, tears flowing down her reddened cheeks.

"Stop, stop Sayuri! Please, stop!!" Nina wails, closing her eyes. "We don't have time for tears now! There may still be survivors!" The purple-haired teenager collapses on her knees, holding her sword limply in her hand. Her breathing is shallow as she stares at the ground. Nina walks around, pushing Sayuri's body up—making her look her in the eyes. "Snap out of it Sayuri!" she shouts, slapping her with everything she has left. Still, even that does nothing. Sayuri looks to her left, gripping her sword. She stands up, almost falling over.

"Come on. Let's go," Sayuri says, her voice shaking. "Nina..."

"Yes?" she answers, afraid to look her in the eyes. Afraid that something she does might trigger another violent outbreak.

"This..." Sayuri says, more tears falling out of her eyes. "...Is a reason for my broken wings. And when I get worse—because I _know _I will—don't hate me for it. Hurry and find the rest of the team. I don't think I can—_urgh_—fight without Isleen... We have to go back to Spectra and tell Shirogane everything that happened. We will come back here. But not until I find a reason... A reason to keep fighting if we're all just going to..."

"Don't say it Sayuri, please..."

"Die."

Nina stops walking, biting her tongue for far to long. She turns around, looking Sayuri in her eyes. "You keep fighting because you're the hero!!!" she screams, tears falling down her cheeks. "You fight because that's what you're supposed to do Sayuri! You fight because that's what Isleen would have wanted! You fight because all of the worlds need you and you fight because without you, we would all die! Don't you get it Sayuri?! All of us would die without you! You're the only one who can stop this! You're the only one who can stop The Wickedness! Unlike Isleen, we can't replace you! I thought you were stronger than this!" With every word that comes out of Nina's mouth, the grip on Sayuri's sword tightens.

"I'm stronger than anyone here!" Sayuri retorts, raising her sword into the air. "You don't know anything about me! Shut the hell up, Nina! Because if you cared, you wouldn't want to leave Isleen in the dirt!! You betrayed her, and you betrayed me!"

"You're an _idiot!!" _Nina says just as quickly. "No one betrayed anybody, Bosslady! I know I have a job to do and that's what I'm doing right now! You're the one who's betraying me! You're betraying Isleen, Leyiko, Riona, Jessica..." Something rips. And after it rips it splits apart. To Nina's horror, she looks down to what looks like a slash across her stomach, red blood dripping from Sayuri's sword. Words are taken from her and she looks at her leader... Her eyes asking Sayuri what she is thinking. Sayuri smirks before she lets out a laugh... Something Nina thought she would never hear from "the hero". The "leader".

"You fight because you have to?" Sayuri says, forming her mouth into an 'o' as Nina falls on her knees from the pain in her stomach. Sayuri grins as she puts her sword underneath Nina's chin, making the Summoner of Convene look at her. Sayuri's eyes are full of amusement. "Then don't fight," she growls, pressing her sword deeper into her throat.

"Ah_ahahaha_h!" she laughs. "Let's see you fight now!!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Reason For Broken Wings :-**

_I wish that I could hold you now  
I wish that I could touch you now  
I wish that I could talk to you  
Be with you somehow  
I know you're in a better place  
And you know I can see your face  
I know you're smiling down on me  
Saying everything's okay  
And if I never leave this thug life  
I'll see you again someday  
I wish, I wish, I wish  
I wish, I wish, I wish _

_For me to save the world I don't understand... How did I become the leader of a billion men...?_

— "I Wish" — R Kelly

It wasn't like Cecelia to get into trouble, so when she walked inside of the castle looking a mess Saivan told me to check her out and see what was wrong with her. I couldn't blame him; it wasn't like I had any time to squander doing other important things. I was a Shadow—I had no time. And if someone told me otherwise, I was sure I could live forever. I didn't think that I could die like normal people could. Maybe that was just me speaking out of perspective. Or maybe that was just how I felt about the whole situation. I glanced at Cecelia who was sitting on top of the table, swinging her legs back and forward without a care in the world.

She was so oddly happy, despite just coming from a fight... I sat down in my chair, wiping some of my hair out of me eyes. "You've got me, Cecelia." I sighed. "Why are you so happy today? I'm just... Curious. Did you find Aline yet, or... I don't see her with you, so it looks as if you've failed your mission, yeah?" Cecelia glanced at me with her sapphire eyes, pouting a little bit. Okay, so she knew she had failed her mission. That wasn't a bad thing. All human things failed.

"I... No I didn't find her," Cecelia answered back, lost in thought. "But I found something else! Something worth talking about! Something amazing and wonderful and—" She paused, looking up at the ceiling. "I ran into Aysel's guard! The whole entire guard! And I saw people that I wouldn't have otherwise have seen. It was great. And the Summoners were there too." The Summoners were there? That was some big news that I'm sure Saivan would have wanted to hear. So that must have meant she fought them?

"Please, go on Cecelia. Tell me everything that happened."

"Only if you promise not to say anything to anyone." She was dead serious, looking at me with a different look in her eyes. I always had to remind myself that Cecelia was a dangerous robot... That she wasn't human... But there were times where Cecelia could have fooled me and everyone else that didn't particularly know her very well. She had two sides to her, and I rarely got to see this side of her. She was always so nice to me. It was a different story with Adair, however. She just really didn't like him too much. Cecelia put out her pinky, and at first I stared at her for a while.

"Deal," I said, wrapping my pinky around hers. We nodded our heads and she looked out of the window.

"So I thought Aline was there... But it turns out Adair had sent me to the wrong place, the idiot!" She balled up her fists, her eyes turning red. That was a normal thing for her to do. That was how she vented her anger without the use of violence. She did that because she didn't want to hurt me. "Aysel and her guard were there and they were knighting someone... That's when the Summoner came out. Summoner Sayuri..." She paused, her eyes emotionless. Did something between her and the Summoner happen? "I can't say I... Ever really liked Summoner Sayuri. It's all coming back to me now Isaiah! I know it is! Back then when I had fought her she was a real pain! Always moving... Always jumping around but never attacking me! She knew what my weaknesses were all because of some girl named Leyiko—she claimed she was just like me... And if she was just like me... Why did she tell Summoner Sayuri what my weakness was?! Why, why, why?!"

Leyiko? Leyiko... That name sounds familiar.

I would have to ask Saivan about it. Cecelia was having a moment, punching her fists into the table. She couldn't get too angry now. "Cecelia, it's alright. She's not here anymore and so is Summoner Sayuri. You're with me now so you can talk about anything that makes you upset. Just don't use violence. You can even scream if you want to."

"But won't I melt your ear-drums if I scream at a high-pitched velocity?" Cecelia asked, looking right at me. Her eyes always reminded me of a pleading little puppy.

"No, a normal scream silly. A person scream," I said, laughing a little.

"A person scream...?" Cecelia said, poking her chin with her index finger. "I wanted Sayuri to scream a person scream! It wasn't fair! She just kept moving and moving! Leyiko told her exactly what to do and she kept moving! She kept making me look places. She was so fast, Isaiah! She was really fast! I couldn't even tell where she was moving. And she told me 'This is the power of time! The power of time can defeat anything you know! You're no match for me and my friends!' What does time mean, Isaiah? What is it? I don't understand what time is. If I can't touch it and feel it—then is it real?" That was a good question, and I was more than happy to answer it for Cecelia, if anyone else. I didn't exactly get what time was myself, but I knew I needed time to forget my past—to move on to the future and to focus on my goal.

"Time is something that moves us. Everyone in the planet shares it, Cecelia. But I don't get how one person can control time. We'll have to save that for a later date. Please, keep going with your story. It's very entertaining."

She noded her head, her blue hair bouncing with her movements. "After Summoner Sayuri had caught me off guard, a wolf came and ripped away my leg. I felt nothing. And no matter how much I wanted to focus on the wolf, Sayuri had her friend Leyiko come and she burned my body..." Now Cecelia was reduced to tears. Her sobbing was soft... Like a mouse. She didn't know how to cry quite well either. Was she crying because her body was burned, or was she crying because of what had to happen to her afterward? "Leyiko burned me! Every part of me! And they just left me there in a broken mess of parts! And then after that... After that they found me again—and I had to go back to the lab to be upgraded. They told me I wasn't strong enough. Because I lost to the Summoners, I had to endure three upgradings in one night. It was horrible, Isaiah!"

"Yes, I know what you are talking about," I said, patting her on her head. I wanted to keep Cecelia as calm as possible. "I'm not going to give you one. Don't worry about it."

"So you're not going to tell Saivan that I lost...?" Cecelia sobbed, wiping her eyes.

"Of course not," I replied, smiling sweetly. "What he doesn't know won't kill him." But if I knew Cecelia, she'd end up telling Adair or even Saivan himself. That was her fault. If His Holiness told me to upgrade Cecelia once again, then I would have to choice but to obey his ever command. "Now, keep going."

"M'kay. Umm, so I met the Summoners at the knighting. Summoner Sayuri looked different. Something was strange about her—and her friends had changed too! I didn't see Leyiko or the wolf. I didn't even see the other girl that was with them... All I saw was Summoner Sayuri's wand pointed at me. She even sounded different too. But it was still her. I scanned her. I—I made sure of it Isaiah! That was her all right! The DNA was the same! She had even gotten a new Guardian! And she challenged me. I wanted nothing more than to fight her again. To prove that I wasn't weak. But everyone started interfering with us! Everyone...!"

"Queen Aysel's guard, you mean?"

"Yes, them," she said, nodding her head. "And Lucrecia. Lucrecia was there. She helped them too."

"How is she doing, by the way?" I asked, walking towards the sink and washing off my hands. "Was her fighting proficient?" Cecelia turned the other way around, lying down on the table.

"She fought me better than anyone there. And I expected that she would—given our past together. There's something different about her too. Isaiah?"

"Yes?"

"Do friends change when they haven't seen each other in a while?" I rubbed my nose with my arm, trying to get the soap from underneath my fingernails. "Lucrecia... Her—never mind. You don't have to answer that question, I don't think I want to know. Oh! Oh! I saw Zed there too! The others got in my way and I lost the battle. If they weren't there I would have killed Summoner Sayuri and gotten my revenge. And then I wouldn't have to be upgraded again, right? Because if Summoner Sayuri defeated Lucrecia, then I would be the greatest person in all the land by default! She is lucky she has so many great friends to help her fight..." She had such a human way with thinking. You could hear the sadness in her voice... The longing to belong... The tint of jealously behind all of her words, despite being such a cold being...

"We're your friends here, Cecelia. You'll always have us you know."

"Yes, but... I want Summoners Sayuri's friends. Oh! I have a question! Back when I was fighting Summoner Sayuri at Aysel's knighting ceremony," she said, excitement in her voice. "...She headbutted me! But for a second I could see the red stuff—that red sticky stuff coming from her lip! Isaiah, can you tell me what that stuff is?"

"It's blood. It's blood you sound like you're describing," I answered, stepping towards the table. "I'm going to need you to lay on your stomach, Cecelia." She nodded her head and did just that. I brushed all of her hair to one side, revealing the small button on the back of her neck. I pressed it, the panel on her back moving to the side. I could see all of her now—everything she was—everything she was made of. I had to fix her when she was like this. She wouldn't trust Larunda to do it, despite her proficient skill in machinery.

"Blood..." Cecelia said, kicking her legs. "Why can't I have blood too? When will I be able to bleed like that, Isaiah? Blood makes Summoner Sayuri beautiful, you know? It makes her very pretty, and I was sad when she wiped it away. It was like she was throwing away something she should have been happy for. Everyone gets to bleed but me... I can bleed right? Because I'm one of them. I'm a human just like you guys are. I don't want to be a Shadow anymore. I want to be a Summoner!" Heh, she wanted to be a Summoner. Did she even know what their jobs were? I couldn't imagine she'd make the cut for being a Summoner. Cecelia had every right to dream however, and who said her dreams were never going to come true? "And besides, Summoner Sayuri had someone really cute on her team! Kokoro, his name was. If only I could go back and ask him what it is like to be a Summoner..."

"You have big dreams, Cecelia. Think you can handle them?"

"I want to! I want to be able to just handle them without thinking, Isaiah! Can I do that? ... So how can I bleed like a normal person?"

I sighed, putting the pair of pliers I was holding in my mouth. Eventually I sat them on the side of the table. "Being able to bleed is something only humans can do. I'm not saying you aren't human, Cecelia. Because there was once a time where you were... But it's just beyond you now. So please, don't think about that anymore. Bleeding is not something you want to do for fun away. You can always find other alternatives."

"But I—" She yawned, stretching her hands out in front of her. Her eyelids begin to droop as I pull the plate on her back back in place. "...Want to be just like Summoner Sayuri and her friends. They bleed because they are angry. And when they get angry, they fight for what they believe in. Why can't I be like that? I want to... Be able to... Dream..." After that last word, she fell completely asleep. I stood in place for a while, shaking my head. She'd be back to normal and she would forget about ever meeting Summoner Sayuri. I dusted my hands off and that's when Adair walked in, a smirk on his face and all. That oversized-tazer was still on his arm. Why did he think he could get around wearing that thing?

"So what happened to Cecelia?" Adair asked, amused. I rolled by eyes, pushing my chair into the desk.

"She ran into the Summoners and their Guardian," I simply said, throwing my arms out to my sides. "What can I say? She was defeated and then came in here. Judging by the looks of it, she was too hurt to finish the mission. Cecelia's going in and out of her emotional hard-drive—such a thing isn't completely strange but it's something you've got to watch. You don't want to provoke her into doing something rash. At this point I really do think I'm going to have to update her and I know how much she doesn't like needles." I stopped and looked Adair in his eyes. He was so immature and he didn't know how to handle anything. "That means she doesn't know who to trust right now, which means if you screw up she'll—"

"Aahahaha!" he laughed. "You never stop being funny, Isaiah! Why do you care about that girl so much? She's just going to end up dying just like Saivan says she—"

"Shut up Adair," I spat. "You don't know anything, and neither does he. I'm not letting anyone die. That includes you." I quirked my nose, prepared for whatever trash he could come up with next. Adair wasn't on my level, that I was sure of—but he needed to know when his immaturity could be tolerated and when it was out of the question. I didn't need his antics here. Did he not know that Cecelia just came out of a battle? Did he feel no remorse for her? I'm sure he saw how beaten up she was. He wasn't blind, so he needed to start acting like her cared about her. "She cares about you, why don't you show her the same respect?"

"Ha? What respect?" Adair said, sitting on the couch and putting his feet on my coffee table. "She's just a machine. She doesn't have feelings and that brat is out of her mind if she thinks she can out-fight me!" Wait. Was he _jealous?_ "How dare she fight the Summoners without bringing me along with her! Of course she was going to get beat—did she forget who I am? She's never supposed to fight alone Isaiah! Especially the people that I should be fighting! She isn't worthy of the Summoners. I don't care one last bit about her being hurt. Heh, she can just be fixed and all the pain will magically go away. What a joke."

"Get your feet off of my table," I said. He glanced at me, snickering to himself.

"Clean freak?"

"No, I just don't want your feet on my table. And you're being an asshole," I spat. "Why can't you just come to terms with the fact that she went on the mission and you didn't? You know, His Holiness assigned that mission to you, but since Cecelia just happened to be there and since she was _so_ nice—she took the mission from you. No, not even that. You _told_ her to go on the mission and she happily obliged because she doesn't know any better. You're taking advantage of her and I'm sick and tired of it. And then when things happen to go right with her you always berate her. If you wanted to fight the Summoners, than you should have gone. Stop bitching about it." My eyebrow twitched, daring Adair to say something else funny. He stood up, swinging his arms with a sarcastic air about him.

"You're too funny. Insanely funny Isaiah. Just remember that before you were even thought of, I was here f-first!" Who cared about who was born first? All that mattered was that we were both here now, in this moment, and we both had an obligation to His Holiness and this land. I gritted my teeth. I was one to keep my head, but there were moments in time where Adair truly deserved to be punched in the face. Cecelia knew it—I knew it—we had all just been too polite about it. I slumped by shoulders, blowing some of my hair out of my eyes. I took off my lab-coat, rolling my eyes.

"Honestly, you're the only one I know who really cares about all of this," I said casually. "Tell me, what did you really come in my room for?"

"Are you making fun of me?!"

"No Adair, I'm not making fun of you. Are you going to cry?" I said, grabbing my gun-blade. I wiped it off with a cloth. He was glaring at me from behind. I didn't care. I was a Shadow... I shouldn't have cared about what he thought. The more I lived, the more I died. The more I gave into the fact that I wasn't supposed to have emotions. But even still, emotions that I thought I never had before came out. Weird things started to happen. I was just like Cecelia, not knowing who to trust anymore. I could hear Adair's voice cracking, which meant he was going to start crying any minute now. He was such a child sometimes. It was sickening.

"No I am NOT crying! I came up here to tell you Saivan wants all of us down in his room anyway!"

"That's all you had to say and nothing more, Adair," I replied, taking my lab coat and throwing it across the couch. Why did people make things so complicated? Why couldn't Adair answer one simple question? I had left my room and walked past him. He tried to stop me—to talk to me like we were all of a sudden good friends—but I was done talking to him. I rushed down the staircase as fast as I could. The castle still looked up-to-date, as white as always. It was as if there had never been a battle inside of the main hall. His Holiness always needed his castle to look clean and spotless. And if he had called us down into his chambers, something serious must have happened. I stood in front of doors, inhaling. Great. Now because of Adair I was late.

He stood next to me, gazing at the doors. "Are you just going to stand here and look at the doors or are you going to go inside, Isaiah?"

I ignored him, of course, and went inside the room. The room was like a hall. In fact, this room had been the ball-room... But His Holiness thought he deserved only the best. So he got it changed to his room. There was a lot of space and he stood at the top of the staircase, his hands behind his back. Larunda was already in the room and she looked at both of us, sighing. "Did you two really have to take your time getting here?" she said. I knew she was going to say something. Larunda didn't really like it when anyone was late to a meeting. As did Saivan, but like I said, it took a little while for Saivan to get angry at things. His Holiness always had to let time collect and consume him. He loved time. He was infuriated with time.

He had too much time. I shook my head, standing next to Larunda. "I'll explain later," I whispered. I looked towards King Saivan and bowed. After I bowed, I got on one knee and lowered my head. "Your Holiness," I said, standing back up. "It's great to be able to see you again. You're doing well for yourself." His golden eyes always seemed to send my thoughts racing. He was a strange man—he _looked _strange—but I could never read him the way I could read other people. As if he had a shield up that I couldn't penetrate. He looked towards me, walking up and patting me on the shoulder. I gasped. As soon as I realized I had gasped in his presence, I collected myself. "I'm sorry, Your Holiness." Saivan never really touched me before—or anyone else for that matter—save Adair. I wanted to see what Adair was doing but I couldn't just take my eyes off His Holiness. I could never do that.

"Do not look so sad, Isaiah," His Holiness said, chuckling a bit. "I am glad to see that you are in good health too. Yes, very good health indeed you are! Where is Cecelia?"

Before I could get a chance to answer, Adair folded his arms and pouted. "Why does he get to be patted Daddy?!" Figures. His Holiness only smiled towards Adair.

"Yes... Yes I almost forgot about you didn't I Adair? I shan't do that again. You are just as precious as Isaiah is here. Tell me Isaiah, you must have seen Cecelia come back from her mission, correct?" How did he know? I mean, maybe I was assuming things too early, but he wasn't supposed to know that Cecelia had came back from her mission early. Unless... I glanced down at my clothes and saw all the blue strands of hair on my jacket. Cecelia had been shedding... I couldn't make up a lie to His Holiness. He knew everything about me. He knew when I was lying—when I was disobeying him... I had to set an example for the others. But did I break my promise to Cecelia? Did I tell him that she failed her mission, and got beat at that? And besides, even if I did lie to him, Adair was such a daddy's boy he would have said something anyway.

"Dammit," I muttered under my breath. I was tired of hiding away. I was tired of giving in. I was tired of holding my tongue and I was sick and tired of listening to everything His Holiness had to say. But I couldn't find a way out. And even if I did have a choice... A way to leave His Holiness... I wouldn't take it. My soul was mended to this place. My soul was stuck to this place. As far as I was concerned—this place was my little Hell away from Hell. No matter where I went I would always be the same. But if I could meet Lucrecia—meet her just once—maybe she would help me find a way out. Yes, I knew that she could help us all find a way out of this hell. I had to see her soon. If Cecelia says she's okay then... Why not believe her?

"You did not answer my question, Isaiah..." His Holiness said, chuckling some more. See what I mean about not taking in things quickly? I could tell he was pissed by the way his tone of voice matched his sentence. Even if he didn't show how he felt with body language and emotions... What was I going to do? I couldn't lie to him and I couldn't tell him the truth. Larunda looked at me, worried. She wanted to say something, but she too didn't want to anger His Holiness more than he actually was. And Adair was just taking all of this in... Waiting for the moment in which I told His Holiness a lie. Still, I held my gun-blade over my shoulder. I was not going to give up and I was not going to give in. Cecelia was my friend.

"Your Holiness," I began, "Cecelia returned from her mission but Aline is still in the Science Department. Cecelia felt as if Aline was a lost cause—a 'dud', if you will. She felt as if bringing a 'dud' back to you would be unprofessional. Aline isn't effected by the Apathīa anymore. In fact, the reason why she isn't infected anymore is because of the healing powers the Summoners have." Unfortunately, His Holiness had been drinking wine while I had been telling him all of this information. He spat the alcohol across the room, feeling sick all of a sudden.

"The S-summoners you say...?"

"That is correct," I answered back. "The Summoners are here and they are doing everything they can to fight us back. What's more is that they're working with Queen Aysel's guard. They aim to take us down." Whether it was the truth or not I didn't care. Anything it took to keep Cecelia out of harms way. Even if His Holiness were to realize I was lying to him... It was worth it. I would die before I betrayed any of my friends. Adair let out a childish laugh before running over to His Holiness, wrapping his arms around him again. I rolled my eyes once more. It was always the same. Adair was always the same... And so was His Holiness. It was the same cycle over and over again forever.

"Don't be afraid of the Summoners, Daddy!" Adair said, hugging His Holiness tightly. "I'll bring you back their heads! Don't worry, we can take them out! It'll be easy and you'll never have to be afraid ever again! And I don't need Isaiah's help! He's nothing but a block in my way! He gets in my way Daddy! He gets in my way make him stop!" I get in his way? What happened to Cecelia getting in his way? The man was obviously unstable as he was insane. Oh well. If he wanted to be insane I had no problems with that. His Holiness started to pat Adair on top of his head, to which Adair snuggled up to. "The Summoners are nothing compared to my power! Nothing is! I'm the strongest kid in all the land! Stronger than Summoner Sayuri... Stronger than Renatari..."

Abruptly, Saivan stopped patting Adair's head. That was not a good sign.

"Did you just say Renatari...?"

Renatari...?

Adair nodded his head with enthusiasm, grabbing Saivan even tighter. This was not going to end well—both Larundra and I saw that. How could Adair have been so blind? "Yes Daddy; that girl that I fought a couple of days ago! She told me her name was Renatari and I almost killed her! I was _this_ close! But then I remembered the initial mission so I forgot all about killing her. But when we finally go in to fight I'll make sure I kill her and bring her head to you personally. All for you, Daddy!" Immediately Saivan let go of Adair, looking suspiciously at him.

"Adair," His Holiness said, grasping his cane. "You must not like this woman, do you?"Adair blinked at His Holiness—shocked at what he had just done. Adair needed to keep his mouth closed. He had enough sense to at least know when His Holiness was angry... I suspected that Adair felt hurt now. He looked like he was hurt, at least. In an flash—unexpectedly—His Holiness thrust his cane in Adair's face, sending him tumbling backwards across the room. Along with that you could hear a very loud crack, as if his nose had been shattered on impact. I blinked and looked back at His Holiness. He looked intent. He looked calm and collected. "I will have you know, Adair, that Renatari is my daughter and is no longer alive. Do you really expect for me to believe you? How dare you slander my name and feed me your fraudulent lies." Adair stood up, blood seeping out of his fingers as he grabbed his nose. He staggered before he stood up straight. He wanted to say something, it seemed, but words were beyond him now.

His Holiness gave him one sharp look before looking back and Larundra and me. "Very well. I called you all down to my sanctuary because I have some very... Important information. Not long ago, Larundra went to administer the Apathīa to Naira, the woman in Aysel's Guard. Knowing that the Summoners are indeed helping them now, it will not be soon before we go to war. And in fact!" His Holiness said, raising his left hand in the air. "When that woman dies, we will attack! Make plans to ship out to war soon, my soldiers. Though your numbers may be small, what you are capable of can take down an entire planet! I have been waiting a life time for this moment!" War...? So soon? Was His Holiness insane?

"Your Holiness," I said, bowing down again. "If I may—do you really want to go out to war? We know nothing about the Summoners and their actions. They are completely unpredictable—"

"Cecelia fought them, did she not?" I stopped talking. Completely. So he knew I was lying all along. "You forget, Isaiah, that I am an Enlightened One. That I know all your thoughts and plots—especially when you are thinking frantically." He wasn't telling me anything new. I came from an Enlightened. It was his fault that I was Shadow in the first place. King Saivan knew so much more about the situation than I did and it was... It was pissing me off. "Simply take Cecelia's memory card. I imagine they fought her with everything they had. Cecelia is not an easy opponent. We will declare war and carry out the plan like we always have. It is not we who will do most of the fighting—but the people themselves. Remember that, Isaiah." It wasn't that easy. Did he not just hear me when I told him they were completely unpredictable? The Summoners aren't mainstream beings; they learn things as they go—including new techniques and abilities. They aren't Enlightened. Their abilities grow without even intending them to do so.

"Summoner Sayuri and her friends shall fall!" His Holiness exclaimed, looking out the window. "Let the Summoner come to me and let her know what it is like to look death in the face. We leave at dawn." Dawn. The start of new beginnings. Or the beginning of new hells... "It all starts with her. The war, my new rise. My new power. Naira Eytinge... Shall be the start of a new era! Her name shall go down in history as I change everything as I see fit! Where she might be now... I wish her great health until her final hour comes around!"

* * *

**A/N:** That was interesting, wasn't it? XD

I personally think Sayuri's meltdown was beautiful! :D ... Or is it a meltdown? Guys, think harder. XD If you can put two and two together and make four, you'll unlock the secret to the arc, you know? ^_^' And I know Moonlight's still captured. XD I thought about that the other day. And that dude is gonna stay captured for about 60 more chapters. Because once this war starts, there's no way I'm going back to Spectra. :l And miss out on the fight scenes? Psh, you're crazy. XD Let me give you a look on what's going to happen. Naira's death means this whole story is gonna like--tilt.

And that's not even the bad part.

Can the Summoners help her... Not die? XD

Or is our king lying about this Apathīa?

What is Aysel going to do when she realizes her husband left her to start a war?

Does Cecelia really have a crush on Kokoro? *shot*

Is this story really pass 200,000 words?!

AND BY GODS! WHERE (in the world) THE HELL IS KOHANA?! XD;;

Tune in next time... For the next episode of Dragon Ball Z! *shot*


	28. Risk Factor Major

**A/N:** Hey guys! XD This fresh chapter is all for ya and ready to be eaten and stuff.

Thinking of food, yes, this is a flashback. And yes, I'm not telling you if Isleen is still alive or not. XD That's something for you to find out for yourself. ^_^ We're almost close to having 30 chapters! And you guys know what else? My New Year's wish was to write 50 more chapters of CCFA before this year is over. XD This is chapter ten of that promise to myself. ^_^ Yep, let's have a party, hnn? XD;;

I've almost beaten my other score. Last year I wrote 20 chapters of CCFA. ^_^ _I think_... XD;;;

So how about that, guys? As I write this story I learn more and more what I'm capable of. XD

And as Sommy put it-yes, there was a flaw in my plans. XD Okay, so I wrote 18 chapters last year. Big woop. XD

* * *

Isleen licks her lips in anticipation, her grey wolf ears twitching at the sight of food laid out before her. Lady Kaelyn puts her hand on her hip while Sayuri takes a step back, gawking at all the food just _sitting _out in front of her. Isleen simply can't control herself. She brings her hands to her mouth, thinking about the exact moment when she can gorge herself with food. She closes her eyes and sways her silver hair brushing against her back with each of her movements. "Is it..." Sayuri says, looking at Lady Kaelyn. "Some kind of holiday today?"

"No, I merely got carried away and made a bit too much," she replies, glancing at Isleen reaching towards the table, her claws itching to touch something. Isleen pulls her arm back and shakes her head, reminding herself that she is not an animal anymore. She is a human being and she can control her urges. She holds her head down, a frown on her face. Sayuri still looks at the food on the table. "I said you might get some tea, but how about a meal instead?" Isleen's ears perk up at the notion and she turns around, putting her arms behind her back. "Don't be shy."

"Really?" she says, jumping up in the air. "Yes!" Sayuri turns around quickly, witnessing Isleen produce a knife and fork from thin air. "Thanks a lot!" Ironically, Isleen doesn't even _use_ the silverware. Immediately she picks up a whole entire chicken with her left hand, stuffing her mouth with food with the other.

"Woah! Isleen!" Sayuri says, looking at Lady Kaelyn. The fortune-teller only watches Isleen with a blank face. "Don't you think that's a little rude?" Isleen pays no attention to Sayuri, only stuffing her face with more food. She even reaches over the table, practically consuming everything within arm's reach.

"It's quite fine. It's far too much food for one person. Well? Does it agree with you?" Lady Kaelyn asks, switching her footing.

"Yep!" Isleen exclaimed, smiling a messy-grin. Her mouth is covered in lettuce and meat. "It's uber-delicious!" she says with her mouth full. Sayuri almost doesn't understand what she said. "I didn't know you could cook, Lady Kaelyn!" Isleen finishes her food and runs to the other side of the table. She smiles, rubbing her belly before she sinks her claws into a goopy, pudding-like substance. Lady Kaelyn just tilts her head, putting both of her hands on her hips casually.

"I can do anything, you know."

"You'd really make a good wife for someone someday, Lady Kaelyn!" Isleen says, stuffing a whole fish into her mouth and pulling out the remains. She then licks the palms of her hands, digging into the feast on the table once more.

"All men are imbeciles. We are not compatible. I'd much rather have you come and sup here."

"I could totally eat this everyday!" Isleen stuffs brownies in her mouth before she runs to the far end of the table. Sayuri sighs as she looks at her friend, filling her mouth without even chewing.

"Renata... Ryou... It seems like everyone Isleen gets attached to are genuinely good people..." Sayuri says, nodding her head.

"Not that I ever said this would be a FREE meal, of course..." Lady Kaelyn says. Sayuri just looks at the fortune-teller as she chuckles to herself. Kaelyn seizes her laughter, closing her eyes. "How shall I ever have you repay me...?" She glances at Isleen before looking at Sayuri.

"Problem, Human?"

Sayuri gives one last look at Lady Kaelyn before she shakes her head, waving her hands in front of her. Slowly she steps out of the room, sweatdropping.

"Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom~!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Eight: Risk Factor Major :-**

_Could it be the world's gone colder? _  
_Baby, I'm a losing soul _  
_The more I try it just gets harder _  
_And my pain is getting old _  
_Somebody said that nothing lasts forever_

_Just the storm so I've been told _  
_But it seems that when it rains it pours_

— "The Rain Don't Last Forever" — Hope

Everyone was really stressed in the castle! It was like no one wanted to be there in the first place! Miyuki was tired, Sayuri was really tired, and I guess you could say I was really tired myself. Being in the Dark Ages made you tired! I had a long week here! I guess it was a week. Was it a week? It felt like a week! Oh well, I guess I would have to just ask Sayuri. She knew everything about time! She was the Summoner of Time, wasn't she? She knew how much time we spent here! She had to! But there was something wrong with her, wasn't there? If only I could tell what it was...

Yesterday was kind of hectic, but if anyone could have taken out two Essences at nearly the same time, I knew it was Sayuri! But she wasn't acting like herself and that was something I really had to look into. Things just weren't the same with her down in the dumps. That was the first time I had ever seen her like that. I'm sure all she needed was a good night's rest! I had just gotten up and I felt wonderful! It took me a minute to remember where the bathroom was but lucky me it was pretty easy to find! It was right across the hall from the women's bathroom! All I needed was to turn to the left and I would find it!

I opened the door and there was someone standing in front of one of the showers... The person kind of looked like a girl from behind—and that's when I realized it _was_ a girl! She turned around and it was Chio! I should have known from the dress she was wearing! As soon as I saw her face the only thing I wanted to do was get out of there! "Hey, who is it?" she said, looking kind of lost.

"Chio!" I exclaimed, putting my arms over my head and turning around, leaping out of the room. "I—I'm sorry!" I said, looking out into the hallway. Wait a second... "Hold on..." I said, turning back around. "What are you _doing_ in here?" Chio looked different, now that I mentioned it! She touched the sides of her face, wiping some of her straight brown hair out of her eyes. She wasn't looking at me either... She was kind of looking all over the place...

"Wha... Is that your voice, Kokoro? You know it's not really nice to sneak up on people while they're taking a shower, waaah~! That's what bad people do! Get out~!" she said, lightly stomping her foot on the ground. I stood up straight, looking at her. This was really all my fault for coming in without reading the signs... I looked down at the floor, frowning.

"Uh... Sorry," I said.

"It's all right."

Good! I was glad that was over! Finally I could walk out and do all the things I wanted to do today! I took three steps forward, but then I remembered something really important! I turned around, remembering what I had forgot. "Wait! No I'm not, this is the _men's _shower room!" Chio jumped at the sound of my voice, looking over her shoulder. She was standing on one foot—holding both of her hands. She looked at me with her light-brown eyes, chuckling a bit.

"You must be joking," she said, standing up straight. "That couldn't be the case! Because I came here with Sayuri, after all! Not too long ago, in fact!"

"Sayuri must be in the _women's_ shower then, Chio," I said, walking back in the room. "You don't see her in here, do you?" I would have made the same mistake too! I couldn't blame Chio... For a castle this big—why didn't Aysel have signs on her bathroom doors? This could have been way worse! What if someone walked in like Renata or something...? Or maybe I didn't know what I was talking about! Yeah... I'd be quiet now! I had already caused enough trouble as it was... Chio blinked and looked all around her. She raised her hand in the air, and then she pulled it back down just as quickly.

"Yeah... Now that you mention it... Sayuri isn't anywhere in here! Does that mean I really am in the men's shower room...?" I didn't have anything to say... If she was following Sayuri and if she went in the shower room with her—then how did she end up inside of the men's bathroom? This was confusing me so I looked down at the ground and shook my head. Everything made no sense! If she was in the women's shower room, then how did Chio end up in here?

"How is it that you even managed to get inside of here?" I said, taking a couple of steps into the hallway.

"Excuse me Kokoro, but I know how!" She did? I turned around, ready to listen! "Well you see, I dropped my glasses when I started to undress! I think I must have come in when I was looking for them..." She sounded so sad when she said that... I didn't want Chio to be sad! I wanted her to be happy! "But I never did find them... So I thought I might as well just get it over with and undress..." Wow, poor Chio. It must have been tough growing up not being able to see... I wish there was something I could do to help her but she was on her own here! I started to walk out, feeling accomplished! I had told Chio she was in the wrong room so I felt good about myself! "Now that I think about it, it must have been fate that brought you here Kokoro! Like in the books!" The books? Fate? Where was this heading...?

"I'm sorry Kokoro, but you're like a big brother to me so could I ask you to do me a b_i_g favor and find my glasses for me?" What? I couldn't do such a thing! B—but Chio needed my help and she couldn't see and what if Sayuri accidentally stepped on them? I felt miserable now... But she needed her glasses to see! Okay, okay I would do it, but I had to make it really, really quick! I thought Sayuri was still sleep! Out of all the things I thought I would be doing today, why did this have to be one of them? I loved fate! I loved fate and those books Chio was always talking about! I had to think of something! I couldn't just think of doing something wrong like I thought I was going to be thinking about! Argh! I made no sense! I walked slowly across the hallway, acting like a real spy would!

I couldn't let her see me or else I would have been dead! I would_ never_ live it down! I wanted to turn back around but I couldn't leave Chio hanging! She was counting on me! I could hear the shower as I got closer and closer towards the door. There was hot air was hitting me in the face but I didn't mind it one bit. I opened the door, taking a huge step back out just to be safe! You could never be too safe about these things! Not that I ever did these things a lot anyway! I side-stepped my way in, trying not to look at anything too intently. "Why am I even doing this...?" I said to myself. I was doing it because Chio needed me, right? I looked into the room and there she was, in one of those shower things. _"Arghaaa!"_ I gasped, looking away. Thanks to the person that invented translucent shower-doors! I was too scared to even make another move after that. I couldn't even breathe! I turned around, looking into the hallway.

"This is_ risk factor major_!" I whispered to myself. "I have to find those glasses!" I turned back around, looking at the floor and nothing else. This was for Chio! This was for her after all! That's when I spotted something! "Hmm...?" I said, getting lower towards the ground. That's when I saw them! The glasses! I picked them up quick, looking at them. Chio would be so excited! She could finally see again after this! "Yes! There they are!" I nodded my head, getting ready to turn around. "Now to make my escape before she notices...!" I was so close to the door! Sayuri would never know and Chio and I could keep this a secret!

"Oh? Before _who_ notices...?"

I gasped. This all had to be my imagination, right?

Even the god-like music playing in the back of my head had to be my imagination...

That was all fake too, right?

No, the music was too loud! What had I done? I slowly turned around, afraid of what I might see! I couldn't look her in the face! S—she wouldn't understand! But I had to tell her something...! Knowing her, she wouldn't believe a word I said! She had both of her hands on her hips—her purple hair stuck to the sides of her face. She had a beige towel on with the word "time" written on the bottom of it. She looked really scary! I had to get out of there! "H—hi S-sayuri..." I said, trying to step back. My body wouldn't even move. I tried to put my hand up for a high-five but I kept shaking. "You sure have grown...!" She just tilted her head, the same look on her face.

"... And just where do you think you're looking?"

B—but I didn't try to do it on purpose! She didn't even give me a chance to say anything! She just raised her hand up and that's all I pretty much saw before everything around me got hazy and that's when I got up and made I run to where Chio was at... Ow, my face hurt... Chio took her glasses out of my hands and put them on her face. She tested them out and looked around, smiling.

"Thank you Kokoro! Now I can see again!" I didn't know what else to say. I was just really hurt... Chio looked at me and put on a frown. "Excuse me Kokoro, but there's a big mark on the side of your face. It's glowing! Is it supposed to do that?" I just grunted and looked down at the ground. Why me...?

* * *

_Somebody said that nothing lasts forever. Just the storm so I've been told. But it seems that when it rains it pours..._

* * *

"You look bored, Summoner Sayuri," I said, tilting my head. "How would you like to try screaming with me?" I smiled, clapping my hands together. Summoner Sayuri was frowning, leaned up against a wall. She refused to look at me... I wondered what was wrong with her. I brushed some of my blonde hair out of my eyes, sighing. I loved Summoner Sayuri's smile more than anything in the world! She saved my life more than once—the last thing I wanted was to see her frowning in the castle. I wanted her to feel welcome here.

Summoner Sayuri glanced up at me, pushing herself off the wall. "Shouting, Renata...?"

I looked towards the empty hall, nodding my head. "Yes, shouting!" I smiled. "Chase told me that if I am ever sad, I should try to shout. It always works but I do not like to do it alone. It makes me seem like I have no self-control." I paused, looking back at the Summoner. She stood next to me, looking at the same blank space I had been paying attention to. "Is there something wrong Sayuri?" I tilted my head. She knew she could tell me anything. At first she chewed on her lip, looking the other way. After that she started to knit her fingers together.

"I..." she said, looking down at the floor again. "I—Renata..." She was having a hard time telling me what she wanted to say... I could understand that. I still would not tell her who attacked me. I owed Sayuri my life and I could not even tell her the name of my attacker. I knew in my heart that I was not the reason why she was hurting so much on the inside. Summoner Sayuri inhaled, closing her eyes. "Okay, fine. I told Defina so I may as well tell you too. I miss my mother. Kohana. And I—I think she's never coming back..." Sayuri's eyes started to water. "I—after that fight... After everything that I had seen... I just want Kohana to come back so I can tell her how much I hate her." Ah, so it was her mother she was upset over.

Without a second thought I bent over a bit, putting my hands over the sides of my mouth. "Let us begin, shall we? A deep breath and... Kohana! You big—err—dummy!" I shouted, trying to be as loud as I could be. I stood up straight and Sayuri blinked at me, barely moving. She looked almost confused. She wanted to say something but she looked back down at the ground. It was not working...? But it always worked for me.

"Kohana you big, um, dummy! You big... uh... You're still a dummy!" I shouted again.

"What are you doing, Renata...?"

I let out a giggle, covering my mouth. "Tee hee, that actually has a deep meaning to it... Remember when I told you Chase said I should shout to release my anger? Well, Chase came up with it."

"Of course he did," she replied, kicking at the air. Aww...

"If you say something bad about a person, they will come running to see what it is about, no matter how far away they are." Summoner Sayuri blinked, looking directly at me. Her frown seemed to fade away.

"No matter... How far..."

"So let us say some things that are not very nice about Kohana!" I said, clapping my hands together. I got back into my screaming stance. "I am sure she will come running if we do, all right?" Suddenly, Sayuri turned all the way around, crossing her arms and pouting. She almost walked away from me but she turned around again. Why wouldn't Sayuri at least try to get better? She sure was stubborn...

"I don't even want to see her!" she shouted. "Okay?" Her eyes drifted back to the ground again. She looked close to tears. I could not handle Summoner Sayuri crying because she would just as easily make me cry. Her tears were... I had never seen her tears but I knew they had full power over mine. I dropped my arms, my eyes softening.

"Summoner Sayuri..."

She looked back up at me, smiling a little bit. "But saying bad things about her is fun. C'mon Renata! Let's shout really loudly!" Ah! So she was okay after all! I ran back to where I was originally standing and got ready to scream. All I had to do was wait for Sayuri.

"Kohana, you... You dummy! You big, fat, _stupid _dummy!" she yelled. After she had yelled that out she looked at me, her green eyes shining with happiness.

"You have got it, Summoner Sayuri!" I praised, clapping my hands together. "Let it out from the bottom of your belly now!" She nodded her head. Summoner Sayuri was truly awe-inspiring when she was happy. She was a great addition to this kingdom. Without her here I wouldn't have known what to do at all...

"Okay, here I go, Renata!"

"Tee hee hee," I laughed, trying to hide my smile behind my hands. She was so hilarious! She was such a great friend and I was lucky to have her as one. Honestly, I didn't know where I would be without Sayuri by my side. If I hadn't met her and her friends outside of the kingdom that day... Laid out in the heat of the sun... Hurt and wounded... If I didn't help them with their wounds and nurse them back to health—give them a place to stay in—I wouldn't know where I would be, or if I would still be alive. She saved me unintentionally, and for that I wish her the best. I wished that she would able to see Kohana again and I wished that she would come to a point in her life where she didn't have to fight anymore! I smiled as Sayuri readied her hands again.

"Kohana you dummy! You... You _TRAITOR!" _

"Kohana isn't just a dummy, she's the queen of dummies!" I yelled, this time getting a little higher than I had before. Sayuri ended up laughing at me. It was strange how I didn't even know who Kohana was... But I felt so... So... I felt like I had met her before. Whether it be through Sayuri, a dream, or something that I couldn't explain. Any mother of Sayuri's was a good mother. I almost felt a little jealous of Sayuri for having so many great friends and a mother that she could call a traitor out loud! I let out another giggle before Morta walked behind us. Sayuri kept screaming as loud as she could, not even noticing Morta behind me at all.

"She's been down ever since Kohana left her. You wouldn't even imagine it, Renata," she said, sighing. "But even if she's not really happy, this should make her a little bit better. You definitely have a unique way Princess Renata, but you are concerned about the people around you, and that's good at least." I nodded my head. Sayuri had such wonderful and kind friends. Even for the Summoner of Death, there was nothing deadly about Morta.

"You stupid idiot! How dare you leave me on this planet full of morons and only drop in once after Lucrecia damn near kills me! You stupid dummy—I could have been killed! You suck, Kohana! You really, truly, more than anything in the world suck right now and it's all your fault!" Sayuri paused, inhaling. "I hope you never come back you worthless piece of garbage!" We both looked at her, Morta sweatdropping.

"I'm... Not sure if I would want Kohana here to witness this," Morta said, sighing. I giggled some more. Morta shook her head, her wavy hair cascading down her back.

* * *

_And you know the rain won't last forever. And you know the storm won't always flow. But if the sun don't shine forever, you gotta let it go._

* * *

Sayuri couldn't be mad at me forever, could she? I couldn't live with myself if she was mad at me for something that wasn't even my fault! I was just trying to help Chio out, honestly! I walked into the room—our room—and she kind of folded her arms, refusing to look at me. I could tell she was still mad at me...! But I didn't mean anything bad, honest! Hopefully she would listen to me! Miyuki told me that I should apologize anyway. I tilted my head and put my hands on my hips. I could do this! I wasn't scared. "Hey... Are you still mad at me, Sayuri...?" She tilted her head to the left, still not saying anything. No! I couldn't get over this! If she was still mad I couldn't live with myself. "If the leader keeps moping around like this, it's going to affect the team's morale, you know?"

She still didn't say anything. Boy, I really messed up this time, didn't I? I sighed. "I'm telling you Sayuri, Chio forgot her glasses and I just went in there to return them to her! She couldn't see, so imagine all the trouble she would have gotten into if she didn't find her glasses? What if she bumped into another Essence again? I just wanted to help her out! That's all it was, okay?"

"Whatever," she shot, tilting her head again. She sounded so annoyed... I sighed again. Whenever Sayuri got angry, she always did just let it fester... Even when I first met her in my backyard. There's only really one way to handle this. I hope I didn't make the situation worse, but I wanted her to be happy, even if she didn't listen to me.

"Hey, Sayuri!" I said, a little bit louder. "Why should only you get to be angry? You're the one who beat me up without asking me what happened, okay?" She gasped and she almost turned around, but she was so stubborn. She turned back around again. "You made that choice! _You _thought something weird was going on, and _you_ decided to be angry about it!" She looked down at the ground and I shook my head. "You really are childish, you know? You've always been so unfair about stuff like that and you never grew out of it! How long have we been Summoners, Sayuri—"

"Oh! Well forgive me for not growing up!" she shouted, still refusing to look at me. "It's not like you ever grew out of being a stupid, dumb idiot! Why are you acting like you're so much better than me now, Kokoro? Even in fights you think you're the big cheese around here, did you forget that I'm the leader—" Okay, plan B! I put my hand on her shoulder and she turned around—I almost thought she was going to hit me in my face if I wasn't careful! But... If anything could get her to calm down, it was what I was thinking of doing. Back when we were flying to Spectra, back on the airship...

Sayuri turned around and I kissed her on her forehead. She took two steps back, covering her forehead with both of her hands. "You're right Sayuri," I said, smiling a little. "Neither of us have changed. So, how about we just cut this out and make-up eventually, like we always did?" She moved her arms away from her head so I could see her eyes. She still looked really confused, but I was sure Sayuri would get it eventually! She was too smart not to remember!

"Kokoro... You... You still remember our little making-up ritual."

"C'mon... Don't embarrass me!" I sighed. "I thought you were dead and that was such a long time ago!" I pouted. "I just didn't want you to die and I wanted to apologize to you for being such a lazy teammate. If I could have done anything... I just didn't think you'd forgive me for it and that was the only way I could say sorry because you wouldn't wake up! I didn't actually think you r-remembered that!" She stumbled backwards some more, her hands still glued to her forehead as she sat in the chair behind her. "So... Are we even now? Friends?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, jumping back up. "We're even now."

* * *

_Sometimes my burdens get so heavy, and it seems too hard to bare. Sometimes I feel so empty, and it feels like no one's there._

* * *

"I'm fine, Defina," my sister insisted, but she was coughing up a storm. Something was wrong with her but she wouldn't tell me what it was. Moreover, she wouldn't let me help her. I knew I could rid her of the cold she had, but Naira would not let me anywhere near her... Luckily, we were sitting in Queen Aysel's throne room along with everyone else. Adel even recovered from his hindering cold to be able to come to her meeting. The Summoners were there as well with their Guardian, attentive and ready for what Queen Aysel had to say.

She had a very large amount of tissues next to her and sprawled out around her. She spent every second blowing her nose and it had been getting to us all. Everything had been silent, so all we could hear was the sound of her trying to get the mucous out of her nose. Most of us could ignore it, especially the Summoner's Guardian. She looked calm and collected—not even a little swayed by my sister's rude actions. Lucrecia, on the other hand, had been tapping her fingers on the table, looking up at the diamond-incrusted clock on the wall.

Summoner Sayuri seemed to have been doing the same thing as well—taping her fingers on the table. There was a really high air of tension around us all... Where was Queen Aysel and why was she taking her time getting to a meeting that she called forth? Eventually Lucrecia could not take it anymore and she slammed her fist into the table, her eye darting towards my sister. Oh dear, what could she do now? "Do you need some medicine, Naira, or are you going to sniff until I die from lack-of-fucking-oxygen?" she shouted, waiting for Naira to answer her.

My sister looked at Lucrecia from the corner of her eyes, scoffing. "What? Surely you do not expect me to sit here and try to hold all of this mucous in my nose, Lucrecia. Do not be so foolish. I need to be at my best at all times—especially around Queen Aysel. This is just another one of your tactics to get me to make a wrong move. Yes, I see your game and I do not want to take part in it. Ignore my sniffling or you can get out of Queen Aysel's room. You do not have to take part in this if you do not want to. Such a thing is voluntary. Either way, you will end up looking bad within Queen Aysel's eyes." Naira always liked to pick fights with people she was more-or-less jealous of. I had told her to watch herself when she was around Lucrecia. And judging by the way Lucrecia looked, I was not sure Naira had done what I had asked her to do.

"Duh! Why the hell do you think I offered you some medicine then? Think with your fucking brain and not with your nose! Dammit, don't twist up my words," she said, scoffing. Lucrecia rolled her eye and then started smirking. "Although you're right on that one account. I do hate Aysel. But even fucking hating her isn't enough to get her off of my back. So deal with it, okay? Stop being a damn wuss about it and for the love of God stop blowing your damn nose and leaving all your tissues on the fucking table! That's damn disgusting!"

My sister blew her nose once more, throwing her tissue on the table. "And if I do not, Lucrecia? Are you going to fight me now?" Naira sounded full of hate and despair when she said that. My sister did not get colds like this. There had to be something she was not telling me. Normally she would never act this way in Aysel's throne room. I folded my arms. What if Naira had been thinking about what happened so long ago? About what had happened when we ran into Lucrecia that day, when Shiva was attacking the kingdom? Could that mark have something to do with her being so sick...?

That peculiar mark etched its way into Naira's skin and into my brain. I always told myself it was a tattoo, but... I knew I had been lying to myself. "That cold of yours made you insane if you think I'm going to fight you over a bunch of fucking sniffling!" Lucrecia shouted. "How long have you had that cold anyway? Just a couple of days ago you were fine! You fucking idiot, you better stop jumping out of your body before I put you back in your place! I'm not having this today! You're annoying the shit out of me!" Summoner Sayuri let out a yawn, holding her wand over her shoulder and sighing lethargically.

"You guys fight more than me and my mom... _Pfftpt," _Sayuri said, making Naira and Lucrecia both stare daggers at her. Summoner Morta looked towards Sayuri and she shrugged. "What? It's true! Not even ten minutes and already there's an argument about colds. If you want to help her Lucrecia, you shouldn't exactly yell a whole bunch of curses at her! That's more annoying than listening to her blow her nose! It's like I flinch every time you yell at her!" I flinched when the Summoner _said_ all of that. Naira blew her nose once more, standing up from her seat.

"I—_uark_—did not ask you to comment on affairs that have nothing to do with you, Summoner Sayuri," Naira said, coughing. She was too sick to come here! She was too sick to even stand! That was it. It was hurting me to see my sister in so much pain so I got up as well, putting my hands on her shoulders. "Defina, what are you—_aaachuuu!"_ My sister sneezed, and I cannot recall much of what happened after that. I was too busy closing my eyes to really see what had just happened. I was so glad Princess Renata and her newly knighted guard was not here to witness this. Everything had been revealed in that one fateful sneeze towards Summoner Kokoro.

He had seen the sneeze coming, but he was not prepared for what would happen after the fateful event. Sayuri jumped out of her chair, holding her arms out to her sides. "Woaaaah! What the heck kind of sneeze was that?" she exclaimed, pointing at her fellow Summoner. Summoner Kokoro looked down at his shirt, holding it with his index and thumb fingers. Summoner Sayuri looked up at Naira and my sister wiped her nose, scoffing. "You did this to Kokoro? That's not a cold you have then! What—What are these things crawling on him? Kokoro, are you okay?" He glanced at her, standing up and frowning a little.

"Sayuri, I'm sure it's fine. Maybe that's just something that happens in this world! Maybe snot is just made like this!" He sounded unsure of himself, but I could tell he was just lying to make Naira feel better. What Summoner Sayuri said was true, however. Naira's snot had little organisms crawling inside of it. I had noticed it when I helped her walk into Aysel's throne room. I didn't say anything because I didn't want her to get worried. I understood how much protecting Aysel meant to Naira, even if the others didn't fully quite understand it. But now that she had sneezed—all over a Summoner, no less—the secret was out. "Naira, it's not your fault, please don't beat yourself over it..."

"Damn right that's not just a cold. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Lucrecia spat, standing up and walking towards her. Naira looked the other way, refusing to speak. "Did you—are you—"

"Umoshisu," Miyuki said, closing her eyes and sighing. "Lucrecia has every right to be concerned. She is right, Naira doesn't just have a cold. Umoshisu is a parasite on my planet. Many years ago we managed to contain it, but..." She paused, opening her eyes and looking at Kokoro's shirt. The organisms resembled green worms. "What are Umoshisu doing on this planet and how did it get _inside_ of you no-less, Naira? Is there something you aren't telling us that really needs to come out now?" Umoshisu...?

"So, it has a name..." I muttered, trying to hold back my tears. I could not hold them back any longer. I—I loved Naira so much and I did not want her to die! Thinking back to all the times we spent walking together, talking about what we were going to do together... Only to have those memories shattered by some kind of tattoo Lucrecia seemly gave to her? I could not let my sister fall to something so dastardly! It would not be fair! "Naira! It has a name! The sickness you have... It has a name!" I muttered, letting my tears get the best of me. "This Umoshisu—it will kill you! I know it will, sister! Seek the help you need! You cannot keep living like this!"

"I'm fine you ignoramus!" Naira shot back at me. "As for Guardian Miyuki, she does not know of what she speaks! I have a sickness from another planet? Ha! I can only laugh in the face of such false accusations!" Even when she was quite sick, she would not listen to what I had to say. She would not listen to reason. Miyuki only wanted to help her! Miyuki locked her bright-pink eyes on my sister. Miyuki had an air about her that was worthy of praise. She held my sister's attention without even moving. The Guardian had a goal, and that was to help my sister. I could see it in her eyes and that made me calm down.

"I did not say you got an illness from another world," Miyuki said, standing out of her chair. "As you know, planets have different forms of technology. Maybe the Umoshisu came to your world and this is the first time it has surfaced. In which case, I think I should tell you now that Umoshisu on Spectra was very dangerous. It messed with the genetic make-up of living things and... Despite it being a parasitic creature... It turns the host into something that it is not and it—"

"I feel as if otherworldly matters should not be brought up," Adel said gruffly, nodding his head towards Miyuki. "I am sorry for interrupting you, but the affairs that go on in your world should stay there."

"However," Summoner Morta said, directing all of her attention towards Adel. "It would be smart to at least hear from someone who knows what the Umoshisu is. If she knows what it is, you should at least give her a chance to explain herself. If this is a sickness or a parasite from another world, whatever it may be, if Miyuki says there's a cure for it on her planet then she can help Naira feel better. You should never deny help when it is given to you." I didn't understand much of what was going on, but the Summoners just being in the same room as my sister and I made me feel a lot better about the situation. I smiled a little, knowing that there was at least hope for her. A sickness like this... I had never seen something like that before in my life.

"Adel is right," Zed added, putting his book down. "You people are Extraterrestrials after all. Is there not a law about influencing a world with other technology? Maybe all she has is a cold. If the woman says she is okay, should we not just leave it as is? Listen to all of this banter; we are making a commotion about something that could be a simple setback."

"Extraterrestrials?" Summoner Sayuri shouted, jumping out of her seat. "We're not the aliens, _you're_ the aliens! We're perfectly normal and—_waadfagaaaaha_—" I blinked at that sentence. We were the aliens here? But they came to our planet... Morta covered Sayuri's mouth and sat her back down in her seat. She removed her hand and Sayuri glared at her for a while. Lucrecia did not like what Sayuri said at all and pointed her mechanical index-finger at her.

"What do you mean _we're _the fucking Extraterrestrials? Um, I know it must be hard thinking without a damn brain inside of your head, but stupid bitch—you came to _our _planet!"

"I'm aware of that, Lucrecia!" Sayuri shouted back. "But I'm not going to let anyone get away with calling us Extraterrestrials! We're not whatever those are! We're Summoners! Dammit, we didn't come here to invade and destroy!" She paused, looking at Zed with determination in her eyes. "Last time I checked, someone sneezing out worms is a bad sign. Even if it is just a cold, we have to make sure and be very careful! Defina..." she said, looking at me. I smiled a little. "...Is really worried about her sister. And when something like this happens on Earth, we rush our loved ones to the hospital, regardless of if they're sick or not. Because we care about each other, okay? Because we're in this together. You guys are Enlightened, and we're Summoners. End of story. There's no such things as Extraterrestrials here, got it?"

For a moment it was silent until Zed grinned a little. "I like your resolve, Summoner. Summoners and Enlightened. How cliché. How long has it been since this kingdom has wanted to hear something like that? The people here think you are heroes... Are you not telling me you are going to spend your time looking into a cold?"

"Damn straight!" Sayuri declared, standing up and holding her wand with her right hand. "I'm made of time! It's what I have plenty of! Naira, you hear that? You're going to get better, okay? Please, don't think you don't have help here. Because we're just a couple of inches away from you." My sister just let out more coughs, but I knew she had took everything Sayuri said to heart. I wiped away my tears and sat down in my chair. Miraculously Queen Aysel walked into the room, her dress trailing behind her. She stepped in front of the table, scanning all of our faces.

"My, what in the name of Aysel's kingdom has you all upset?" Yes, we all looked rather flustered... Especially Summoner Kokoro. He was still holding his shirt and my sister still persisted on blowing her nose. It was funny, to a certain extent. We all had walked into the room calm and ended up stressing each other out. "Anyway! That does not matter, for I am Queen Aysel! Yes, I called this meeting today to give you all very glorious news!" Queen Aysel raised her hands in the air, her earrings jangling. "I have decided that—because my dearest daughter Renata had been assaulted not too long ago—that the people of my guard should not be bothered with trying to find such a fiend. After the ambush at I, Queen Aysel's knighting ceremony, I have decided that all research into Cecelia and the person that attacked my daughter is hereby forbidden!"

"What!" Kokoro exclaimed, standing up out of his chair. Sayuri looked just as confused as he did. "But Queen Aysel! If we ever want something like that not to happen again, we have to find these people! They'll only end up hurting even more people!"

"You dare question I, Queen Aysel? Why, I never!" she said, frowning at Kokoro. "Whatever I say is the law, for I am Queen Aysel!"

"So what if you're Queen Aysel!" Sayuri shot, glaring at her. "No way! What's next? You're going to tell us that we shouldn't help Naira out too? Because she has a very suspected cold! Defina thinks she can die from it—" Now was my time to show my sister that I was not weak. That I could do what the Summoners were doing now. I was strong, and I would show everyone inside of this room! I would voice what I felt and not feel bad about saying it! I stomped my foot on the ground, looking directly at Queen Aysel.

"It also has something to do with those people, I know it!"

Everything fell silent. Naira looked like she had the wind taken out of her. She turned around slowly and looked at me. "Defina...?"

"I am tired of being silent all the time, Naira! Making you ashamed to be my sister! But now I understand what I must do! You are sick and the Summoners have shown me now that even when you are sick I must take care of you. Those people were bad news, and if we stop looking into them we may never find the cure! So please Queen Aysel, reconsider for Naira's sake..." I waited for Queen Aysel to say something, but she just started laughing at me. I knew I should have never done anything like that. I looked at my sister out of sheer embarrassment. She smiled at me! My sister was actually proud of something I had done!

"Nonsense Defina! Really, it amuses me that you would say something like that in front of I, Queen Aysel! We need to focus on what is really important, and that is protecting _me_. Silly Summoner Sayuri, do we need to have a repeat of what happened several nights before? Ha! I, Queen Aysel, am the authority in my kingdom!" Sayuri bowed her head down and she started to shake a bit, her grip on her wand loosening.

"You... You want me to just give up...?" she said. After that she looked directly at Queen Aysel, scowling. "You want me to just give up on Naira? You want me to just let Cecelia get away? To forget everything that Renata had to go through? You want me to turn the other cheek? To forget Aline attacking us in the church in Austere? _Fat chance!" _Summoner Sayuri put her wand down, fire in her eyes. "You may be the law, Aysel, but there's nothing that is stopping us from going against you!" Summoner Sayuri was so strong... "You can say that I have to give up, but I'm not! And let me tell you another thing—I'm not leaving this planet until I find out what is hurting my friends! Heh, I guess now you can call us Extraterrestrials now, because we're not going anywhere! We're going against you!" Morta stood up as well, right along side Sayuri.

"And she's not doing this alone. She has us, Aysel. We don't need you to host us here if that's what you desire."

"Yeah!" the newest addition to their team said. She had been playing with her fingers this whole time... "I don't understand much of what is going on, but if our friends need our help, we'll turn traitor! At least we know it's for a good thing!"

"... Aww, how am I going to clean my shirt...?" Kokoro sighed, standing up with them. Miyuki was still seated, smiling at her Summoners.

"What can I say? Whatever they decide to do, I have to guard them." Queen Aysel looked really hurt and angry. She did not know what to say for a while, and that was when Lucrecia got up and started walking towards the door.

"I'm going to go run some tests on this... Snot of hers. See ya around, guys." With that said, Lucrecia left the room. She... She went against Aysel's orders! I couldn't not believe such a thing! And it only got worse from that point on. Adel got up too and bowed.

"Queen Aysel, I believe this meeting is over. If you need my abilities, you know where to find me. The Summoner of Death was right all along. If one of our own is sick, we need to take everything we can to make sure she becomes well again." Another one from Aysel's guard vanished. Queen Aysel still did not say anything. Naira let out a few more coughs before she blew her nose.

"T—thank you, Summoners," Naira muttered before walking towards the door. "I believe in you." That was the first time I had ever heard Naira say something like that. Sayuri shook her head and looked back at Queen Aysel.

"So now what? You're going to throw us in jail and lock away the key?" Sayuri challenged, raising a brow. "Because if you arrest us, you're going to have to lock away your guard." Aysel wiped her nose with her handkerchief, shrugging her shoulders.

"Perhaps it cannot be helped! But I, Queen Aysel, still want full watch over this situation!"

"Yes!" Kokoro said, jumping up into the air. While the Summoners rejoiced, I looked back at the door.

Everything would be fine now, wouldn't it?

I smiled.

Everything would be just fine...

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah. Someone tell Defina it's going to be okay! XD;;; Because Defina's got a baaad feeling about this... And she should! XD Anyway, the 'e' word is just something you do not say. XD Extraterrestrials. Because NO one likes being called an alien. XD;; Though Sayuri was wrong. _They _would be the aliens...

But I digress! That word is _forbidden!_ XD

It's like... CCFA grounds for the 'n' word!

Which I am allowed to say because I myself am Black, har har. :P

... But yeah. XD Nice going Zed. Blew the whole thing straight to hell as soon as you said that. XD;;;

And lookit all the Sayuri/Kokoro potential? XD; I think I'm warming up to it!

Um. Yes, yes, yes, yes. This story. Soon. Is going to be better than sex. XD;;; Come onnnnnn. Come on! Let's get this ball rollin'! XD Faster, dammit! To the rising action we go! XD;;


	29. Gethsemane

**A/N:** And I'll only say this _once. _XD This is_ not_ Sayuri in this flashback! D: So don't think it's just some more incessssssssst. XD;;; Got that? Not Sayuri. XD Have a nice day. XD I know it says Sayuri's name. But if you guys were smart! XD

Sorry this took a long time to get updated. Yeah, yeah, I know.

I was working on like ten other things. But hey, most of you were reading the Kohana themes anyway, so you guys didn't go without CCFA for long, right? Don't throw things at me. XD

If you're feeling drunk put your hands in the air--*shot*

Okay. XD I'm done. And I've just realized that I really like Isleen's name. XD

Also. Arkham Asylum. XD;;; That game is ACE! XD Joker is starting to piss me off though, but I'll live. XD

* * *

Slowly he walks into the room, his eyes scanning the Summoner of Time. She doesn't sense his presence, wiping a lone tear out of her emerald eye as she tries to stop her sobbing. After she wipes her tear away, she closes her eyes, as if she is listing to an invisible song. "Sayuri..." he whispers, taking a few steps towards her. He stops abruptly as she looks at him through the corner of her eyes, wiping both of her eyes with her right arm.

She looks down at the ground and gasps, turning around. Her purple hair flutters with every move she makes. She smiles at him. "What are you doing over there, Boy?"

"I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but would you quit calling me 'Boy'? Just stop with that thing, Sayuri. I don't find it funny." The King of Essences sighs, putting a hand on his waist. "You didn't have any problem with calling me Suzuki back then, so you shouldn't have a problem calling me Suzuki now." She chuckles to herself, tilting her head. At the prolonged silence he scratches the back of his head.

"Sayuri... You were just crying, weren't you?" Her smile fades into a frown. "Um... Were you crying over... Were you crying over your lost teammate? Isleen...?" He is generally worried about her, glancing at how she holds her sword in her left hand. Her grip loosens on it. After a while she gathers the strength to look back at Suzuki, a mischievous grin on her face.

"What if I was, hmm?" she challenges, narrowing her eyes. "Would you console me?"

"Huh? I beg your pardon?"

"Silly. A good man never admits to noticing a woman's tears. However, an even better man does whatever it takes to stop them." Nonplussed, Suzuki tilts his head, trying to figure out what she is getting at. With a smirk dancing across her lips she walks towards him. And as she walks, he takes two steps back, his eyes widening a little. She stops in front of him, her arms dangling down to her sides.

"Well? What are you going to do for me, Suzuki?" she asks, narrowing her eyes at him. He looks the other way, refusing to answer anything she has to say. Now is not the time for such things. He is a king, after all. She walks closer to him, standing next to him as he stares in front of himself.

"You see?" she taunts, talking into his ear. "Still just a boy," she hisses, walking out of the room.

"...!" He looks down at the ground, chuckling to himself.

"A boy, huh? Yeah... I guess I am."

* * *

**-: Chapter Twenty-Nine: Gethsemane :-**

_Now I am mute, despite myself  
All of them are gone  
The silence overtakes me  
The idle words forsake me  
And I am left to face me  
I'm held accountable  
For every idle word  
Curse the idle words!_

_Glory shows up  
Exposes us  
I'm naked here  
Forsaken here, by the dark, by the dark  
DAMN THE DARK!_

_I'm scared to death of light and silence._

— "In The Dark" — Flyleaf

"Wake up Sayuri," Morta said, being a bitch and pushing me from behind. I was too sleepy to wake up! I wanted to catch some z's. My eye were really droopy and I couldn't see. And she just kept pushing me down the hallway. "I told you what we were going to do a long time ago. Remember the dinner?" Honestly, I couldn't hear a word she said.

"_Han—hanhannumnumnum_," I said, smacking my lips and licking them. "Morta, what are you talking about? I just wanted to go back to sleep." Ah, wondrous, joyous, epic sleep! What I wouldn't give to have a black-out or something! Anything but another dream! I couldn't handle them anymore. That's when I snapped back to reality. Me? Having a blackout? Ha, impossible. Every time I went I went to sleep I dreamed. I stopped walking and turned around, looking at Morta seriously. I folded my arms, sighing.

"Okay I get it," I said, scoffing. "Since it's late and no one's up at this time of night, we're going to snoop around. Sounds like a plan, but I feel really bad about this, especially since Naira's so hurt and sick." I paused, holding my wand with both of my hands. I clutched my fists, turning into my Summoner form. "Anything to beat the Queen of Everything though. She's hiding something from us and we won't stop until we find out what it—_gafala_, for the love of...!" What? Someone touched my shoulder. I couldn't help but scream. I turned around and it was just Kokoro.

"Mmm. How did you get here, Kokoro?" Morta asked, amused because I had jumped so hard. I scowled, turning around. That big baby! I can't believe I let Kokoro scare _me_, of all people! "So you must have known what we were planning on doing all along. I imagine you're still using snooping around in bathrooms as a safety method for gathering information?" Gah! Sarcastic-ass bitch-face! I wanted to rain fire on her for that, but I had to bite my tongue. No way. As soon as I had decided to bite my tongue, I knew I wouldn't last too long like that. Kokoro just looked at us like he didn't have a brain.

"Rawr, Morta!" I growled, imitating a monster. "Shut up. Anyway, if Kokoro is here, it only means that we have one more person to help us on this mission, okay? Kokoro, you know what we're doing, right?" I paused, looking at the ceiling. "Wait. How the heck did you even find us and how did you even know we were going to be in this hallway?" As much as I didn't want to say it, he was a lot smarter than he let on. I couldn't just ignore him. This was a two-man mission after all. I didn't know what Aysel was all about, but if we got caught doing this...

I wasn't thinking about myself, I was thinking about the others.

Chio and Miyuki.

I folded my arms and leaned against the wall. "Well Sayuri, Miyuki heard you guys talking and she wanted me to go with you guys." Morta switched her footing, like she automatically knew Miyuki was going to send Kokoro with us. I, on the other hand, didn't take that all too well. What?! I put my hands in the air, my mouth wide open. Miyuki knew?! How the hell did she know?! How the hell did she _hear_ us? We were so far away from her! I pointed at the nearest door, denying the existence of miracles and whatnot. I knew I didn't make much sense. "Miyuki's half cat, remember?!" Kokoro exclaimed, smiling. "She has really great hearing."

"But we were separated by a door!" I shouted. Morta put her index-finger on her lips—trying to tell me to quiet down.

"Sayuri, it's okay. Miyuki just heard us talking and sent Kokoro to make sure we were okay. But Kokoro," she said, standing up straight. "This is a stealth mission. And you're not really that stealthy." Hell yes, she was right! Kokoro would light up the whole place! … On fire, even! Kokoro started pouting, walking in a circle.

"Aww, why not Morta?"

"The light you'll give off," she said, staring at him. She started to count off the reasons on her fingers. "Your body heat..." Woah, woah, woah. Now if Morta thought this was a good idea because it would only be us two, she was mistaken. When she transformed it got really, really cold, remember? I stomped my foot on the ground and both of them looked at me. Morta motioned at me to stay quiet again, but I wasn't having that.

"What about how cold it gets when you transform?" I challenged, arching a brow. "And I'm not that stealthy either, encase you forgot who I am. I am Sayuri Outtaike and I don't bite my tongue for anybody, got it? Now if you want to take Kokoro instead of me, I'm all for that." I paused, looking at him. "But, as fate would have it, Kokoro, I need you to stay with Chio and Miyuki. If something happens, since you're one of the original Summoners anyway, you'd be more help than just those two alone." Kokoro understood every word I said and I nodded my head. I felt like a thousand bucks. Like I was in control. "But whatever happens, don't let Chio know what we're doing and don't let Miyuki tell her. We either make it out of here alive... Or die trying." I didn't think Morta was planning on dying and I wasn't either. It was just one harmless little white lie. How much damage could it do?

Besides. I wasn't serious.

"Okay guys!" he said, waving at us as he turned around. "Don't get hurt, okay?" Right. We wouldn't get hurt. After Kokoro disappeared, Morta's grip tightened on her scythe. I hope she didn't think she was going to drag that thing around. I felt kind of dumb, not telling Kokoro that we were going to be okay. He was concerned about us and that was what he had been talking about. You know... When he came to see if I was okay after he 'got Chio's glasses'.

"We'll be back, Kokoro—!! _Ouch!"_ I yelled. Morta had hit me! Goddammit! I rubbed my head and looked directly at her. "Why'd you hit me like that?! Ow, you're worse than Miyuki, and you hit like a man! Why you..."

"Do you want to be hit again?"

"Do you think I'm ever going to let you get away with hitting me again?" I said sarcastically. Morta ignored me completely and her scythe disappeared from her hand. So she was smarter than she let on too. I didn't want to walk ahead of her so I just let her walk in front of me. I wouldn't dream of doing something like this. Okay, let me stop lying. Of course I would dream of doing something like this. I was THE dreamer, correct? Ah, it had been along time since I said that phrase. Lately, I had been getting the feeling that "the dreamer" was unimportant. Back then... I could control anything I wanted in my dreams. But now stuff just happened...

And I'm powerless to stop it.

"Morta," I said, cracking my knuckles. "Jesus, you seem really eager to do this." What? I was a little scared. You could tell I was afraid. It was written all over my face. It took her a long time, but she eventually answered me.

"You think you're the only one who felt sad when we saw Renata on the ground, Sayuri?" Well. Obviously. Morta punched me in the face, if I recalled! I was the only one who tried to make things better for Renata! I was the only one crying! Everyone else just sat there and watched lightning dance all around her body as she kept twitching... "Sayuri, you don't have to act like you're the only one who's hurting right now. We all want to find answers."

"Yeah..." I muttered, stepping up to the plate. I was going to give Morta a piece of my mind! "I know that all of you guys want to get things straightened out... I just feel like everything's my fault because I'm the leader. I'm a suckish leader. And by the sound of it, you should have been the leader anyway. You found your powers before I did." Hmm, Morta didn't really show her emotions all too much, but you could always tell when she was surprised. Taken aback a little, she looked blankly at me.

Kinda all how-could-you-say-something-like-that blank.

The only thing that would make this moment better is if she started crying!

"It doesn't matter, Sayuri," she said. "So what if I was first? You make a great leader. You focus too much on the little things. Whatever happens happens, but we have to move forward. If something dies or is lost, we've got to keep moving. Right now, our goal is to see what we can find. And in pursuing that goal, completing it will result in a domino effect. We'll take care of everything we missed in the process." We would, wouldn't we? Ha, Morta was smart after all.

"Wow, how out of character," I mumbled under my breath. Morta shot me a look, but I didn't really want to fight with her. I was serious! You didn't believe me? Look at the situation! We were walking inside of a dark, scary castle. Alone. And we had no idea where we were going. And I was tired of all the silence! Without talking... I don't know. I just felt more scared. I felt like someone was breathing down my neck. Like I was being watched. I stopped for a second, turning around to make sure we were alone. I didn't feel right about this thing at all.

Why was I so stupid?!

We should have taken Kokoro along with us anyway! We couldn't do anything with just the two of us! I started shaking a little, trying to hold my hands. "Morta..." I said slowly, making her stop and turn around. "We're not going to sneak into any rooms, are we?" She gave me one of those you-can't-be-serious looks. Aww man!! I thought we were just walking around the castle! Now we were sneaking into other people's rooms? Granted this place was huge... We could just walk into an empty one and see where that takes us. What was I talking about? I was so scared right now it wasn't even funny.

"What else are we going to look through, Sayuri?" Morta answered back, turning around and walking forward. Ah, okay, now I thought this was a _really_ bad idea. She stopped again and I almost walked into her. I even got some of her hair in my mouth and I started to sputter. It was her fault for stopping without warning me! "You hear that, Sayuri?" Oh Jesus no. I didn't want to hear anything! I was going to turn around and run like hell, but Morta put her arm up. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark."

"I'm not afraid of the dark!" I protested. "I'm afraid of what's hiding _in_ the dark!" Damn straight! I had to correct her! Morta sighed and rolled her eyes. She never took me seriously. And this was the girl who beheaded Tariku when we were back on Earth. Gah, I picked bad times to remember stuff. Morta wasn't that bad of a person, but I just couldn't force myself to forget something like that... It wasn't her fault, but still. I never would have imagined that the two of us would be friends like this. If that was what I wanted to call what we had.

Friendship.

"Sayuri, your wand." I looked down at it. I had been holding it with both of my hands. What did she want with my wand? She couldn't hold it anyway. It only let me hold it. Stupid little thing. Lost in thought, I started to shake it with my left hand. And it still didn't have any juice in it. After that fight with Cecelia my wand just decided to bomb out on me. I had caught those two Essences but I didn't really fight them. Oh well. I shrugged it off, putting my arms to my sides. "Stay on your guard. There's something coming."

What?!

Everything I wanted to say got backed up in my throat. Now come on! It was almost four AM in the morning and someone was up roaming the hallways? What kind of person is up that early? What kind of person spends their mornings walking in hallways? I was about to find out, but I really didn't want to know. Morta stood her guard and I started shaking again. "I'm not afraid of the dark, I'm not afraid of the dark—" I had to say _something_ to myself. I just couldn't stand there and look like a wimp. Especially in front of my teammate. Why did things always look easy when you talked about them, but then when you actually _did _them they were really hard?

"I see it!" Morta said, shaking her head at me. She turned back around and my grip tightened on my wand. Okay, here we go, here we go...

Next thing I know, Morta just started running up the hallway without me and I stood there looking like a homeless person. I didn't know where to go and asking her wasn't on my to-do list. But I needed help! My heart started to pound out of my chest. What if Morta really needed my help? What if she ran into Aysel or something? Holy crap, what was I doing there just _thinking?!_ The noise Morta had been talking about started to get louder and I closed my eyes. "It ate Morta...?" I whimpered, preparing myself. I had already assumed the worse. I looked into the darkness, trying to see the person before they saw me.

And I failed miserably.

I'm telling you, I saw this huge person! Yeah! And he had on a coat! A long, dumb, stupid coat! And a mustache! And he had a microwave for a head! I let out the most pathetic scream and I was about to turn around, but I heard Morta say something up ahead. "Ah, it was just a cicada. Never mind Sayuri. Come on, we're losing time. Though it may be early, we know nothing about Enlightened Ones' sleeping patterns." It was just a _bug?_ "Sayuri?" Morta walked towards me and I was facing the wall—my arms holding my body up. I looked down at the ground, my whole face white. I was out of breath and I didn't even run! "What's the matter with you? You look like you've seen a ghost, Sayuri."

I might of. I got a few more breaths of air in before I turned my head slightly towards Morta. "I'm. Okay."

I lied.

I wanted to go back to the room! This wasn't fair! Clumsily I stood up straight, wiping some of my hair out of my eyes. "We should keep going, you're right. If we're going to find anything, we need to find it now. I hope whatever we're looking for isn't like... A tall huge person. With a coat. A long, stupid dumb coat with a—" Morta kept walking, totally cutting me off. I could see why she would do that. I was shaking with every word I said and she could tell I was just afraid out of my mind. Great. I could never catch a break, could I? I was never normally like this! It must have been the lack of sleep, you know? We started walking again and I tried to keep my mouth closed. Every time the floor decided to make some noise, I jumped.

Stealth was not my style. Morta would learn this.

"Sayuri, it's not that bad," she said, trying to calm me down. "Just picture yourself walking through a dream of yours."

I paused. I grabbed my chin with my left hand, and after that I started freaking out. "I don't want to dream!!" I exclaimed, breaking into hysterics. "You're out for me too aren't you Morta?! I should have known! Because before I met you I had a dream of you attacking me! And you know what? It came true! Now you're telling me to dream and you know damn well my dreams don't have good stuff happening to me in them! Because you know what I think about walking through a dream! Fire! Lotsa lotsa fire!"

"You done?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Um. Yeah. Come on, lets keep going Morta."

Man was I pathetic. Anyway, there were a lot of steps we had to walk up. And when I say a lot... It was one of those spiraling staircase thingies. But one thing was for sure. We were heading upstairs. Our room was already upstairs but this was a castle, so of course it had more than one flight. Or three. Or seven. Or in Aysel's case... This castle had about thirteen flights of stairs. Yeah, it was that big. And no elevators. Which could be overlooked because they were all Enlightened so they could do the whole teleportation gig. But we were Summoners so this was really making me tired. After the twenty-sixth step I had it! I leaned against the rail and Morta glanced back at me.

Man! What was with her?! She was like a robot! She never got tired! "So you're going to give up now, Sayuri?"

"Like hell!" I shot, trying to stand up again. Ah, who the hell was I kidding? I leaned back on the rail again, a hopeless look on my face. "I'm just resting Morta! Honestly!" She smiled at me a little, extending her hand out towards me. I blinked at her. Did she really think I was going to take her hand like that? "Nah, I'm okay enough to stand. So... You must have some kinda higher endurance than me, right?" Tch. I looked the other way. "You guys have all the perks." Heck yeah! Not only could Morta smell when someone was dying, but she had high endurance! Either that or I was crazy.

"If you need help you should take it," she said, grabbing my hand. After that she started helping me up the steps. It was easier getting up them, I guess. She was being nice to me all of a sudden. But that isn't to say she hadn't been nice to me before. I just wasn't used to all of this extra kindness. I didn't deserve the stuff. Everywhere I went people praised me and I didn't know why. Like Renata and Chase, for example. Those guys thought I was some kind of goddess or something. Where were they getting that from? I didn't do anything to deserve all of this kindness.

Especially from Morta. All I've done was hate her for something she had no control over. And now I was being an idiot because she could walk up stairs longer than me.

I was just a big idiot, wasn't I? As she pulled me up the steps I started sulking. Realizing I needed to get my mind off the whole thing completely, I tried to strike up a conversation. "Morta, what do you think is going to happen when we finish our business on this world?" I knew she didn't have a clue, but I was interested in knowing what she thought. I didn't even have a clue and I was the leader. Well, kinda sorta. You know, only Miyuki really knew the answer to all of this stuff. "I don't know. I was just thinking. I'm going to miss some of these guys when we leave."

"Obviously we're going to have to go to another world," Morta answered back, as if it was so simple. So easy. "That's what Miyuki told me. We have to go to other worlds and ensure peace. We owe people from different worlds. We owe them happiness because that's what we do." Yeah yeah yeah. But what were they helping me out with? I didn't understand people. Before I got a chance to say something back to Morta, we had made it up to the next floor. Everything about the castle was the same. The carpet was red... Velvet-like, and the walls were painted white. A bright white too. I think you could have even blinded yourself looking at the paint for too long. Paintings were hung up everywhere. Aysel didn't have too much taste, I assumed. Her paintings looked like she put them anywhere she could manage them to fit. Either way, that's how it looked right now.

I looked at the ceiling, admiring the chandeliers hanging from it. "Maybe we should stop and take a look on this floor, Morta. I feel like we've been missing something, and that the answer to our problem is on this floor." I nodded my head and did an epic pose, smirking triumphantly. She looked at me and sighed, walking behind me. She looked at some of the paintings and at how eerie some of them looked. Wouldn't it be weird if everyone in her guard had like... A separate hallway or something? And if this was someone's hallway, they needed a good reality check.

Walking past parodies of _The Scream_, Morta and I came to a clear consensus and stopped in front of a door that had a note tacked to it. "Ah!" I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Do not enter, huh? Classic. Well, that's all the evidence we need to storm this room, right?" Dammit! I was tired of acting like I knew what to do all of the time! I was so afraid... I was shaking in my boots! Morta gripped her scythe with both of her hands, taking one step closer to the door.

"Or it could be a way of someone trying to keep people out of their room while they are sleeping."

True, true. She was waiting for me to answer her back and I looked at the ceiling again. "I—!" I said, looking proud. "... Have nothing." I deflated, hunching over. "If there's someone inside of that room, you can forget it Morta! It's not even worth it! Like I said, I've got as much stealth as a bear! I can't do it! I'll cry if I go inside of there!"

"You're in the big leagues now Sayuri. You're a big girl now."

What the hell?! "Are you insulting me?!" I said, pointing a finger at her. She didn't even look afraid of me! And I guess if you looked at us, you could see why she didn't. Hello. I was the girl standing there, holding a wimpy wand, scared of everything. And then there was Morta, who looked more or less _badass._ Also. Note the scythe. Yeah, I wasn't that intimidating. But I knew how to make myself intimidating! Morta rolled her eyes and she tapped on the door with their weapon, which made me stand on one of my legs. "Oh come on! You tapped on it?! You want us to die or something?!"

"Stop being a big baby. You shouldn't have agreed on doing this if you knew you were afraid of the dark."

"Of what's_ in _the dark! _In_ the dark!"

"It doesn't matter. Creatures in the dark use it as a facade."

"You're not making any sense!"

"... Neither are you. But who's worse in this situation? Me, who's trying to find something out by making sure this isn't just a closet, or you, the girl who is screaming for no apparent reason about creatures _in_ the dark? You could really scare someone. They'll think you're a creature_ in_ the dark and start attacking _you._ Do you ever think when you do stuff like this?" My eye started twitching as I put my hands to my sides. Oh ho ho! That was it! That was the last straw! I thought I should repay the favor! You know, for her hitting me when we were trying to save Renata! I balled my fist up, narrowing my eyes.

"You think you're so funny!" I spat. "Well, let's see how you like this one!" I saw the opportunity and I was going to take it! I tried to hit her in the jaw, just like she did me, but she stuck her leg out and I tripped and crashed face-first into the ground. I can't believe I just ate the carpet... I started sputtering, cursing my luck. Slowly I got up, rubbing my cheek. "Aww... I got carpet burn. Son of a..." Before I could say anything else, Morta just opened the door. She was insane! I jumped behind her and I don't know what the heck happened after that. She was right. The room was just a closet. But something was behind us... Next thing I knew the whole hallway was engulfed in a red light. I knew who it was. Kokoro must have followed us after all. Sneaky guy.

I turned around, scratching the back of my head. Morta knew I was scared of the dark... I didn't need Kokoro egging it on. Or, I dunno. I was pretty sure I was afraid of the creatures_ in_ the dark, but I was too scared to actually care now. "Hey Kokoro, did you—" My jaw dropped instantaneously. The whole hallway started _burning. _There was fire everywhere! I started freaking out instantly. I knew it! This was all Morta's fault! She wanted me to burn this whole time! I was half expecting her to let out a demented laugh. Yeah, I prepared myself for it. I even had gotten my speech ready. Morta was going to do the whole "Hahaha! I'm Kohana you fool!" thing, but she didn't. Morta swung her scythe in front of me, the ice falling from it doing nothing to help stop the fire.

"Where the heck did all of this come from?!" I yelled.

"Where there's smoke there's fire," Morta said, keeping her stance.

Or rather... "Where there's fire there's smoke!" I yelled, looking all around us.

Strange, there was no smoke. And yet... I looked behind us and saw the most... Freakish monster in the history of seeing monsters. And trust me, I had seen a lot of monsters in my day. But nothing as scary as this one. It leaped over our heads, a trail of fire following it. "Holy crap!" I yelled, ducking. It hit the ground with an earth-shattering thud, fire escaping from underneath its feet. It looked like an animal, but then it didn't. It looked like a dog. Or at least, it could have passed as a dog. It had black eyes and it was REALLY muscular. It stood on all fours, fire dancing on its arms. The flames looked like they were taking the place of what looked like arm-cuffs. It had hair on top of its head—but of course that was made out of fire too. And its eyebrows? Made of fire.

Its skin was brown, but the one thing I couldn't get over was the fact that it had HORNS! Real life horns! Black, long horns! I didn't know what to think, but I knew we had to fight that thing! We couldn't have it running through the castle! The dog let out a roar from hell, fire circling around it. "Aysel's going to kill us!!" I shouted. Morta was surprised, but she wasn't freaking out.

"Sayuri, see if you can lead it out of the—" Whatever she was trying to say, I didn't hear her. I didn't hear her because the dog in question POUNCED on me. And then it started licking my face. I tried to get up, I swear I did, but it kept licking my face! I thought he was going to burn my body down, but the fire was kind of warn against my skin. Still though! Nasty, nasty, nasty! It had a big, dumb tongue! And with every lick its saliva stuck to me! It was _drooling _on me!

"Get it off—_rrr_! Morta! Help me!!" I yelled, trying to free myself. She kept her guard, taking a couple of steps towards me.

"Aww, I think it likes you."

"Stop joking around!" I yelled. "This is seriou—_aaiieeeee_!" I closed me eyes because the thing jumped over my body and ran down the hallway—the way in which we came. Holy crap. That thing could run. It dashed down the spiraling staircase. Dammit! I dusted myself off, glaring at Morta. "Was that what we were looking for?!" I sarcastically spat. She shrugged.

"Maybe."

"Great. Now here's the part where you go 'Looks like we have no choice but to follow it!'" I kept glaring at her. "Heaven help us. Because if that thing didn't wake up everyone in the castle, I don't know what will." Lucky for us, the dog left a trail of fire in his path, so following it wasn't going to be hard. It was just... I felt a little confused and a whole lot tired. I shouldn't have done this. Why me, God? Why did everyone hate me? We ended up running down the staircase as fast as we could. I still didn't trust Morta running with her scythe in her hand. I had no choice to though.

It wasn't like I could tell her to put it away while she ran towards the thing that tried to eat me just a second ago. When we made it to the previous floor, the dog was curled up against someone... "Ooooof couuurseee!" I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Of course. It's Chio." Seriously. Either that girl had a knack for trying to kill me in her sleep, of she should have been sleeping at all. This was a bunch of bullsh—

_"Rooooaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr!" _There we go. Another yell from our beast-like friend. Chio looked like she was some kind of lost puppet. Her head was dangling down and she had her staff in her hands.

"We need to wake her up!!" I said, looking at Morta. "Problem is, how the heck are we going to get her away from that thing?"

Morta wasted no time in replying to me. "Well, it likes you best."

"Oh screw you!" I carped, slumping my shoulders. "You're just saying that! It probably just likes me because I'm the Summoner of Time you jerk! I don't think anyone would like you! Since, you know, you're all about death! Where's your sympathy? Your emotions are dead too, aren't they?" Morta just pointed her scythe at Chio and her little... Pet. Dammit! I hated my job! Hated it, hated it, hated it! I always had all of the dirty jobs! What the hell, man? I put my wand away, started to walk a little closer to the dog, and put my hands out.

"That's a... uh... Nice boy!" I said off the top of my head. The dog looked at me, showing its fangs. "Holy crap." I turned around at Morta and started saying a whole bunch of stuff to her without words. You know, lip talking? She shook her head and did a little turning motion with her finger. Great!!! I turned around quickly, forcing a smile on my face. "Who's a good boy? You are! Aren't you...?" I gritted my teeth, walking even closer. You know what? Screw ALL of this!!! I held my wand with both of my hands, my smile still on my face. "Now all you have to do is turn around, and you won't see anything, okay?" There was no way I was getting any closer to that thing.

Here goes everything... "Now... _WAKE UP CHIO!!"_ I yelled, throwing my wand. It hit her right on top of her head. It hit her pretty hard too. Even Morta flinched at the sound it made. All of the fire disappeared and Chio fell towards the ground on her knees, blinking at the two of us. "Ha! I knew I could do it!" I yelled. After that I put my hand over my mouth. I forgot this had been a stealth mission, after all. But it wasn't my fault! "Welcome back to life, Chio," I said sarcastically. She looked at me, and then she looked at Morta.

"What am I... Where I am...?" she said, getting up off the ground. "Why does my head hurt so much?" I retrieved my wand, spinning it in-between my fingers.

"You were sleepwalking," Morta said, helping Chio up. "You must have called an Aeon on us again..."

Of course Chio acted like she didn't know what we were talking about. "Oh! You mean Evreet!" she said, smiling. It was amazing how she could go from hurt to happy in a matter of minutes. Still, I wasn't complaining. All I wanted was some sleep. Yeah, sleep would have been nice right about now. "Evreet... Well, he visits me from time to time. I didn't summon him! I don't even know how to, honest! He must have come here to check on me—"

The sound of shattered glass made all three of us flinch.

Shiiiiit.

"Speak of the devil," Morta said, turning around. Dammit! So that thing was still running around in here? What the hell? I just couldn't catch a break could I? I worked hard. I did everything I was supposed to do. I only beat up people that deserved it. So why was I being so brutally punished? "He's in that room." Morta pointed to my left, and lo-and-behold it was a _laboratory. _Not just a laboratory, but_ Lucrecia's _laboratory. Were we really about to go inside of there?

"Nope! Not me!" I said, closing my eyes. "I refuse to! I can't do it! No sir! Sorry guys, but you two can go in there."

"Sayuri..." Chio said softly, rubbing her eyes. "There's nothing to be afraid of! Evreet loves you! All of you!"

"Either you can stand out here and fear what Lucrecia's going to say when she finds her laboratory in shambles, or you can follow me inside and try to do something about it," Morta said, opening the door. She didn't even stop to see what was in there. Why was Morta so right all the time? As much as I feared Evreet, I was more afraid of Lucrecia. This was why I liked animals better than whatever Lucrecia was. They didn't talk as much. Sighing, I stepped into the laboratory first. Chio waved us off wordlessly... But after Morta walked in the door slammed shut.

Gah, I felt like crying. It was just like something out of a movie. I knew Chio would never lock us inside of a room with an Aeon! Okay, so I was half expecting her to do the whole "Hahahaha! I'm Kohana you fool!" on us too, but she didn't do that. Chio freaked out and started banging on the door. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I could see how scared she looked through the little window. I couldn't help her now. We were stuck inside of here. Trying to be brave, I sucked in my gut and took a mean look around.

"Gross," I muttered, looking at all the bodies just laying on tables. I could tell they were bodies because they looked like people underneath sheets. And well, I guess since this was a laboratory, I knew these people weren't in here simply sleeping. Morta had gone in another direction and I kept looking around, trying to find Evreet. It looked like he wasn't in here anymore. But that thing couldn't have jumped through another room... Could it?

"Sayuri, you see anything over there?"

"Negative," I answered back. I was going to take another step but I tripped over something. Instinctively I grabbed onto the nearest thing, which was a white blanket or something. All I know is that I had the blanket in my hand and I rubbed my head. I stood up and my heart stopped beating. For a while. My whole face turned white and my eyes widened. "Moooortaaaaaaa_!!!!"_ I shrieked. I had pulled the blanket off a body and it looked so nasty!! It had maggots eating through its eye-sockets and its skin was purple and pealing and—!! I started fighting for air.

I couldn't do this! I backed up into another table and a body fell on top of me!!

I freaked out big time. I got up and started running back to the door. Morta had disappeared on me too! Where the heck was she at?! I started banging on the door and Chio heard me. She tried to open it but the handle was stuck. Great! Aysel and her cheap-ass doors! Chio had given up eventually and stood back. "Convene Metaphase!" she shouted. Well, I could read her lips. Once she was transformed she summoned Shiva, paying no regard to everyone who had been sleeping. Shiva kept kicking the door, but it wouldn't open.

"Midnight Wind!"

"Midnight _what?!" _I croaked, like a frog. I turned around and Morta was fighting some of those people... "They came back to life?!" Morta was handling herself well, slashing anything that came in her way. I, on the other hand, started to get really light-headed. I slid down the nearest wall, feeling myself slip away. My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I tried to pay attention... Before I could faint, Shiva managed to break the door down. Or rather, she kicked the door and it flew off its hinges, landing in the middle of the room.

"Sayuri!" Chio shouted. "Shiva!"

I felt cold hands trying to pick me up. Shiva sat me on top of her shoulder and that's when I got another look at Morta. She had been fighting without me...? That was no way for a leader to act! "I'm fine!" I shouted, jumping off Shiva. I ran towards Morta, my wand in both of my hands.

"Sayuri, no, you're still winded!" Chio exclaimed, reaching towards me. I wasn't too winded to help a friend! Never that!

"Freeze!" I shouted, pointing at all of the bodies. They all stopped in place. Morta nodded her head at me and started beheading each and every person she could see. Gah, with each beheading she made, slimy stuff fell on the ground. I wanted to throw up, but we couldn't leave any evidence that we were in here. They were all like zombies... But the most important questions was... "How the heck did they come back to life?!" I said, making time resume again. Chio held her weapon close to her, looking at all of the bodies on the floor.

"Who were these people, Morta? Sayuri?" I shrugged. I had no clue in hell.

"I guess they were experiments," Morta replied, wiping the gunk off the blade of her scythe. "This _is_ Lucrecia's laboratory. Maybe you could ask her." I inhaled, stomping my foot on the ground.

"Well... Was this what we were looking for?!" Now I was pissed. We hadn't found anything but a few zombies? Seriously? "I'm... I'm... Tired." And no one answered my question. That's when I pointed my finger at Morta. "I think YOU had something to do with them coming back to life. You and your death abilities or something!"

"Sayuri don't—!"

"If I had something to do with it Sayuri, I'd tell you," Morta said, glaring at me.

"I don't think you'd tell me if you were trying to kill me, idiot!" I retorted. Now we were doing the whole glaring-match thing. You could feel the tension between us. Chio put her hand up and waved it in the air, trying to get our attention.

"Excuse me! But don't you think we should get out of here?"

She had a point. "I'm going to go back to the room," Morta said, dragging her scythe across the floor. Ha! That's why she had Crow's feet! You could totally see them next to her eyes! I hunched over, dragging my wand across the floor.

"Hmph! Well! Goodnight Morta!" I said, walking the other way. Yeah! I wasn't going to go back to the room! I was going to sleep in that one guest room I was in when I was taking a nap and Aysel attacked me! Plus, it wasn't far away. It was a couple of rooms down, in fact. Chio must have went with Morta. I didn't care. I opened the room and detransformed. Yeah, I was already wearing my pajamas.

"Ah! Precious, wondrous sleep!" I said, clapping my hands together. Without a second thought I jumped into my bed, putting the covers over me. "Just what I needed..." For the first time in a while, I could tell I was going to sleep! And I was going to have a pretty decent dream too!

I was almost there...

In the world of dreams...

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!_

_"Graaaaaaaaah!!!"_ I yelled, getting up and strangling the alarm clock. It was eight-something already?! "I hate you! I hate life! I hate you!"

And I woke up everyone in the castle.

* * *

**A/N:** XD This chapter took me a lot of time to complete because I was trying to push the plot to fast, you see? But once I got into it I was nodding my head like... Okay. Alright. I'm really feeling this. This is nice. XD Hang on to your hats people! The next chapter is going to be _insane!_ XD Yeah boy! It's going to be the best thing ever! You guys thought I was playing.

Does XxXChiharu-Chan-1000-SpringsXx ever lie to you? *bats eyelashes*

Because I'm so serious man. I'm going to ram this story with a truck next chapter. So please, I'm warning you. XD While NONE of you should get lost/confused/mindraped really badly, I KNOW it's going to happen, and I KNOW you're going to ask me questions that are in the text looking in your faces. XD

With that said, it's gonna be the best chapter I've ever gotten the chance to write. XD;;;

Saivan's PoV, or Sayuri's PoV. That, my friends, is the question. XD;; I would do Saivan's. But I'm kinda sittin' here going 'Please don't be like Aysel. PLEASE don't be like Aysel'... XD;;

Oh, it's gonna be so cool! Anyway, about this chapter. Mission Find Some Shady Stuff was a fail. Or was it? Who's my smart reader? XD I just loved the Morta and Sayuri interaction in this one. Poor Sayuri. She can never catch a break. And when in doubt, it's a pretty smart idea to throw the wand. Just saying. So tune in next for the chapter of all chapters!

Really. It's gonna be _that_ good. XD Evreet approves.


	30. Historia Calamitatum

**A/N:** Step by step, heart to heart, left right left, we all fall down like toy soldiers. Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win, but the battle wages on for toy soldiers. TT_TT

*stops singing Eminem*

This flashback had a high degree of awesome, it did. XD;;

Back to sad mode. TT_TT

* * *

"Let's see you fight now!" Sayuri roars, a smile cracking on her face. She tries her best to keep calm but she cannot hold in her excitement. She wants this kill. She _needs _it. Nothing will pull her away from spilling Nina's blood now. She simpers, glancing into Nina's hazel eyes. Oh, that look in her eyes... Sayuri's grip tightens on her sword, ready to end it all.

She presses her sword into her teammate's neck. Harder, harder...

"Sayuri-sama! Don't do this!" Jessica screams as loud as she can. Trying to run with all the speed of a jaguar, Jessica stops at her leader's demented laughter. Now she knows Sayuri will not stop. It will take more than the sound of her voice to sway her commander to stop her actions. Sayuri lets out another deep laughter—one that she takes from the very bottom of her soul.

"And now," Sayuri yells at the top of her lungs, "you die!!"

She wants to press her sword deeper into Nina's neck, but her can't move her arm. Frustrated, she tries to move it again but she is surrounded. Leyiko stands in front of Sayuri, pointing both of her index-fingers at her forehead. Leyiko holds her own arm steady, looking at Sayuri with a blank expression on her face.

Underneath Leyiko's arm is Riona, holding Sayuri's arm—the one she holds her sword with. Riona's grip is firm, refusing to let Sayuri's arm go. Jessica stands behind Sayuri, her arms wrapped around her neck. She tries to look like she can handle herself, but inside she wants to burst into a thousand tears. An Aeon jumps to Nina's aid. It's none other than Shiva. Her blue hair rides in the wind as she gets up, making sure Sayuri doesn't try anything funny.

"Sayuri. I do not understand what has gotten into you," Leyiko mummers. "But it needs to stop. You need to stop. You almost killed Nina. Do you understand?" Like always, Leyiko's eyes burn as bright as the fire inside of her. She is the Summoner of Fire, after all. And sadly, she won't hesitate in using her powers against Sayuri. Nina exhales, trying to form words. She coughs up blood, but the others give all of their attention to Sayuri.

"I thought you all were my friends," Sayuri says, chuckling under her breath.

"She's gone! Isleen is gone okay?!" Riona yells, her grip tightening on Sayuri's arm. "And nothing you can do will bring her back! Not even attacking Nina! So snap out of it Sayuri!" Sayuri averts her gaze towards the Summoner of Death, hissing. She dares Riona to say another word, but the brunette isn't intimidated by her leader's actions.

"Don't say her name!!" Sayuri screams at the top of her lungs. "Dammit! Don't say her name! You _cowards!!"_

Nina's eyes dilate and she looks into the sky. Blood trickles down her chin before she collapses on the ground, blood spilling from the wound in her stomach. "Urrgh!" Nina collapses on her knees, looking at the ground. So much blood... Where did it all come from? "Gahha!! Gah!!" Jessica can't take it anymore. She runs to her partner's aid, praying that everything will be okay. Flapping her wings, she gets to Nina's side faster, silently screaming her name.

"Nina! Nina are you okay?!" Jessica calls. She cups Nina's face, tears falling out of her eyes. "Her color... It's bad..." Nina takes one last look at the Angelfolk before everything in her vision darkens. She falls on the ground and Jessica panics, bringing her hands to her friend's heart.

"Water Metaphase," Jessica whispers, transforming into her Summoner form. "Curaga!" Even as the water seeps into the dark-skinned girl's body, Nina still doesn't wake up. Jessica's tears roll down her cheeks faster, more desperate. "Curaga! Curaga!" With each time she says it, Nina's body flinches, as if Jessica is trying to re-start her heart. A surge of pain travels through Sayuri's head as she drops her swords, clutching her head. With her right eye closed, she chuckles once more, glaring at Nina.

"Urgh! Why did you... Why did you save her?"

Jessica stands up, her dress flowing behind her. She glances at the diamond tattoo on her shoulder, remembering that she is a Summoner. She remembers when she was all alone, and how Nina helped her escape from that man. "Because she is my beloved comrade. These are words... That you probably can't comprehend." It hurts Jessica to say something like that so she balls up her fists, looking down into the dirt. Sayuri's smirk turns into a frown, standing up and sheathing her sword.

"That's... Enough..." she mummers, barely able to stand.

Jessica stands there for a moment as the others watch her, the Angelfolk. She moves her wings, if only to show how sad she is. Why does she have such beautiful wings when she doesn't know how to fly? "You... You already are..." she says, breaking into quiet sobs. "A great Summoner... Thank you Isleen. Thank you..."

Sayuri scoffs, walking the other way.

"A great Summoner? I'll show you a great Summoner," she says, rolling her eyes. "I'll be the best damn Summoner in the world." Sayuri's frown twists into a smirk as she plays with Nina's blood—the blood on her fingers. "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty: Historia Calamitatum :-**

_The stars will cry_  
_The blackest tears tonight_  
_And this is the moment that I live for_  
_I can smell the ocean air_  
_And here I am_  
_Pouring my heart onto these rooftops_  
_Just a ghost to the world_  
_That's exactly_  
_Exactly what I need_

— "Anthem Of Our Dying Day" — Story Of The Year

She was getting better and that made me smile. It was very early in the morning, but... She could manage to sit up in her bed without my help for the first time in a while. I tilted my head, grateful for the miracle that had been given to me. The Summoners truly were heroes after all. Before they had said something to Naira, she only seemed to have gotten worse. But now she could do things she would not have even dreamed of doing a couple of days ago. I had to give them my thanks the next time I saw them.

When I would see them, that is. Lucrecia found her laboratory in shambles and Summoner Sayuri decided to hide around the castle. Right now, I did not know if Sayuri had been found or not. However, Summoner Sayuri did leave a note on the door that insisted her partners had nothing to do with the matter. How noble of her. I smiled and glanced at my sister, running a comb through her orange hair. She did not have the strength to do it by herself. Her hair was too long and she could not be bothered with it.

She really needed me now and I wanted nothing more than to help her in her time of need. Finally, after almost years of trying to prove my worth to her... She did not try to run away from me or curse my name. I did not want to spoil this moment with words. I wanted to keep this moment forever in my heart. I kept running the comb through her beautiful hair, putting it into the same pony-tail she always seemed to have it up in. Naira raised an eyebrow, putting her hands on her knees. "Defina?"

I responded quickly, without hesitating. "Yes Naira? Do you need more tissue?" I assumed she needed something else but she shook her head at me. I put my arms to my sides, standing up straight. Whatever it was that she wanted... I needed to see her face and see how she felt. I needed to see her facial expression. She looked calm, which was unlike my sister. Any other time and I would have seen her with a frown on her face. "I am sorry I asked you if you something so fast, Naira," I said, blushing.

"No, no, it is okay," Naira replied back, closing her eyes. She started swaying back and forward. This puzzled me. I did not understand what she was doing. Music burned my sister's ears, so what was she doing? I did not have any music playing, so what was it that she found so exhilarating? So full of life? Why was she dancing to an unknown tune? "Do you remember back when we were kids? Back when Mother used to sing us those songs when we had trouble falling asleep?" I smiled. How could I have forgotten those songs? I sat next to Naira on the bed, trying to pick a song that I remembered.

"The Hymn, right?" I answered, tilting my head. "That is the only one I really remember, sister. Sorry if you were talking about another song. Perhaps you can fill me in on the song in which you speak of?" Naira shook her head again. I had never seen my sister so polite to me. My eyes started to water. This was amazing. The conversation we were having right now... Everything about it was amazing. I was bonding with my sister now. She hated to think about the past, but now she was bringing it back up. She was not angsting about what could have been either. She was happy to remember our mother. She hated our mother.

"That is the one I am talking about, silly," Naira said, shaking her head disapprovingly. "I still remember how it goes. I had been trying to forget it but I keep thinking about it."

"I know the feeling," I replied. "It is the song of prayer. A song to send off the dead to make sure they travel to the other world. Yes, I cannot rid myself of it either. When we were sent on those missions to kill people Aysel had wanted us to get rid of, I would always sing The Hymn. I cannot remember a time in which I have forgotten to sing it. Though the dead may have been criminals or convicts—people that went against Aysel's laws—they still deserved to be sent away the right way. All of the dead are the same. They all have different ways of how the end up in the other world... But their destinations are always the same." There was a lingering silence between us that neither of us wanted to fill. I got up from the bed. I had better give Naira her tissues.

"I still cannot forget her."

I turned around. "Mother...?" Who else would she have been talking about? She hated Mother ever since that day... The day when she lost her mind. Naira dug her fingers into her sheets, not knowing what else to say. "It was not her fault. Do you still hold on to that grudge, Naira?" Naira refused to look at me.

"It was all because of her that I... That I wanted to join Aysel's guard. I wanted nothing more than to put criminals like her behind bars. Father did not deserve what she did to him!"

"That is not true Naira, and you know that!" ...I did not mean to get loud at my sister. But... But I could not just sit there and listen to her make a mockery out of our mother. "Father was just at fault as she."

"And that was why I had to kill her," Naira said, frowning. "I could not believe what she had done. I wanted to tell her that I had made it out of school. That I was going to do something with my life. Imagine my surprise when I found my father standing in front of the house with a bomb strapped to his back. And he was oblivious to the fact." She paused, looking at me. Naira had always made me unsteady. I was not ready for what she had to say next. "I tried. I tried really hard to get it off him. But to no avail... He was counting on me, Defina. And I had failed him. Was that what it was like while I was gone? Did that happen? What did she do to you two while I was away? You never did tell me." Those memories... I did not want to bring them back up. The old Naira would not have brought them up again either.

That was how I could tell she was a different person entirely now. I parted my lips but nothing came from them. Finally I had dug up the courage to speak. "... Mother..."

"She was not justified."

"And you had no right to kill her, Naira!" I shouted. Naira flinched, looking at me again. "Whatever she had done, she had done it for a reason!"

"So why won't you tell me?!" Naira shouted back just as loud. "I have been living nine years not knowing what truly went on behind the scenes. You are the only one alive that can recap the story! You can tell what really happened in the span of those short two weeks! Stop being a coward. We have nothing to lose now. We made it. You see it, do you not?" Naira looked around our room, smiling. "This is all ours now. No Mother or Father. We worked hard to obtain this and we work with the best people in the world. Telling me now is not going to change anything." I bit my tongue. No. I had promised myself Naira would never hear a word of this. This was one thing I could not tell her. I would take it to my grave before I—

Something inside me burst. It wanted to tell Naira what really happened, no matter how much I knew it would upset her. "I... Naira." I tried one last time to get her to change her mind. Naira still looked at me with her fearless eyes. The same eyes that protected me that day. "Mother... Had been tired. Father tried to help her but she could not be swayed. We were so poor, and Father had been bringing home less and less. She said that it would be better for both of us if we slept."

"Crazy until the end," Naira said, coughing a bit. "Something else had to have made her like that. I do not believe she would have done something like that. As crazy as she might have been, she was a better woman than that. At least tell me Father tried to fight back." Naira did not understand! He wanted to follow her plans... He wanted to die also. I was so confused that I just stayed there. But I would not tell Naira that. Not now. Now was not the time to tell her something so die. It would ruin her recovery. "We do not have to worry about being poor ever again. Defina it is okay. I have got us this. I killed so many people in order to get us to where we are today. And you did too. Nothing will stop us from staying here. Not even Lucrecia."

"Again with that, sister?" I sighed. "Stop, please?"

"Okay," Naira chuckled. "We have nothing to be afraid of. And Defina?"

"Yes?"

"I never hated you." Those words hit my heart. They held it and refused to surrender it to me. She never hated me...? My tears spilled over my face in joy. I was not crying because I was sad. I wanted it to be like this forever. I wanted to forget pain, to forget suffering. I wanted to forget the sorrow my family went through. Because ultimately we were all we had. I knew I would not lose Naira now. "I... I did not want you to walk away from me. I thought you may have seen me as the sister who could not protect you. I did not want to look like that type of person. I wanted to be the strongest person you had ever met. I wanted to be better than Lucrecia. I had lost Father and Mother and... And I was afraid of losing you. Thank you Defina. You followed me even when you did not want to."

"I know," I said behind my sobs. "I could never forget you Naira."

"Sometimes I wonder." I looked down at the ground, feeling that the conversation was now over. I had not expected Naira to start humming The Hymn. It was beautiful, and she sung it just like Mother did. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the song, forgetting all my troubles. Miraculously Naira did not need to cough. She sung The Hymn with so much melodious rhythm that I found myself swaying with the song. After she was done singing it, I grabbed more tissues for her to use. "I have... Been getting worse you know."

My eyes widened. "Please do not say that sister!" I exclaimed, grabbing both of her hands. "You have been getting better! You can move now, and soon you will be able to fight harder! You will surpass Lucrecia, even! Do not worry. The Summoners are here and they said they will do everything they can to make sure you feel better! Please do not talk like that!" More tears were falling out of my eyes. Naira knew I was prone to tears. I cried whenever I felt them coming. Never did I try to stop the onslaught of liquid falling from my eyes. Naira shrugged her shoulders and reached over to her dresser, grabbing a bunch of her tissues.

"See?" she said, giving them to me. I looked inside of them and she had been coughing up blood. The blood did not have those organisms in it anymore. My eyes widened. Blood? Now? Where did it come from? I started to panic. She had been coughing up blood and did not bother to tell me? "I could not stop coughing. You should see the bathroom. It is just as bad. I woke up late at night and could not stop coughing. I did not want to wake you so I thought I could handle everything on my own. However... Things started to get hazy and I did not think I could keep going on like this. Afterward, I went back to bed and that was when you decided to check on me."

"So you were awake..." I bowed my head. "But the Summoners...!"

"I do not believe in them. I have all ready told you this Defina."

"But the meeting!"

"I only said what I could to get them to leave me alone. Whenever the Summoners come along, it is a sign of a near Apocalypse." How could she say that when they were trying so hard to save her? I thought she had changed, but now I understood that I was wrong. How could I have been so blind...? "I do not trust Summoner Sayuri. They threatened to attack Queen Aysel. How could I agree with such foul actions?" Sometimes authority needed to be overthrown. I knew Naira idolized Queen Aysel, but this was no way to act towards our guests! "If Queen Aysel cannot save me," Naira said, pausing. "... Then who _can_ save me? Surely you do not think a bunch of teenagers can do it."

"I have learned from Summoner Sayuri that anything is possible if you really work hard for it!" I said, trying to smile for my sister. "They have worked miracles before. Let them work one for you now. No one ever said this sickness you had was incurable."

"Yet it does not have a name."

"Guardian Miyuki—"

"—Was talking about something from her world. She clearly said that she was not talking about the same sickness. As I have said, it does not have a name." She was right. My eyes wandered around the room. Naira sat up and put the remainder of the tissues down. "The last thing I wanted to happen to you, Defina, was to get sick along with me." I gasped. She knew? But I had hidden it so well... I was not sick! I had tried lying to myself. If I had believed it, it would have come true. "Now you have gotten what I got from that woman that looked so much like Lucrecia. It is... All my fault." Naira almost sounded like she was sorry. "I never intended for you to get caught in my affairs. And if this is an incurable sickness... I could not live with myself if you died."

"Naira, I..." I stopped mid-sentence. I had realized that whatever I said would have no effect. She was worried about me too. She always had been worried about me. She was the only one in the castle who knew I was sick. But I had made sure not to leave any signs of my sickness! Naira was really smart. She was the only one I could call my sister. "I am sorry for not telling you about it as soon as I realized I was sick. I hoped that my blood could eliminate the bug, but even that did not work."

"That is really unfortunate, is it not?" she answered back. Naira sunk down underneath her sheets. "Look at us. Two sisters sick together. Those magical miracle working Summoners of yours better work _extraordinary magic_." I laughed and my sister smiled back at me. "Looks like neither one of us are in perfect condition to fight anymore. I better tell Aysel that we need to take a few sick days." My sister tried to get out of her bed but I forced her to lay back down. She was not well enough to try and walk.

"No, I will take care of all of that." I smiled. "Do not worry. The rest of her guard can take care of her. They are more skilled than we are."

Naira looked at the spinning fan on the ceiling, watching it turn and turn. "The rest of her guard... I really look up to them. All of them. Including Lucrecia. I—I wanted to be just like them. But now I realize that even on the same team... Even while I am in this bed, having the same rights as them... I cannot hold a candle to their flames. If it had been anyone else in this bed beside me..." Naira should not have said things like that. She was just as important as anyone else. "Thanks to this cold, I cannot smell things as clearly as I want to. This sickness has not done me any good ever since I have contracted it." Naira needed to take it easy. She needed to rest now.

"Okay sister," I said, smiling at her. "I think you should clear your mind. Sleep. Dream. You have all the time in the world to sleep now. I want you to get better." My sister laid her head against her pillow, smiling.

"How can I sleep when I want you to do the same thing as well...?"

"I am not as sick as you are, remember?" My sister titled her head to the other side.

"Nonsense, you got the sickness the moment I did, did you not?" I gasped. She knew so much. "I was the one that she stabbed through the stomach. But just because you were there... Because you were there you contracted the sickness through some other way. I cannot say what that way is, but if you are sick and did not touch that woman... Everyone else in the castle are at risk too. But it has been so long since that day has passed. I cannot believe you waited so long to tell me..." I started coughing a little, but not as bad as my sister had been.

"Nothing will happen to us sister. Sleep." I got up from my seat but my sister put her hand on my arm. I recoiled, hissing.

"What is this on your arm? It feels like scales." ... I brushed her hand away from my arm.

"It is nothing," I insisted, rubbing my arm.

"And your mouth. You have fangs now?" I closed my mouth, turning the other way around. "Sister, what is happening to you? Could this be the reason why you have been so silent? Why you refused to talk to me up until this point? I can understand that you were afraid of what I might have said, but you are becoming something more now." I closed my eyes as hard as I could. Naira tried to get up from the bed and I did not stop her. The sound of her throwing her blankets on the ground filled my ears. I turned around and my jaw dropped. Her legs were... "I know what has been happening to you. Because it has been happening to me." She pointed at her legs and I started crying again, falling to my knees. I grabbed the edge of her bed, not knowing what else to do.

Her legs looked like they didn't belong on her body. Someone put those legs on her and threw away her old ones. She was short now with those legs. Her legs were green and covered in scales. All of her scales were the same, monstrous green color. Her legs arched inwards at the knee, making her look like some demented creature from Hell. Fins escaped from behind her ankles. Mutilated fins. They were nothing she could swim with. "Lay back down..." I said. "I will go get Lucrecia! I will make everything right again!" I stared to walk outside of the door, but I felt a cold, hard hand touch my shoulder.

I turned around, and to my horror Naira had managed to get up. Not only that, but she had walked towards me and I had not even noticed her get so close. Her arms were completely taken over. Scales replaced her skin and her fingernails were very sharp. I could see them through the corners of my eyes. They looked painful. "I just want to protect you, Defina. So no one tries to hurt you anymore." This did not feel right. Even still, I shook my head, daring to turn around. Nothing much had changed about her, despite what I had described a couple of minutes ago.

"I know sister, I know," I said through my fear. I took a few steps back and she hissed at me in another language. I could not understand a word she said.

"Are you afraid of me? Afraid of what I have become?"

"No, it is not that..." I knew she knew when I was lying to her. I heard something similar to a rattlesnake... It was her tongue. It had split into four bodies, each one shaking ominously at me. Would this happen to me? Was I going to turn into the monster before me? I choked on the air. I had to knock this thing out of my sister! I had to destroy the sickness! Naira had no problem with walking towards me, wobbling every step of the way. I grabbed her sword, knowing I had no idea how to use it. I unsheathed it and pointed it at her. She backed away, putting her arms over her slitted eyes. They were glowing green.

"Put that thing away!" she yelled, launching herself claws-first at me. I ducked my head, throwing her sword on the ground. Naira just stood there, clutching her head. The remainder of her skin slipped off her body, falling towards the ground in clumps of mindless, useless piles of human particles. The skin had been accompanied with the layers of fat under it, making it sound like raw meat had been hitting the floor. I cringed, looking at the circle of blood and fat she was now standing in. Her whole body was covered in slippery, slimy scales. I heard a couple of her bones start cracking and twisting. _In her head_ was more accurate. The bone structure of her head got longer. Her face hung over her chest... Her head was so long! She looked like something that was not even human anymore! But no matter what, I wouldn't leave my sister's side! Because she never left mine even when I was so cold and alone!

My sister's hair... Her beautiful hair fell to the ground next. I could not recognize her anymore. That was it. I had lost her. I was so broken now. But no matter what... I had to stop myself from becoming just like her. Becoming a twisted human being. "Face! Annoying!" she shouted, launching towards me again. I barely had time to move out of the way. Her claws had gotten stuck inside of the wall. In pulling her claws out, she took a huge portion of the wall with her. "My anathema! Why must it torture me?!" She let out another yell—this time she sounded like herself.

"Your anathema?" I gasped. "Sister! Sister! What is it that you speak of?"

"That would be something that you cannot learn, Defina Eytinge." I turned around. It was that same woman. She was leaning against the wall. When did she get inside of our room? Where did she come from? How did she get pass Aysel's guard? The Summoners? How did she get pass me?!

"Lucrecia!" I shouted, balling up my fists. "What has happened to her?! My sister!" I wanted answers.

"You asked what anathema was. And I'm simply here to tell you what it is, Defina. Don't you want to know what is happening with your sister?" I glanced at Naira, who was still grabbing her head. She was flailing now, unable to control her body. I turned around, my eyes pleading with the woman. I would never forget how sinister her green eyes were. Even they laughed at my misfortune. The woman folded her arms and walked towards me, those fitted claws over her finger nails shining in the sunlight. "Anathema is a technique that lives inside of everything you love. One of my good friends developed it. Whenever one looks at something they found of great importance... After he inflicts them with his anathema, they begin to hate that thing, wanting to get rid of it with every means possible."

I flinched. "Does that mean... Does that mean she is going to try and end me?!"

The Lucrecia look-alike smiled at me. She wanted to laugh in my face. I would not cry. Not in front of her. "I suppose so. Naira wasn't really brave to begin with. Also, the sickness that you two have? That would be called Apathīa. Naira asked if it had a name, if I'm not mistaken. Apathīa is what is happening to your sister right now. It gets into your immune system. The results are somewhat... Different from a Nocuous being infected. Apathīa was designed to take out Enlightened Ones like your sister. The closer the injection site is the the brain, the faster it will work. Naira was lucky I gave it to her in her stomach."

"Why?!" I shrieked, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Why would you do such a thing? Do you have any feelings? She is my sister! I cannot! I will not!"

"Oh, but you can. And you will. If you want to live."

No... I shook my head. "Someone will hear me! They will come and save me!" The woman grabbed my chin, tilting my head. I did not want her to touch me, but my body was shot. I could not move. All I could do was cry and prey to the Summoners to help us both.

"Help an ordinary girl like you? Hmm. I doubt it," she said, dropping my head. "Anyway, like I was saying... It gets inside of one's focal. And from there it takes control. It twists people into what you see before you. She's a monster through and through now. And there's nothing you can do to stop her from turning into a monster fully. Though, she is putting up quite a fight!" I perked up, looking at my sister slam her body into the walls. I did not want her to hurt any more because of me! "She's stronger than I had anticipated..."

"I will get her out of this!" I yelled. "This cannot be the end!"

"Hopeless worm. How can you help her... When you have Apathīa too?" I gasped, looking at my arm. The one that Naira had touched. It was overtaken by the scales. "When you were sleeping... The night of the dinner. You know, the one Aysel had with the Summoners. I had gotten you too. Actually, I had given you the illness through the shoulder. You should have transformed before Naira! Is there something wrong with your blood? Of course there is. You do have extraordinary blood. It tried to fight it. But to no avail. I am so sorry for your loss..."

"Stop it!" I shouted, shaking my head. "Enough!"

"... And now the whole world will be inflicted with Apathīa. First the people of Aysel will contract it. Then Aysel's guard. And then, finally, the Summoners—"

"Please..." I mumbled, reaching towards the woman. She arched a brow an me, putting both of her hands on her hips. "I will do anything if you please... Help my sister. You can kill me, just do not take my sister." I ignored the fact that both of my arms were now overtaken by the Apathīa. The woman smiled slightly, leaning closer towards me.

"Well, for one, you can start calling me Larunda. Second, you're about to die anyway! What difference would it make?" She turned around, holding her head up with her arm. "Killing you now, killing you later, what difference does it make? You're all just the same. All of you all with hearts and emotions. You're just going to be another number. Another statistic. No one will even notice you're gone." My sister's cries for help got louder. I couldn't ignore her for too long. I wanted to get up but I started coughing up blood. My vision of Larunda started to get hazy. I could not even make out my own sister. She was distorted now.

"The Summoners will come soon. I know it. If I hold out long enough..."

Larunda kicked me in my side, making me roll over. She pressed her heel into my ribs. I hissed in pain, my back arching. I did not know whether my back had arched because she kicked me, or because I was starting to twist into the same monster. "Forget about the Summoners! They cannot save you now! No one can. Please, stop trying to fight with fate. It was decided that you die this way years and years ago. On the day that you were born, in fact! Nothing can change fate. Nothing can alter it. Not even the love of two sisters." On the day I was born?

"No!" I protested. "No one... No one wanted me to die like this!"

"Oh, but the Summoners did," Larunda cooed. "All of this would have never happened if the Summoners didn't bother on coming. You may have still been alive! Your sister wouldn't have the Apathīa and you two would have lived happily ever after. Believe me. The Summoners messed up everything. They destroyed everything you ever knew about life. About love. The Summoners caused things to happen that would have otherwise been avoided. And they will pay dearly. They think we're not going to fight them, but I will get my revenge. For... Everyone."

She had been crossed, it sounded. I could help her. Even if I was down, I could help her through this! "Who are the others in which you speak of? Please, tell me!" Larunda glanced at me, as if she was thinking about killing me right then and there.

"I suppose it would not hurt to tell you. You are going to die anyway. We are the people who wanted justice. The people who were _denied _of it. For years we've tried to get what we deserved. And for what? No one answered us. No one cared. So now we are stepping up to the plate to take what's actually ours! And you want to stop us? I think not!" I let out a muffled cry as she stomped on my back. She was livid. Angry. And I didn't know what for. "You know, the world is pretty bleak."

I couldn't talk anymore. ...I tried to say something but it came out in another language that only I could understand. All this time... I could understand Naira only because I was going to become what she was. I knew Larunda couldn't understand me anymore. It was all futile. What good would it have done? Only my sister could listen to me now. "You never know what surprises are going to jump out at you. You never know what is waiting on the other side of the corner. Things happen... And you have no control of it. Just let fate run its course." She paused, taking her foot off my back. "You look so miserable. Perhaps seeing one of your friends will cheer you up?" She was mocking me. I frowned, trying to crawl towards her. Anything to make her stop.

I said something and I could understand it. But Larunda, on the other hand... "What? You want to die? In due time. You know I was only sent here to make sure the Apathīa was a success. It wasn't me who made it... I could have left you alone to die here. You must like it here. I was walking through the castle. It's a pretty nice place to live. How does it feel to know that your home... The thing you worked so hard to obtain is going to be the place where you die? " I wasn't going to die. I wasn't going to die! But with every word she said...

Larunda took a couple of steps around the room, admiring my artwork.

"You work with such great people. Like Zed, for instance. Did you know he helped us? Helped make you and your sister like this? And he knows what's happening right now? I suspect he's not even thinking about you two right now."

I had to force words out of my mouth. This was all too much. "Liar!!" I yelled. "He would never do something like that! He's been with us for ages!"

"Think with your head and not with your heart," Larunda said, rolling her eyes. "Here I am, trying to tell you the truth and you say I'm a liar." I would not believe it! She had to be lying to me! We were great colleges. He protected Renata and... And... I started to slip away, my vision blacking out. For a brief second I thought I had died. Now I could see out of new eyes. Eyes that didn't belong to me. Where was my body? ... Where was my body?!

Larunda stood in the threshold of our room, watching the two of us. "Now here's the final part about Apathīa, okay? Listen in now! No matter how much of a monster your sister turned into, she was waiting for you to transform too! And now that you're gone, voila! You two are going to fight each other to the death. The only reason for this is because people inflicted with Apathīa don't attack people that don't have it. They attack other people of their kind. Have fun, kids."

It was not true.

It was not true!! Nothing she said was true!! I felt something tear into my side but I could not see what it was. My vision was focused to a point in which I could only see in front of me. My neck was gone, I thought. I would not move my own head. I was not like my sister! I was still human! An Enlightened One! There had to be another monster in the room. I saw the monster standing in front of me. My sister wanted to protect me. She was only mad at me because she wanted to protect me.

I had to protect her this time! I was strong!

Naira was beautiful. She was strong. She was fierce.

She was not anything like a monster. The mental image of my sister overtook my mind. The only thing I had been thinking of was her. I had to destroy the monster that wanted to destroy her. Suddenly, I heard The Hymn. I closed my eyes and could have sworn I was crying. I couldn't stop my tears. Things that I could not stop tore into me and I started to sing along with the unknown, startled voice. It sounded like my sister... She was crying and trying to sing The Hymn. And I was trying to sing along.

I tore into things that felt fleshy... But I was only doing it for her. My sister.

"Sleep, sister. You need sleep to get better."

I closed my eyes as I let The Hymn take me, carrying me to the road of recovery.

Everything would be just fine.

It would all be fine, right?

* * *

_From up here the city lights burn, like a thousand miles of fire. And I'm here to sing this anthem of our dying day._

* * *

I didn't understand a lot of stuff that day. I didn't understand why the wind was blowing so hard, or why Renata was crying so much. Nothing made sense. And I was tired of trying to understand it all when I understood so little. Chio was bawling on Morta's shoulder... It kind of made me uneasy. Morta and Kokoro must have been used to this kinda of thing. I couldn't blame them. Aysel sat on her throne as a couple of men walked towards the huge hole dug in front of her.

They were all carrying a big casket... Well, there were _two_ caskets, but another group of men were carrying the other one. Why was there so much black? Everywhere I looked there was black. I was wearing black. Chio was wearing black. Miyuki was even wearing black. Was this how we were going to pay our respects? Would we really respect the dead like this? Black? Black?!!! I wanted to scream out loud... But I couldn't.

Even Aysel's guard were wearing black. Adel always wore black. It must have been his favorite color. Chase had on black. I knew he didn't want to be in it. He looked strong, though. I could tell her wanted to cry too. But with Renata up there sobbing so loudly... There was a crowd of people behind us. With we being Summoners and all, everyone had to stand behind us. Black, black, black. I felt like I was still in the dark. I knew nothing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing!

I balled up my fists, looking down at the ground.

Lucrecia was wearing black. Zed was wearing black.

Where were the rainbows? The happy, warm colors? Where were the colors to tell us that everything was going to be okay? Laid on top of the first casket was Naira's sword. It had been cleaned. I heard it was disgusting when they found it. I glanced at Miyuki. Black. Again. I took my eyes off her, trying to focus on everything that had been happening. Everywhere around me was death. We were in a cemetery but... The whole kingdom was here. Aysel stepped down from her throne, raising her hand at the men who had carefully put their caskets in their respective holes.

Naira was on the right. Defina, the left.

Everyone crowded around, Aysel's guard close behind her. After they had placed the caskets in their holes, about twelve men—three on each side of us started to shoot their guns in the air. Chio flinched at every gun shot. I looked down at the ground again. I knew what I wanted to say. I wanted to say that this was all my fault. That I should have been there. That was the problem. This wasn't my fault. Because I had nothing to do with this. I didn't help at all. Kokoro kept holding that necklace of his, trying to keep his cool. I felt sorry for him.

We all had to bow our heads and that's what I did. Except for Chio. She kept flinching and sobbing. No one wanted to stop her. We couldn't if we tried. After the shots stopped, the men started to throw dirt on top of their caskets. This would be the last time I ever saw them. This would be the last time I laid eyes on Naira and Defina. Chio stood up straight, her eyes widening at the sight. "W—what is this...?" she said, her tears increasing. "Morta, what is this?!"

"It's a... Funeral," Morta said, almost hesitating. "They didn't have these on your world, did they?"

"No I... I..." Chio tried to wipe her eyes but more of her tears were hitting the ground. "They can't breathe if they put that dirt on top of them can they? Morta...!!" Chio wanted someone to tell her that they weren't dead. That Defina and Naira were okay. I couldn't do that. I was trying to be so strong. So strong for her. I couldn't break now. No, not in front of Naira. "Sayuri! Please! Tell them to stop!!" I jumped at the sound of my name leaving her lips. She was _pleading _with me. I shook my head, trying to breathe.

"I can't..."

"Why not?! You're... They believe in you guys, Sayuri!! They believe in you!" I gasped. They believed in me. I felt horrible. I felt less than horrible. I felt like dirt. I didn't need Chio to remind me of that fact. I turned away from her, still looking at the ground. She ran up to the men, falling down and looking at Naira's casket. "Wake up! They think you're dead! They're going to cover you up!" Chio stumbled on her words, failing to cry and talk at the same time. She looked like a mess. "Naira! You have to help us fight! You're our friend, get up!"

And did anybody try to pull her away? Nah.

Everyone just looked at her. The whole kingdom. Even Aysel. Aysel stood there with her head bowed down as well. At least she could pay her respects without talking in the process. "C'mon! Get up you guys! This isn't funny! This is a really bad joke! Evreet! Shiva! Someone please tell them to stop! Please...!"

I didn't understand a lot of things. This was one of them.

And I also didn't understand why I kept shaking. Balling up my fists and whatnot. The like. I looked up... I looked around... I looked into the sky. I looked at everyone I could, making sure they all got a good look at me. "Listen up!!" I shouted, my voice ending the silence around us. "I will... I will... I will find out whoever did this to them! And when I do!" I said, pausing. I waved my arm across the air, my words dripping poison. "I will KILL THEM! Is this what you all wanted to see? My friends crying? Well! Whoever you are!! Be ready to face my wrath!" I started stomping around.

I wanted justice. I just went ballistic.

And no one stopped me.

"I don't like death! So why am I forced to see it in front of me?! Did I go to this funeral because they were my friends? Because I wanted to find out how they died?! Or because I am the Summoner of Time?! Because it's my obligation?!" I stopped walking around. I stopped yelling in random people's faces. "I... I don't know anymore."

After I said that, I just wanted to be alone. They had done what they needed to do. Everyone went home. The funeral was over.

I still needed time with Naira and Defina.

I stood in front of their graves, frowning. It was only me. And now I could say what I needed to say. I read the tombstone. Both of them. Their names were freshly written into the stone. I simpered. "Naira and Defina Eytinge... Why did you let yourselves die? You guys... Were two idiots, you know that?" I put my hands on my waist, trying to think of things to say. "Naira, you were supposed to have my back. You saved me in that Cecelia fight. I never properly thanked you, you know." The wind started blowing my hair around. I didn't care.

"Sayuri..."

I turned around. It was just Renata. She looked like she had gotten over all of this. The sun was about to set. I guess you could say she had more than enough time to do so. Her hair was pinned back and she had a coat thrown over her arm. "Sayuri... You're going to catch a cold if you stand out here like this. How long are you planning to stay here? I'm worried about you." I glanced at Renata and looked at the tombstones again.

"No matter how much we try, Renata, ultimately, we humans are beasts. We can't hide our fangs, our claws. And we Summoners... We're even _worse._ We can't even do our jobs." I took a long look at the tombstones. Renata was looking at them too. "I'm... I'm telling you that right now, I'm thinking about running away. Running away from all of this. If I can't save them, then how am I supposed to save other people? They were my friends and... It hurts. I had... Lost a friend before. But I always told myself... I would bring her back. But now... I'm starting to see that I can't... It's impossible."

"Sayuri. Are you... Are you okay?" Renata asked, tilting her head.

"The worst thing that could happen is if I starting crying," I said. "And the wind... Isn't helping me at all." I looked at the graves and then into the sky. I prayed that they were both up there. In the sky. Smiling at me and telling me not to worry about anything at all. It hit me like a wave. My tears. I tried to stop them. I even bit my lip.

Tears started to fall down my cheeks, and each one hit the space in front of their graves. They were hot. And I couldn't stop them.

"Stupid... _Idiots! _I never... Got to... Keep my promise!! I was going to take all the fighting away! Dammit, I—I—I'm sorry for everything I couldn't do!!"

Renata put her arms around me. "It is okay, Sayuri. Let's go inside now, okay?"

"B—But I... I want to hear the sound of the rain, Renata." I hung my head down low. This was something she wouldn't understand. She couldn't understand. Renata looked at the clouds and glanced at the sun. She knew what I meant. I knew it wasn't raining. But inside? It was storming. And I didn't want to leave until the storm was over. "I like hearing the sound of the rain. It makes me feel calm... It's raining for them, you know."

I was done with making promises.

I was done with not keeping them.

I was done with my friends dying around me. Getting hurt. Trying to protect me when I should have been protecting them. I collapsed on my knees, trying to hold in my tears.

That night, I didn't understand a lot of things.

But this was real.

I couldn't dream and I couldn't get away from reality.

And I kept crying, because they couldn't.

* * *

**A/N:** How awesome. Was that guys? XD;;;

Betcha didn't see me killing Defina coming, right? I'm kinda sad right now... XD;;;

Yeah, I don't have a lot to say about this chapter. XD;;; It's way too sad to talk about. XD Just... Remember. We're now walking towards our rising action. This means that there's no more Naira or Defina! Isn't that great? :D *shot* Yeah, I might be the only one happy about this. Okay, so I'm a little sad too. I wanted to kill Naira... But I never said I wanted Defina to die too. TT_TT

Bawwww, let's face it! D:

I'm not happy about this either! But I'm sad enough to emo about it. TT_TT

But not enough to cry. What am I?! TT_TT

Faaaaaaaah.

...I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscience... TT_TT

Also. Here's a little side note. If you go back in the chapters... Back to the flashback with Sayuri fighting Nero, he's the one that created Apathia and she had it--which is why she was coughing up blood. Yeah.


	31. This Is War

**A/N:** I dun know how this chapter got so long. But it's an important chapter! Pay attention, and you'll be fine! XD

This flashback is so sweet! XD;;

* * *

Defeated, laying on top of the anagram he created, the man looks at the ceiling, his mouth wide open. He puts his hands up into the air, as if someone will fill the empty space between himself and the ceiling. "I beg... For your forgiveness... Lord Agathangelos..." His arms collapse to his sides, his pale-blue eyes still glued to the space above him. "I was not worthy enough... My greed... Prevented your resurrection." The anagram underneath his flickers, the life being sucked out of it. "B—but...!" he says, trying to raise up a bloody hand. He shakes, but he manages to get it up. "I beseech you, o' almighty archfiend!" He looks at the Summoners. "Bring to these people their destruction, and bless them in your beautiful new world...!" He smiles before he collapses on the ground.

The anagram cracks, purple light escaping from it, making the floor rumble. Sayuri takes a step back and the others mimic her movement, bracing themselves for what they cannot see. The anagram disappears along with the man's body, creating a hole that probably leads to nowhere. Sayuri takes a few steps up to look down the hole, cursing at herself for wanting to make sure he is okay.

"What did that man truly want?" Leyiko asks, awestricken. Her fingernails are charred due to her vigorous fighting with fire. Sayuri continues to look down the hole, a blank expression on her face.

"I really... Have no idea. But he stayed a zealot to his 'God'. Until the very end. Almost like..." She looks up at the wall, trying to push the memories of Nero out of her head. The memories of the Dark Ages. Without another thought she runs to the platform Jessica is laying on and the others follow her. Jessica looks sound asleep, her angel wings intact. Sayuri shakes her shoulder a little.

"Jessica," Sayuri says. Jessica makes a few noises before getting up, looking at Sayuri before rubbing her eyes.

"Sayuri...?" Jessica asks. She looks at the others behind her. "Oh! And everyone else!" Jessica pauses, touching her head. "Um, good morning everyone!" Everyone gasps a sigh of relief. Nina jumps up in the air, nodding her head.

"Jessica!"

"Thank goodness!" Isleen says, joining in with Nina's excitement. Jessica is happy to know that they are more than thrilled to see her, but she doesn't know why she's there in the first place. She looks at her clothes and how dirty they are.

"Why am I...? Oh yes! Now I remember! I suddenly had guests come to visit me through my window! I thought I would go make them some tea but then... Yes!" Jessica pauses, leaning in closer to them. She glances at the hole in the floor a few feet away from them. "That's right! They took me away somewhere! Goodness gracious, I wasn't expecting that at all!" At that, everyone in the room sweatdropped, bowing their heads. Sayuri looks back up, smiling at Jessica.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

Jessica lifts up her wings and inspects each of them. When she is done she simply nods her head, returning the smile. "I'm fine! I was asleep so I'm not quite certain what happened next, but it seems that you've all come down here to rescue me...?" She places her hand on her heart, bowing once again. "I'm so greatful for your help. I really can't thank you enough!" She leans closer towards Sayuri, squinting her eyes. "Hmm?"

Sayuri's eyes widen. "Uh... W—what?" Jessica smiles once more.

"I take it you had a chance to talk to Miss Kaelyn, huh? You look just a little better, you know?" It takes Sayuri a moment to register what is just said. "Yes, yes. I'm so glad!" Jessica beings her hand up to Sayuri's head, running her delicate fingers through her hair. She pats Sayuri to show her appreciation.

"Jessica," Sayuri mummers. "I... I..." Her voice cracks and she looks down at the ground, her eyes softening. Jessica pulls back her hand, confused. She holds her hand to her heart, tilting her head.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you... Thank you..." Riona and Nina glance at Sayuri, their leader. She is trying to fight her tears. Leyiko nods her head and Isleen proceeds to smile. "I know... I didn't..." Sayuri sniffs, trying so hard to keep her eyes glued to the floor. Sayuri's tears spill over as her voice cracks. "Screw up this time..." She looks at Jessica with shimmering eyes. "You... And this world are still alive..."

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-One: This Is War :-**

_And I'm just the ground_  
_That you happened to fall on_  
_When you lost your balance_  
_Walking around in the rain._

_And you got to your feet_  
_Scratched your head_  
_And started to gather_  
_The life that you dropped_  
_All around me._

_I can't fight for a graveyard anymore._

— "Lullaby" — Armor For Sleep

"So we've got ourselves another autopsy, hnn?" I grinned, tapping my mechanical fingers on the table. That bitch thought she could survive one of my sessions, huh? She would be running out of here in no time. What made her think she could last more than a second watching me do my damn work? Fucking insane, overly-proud bitch. I'd send her running out of here yet! I had managed to salvage this fucking place after she ran in here the first time. Look! The bitch was still scared shitless—looking in every direction, trying to make sure nothing jumped out at her.

I snorted, speeding up my tapping. "Are you sure you want to see them? They're not pr-ee-ty, Sa-yu-ri." I brought my fingers up to my face, leaning against the table. "You don't have to tell me anything, I see it in your scared-ass face and in the way you move. You can hardly take the smell of this place, can you?" The bitch was barely able to turn towards me. She looked like she was trying as hard as she could to stand up straight. My smile faded and I tried to fix the cuffs on my lab coat. That bitch was about to faint. She was about to fall on the ground and was going to become more work for me to fucking take care of.

"No I'm... I'm fine," she said, holding a tissue up to her nose. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, making me smirk. She thought she could do any fucking thing she wanted!! How dumb of her. I folded my arms and pointed to the nearest trash can. There was no way in hell I was letting her puke her shit all over my floor. And who would have to clean all of it up afterward? I'd be damned if I had to touch fucking Summoner puke.

"Hahaha, don't be fucking stupid," I replied, folding my arms again. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, idiot." I kept my eye on her and she looked like she wanted to run out the damn room. She was probably listing all of the reasons not to run now. She was going to run out of here whether she wanted to or fucking not. I simpered, glancing at Zed. "Jeez, give her some fucking vapor rub—her nose is going to explode all over my floor in a couple of seconds." I rolled my eye, glaring at the Summoner. "How the fuck did you expect to come into an autopsy without smelling the body, fucking genius?"

"I wanted to see them!" After she said that she let out a mangled choke, like she was going to fall face-first into the damn floor. Silly girl, there wasn't much of them to see! I cracked a smile, watching Zed pass her the small, blue bottle of vapor rub. She hesitated, but she took it, holding her breath and looking at the label. I narrowed my eyes. That bitch didn't know how to do any fucking thing!! Was she looking for the instructions on the damn bottle or something?! What was taking her so long?! I wanted to start this thing already! Fucking nuisance! "What do I do with this...?"

"It will open up your sinuses, Summoner Sayuri," he said, wiping off his hands. "Put it right over you lip."

"But won't that make it worse?!"

"Dammit, just do the thing already!!" I shouted. "No it won't make it worse! The stuff'll be too strong for the smell to get past it. Or unless of course you still smell the bodies in here. In that case, you should eat a peppermint or something. You're worse than fucking Naira and she was the epitome of being able to smell all kinds of shit." Of course that bitch hesitated once again, struggling with trying to open the bottle, once she did she stuck her finger in it, smearing it on her lip. Her eyes started watering, like she had never used vapor rub before. Why the fuck was she so stupid?!

"It burns! What_ is_ this stuff?!"

"I just told you what it is!! Dumb-ass!"

"Stop yelling at me Lucrecia! You're not being fair right now!" she shot back. Heh, I'd show her who's not being fair right now. I grabbed the sheet that had been over Naira's body. I pulled it off her fast, making Sayuri's eyes widen. Ha! The bitch wasn't ready for that and her body automatically tried to get her to puke up everything in her stomach. Her mouth filled up and she let out a disgusting noise, turning her head to the left but not finding the trashcan that was once there. Zed had it in his hand, holding it out for her. She glanced at him and started to puke like I said the bitch would. I crossed my arms again, straight-faced.

The smell of the vapor rub and the body mixed together must have been wrecking her shit, I imagined. I smirked, tracing the shape of the mutilated body with my mechanical-index finger. Smiling a toothy grin I looked back at Sayuri, who had managed to keep her balance. She was so fucking weirded out that she kept blinking. I bet she thought she could blink what was laying in front of her away. Stupid bitch! "Timor mortis conturbat me," I murmured, raising my mechanical hand in the air, making sure it was clean enough. Sayuri gave me a weird look—even through her fucking sad-ass worthlessness.

"She said the fear of death confounds her," Zed answered, being his usual fucking annoying self. He was smirking too—what the fuck was he in here for anyway? Why did everyone want to fucking pester me when I was trying to do my job around here?! Goddammit, first the Summoner and now him. I rolled my eye, looking at the body again. I closed my eye, the knob on the radio behind me glowing blue before my music cut on again. Putting a glove on my flesh-hand, making sure the white latex snapped on it, I exhaled. I let the Latin music get my mind off these two fucking idiots!!!

I tensed up, but then I relaxed myself.

"How do you think of walking, Sa-yu-ri?" I asked, running my mechanical hand through my hair. "It's something you've been taking for granted for much of your miserable-ass life, isn't it? It requires about two-hundred skeletal muscles to get you to walk, you know. Your back muscles keep you from falling on your damn face. Your abdominal muscles keep you from back. It takes around forty muscles to be able to lift up one leg and walk with it." I pointed at my right leg for emphasis, grinning wildly. She looked absolutely confused! Deliciously confused! "Without those instructors, we wouldn't be able to do the shit we do now."

I glanced at the pile of green flesh that was Naira's supposed body. "Without our muscles, we couldn't run," I said leering at Sayuri. "Or jump. Or move. Or even talk. Talking involves muscles in the face. Tongue. Mouth. Lips. Jaw. As many as one-hundred muscles. Imagine those pink things you never even _think_ about being torn away from your body~." I picked up some of the flesh on the table, making that bitch turn her head again, aiming for the trashcan Zed was holding. She almost missed. I kept smiling, stretching out my mechanical hand. My scalpel shot out from my palm and I held it, taking a piece of the green flesh. With one quick slice, blood poured from the apparent pus-filled slice of human, making her puke even harder.

I told that bitch she didn't know what she was getting into. Fucking idiot. I snarled, but was calmed by the music behind me. "Cursum perficio. Verbum sapienti: quo plus habent, eo plus cupiunt!" I walked around Sayuri and she glared at me, still covering her mouth. She was such an amusing little bitch~.

"You're... You're freaking me out Lucrecia!" she managed to say, wiping her mouth. "What's with your weird-ass music and science lessons?!"

"Shut your ass, you can hardly even stand!" I cackled. She flinched and looked the other way. "Smart girl." I smirked at her immediate silence. "It's Latin." I paused, playing with the scalpel in my hands. The bitch was so pathetic that she couldn't even ask what she wanted to. She wanted to ask what the fuck had happened to Naira, but she was so scared of what I'd say she didn't even want to know! The classical orchestra sang sweet-nothings into my ears, making me close my eye once more. "I finish the course. A word to the wise: the more people have, the more they want," I said, repeating the lines I had said earlier, only they were in Latin.

"B—but this doesn't tell me anything about—"

"—Through its network of pumping blood, skin carries as much as one-third of the heart's hot, freshly pumped blood," I interrupted, grinning again. "When they died, their muscles disintegrated. They are there no more!" I laughed, gripping my scalpel with my mechanical arm. I glanced at Sayuri, who started frowning at me. So the bitch wanted to play? "Something wrong, Sa-yu-ri?" She shuddered, looking the other way again.

"You sound like you are happy that they died!" she yelled, staying close to the garbage can. Stupid bitch! Of course I am! What, I was supposed to_ care _that they died?! I didn't really give two flying shits about them dying. However, I loved the way _in which_ they died. My finger traced the shape of my scalpel.

"Get too hot, and those vessels widen to release heat from our bodies, but sometimes that's not enough Sayuri~. A work out... Some kind of extra movement can increase the body temperature by more than seventy degrees, and we'd all be fucking dead if it weren't for sweat, which you are secreting right now!" I twirled around, smiling from joy. "You scared, Sayuri?" She tried to stand still, looking brave. Like she could take on any-fucking-thing.

"I'm fine, I—I told you."

"There's more than two hundred holes across our skin. They produce more than a half-gallon of liquid within an hour! Naira and Defina here, your friends... Were unable to create this substance when they were close to their final hour! Something stopped them from doing so! Amazingly! Why, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. Whoever did this to them knew what they were doing, and where smart about it. It must have been some sort of expert at this sort of thing... Fucking genius!" I paused, sensing Sayuri getting angrier with me. And yet she didn't want to say what was on her fucking mind!

"You... Lucrecia you..."

"This is an art, the way that I dance!" I exclaimed, cutting a y-incision across what was left of Naira's chest. I moved my scalpel with so much precision that I should have gotten an award for it! Yes, me! Lucrecia, the cutting extraordinaire! I'd been doing that for all of my fucking life! I loved this! I loved the way skin seemed to open up before me, behaving at my every whim and demand. Sayuri puked once again, but this time I thought she was going to fall on the ground!! Either way, I was happy! "The gift of sight! Even those lucky enough to see 20/20... That is not enough to be able to perceive everything in the world." The music wrapped around me and overtook me.

Every Latin word...

"We wouldn't last three minutes without breathing," I said, grabbing one of Naira's green lungs. "With every inhale, our noses or our mouths suck in a pint of air. Twenty-thousand times a day. The pulmonary system helps us survive. Can you breathe now, Sa-yu-ri?" I said, squeezing the lung again. Her eyes widened. She puked once more. And I grinned at her.

"This is the fifth time, Summoner Sayuri," Zed said, amused. "You will fill it up at this rate."

"The lungs transport the oxygen we breathe in into our blood streams. The release of the carbon dioxide in the blood stream is only possible through these cells that form air-sacs called alveloi. All of this goes so much fucker deeper than you would ever imagine, Sayuri! Once the air makes it through the mouth or the nose, it goes into the oropharynx, nasopharynx, larynx, and the trachea. Of course, then the air gets divided by the bronchi and bronchioles until it meets up with the alveoli." I paused, pulling out the lung for her to see. Smiling, I cupped the pus-like liquid dripping from it in my flesh-hand. She puked yet again. With a quick slash, I cut the lung open.

And nothing was fucking there! Someone was good. Someone was _scary _good. "You see? So they didn't have the ability to breathe when they died. How fun." I put the lung on the table, grabbing a bag. "You're supposed to bag all this shit up, too. See how _fun_ my job is?" Sayuri looked at me wide-eyed as I walked to Defina's body. I grabbed her scale-covered hand. "Blood isn't just blood, you know. Defina had very peculiar blood... Fucking_ insane _blood that she shouldn't have had." I pricked my thumb with my scalpel, watching a bead of blood burble from the puncture wound. "Up to four-hundred thousand infection-fighting white blood cells are trying to fuck up virus and stuff like that—and they attack them. Defina's count had always been almost five times that amount, and it didn't help that hers were super powered or some shit—so her blood appeared like a corrosive acid. The only thing keeping her from having leukocytosis was the sole fact that she could reduce her white blood cell count."

"That still does not tell us how she died, Doctor," Zed cooed, being an annoying fuck-face. I was going to get to that part.

"Vel-fucking-non, Zed," I scoffed, touching my punctured thumb with my index-finger. After that I ran my index and middle-finger up his chin, immediately turning around. "Who ever did this was a fucking genius! In all my years of doing this, I've never found someone capable of this much... Destruction! Whoever designed this sickness, they wanted to make sure these two _stayed _dead! I have to say, very impressive." I put my fingers on my chin, thinking. "Your friend's cold," I said, looking at Zed. "She... It wasn't a cold, it was a parasitic creature! However! It was fucking man-made. I've never..."

"Someone _made_ that?!" Sayuri shouted, dropping her tissue. Oh, so the bitch was done being silent? I glanced at her, too lost in my own excitement. I walked over to one of my counters, grabbing a container. "Tell me who. Tell me who so I can beat the life out of them!!"

"Now is not the time to rush into battle, Summoner," Zed said, shifting his footing. "It is rather rash of you to do so. Are you not afraid of catching the same thing?" He said that like he was so sure of himself. That bastard. She shouldn't have believed a fucking word that left his mouth, but I was talking about that dumb bitch, after all. I threw the container on the operating table sideways, folding my arms.

"I'd give whoever made this my fucking _job_ if I could," I said, my eyes shining. "The parasite hid itself as a harmless cold... Working its way towards the brain, Sayuri. Under the cover of a cold, it had an intended path of travel. To the focal, of course! You remember that Sayuri, yes?" I cackled, putting my hands on my hip. "This parasite meant business, to the point where it isn't even a damn parasite anymore. It was on a suicide mission. Martyrdom. But of course, I fear that this isn't even the only parasitic creature of its kind! Fucking genius! It must have taken _years _to create a strain such as this one!"

"So Miyuki was right after all," Sayuri mumbled under her breath.

"It's lonely! So damn lonely all by itself. So after it infects the focal, it looks for someone to dance with. And once it finds someone to tango with, they dance!" I exclaimed, taking a step to the side. "And they dance with each other. The parasite only likes people who are just like them, which means Defina was injected with it too. It was so fucking clever that it snuck its way pass her beefed up immune system and they killed each other!" Sayuri looked at me, her hands trembling. The bitch thought I was lying! I had all the evidence I needed on top of the table!!

"You're lying!" Sayuri shouted. She choked, as red as ever. From thinking too fucking hard, maybe? "What kind of scientist are you? You're crazy! You shouldn't be a biologist! You should be locked up for even thinking something like that! They were sisters! They'd never kill each other—!" She stopped abruptly, gagging at the smell again. And then she puked into the trash can. What did that bitch know?! I just explained everything to her!

"Aahahaha!" I laughed. "Wrong. Scientia. It's Latin for science. It means "knowledge". I'm a chemist, my dear. I make things explode and shit like that. I guess you could say that I dabble in chemical biology. But even so, I consider myself a chemist, seeing as how its what I majored in." I paused. This was the fun part! "Despite them losing their ability to sweat, their ability to breathe... I declare the cause of death the brilliant parasitic creature! Now, since it's not really a cold, Sa-yu-ri... I can't be sure until I do further tests. To make sure you don't join the great majority... I'm going to need your blood. And yours too, Zed. So I can test it for this parasite." As soon as I said that stretched out my mechanical finger, a needle shooting from underneath my fake fingernail. And Sayuri ran out of my laboratory.

"See you guys later I just remembered I have to be somewhere because we're going target practicing and we're going to see some guy applesauce applesauce... Let me get the hell out of here—!!"

"Why, oh why, do they always run?" I cooed, taking a few steps with bounce. I was so fucking happy today! That parasite inspired me to do more with my work, regardless of how inhumane the creature was! It tore their bodies apart, damn near! I thought it was time to pay a visit to the Science Department. They needed to know about this. "Back to square one. How nostalgic." I chuckled to myself, taking a few steps forward.

"Very impressive Doctor," Zed said, like he was praising some-fucking-body. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Really?" I said sarcastically. "Shut the hell up. I've got a Summoner to catch." I rolled my eye. What the fuck did he think he was talking about?! He took two steps forward, already walking on thin-fucking-ice.

"But Doctor! You forget that it is still a parasitic creature—that it has something to gain by obtaining a host."

I snorted. "You really fucking think you're telling me something?! This parasite was created by someone big. Someone that knew what they were fucking doing. Even_ I_ can't answer all the questions, and you mean to tell me you're going to tell me something even _I_ don't know? _You?_" I paused, cackling. "Go ahead. Dazzle me." Ha! This was going to be amusing. Though I wasn't kidding about that parasitic creature. It was amazing. I had never seen anything like it before. Pure beauty in the name of science.

"I do know that it is called Apathīa, Doctor," he said, giving me a sly grin. Apathīa? Where have I heard this before? I unfolded my arms. He may have been on to something after all. "It forbids you freedom dealing with your emotions. And I know just how it was created."

"Ha, fucking liar," I muttered, turning around. "You just want my attention."

The music comes to a crushing crescendo.

"Credo quia absurdum est, Doctor." I should believe it because it is absurd? The fuck does that mean?

"Da mihi factum dabo tibi ius," I said, smirking. "Give me the facts, and I'll give you the law."

* * *

_Didn't they teach you? Everything's okay if you settle enough. Forget your dreams. Let's pretend I'm everything you want me to be._

* * *

Ahaha! I managed to ditch Lucrecia after all! Or at least, I didn't see her behind me anymore! And hey, I felt a whole lot better. But first thing was first... How the heck did Naira and Defina end up so green? So scale-y? That was nasty when I saw their bodies, and death didn't do wonders for their skin neither. But still, I had to keep my head. They were murdered, that much I got. Something made them kill each other... And that something was injected into them. Could it have been someone from inside of the castle?

I shook my head, trying to make my way down the hallway.

Nah, who was I kidding? If it had been someone from inside of the castle, we would have been infected too. Big time. Because we were Summoners after all. We would have put up the most threat anyway. And if that person wanted Aysel's guard dead... Then they would have made sure everyone was dead. So then what was it? I tightened my fists, my face turning red. This whole thing was just making my mind spin. Everything Lucrecia said to me... I couldn't get my hands on it. That wasn't really fair.

As long as the others weren't hurt. As long as no one else in Aysel's guard was hurt. I couldn't... Take it anymore. I couldn't live with myself if that happened. If Naira and Defina killed each other, they must have went through a lot of pain. And they turned into those monsters with those long heads... They must have been in complete agony. Whoever did it was a complete monster. They didn't care what happened to them.

I swear, if I ever found out what happened to them...

No, scratch that. If I ever found out who the person was that_ did _this to them was...! I kept walking. I would find out who did it. It was just like Morta said. If I kept thinking about one thing I would fall behind. I had to keep moving forward and this would tie itself up and I would kill two birds with one stone. I was busy thinking, but then I saw someone walking next to me. It was just Miyuki. I had to look down at her but then I stopped, because walking and looking down at people is just... Bad for your neck, you know? "Hey Miyuki," I said, raising my hand up. Miyuki nodded her head.

It had been awhile since it had been the two of us hadn't it? "Sayuri," she said, looking down the rest of the hallway. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine," I replied, smiling. "I just went to go see Lucrecia in her laboratory. She says she figured out the cause of death... I don't know if she's sure that's what caused it, but I hope she isn't, because it's just inhuman..." I sighed, feeling defeated. Miyuki gave me that look, like she wanted something. That was one look that I just didn't like. It was like she transformed back into her cat form all over again. Actually... Wait! I tilted my head, noticing all the smoke around me. Now I REALLY had to look down because Miyuki did transform herself back into a cat! I was getting wild flashbacks now!

I got on my knees, picking Miyuki up by the sides of her stomach. "Lookit the little kitty-face!" I said sarcastically. "What's the reason for the cat form, Miyuki?" I started petting her and she let out these silly purrs. Miyuki was purring! Aww! But while she was purring she was trying to stop herself.

"Sayuri—_purraarrrr—_stop that!" Of course I kept doing it. Who would stop? This was gold! If I would have known Miyuki did this every time you petted her... Okay, I stopped. She probably had something important to say about this whole situation. "Thank you. Now Sayuri, you know what happened to Naira and Defina. And I wanted to talk to you about something important. The last few weeks... Strange things have been happening. You're no stranger to these things and neither is anyone else. Do you think we should leave this world and wait until things blow over? There is no point trying to ensure peace when people are dying and we have no idea why."

"What?!" I exclaimed, dropping her. Miyuki fell on the ground with a loud 'thud'. You couldn't blame her. She was a fat kitty now. "No. I'm not leaving here! Not until I find out who murdered Naira and Defina! I don't care if it takes us months! And you know what else Miyuki? You're wrong. We've been here for four weeks, six days, seven minutes and forty-five seconds." I had to give her some of my time magic stuff. "I can't just leave Renata here to fend for herself! They'd eat her alive if I did that!"

Miyuki closed her eyes and walked around in a circle. "Think about it Sayuri. People are a bit excited that the Summoners are here. Many people have said that things used to be different before we got here. If we let the people of Aysel deal with all of the strange things going on, we won't have to deal with that later and can help the people here. Both Nocuous and Enlightened Ones. We can't keep having all of these side fights. The battle with Cecelia? That was uncalled for, Sayuri Hanako Outtaike." Hey, check it out! She knew my full name! I exhaled, blowing some of my hair out of my eyes. "Fighting Cecelia was not something we should have done. We meddled in a worldly affair."

"Worldly affair dragon hair!" I shot. "So what, we were just supposed to let Cecelia kill all of those people? You said as Summoners it was our job to protect the innocent." Miyuki thought she was so smart! She started flying in the air with her wings, taking a boat load of pain off my neck. Thank goodness she did that, because I thought I was going to die from looking down too much!

"As far as we know Sayuri... Everyone is innocent."

"So we even protect the bad guys," I said, sighing. "What the hell, Miyuki? If we know someone is up to no good, then we should be able to kick their ass as we see fit! This isn't fair. I don't want to protect evil people. Cecelia was not in her right mind! She almost blew up the whole kingdom with a blast from God knows where! We were almost obliterated if it wasn't for me, okay? You understand that? Miyuki... We just can't do that. No way. And protect people like Cecelia? People who killed Naira and Defina?"

"It's your job as a Summoner to decide what you must do," Miyuki hissed, narrowing her eyes. "But it's my job as a Guardian to make sure you do what's been asked of you. To make sure you don't do something stupid. As I said, that confrontation with Cecelia was uncalled for. And so was the fight with Aline. Sure, I'll help you all if you start fighting, but that is pretty much all I will do. Sayuri, to avoid future conflicts... To keep you alive... I'm asking you to transport us back to Spectra as soon as possible. There, we'll give a status report to Shirogane, since I can't seem to do it here. We'll get some rest, train, and come back the same way we came. They won't even know we're gone." So that's why she transformed? Because she knew I was going to turn back around? Well...

"You have a point..." I said, sighing in defeat. "But who says these fights are going to get deadlier, Miyuki? Who says there's going to be casualties thrown in the middle of all this stuff? We're too strong to be beaten!" Now I was in full-blown Summoner mode. "If someone attacks one of us, they attack all of us! If one of us goes into the place of no return, all of us are going to go into the place of return, you got that?! I don't even have to ask them. They'll follow me because that's what Kokoro, Morta and Chio do! We'll never give up Miyuki! And you won't too!" There. I was done. I looked at Miyuki but she didn't say anything. Weird.

"The way you transported us here would be... You used a technique called the Pendulum, Sayuri," Miyuki said. Figures. She ignored me! Why were people always ignoring me?! "The Pendulum is a basic time and space spell. Basically, the user forms a clock behind themselves, and they have to get the timing right. After you do a ritual dance, you use your arms as the clock's hands. You did that when we were at Spectra after the big fight with that Wicked Spawn. You don't remember?" I folded my arms.

"Of course I don't," I spat. "That was Itasca, for the last time. I don't know how to do none of this stuff." I wasn't lying. I really didn't know how to do any of that stuff.

"Nevertheless, Shirogane was still surprised that you could pull something off like that. We were expecting to hone your skills a little bit more. We were going to go to the next world via airship. The next world wouldn't have been the Dark Ages, that's for sure. We always go to the closest planet." Pffpt. I didn't care. I didn't want to go back to Spectra. And see Moonlight again?! I frowned, plucking Miyuki out of the air. I held her close to my face.

"What's Aysel gonna say when she sees a flying cat in her castle?" I sarcastically spat. "I think they're going to try to squish you if you get too out of hand, Miyuki."

"Lucrecia and the others know that I'm a Celestial Being, therefore knowing that I can transform between beings. Now put me down." Hmph. Dumb cat. "You have a meeting to go to after this, you know. We all do."

"A meeting?!" I carped, dusting myself off. "Why?!"

"I don't know, but Aysel wants everyone in her throne room. Right now." Gah! Aysel always called those stupid meetings out of nowhere! Why couldn't I get some time to myself? When did Aysel call this meeting?! I was trying to find out who killed Naira and Defina! I was trying to get that person off the streets! Aysel was wasting my time! _Our _time! I sighed, putting my hands in my pockets. Great. I had puked a thousand times, ran away from Lucrecia, told to go back to Spectra... What was I going to do? Being a Summoner sure was stressful, but I had no choice...

Should I stay in the Dark Ages and risk my life? Their lives? We didn't even know what we were fighting half of the time. Fights just seemed to jump out at us now a days. First Lucrecia came out of no where when we got here. Then Shiva came out of nowhere when we handled the Lucrecia situation. Then after that some dude came out of nowhere and attacked Renata. And then after that Aline came out of nowhere and attacked everyone! And she was amazing! And then the Essences... And Cecelia and just... I didn't know what to expect now.

I needed to be on high alert from now on.

I couldn't play now. Naira and Defina died not too long ago.

No one would die anymore. Not on my watch. We needed to get stronger. Miyuki was right. We needed to train. Because I couldn't protect my friends like this. At this weak level. Kohana had to have been looking down on me right now. "What would you do...?" I said, closing my eyes and listening to the air passing me. "What would you do if you had to decide what would be better for the greater good of this world, Mom?" I didn't expect an answer, but something dropped on top of my head! "Ouch!!" I exclaimed, rubbing it. I automatically looked at the ceiling.

It wasn't Miyuki... She had already gone to Aysel's throne room. So what the hell was that? Firstly, what was it that just hit me on top of my head? I didn't see anything. I bet Kohana was just messing with me again. I sighed and pouted. "This is stupid," I muttered. "But whatever I decide to do... It can't be bad. I'm doing it for the greater good of this planet. Of this world. And nothing is going to stop me." I nodded my head. I knew what I was going to do. And it would be dangerous but... I didn't care. I couldn't risk my friends anymore.

With that in mind, I turned around and ran up the nearest staircase. It was time to give Aysel a visit! Once I made it up each staircase I stopped at her door. Everyone was here. Renata, Chase, Chio, Morta... Miyuki was back in her human form! Lucrecia and Zed even made it from the laboratory. Aysel was here, and Adel was here... There were two missing people. Their chairs were empty. Naira and Defina. I was late... Yeah, I knew I was late... But those were a lot of steps I had just walked up! Looking at those two empty chairs made me die a little bit inside.

"Ah, Summoner Sayuri! Welcome to I, Queen Aysel's throne room! It is about time you made it here! What did you think you could accomplish coming late to I, Queen Aysel's meeting? Do you know who I am? You are extraordinarily late! Everyone else has made it before you! Of course, I was the first one to show up because I am Queen Aysel! For I am the best!" I rolled my eyes, grabbing Naira's chair and sitting in it. I would keep it warm for her. Without even looking at a clock I started leaning back in the chair.

"Chill. It's only been six-point-seven minutes. Good, huh?" I said, smirking. I put my hands behind my head.

"Aww, you're always trying to be so funny, Sayuri," Chio said, shooting me a bright smile. So she was okay now after all! Maybe I was the only one still holding on to this. But it was hard... It was too hard. I couldn't hold myself back. I couldn't forget this. But Chio had the brightest smile I had ever seen. Her teeth were perfect. Well, Chio was just a beautiful girly-girl. She always had her brown hair in her eyes and sometimes it would sit on top of her glasses. I was still glad she had her glasses. Renata smiled at me and nodded her head.

"Congratulations," Lucrecia muttered. "You can tell time."

"Shut up!" I shot back, scoffing. "Like you can do better!"

"Can we please stop arguing...?" Kokoro said, sweatdropping. Who was even talking to Kokoro?! Lucrecia interrupted me first you know! How come when other people said stuff, I was the one who got in trouble! I knew I didn't have bad timing either! They did this stuff because they hated me! I got up out of my chair, cracking my knuckles.

"God Kokoro. You're such a chick. Lucrecia started it first!"

Lucrecia looked at me with her green eye. I swear, that thing was possessed or something!! It just stared at you and stared at you... And the fact that she only had one eye really scared me. I could never get over that fact. "Yes, she's right kid. I started it, and I'll fucking finish it if she wants me to. Hey Sa-yu-ri? Have you gotten your shot yet?" My whole face flushed.

"Ah, yeah, maybe I'll just... Sit down. Yeah. Sit down and listen to what Aysel has to say. That sounds like a plan." I couldn't believe I just did that! Lucrecia smiled at me and put her index finger up, that stupid needle coming out again! I swore she wouldn't get that close to me with that thing ever again! Nope, not ever, and not now! Renata stepped up, holding both of her hands. So she was the one who called this meeting, huh? Aysel almost never let Renata speak. Well, I could have been wrong about that. Renata was too sad to speak at Naira and Defina's funeral. They even had them on the same day... I didn't know why...

"Guys," Renata said, her smile disappearing from her face. "The day Naira and Defina died was the worst day of my life." Mine too. "I want to make sure that never happens again. Now my guard has been split into four people... It has suffered a brutal blow. And now I am afraid for the rest of my guard's well-being. We do not know what the motive was, but we can only assume it was to weaken the guard to get close to my mother or myself. Such actions will not be tolerated. The day in which myself and my mother are assassinated is the day this kingdom will fall to its knees. Unless my father does decide to come back..."

"Where is that old guy anyway?!" I yawned, stretching my arms. "I haven't seen him yet. Isn't this like... His castle? The place where he lives?" Yeah, I really wanted to meet Renata's old man. He could have been even better than Chase. Or he could have been way better than Aysel! Renata had to get her good people-skills from someone. Whoever her father was... He was an okay dude. I could see it in Renata's genetics. I smiled at her, trying to tell everyone that I was just joking... They didn't like my joke.

Err. I'd just be silent from now on. I sunk deeper into my chair. "My husband...!" Aysel said, raising her arms into the air. "...Is going around this world looking for the most exquisite gems and jewels! He is a collector of sorts! He doesn't need soldiers or a guard to protect him! My husband can do it all! He is a walking one man army! For he is I, Queen Aysel's husband!" For sure. Like I didn't get that the first time. Well, still. Unless he was staying at a hotel or something, he needed to get his ass back in here. His kingdom was falling apart, more or less. He could have been the only one to put a lid on this whole thing.

"I trust he is finding all the gems he can, Mistress," Zed said, nodding his head. ... Still didn't like that guy. That stuff burned, okay? It felt like fire on my lip! I wiped my lip and it still burned! It was fire in a jar, I swear! And he gave it to me like nothing mattered! I shook my head, trying to get back to business. This chair didn't belong to me. It belonged to Naira. And I was going to find the person that killed her! Even if it cost me my whole life!

"As I was saying," Renata continued, nodding her head. "I don't want anymore of my friends dying." My heart skipped a beat. Renata was just like me. Her voice cracked and her eyes started watering.

"Please don't cry, Renata!" Chio said, standing on her tippy-toes. It was way too late now. She started crying on Chio's first word. Gah, at this rate I would start crying. I didn't do good in these situations.

"I—I don't want this anymore. So I'm asking you guys. If you are to go out... If your are to do something, whatever it may be, take someone with you. Therefore, I ban all endeavors of fighting alone. You are to always have someone by your side. Is that understood?" Understood? It was more than understood. I could do that easy. I always had someone fighting by my side! I nodded my head slowly, watching Renata wipe her eyes. She smiled again. "I hope you all do not hate me for what I asked of you. That is all I wanted."

"You all are adjourned!" Aysel shouted, pointing towards the door. Sweet! Now I just needed to run towards the door and get rid of Lucrecia before she noticed me! Okay, well she all ready noticed me, but I had to get the heck out of there! We would be gone before anyone noticed! I'd be chilling in Spectra, away from any docto... Doc... Doctors... I stood in one place, hyperventilating. Spectra had Rayne. Spectra had doctors. _Way more doctors_, in fact. I ran the other way, mauling Miyuki down to the ground.

"Waaahaaaa!" I wailed. Miyuki tried to pull me off her.

"Sayuri, what's wrong?" Morta asked, tilting her head. Like she'd care!

"I don't wanna go to Spectra!!" I said, even though I promised myself I wouldn't tell Morta. ... Wait. When did I promise myself I wouldn't tell Morta? Oh well, it didn't even matter anymore. Okay. So after I said that... Someone was stuck in my vision. I don't know what it was, but I kept seeing someone... Someone who I never met before. It was kinda a shadowy person... I stopped crying and wiped my eyes. I needed to get out of this room. Maybe I was seeing ghosts.

Holy shit I was seeing _ghosts._

I RAN to the door, twisting the knob.

And that's when all hell broke lose. There was this HUGE explosion! Huge! I summoned my wand fast. I jumped backwards, barely escaping the flames. Kokoro grabbed Chio, shielding her from the flames. Miyuki put her hand in front of her eyes, her leotard ruffles riding with the wind of the explosion. Morta summoned her scythe, thinking more like me. It was big enough to be used as a shield. Sorta. Chase had his sword and he was ready for a battle. Everyone else just kind of stood there, like a big explosion didn't just happen. As soon as the smoke disappeared, I turned around to face everyone.

"I swear that was not me!!" I exclaimed, panting. I looked in front of me and no one was in the doorway. This was weird. This was really weird. "Everyone, transform!"

"Time Metaphase!" I shouted, clutching my hand. Time danced around me.

"Fire Metaphase!" Kokoro yelled, stomping his foot on the ground. Flame consumed him.

"Death Metaphase!" Cue the coldness. One clap is all it takes for Morta to transform.

"Convene Metaphase!" Just like Shiva, Chio snaps and things just get dangerous.

Miyuki stayed low to the ground, trying to see what even I couldn't see. That's when it stepped on me.

Someone stepped _on my face!_

I gasped... It all happened too fast, and when they stepped on my face they _stomped _on it. They were up in the air?! But I swear I looked all around me! Impossible! I knew that this was a big room, but someone would have seen him! Nevertheless, here I was. I KNEW this person had to be the guy that killed Naira and Defina. There was no doubt in my mind. I got angry. Pissed the eff off. But I got face-kicked into the ground.

"Sayuri!" Kokoro shouted, pointing his hand towards the guy. Dazed, I looked back up, holding my wand. Kokoro was missing all of his shots?! Impossible! Kokoro had some of the best aim out of anyone I knew! His fire techniques were amazing! Sure, he couldn't stand on his own two feet most of the time, but he could aim some fire. He had to know how to aim his fire... Because fighting with fire was dangerous. But it could be beautiful dangerous the way Kokoro handled it. The guy was doing some instant transmission stuff... Like Dragon Ball Z of something. He was just too fast.

Morta jumped in immediately, stepping in front of Kokoro. Kokoro didn't expect that and gasped, putting his hands to his side. Morta swung her scythe around expertly, and I almost thought she had got the guy who stepped on my face. "Give him hell, Morta!!" I yelled, jumping up and down.

"Wait!" Kokoro called out. Morta stopped for a quick second, glancing at him. "I've got a plan!"

"Tell me what it is quick! We don't have much time!" Morta said back. Without words, Kokoro pressed his hand on the steal of her scythe, making it burn fire. Ah! Nice plan! Death mixed with fire! Not bad at all! Now we were cooking! Those were my teammates there. Not Aysel's guard. Like I said, we could do anything! Morta took a step back, motioning me to move out of the way. I ran behind the two of them. There was no way in HELL I was taking that hit.

"Midnight Wind!" she shouted. It got so cold... I started shivering. But you had to expect the cold with Morta, wherever she was at. Fire erupted from her scythe, decimating everything that was in her way. Aysel's jaw dropped again.

"My throne room! I, Queen Aysel's throne room!" I rolled my eyes again. If Morta didn't get that guy, nothing did. The flames vanished and Morta had to catch her breath. I sighed. Success. Now if only we had a body... A body! My eyes widened and I felt something uppercut my ass. Dammit! I was too careless! Before I got a chance to recover, I was punched hard in the stomach. I gasped. I couldn't tell what was hitting me! Was I being hit by the air?!

"Sayuri!" Chio shouted. "Shiva!"

All of a sudden, the cheap shots stopped. Chio tried to do her dance to call Shiva, but I saw a shadow-like thing walk up to her... It must have been that guy! There were bruises on my face... Blood trickling down my mouth... Dammit! I couldn't see the person, but I could see the sharp, sword like thing it was holding. I couldn't get over there in time! Dammit! I couldn't do it! Chase jumped down, prepared to run in front of the sharp thing. Nope! I couldn't let him get hurt!

It was just a front! Chio let out a scream and my whole world shook.

What the hell was going on!?

Another explosion, but this time it was from the right wall. Miyuki had been trying to do some kind of spell but she was hit from the back. I looked everywhere around me. What the hell was happening?! Renata clapped both of her hands together, her amulet glowing. "Give me strength!" she said, everyone glowing a bright blue light. Great, we had energy. Now what?! I leaned on my wand, but that's when I decided I had to run into the fray, no matter what happened! The first step I took was my downfall.

Chase got thrown into me by another explosion. Aysel said something but I didn't hear her over the sound of being impaled by a human body. I opened my eyes, seeing Chase over me. But nah, I was just freaking out over his sword inches away from my head! Y'know. It was stuck in the ground and all that jazz. "Get it away from me!!" I yelled, freaking out some more.

"Sorry," he said, helping me up. Where the hell was Shiva? Or did that mean Chio didn't get a chance to summon her?! So much stuff was going on at one time! Lucrecia was just shooting at random things. Wherever she thought she saw that guy... That was where she aimed. No, no, no! I managed to see through the smoke. Chio was just standing there... But her arm... The one she held her weapon with was just sliced up beyond all... "Chio!!" I yelled, dropping my wand. I was just overtaken by the sight of blood dripping from it. I stepped right in front of Chio and felt a presence.

That's when I teleported myself. Yeah, I stood right on the ceiling. I looked down, and I finally caught a glimpse of this guy. He looked just like Renata. He had golden hair that was brushed back in a pony-tail. Like he was really big on appearances. Not one strand of hair was to be left out. It was like he had his hair in prison. He had golden eyes, just like Renata. But... He wore a crown. A crown, guys. I gritted my teeth. "King—"

"—Saivan, Summoner Sayuri. Nice to meet you."

Renata immediately opened her eyes. This guy!! This guy was the king of this place?! Are you serious?! He just tried to kill me and my friends! He was holding some kind of cane thing, but what really got me was that he was holding this sword. It looked just like the one Renata had at the ceremony. I thought she busted that thing! No way! "Father?!" Renata exclaimed, not wanting to believe it either. He gave us the most stupid-ass smirk in the world! Gah! My body hurt all over. He really just kicked my ass in real time! I couldn't believe that! But why?! That Saivan guy extended his hand and Chio... I looked back towards Chio, fearing the worst.

"He's gonna make it explode again!!" I yelled. I tried to think of something. I couldn't do anything!

That's when Morta saved the day. She jumped in front of Chio, deflecting something... It looked like a baseball going at ten-million miles per hour. She slid back a little, but the bomb thing fell on the ground. Morta turned back around and Chio fell in her arms. Morta ran her fingers through Chio's hair. Saivan was looking right up at me and I was looking down at him. He had some scary eyes. He hurt Chio! I got mad. Angry. Now I was pissed.

He had done it.

"Yes, I'm Saivan. King of Aysel. I came back to get my sword." He paused, tapping his cane. Was his sword inside of that thing?! "I see my wife and daughter are doing well."

"Shut up! They don't want to talk to you!!" I yelled, swiping my wand across the air. "Just who do you think you are! You just came inside of here and almost killed my friends and I!!!" I was pissed! Every muscle in my body wanted this man dead!

He didn't move. He stood there. "Summoner Sayuri, it is nice meeting you. But I believe this is the time in which I declare war." W—war?! Why?! On me?! On my friends?! Okay. I really didn't understand what was going on now. I didn't even know this guy!

"Impossible! Saivan, what are you doing?! I, Queen Aysel, demand to know—!"

He ignored Aysel, shifting his footing. "You want to know who killed your two friends? I did, Summoner Sayuri."

"You... You what?!" I yelled, shaking the whole entire castle. I couldn't believe this! This man... This man standing under me was the king of Aysel!! I had descended down to the ground and got a closer look at him. And he had Naira and Defina killed?!! The rage filled every vein in my body, rushing through me. I was blinded by anger, by hatred. Nothing could hold me back. My body had been quenched of thirst—of justice. My body was parched and was tired of waiting for water.

This was that water.

I kept shaking, staring at the man smirking in front of me. I was squeezing the life out of my wand. Renata was standing there, surprisingly calm. I thought she wouldn't take this well, but she was standing tall, taking in every word that her father said. Aysel however... Hmph, I didn't care about her. He thought he could just walk in here and take what he wanted?! Try to kill Kokoro, Chio, and Morta in front of me and then just... Just leave?!

"Unforgivable!!" I screamed in rage, pointing my wand at him. And that king did not look afraid. He stood there. He smiled at me. He switched his footing.

He pissed me off.

"Unforgivable!!!" I shouted again, panting. Sweat rolled down my forehead. I couldn't hold it in. I just... I just... No. I had to make a decision now. I took everything Miyuki had said and thrown it out of the window. "Saivan!!!" I couldn't form a coherent sentence.

It just flowed from me. All of the anger formed from losing all of my friends.

Seeing them hurt... It consumed me. My pupils dilated. I couldn't control myself. My wand was ready and it shined just as bright. "You... Unforgivable!"

"My, Summoner Sayuri! You should not yell in my castle. You might break something. But of course I heard you the first three times, Love," he replied, brushing some of his golden hair out of his eyes. I scoffed at the sound of his voice. Every pore on my body secreted sweat at the sound of his voice. I was trying so hard not to let the beast out—the beast inside of me that I had locked away under my skin, my soul. Morta and Kokoro were on red alert, albeit banged up. Morta had barely enough time to save Chio. If I hadn't said anything, Chio would have been...

I looked back, closing my eyes. No. I didn't happen. I saved them all. But what about the next time? Would I be too late? Just like Naira and Defina?!! I let out another scream of anger, my veins popping out of my forehead. I didn't know what I looked like right now, but I knew I didn't look pretty, despite me being in my Summoner form. My hair was extra oily, frustrating me further. No one who was supposed to talk talked. Aysel and Renata needed to say something to him dammit!!

I swung my wand wildly across the air.

I wanted to kill Saivan so badly. So badly! So badly that I would have done anything to spill his blood. Even go into overdrive to make sure he died. But even then, I wanted him to suffer like Naira and Defina had to suffer. I wanted him to pay! But I didn't have the mind, or the means to do something like that. I wasn't... That wasn't in my capabilities to do so. But I knew someone who could. And she walked behind Miyuki, folding her arms. She had an amused look on her face, her eye scanning the king.

"Heh. Saivan. It's been a long time since you reared your ugly-ass in this castle, hasn't it?" Lucrecia said, leaning against the wall. "So, what the fuck do you want now? I imagine you're dealing with shit you shouldn't be, yes?" She knew him? Even better. Saivan swung his diamond-incrusted cane and propped it on the ground again, leaning on it. It was really complicated in its design. It was something made only for a king. Renata swallowed; this whole ordeal was too much for her. But she was strong. She had no choice but to grow stronger. The old Renata would have gone insane after seeing her father like this.

"I don't have time for words," I spat, interrupting Saivan from answering Lucrecia. She understood why fully, and didn't turn this into a huge argument. For now. I knew she would blow this whole thing out of proportion another day. But not today. "I can't... The handle on my lid exploded the second you brought up their names. You know... Miyuki had told me that since Naira and Defina died, it would have been better if we left this planet and came back until everything had blown over—until everything was situated and we could help people."

I looked around, cracking a smile at Kokoro, Chio, and Morta. I loved them so much more than they would ever know. They were my friends. I didn't want to hurt them. I didn't want them to get hurt because of me but... But this was personal. "For a while I was conflicted with myself. Leave... And let more of my people die? What about Renata? What if she died? She had already been almost-killed. What if Lucrecia died, or Zed died, or Adel died? But then... All of this wasn't any of my business. I had made my decision. I was going to leave. I had prepared for the Pendulum—the technique that creates a clock behind me, transporting us back to Spectra. Back to HQ. Only I can do it. Part of my time and space magic." I paused, trying to breathe more easily now. "We would... Have been out of your hair."

Saivan took a step back, flabbergasted. I didn't know what was wrong with that guy, but he NEVER showed his emotions. But I could feel the flabbergasted-ness radiating from him. He was super flabbergasted. I could feel that he was scared. Utterly scared. "You... You don't know the power we possess, my friends and I."

"Sayuri, Stop!!" Miyuki yelled. "You don't know what you're doing! Stop this now! You're going to make the worst mistake in your Summoner career," she hissed. "You all are not ready for this. You are under-skilled in battle—as phenomenal as you are in the battles you fight here. I can hardly keep up with the enemies in this world! Don't do this to your teammates, Sayuri. They are not like you. They do not want to fight as much as you do." How the hell would Miyuki know that?! I looked back at the guys and Chio was just... Completely and utterly destroyed on the inside. Her eyes were blank. The cheerful girl that I had once met was... Gone. Morta and Kokoro didn't give me the time of day.

I smirked.

"I won't... Suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted, Miyuki," I murmured. I brushed my fingers over the bruises on my face. I knew what I was doing. I only hoped the others forgave me for this. "You can't beat us. Now, we were NEVER affiliated with Aysel, you hear me Saivan?!" I roared, shaking the room with my voice. I guess he was right. I really was going to break something yelling. "Aysel took us in as her guests, and we responded by helping her in her time of need. As Summoners, we protect everyone. Including your pathetic bastard-ass." I paused, simpering.

"When you cross me, I cross you back. Get ready for a war, you Goddamn bastard!!" With that said my wand glowed the brightest red I had ever seen it glow. Miyuki cursed under her breath, crouching down. She tried to stop me. I wasn't going to let her. "This is me calling war out on you!! I'm declaring war because you killed my two friends, and tried to kill my partners?!! You piece of hot, smelly—" I was going to kill him!!

Except, something strangled me.

I fell down on my butt and that guy smirked at me.

"You idiot," Miyuki muttered. Wait. What?! Was that a leash in her hand?! I put my fingers on the collar. … She made me a leash? "I bet you're wondering when I put this on you? It's electronic. I've been waiting for a chance to use it since we left Spectra. But you've never really been asleep for me to test it out. Also, it can do wonderful things. But I don't think we have time for that. Not yet." She I was struggling to get out of the thing, everyone else watching me. Waiting to see what the Summoner of Time would do.

I was defeated. My own Guardian.

Saivan scratched his head, twirling his cane. "Why then, I believe you have answered my plea for war, Summoner Sayuri! Let it be known that you will not win. Until next time!"

And he got away.

… The leash disappeared and I stood up, confused. My head hurt.

I turned at the others, wanting to cry. But I wasn't going to. Kokoro ran up to me. "Are you okay... Sayuri...?"

"Yeah..." I said, nodding my head. "I just... I just lost it. How about Chio?" Kokoro gave me a forlorn look. Renata had ran over to her side. Renata was healing her now. I clutched my hands.

I was going to kill that bastard.

_"I swear I'm going to kill him!!"_ I yelled, making the_ castle shake_ this time. "Guys! This is war!" Of course I had to end this with an epic speech. I looked at everyone. Everyone! "We just got attacked at our own base. Morta, Kokoro, Miyuki! We can do it, right?!" They took a long time, but they all nodded their heads. Except Miyuki. She didn't want me to do this, but I did. Stupid Miyuki. But she had to guard me anyway. I looked at Aysel's people. Aysel was still stunned. "Chase, Adel? We're okay to go, right?"

"Whatever you say, Summoner Sayuri!" Chase grinned, trying to make some good at of the situation. I liked that in him. Adel nodded his head too.

"Renata, Zed, Lucrecia? We ready for this?" Of course they were. We didn't have much of a choice. But then again, I did just force them into this... Oh well. I clutched both of my fists, looking at the hole in the cealing.

"Look out, Saivan! I'm coming for that ass!"

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter wasn't 'posed to be this long! TT_TT

Sorry! It was the little thing at the start. It threw me off. XD;; I mean, it was the autospy thing. I wanted to do one because I had this epic CSI dream. XD Um, is it me, or is Lucrecia a science nerd? Yes, yes she is. ¬_¬ And no one is going to say otherwise. XD;; That stuff she was talking about was a pain! Trust me, all that stuff she said about the human body is RIGHT. I spent the whole day making sure of it.

X_x

Love me? XD;;;

I wanted to get more into the fight and the leash, but the word count was already sky-high. XD So we'll pick up next chapter. XD You've gotta admit though. Saivan busted their asses. XD;;; It's on. Like a sandwich. XD;;


	32. Serial Murders In A Fibonacci Sequence

**A/N:** Man, this is the first standard-length CCFA chapter in years, ain't it? XD It's about time Chiharu hasn't typed something 8000-words long or over 10,000-words long! But even this 7000-wordish chapter is irking me because it is so short. Now, here's the thing, guys: It's about time I started breaking down Lucrecia's past to you all. Yeah, I know. Sucks, doesn't it? Well, it sucks for me because it's gonna be so boring! D:

I mean, I already know what happened, but you guys don't, and I'm not a reader. I'm the author. So I can't be unfair. XD However, what's boring to me may be the best thing ever since life to you all.

About this chapter title. Since I love my chapter titles. A Fibonacci sequence is a couple of numbers that go in this order: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144... So on and so forth. The first two numbers are 0 and 1, and each number remaining is the sum of the previous two. Basically, you need to read this chapter and connect the chapter title to the text. XD Before you read, I'll tell you that Lucrecia wants to kill the adding... The thing called love.

But of course that thing up there gets really complicated with the math and stuff... More stuff than I'd like to know, so you can ignore all that all together. XD;;

* * *

They've been searching and searching for Jessica ever since she went missing last night. This doesn't sway Sayuri. She stays intent and alert, her and her friends walking back into the town they left to get some rest.

"W—what, what, what's happening?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Did something happen?"

"What's he up to, huh?"

Sayuri and the others stop in front of the village's gates, staring at the crowd of people huddled up around a man with light-pink hair. This man's hair tumbles down his back in a pony-tail and his mustache is so long that he has it pinned up to the loose, long strands of hair on the sides of his head. He wears a purple robe—his fingers almost lost within his sleeves. There are people of many kinds standing out in front of him to see what he has to say, but Sayuri isn't buying it. Still, it can't hurt to at least _see_ what all of the commotion is about. Putting her hand out to dismiss Isleen's growling and to tell her team to stop walking, she gives the man her full attention.

"O' righteous flock of wondering souls, give pause and lend me your ears. The advent of our long-awaited Hour of Salvation is at hand." His voice carries and he tilts his head up, his hands drawing out what he feels by raising them up. The two oldest people in the group look around, while the pink-haired woman starts to gaze at everyone frantically. Her daughter tilts her head in confusion. The man standing behind her looks shocked. "Yea, he who shall save our wretched iniquitous souls... The Supreme Being, the almighty Lord Agathangelos..." The people start to panic, talking out loud. He smiles. "His resurrection is nigh!"

"Is something going to happen?" one man asks.

"Agathangelos?!" the old woman shouts. "You people... You can't be!"

"Church of Hyboria... The Archfiend cult?!"

The man in the purple robe looks at the man who said that, putting his hand on his heart. The two men that stand beside him bow their heads. The purple jewel embedded into the man's head starts to shine. "Indeed! We are the Church of Hyboria. But I ask you... What reason is there for you to be worried?" The men start to rock back and forward, proving his point. The man throws his arms out, looking at all the people. "It is Agathangelos who shall deliver this world unto salvation!" The people start to chatter again, making him stop to look at the crowd.

"Agathangelos?"

"That Archfiend?"

"Resurrection...?"

"Advert your eyes from false peace, and witness the truth of this world! If you would do but that... You shall surely begin to see! Your beloved families, friends, and neighbors blighted, becoming as cold stone, trapped within the clutches of darkness and pain forevermore." The people start to gasp, some even shaking their heads. "The remedy that would cure us all is monopolized by the ruling elite, and does not reach the hands of the common man. That is unjust. Would you not agree with me?"

Silence.

"H—he has a point..." the woman admits.

"Yes my friends! This world of ours walks the wrong path!" the man exclaims, raising his hands in the air. "The virtuous and chaste writhe in agony throughout the land, while the wretched and shameless fill the vessels of their desire. But there is one who would consume this miserable world in his flames of purification. Yea, none other than the magnificent Agathangelos!" The crowd approves, nodding their heads.

"Oh, this Agathangelos might actually prove to be a pretty nice guy."

"W-wait," the elderly man says. "The Archfiend is going to burn down the entire world, right? Wouldn't we burn right along with it too?!"

"Yes!" the man replies, smiling and tilting his head. "It is precisely as you say. Agathangelos will consume the world with his flames... And we along with it!" His words are filled with passion... Happiness.

"B-but then we'd all die! What good would that be?" The crowd takes in the elderly man's words and start to panic again. The man then decides to speak up once more.

"Indeed, then shall we not all burn together?"

"What...?" the elderly man says.

"What the hell is he saying?" another man from the crowd says.

"By accepting Agathangelos as your savior, you shall receive his divine mercy. His destruction of this ugly, wretched world is merely a gateway to the beautiful new one that he will create. Within that new world, Agathangelos' followers—we!—shall be granted eternal happiness. We must but love the Almighty Lord unconditionally, so that we may be bathed in the light of his divine love in return." He shouts that into the sky, his eerie smile still stuck on his face. "The pain of being consumed in his flames of purification will last but an instant, but the happiness granted in his new world will be eternal." He pauses, looking up into the sky. "I say to you again: Eternal!!!" He closes his eyes, a smile plastered on his face as he waves his arms into the air, walking the other way. His servants follow him and all three of them walk very slowly.

The townspeople talk amongst themselves, watching the man walk out of town. "What if there was a world in which we all could be truly happy...?" Sayuri and the others look at the man as he walks past them.

"So this is Hyboriaism. The cult of the Archfiend. They are clearly not to be taken lightly," Leyiko says, crossing her arms. Everyone turns towards her, Nina shaking her head.

"He speaks with such conviction. I wouldn't be surprised if he gained a lot of new followers here," Isleen mutters, nodding her head. "Of course, as we all know, everything that comes out of his mouth is absolute nonsense..." She turns towards Sayuri who looks back at her.

"Indeed," Leyiko says, shaking her head. "These people have stopped receiving the remedies only because shipment has been stymied."

"And we can't forget about that one guy that Sayuri fought that tried to stop it from being distributed. But of course the Royal Knights are dealing with that matter," Isleen answers back. "And in any event this Archfiend_ doesn't _exist. Sooner or later, people like him will disappear."

"Hmm..." Sayuri sighs, looking at the ground. Nina bends down a bit, looking at Sayuri's face.

"Something wrong?"

"No. I was just thinking. I was wondering what will happen to his followers when their leader _does_ disappear." Everyone looks back, but Sayuri shakes her head. "It's none of our business. It's a worldly affair. Let's go."

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Two: Serial Murders In A Fibonacci Sequence :-**

_This is a fucking nightmare._  
_I hope the regret burns into my hands._  
_So I know what I've lost, I blame myself for our past._  
_I still remember happiness._  
_I'm still dripping with this blood._  
_I'm still shedding these tears._  
_I see the evil in your eyes I still dream about you._  
_I still die without you._  
_Still dreaming still dying._  
_Still sleeping while still standing._

— The Fall Of Troy — "To Be Sleeping While Still Standing"

Damn them, damn that letter, and damn everyone who thought I lived my fucking life around their less-than-important agenda. I had fucking had it with everyone in the world just about. I couldn't even wake up without something being pushed into my damn face! I huffed, running my fingers through my hair. I was still sleepy and I rubbed my eyes with both of my hands. I had to be careful when I got the sleep out of my eyes with my mechanical hand, however. But then, of course, I wouldn't have this damn fucking arm if it weren't for Sayuri Outtaike and her Goddamn friends!!!

I scowled, shaking my head.

This was how I woke up every. Single. Morning.

And it was all because of her. First thing was first; I had to get all of my hair out of my damn face. I couldn't see anything. Well, except for the letter that had been 'mysteriously' placed on my dresser on the side of my bed. I sighed again, reaching for my glasses and putting them on. Today I knew I had to go to my laboratory. It was the only place where I could clear my fucking head and get away from all of these people. There was something about my laboratory that made me forget about everything...

I smirked, sitting up. But that Goddamn letter and those Goddamn people thought I didn't have a Goddamn life!!! I snatched the letter off my dresser and brought it closer to my face, narrowing my eye. I pointed my mechanical index-finger, my razor-sharp nail sparkling in the sunlight coming from my window. I didn't move or change my fucking facial expression; this was pure bullshit. I wanted to spend the day with myself. No one told me what to do, especially a bunch of fucking amateurs that wanted to meet a professional!!!

I stuck my fingernail inside the top of the envelope, ripping it open and grabbing the letter. And as I kept reading, I kept narrowing my eye until I couldn't take that shit anymore.

_Dear Lucrecia Scylla,_

_Hello! I hope you get this letter before things start. That would not be good, would it? Jokes aside, I am Ever, the head scientist of the Science Department. Regarding the girl that you sent us a few weeks ago... We are glad to tell you that we have found something that you may love to hear. However, I wrote you a letter because I wanted to ask you if you would come to the festival today. It would be an honor having you in the building with other scientist that aspire to be just like you. Many people would not like to be caught between Scylla and Charybdis, but they would love to see you!_

I snorted. Fucker must have run out of people to be special guests, huh? Bastard.

_There will be refreshments and drinks—things that are only found at a party! Is that not funny? I think you will like my sense of humor, Lucrecia Scylla! Dress to impress—though I do not thing I need to tell you that twice. If my name has not made it clear, I am very much female. Ever. Remember my name?_

"Oh. My. Fucking. God," I said, rubbing my eye again. "Don't fucking tell me I have to spend my time at this bitch's celebration. What the hell is she holding a celebration for any-fucking-way?!!!" I balled up the letter, not even reading the rest of it. But then I thought about it. I stood up out of my bed and straightened out the paper. I rolled my eye, reading the last couple of lines out loud. "'Be sure to come. We wouldn't want you not to show up after we have told everyone that you are to be here.'" I paused, rolling my eye again. That Ever bitch was an amateur they put in the place of Nero and she and I both knew that.

If Nero hadn't died, this Ever chick wouldn't be fucking up my day now! I bet her skills and techniques were fucking abysmal at best. I put my hand on my chin, taking a few steps around. Of course the Science Department asked me if I wanted to be the new head scientist—but I enjoyed my job here too fucking much to make that switch. And besides. Why would I want to be in command of a bunch of awful scientists? I tilted my head, looking at the end of the letter.

_Also! I almost forgot! Be sure to bring a friend! Everyone brings friends with them to this event we have every year._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Ever Nacarato_

Okay, now I fucking balled that paper up and threw it away. Cool, so now I had to spend my whole fucking day with bad scientists AND people who thought they were the shit—taking in the fact that this was a public celebration—granting people permission from the kingdom to join? That also meant that people who were rich were going to be sticking their fucking noses in thing that didn't concern them. And that also meant that I was going to be the 'celebrity'. Fuck my damn life!!! Not only did I ball that paper up, I _destroyed_ it. My fingers glowed that blue light that I've learned to love and the paper turned to ash right before my eyes.

Fucking nuisances.

I suppose I could kill two birds with one stone. I was going to go to the Science Department anyway. That Ever bitch was lucky. I couldn't wait to meet her ass. I knew that she didn't know what the hell the Apathīa was so I was going to tell her everything I learned and everything Zed had told me about the strain. Those bastards might have been lacking in knowledge, but they were the only people I could rely on to help me figure out a solution to this problem that I had been faced to solve. Because wasn't that what all scientists did? The thrill of coming into contact with a problem that seemed unsolvable enticed me to further look into it—to find the fucking answer that nobody else could ever hope on getting! I understood things that the normal person couldn't fathom!

So this Apathīa... Where did it come from?

Speaking of Apathīa... Scientists these days... Or most of all the rich bitches spoke Latin. People who were really smart understood the language. And the people who didn't? Too fucking bad. Boo hoo. If Aysel knew the language, then anyone else in the fucking world could learn it. Back to Apathīa. If I could find the source, I... I... I didn't know what the fuck I would accomplish, but I loved the thought of it!!! I rubbed my eye again to get the rest of the sleep out of it. Now wasn't the time to act like I was fucking dumb. Stretching, I grabbed my lab coat and threw it on. I took a rubber-band off my dresser and put my hair in a ponytail. Fuck though, I didn't want to come back to my room after this.

"So I guess that means I should get ready now..." I murmured to myself. I took my rubber-band out of my hair and tilted my head back. Fuck was I annoyed right now. Back then, I wouldn't have thought of ever being someone 'famous'. And what the hell did I get famous for any-damn-way?! Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I did what I was supposed to do. No one said I ever LIKED what I did. That was the truth about the world; no one fucking cares what anyone does now. Either you do it or they kill your ass. I sighed, brushing my hair. Something was still fucking bothering me. Things were always fucking bothering me whenever I thought of going back to the Science Department.

What the hell was wrong with me?! I could do this. It wasn't like me being... Scared. I hadn't felt scared in a while, and that's when my fingers—both fleshy and mechanical—started shaking. I dropped the brush on the ground and the sound it made fucking irritated me. It made me jump. I stared at it for a while before I looked back in my mirror. "That feeling, make it stop..." I didn't know what the fuck I was saying. Something just came out of my mouth and I spoke it. I looked at myself in the mirror, hating everything that I was... And hating everything that I had fucking become overtime. If I wasn't such an idiot, I...

"I'll never forgive myself," I said, my eye starting to water. It must have been some random shit in the air messing with me, but I heard a voice inside of my head ask me why I wouldn't forgive myself. My throat felt really dry and I started remembering things I locked in the back of my mind so I wouldn't remember them anymore. "That... My friends died... And I didn't." That place made me fucking insane! It molded and shaped the person that I am today! It was all that place's stupid fucking fault and I...!!! I punched the glass with my mechanical hand before I could start crying like some stupid little bitch. I sighed again, rubbing my head. I had to sit down. My head was spinning so fast...

I fell on the edge of my bed and laid on my back, staring at the ceiling.

I started shaking my damn hands—anything to get my mind off this. I sat back up, making sure my hair was okay. My bangs were soft and almost hung over my closed-eye. Of course I didn't care too much about that. The eye was fucking closed forever!! And? The back of my head had subtle layers, and the sides of it had layers that were a little lighter. The shortest of them hung around my jawline. My hair was naturally wavy and pretty easy to keep up, so I didn't need to spend too much fucking time on it. Unlike Aysel, who loved to take her Goddamn time with doing things. I rolled my eye, making my way towards my closet. I had to get past my desks and I had to be really careful because I had so much shit just lying around everywhere...

My lab papers. Death certificates. Things of that nature that I actually needed for work. All I needed was an outfit that I could fight in. Ha. Me? In a fucking dress? Get real, as if. I could never fight in a dress. I had been taught to fight in pants or something. I know I didn't fight in pants now—but I was going to go back to that place—so I didn't really fucking care. I grabbed the nearest thing and started to change. I could go through the whole day like this without looking like some busted-ass prom queen or some shit. My outfit was black and red. I wore a pucker-half back bikini that had a halter-top design. It was black and had rhinestones on the straps and the bottoms. With that I had on red net short shorts and a rhinestone belt. To top that all off I wore red net leggings with four-inch-high black sneaker ankle boots that had a side zipper to them.

But then, of course, I couldn't forget my lab-coat. And then it started again. Those weird fucking episodes. I shook my head, looking miserable. I looked like I had just lost a child. And even that thought punched me in the fucking stomach. Whatever was wrong with me needed to leave me the fuck alone!!! "I let everyone die..." I chuckled to myself, cracking my neck as I turned the knob to the door. "It's all my fucking fault I let everyone die. And I'm still alive." And I should fucking be _congratulated _for that?! Because I let them all die?! I walked into the hallway, my eye twitching. A smile danced on my lips as I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to put on my lab-coat. Except that bitch Renata had been walking past my room, looking at me like she had wanted something.

I scowled.

"Hello, Lucrecia!" Renata said, waving her hand in the air. She stopped and turned around. The stupid bitch gave me a weird look, narrowing her eyes and looking at me really hard. "You look like you have been crying. Are you... Okay?" What kind of fucking question was that?! Did I look like I was okay?! I didn't cry anyway. I clutched my fists, but they were still shaking. I couldn't get those thoughts out of my head. And truthfully, those thoughts always followed me around. But I never really paid them too much damn attention until now... Until I had gotten the letter. Adel usually gives everyone their mail, so I must have been sleep and he decided he'd put it in my room instead of fucking pinning it to my laboratory door.

People made me mad for no Goddamn reason!!! I turned around and punched my door, the reverberation shaking both of us. Renata jumped and I turned around, shaking my mechanical hand. She wanted an answer. I'd give her a fucking answer alright! She didn't understand any damn thing about this situation. What? She thought because she was my "friend" that meant she could poke her nose all into my business? Fucking idiot! Friends? I didn't need Goddamn friends!!! All friends are is kid-shit. No one needs friends anymore by the time we turn eight-years-old.

So all of this stuff? Kid-shit.

"I wasn't crying. Stop caring," I spat. "And you want to know what-fucking-else you should stop doing? Stop acting like we're the best of fucking friends, because we're not, Renata. I'm here because I get paid to protect your princess-ass, got that? Don't ask any questions about me, or why I'm crying. You keep your distance, and I'll sure as hell keep mine!!!" She started to chew her lip, and I could tell that the bitch was really concerned for me. She didn't listen to a word I said. "Well? Aren't you going to do and do whatever the fuck it is someone like you does?"

"Lucrecia!" Renata bellowed. Ha, so the bitch thought she could get loud at me? I smirked, standing up straight and looking at her through the bottom of my eyes. "I will not have you talking to me like we are not friends or talk about how we are not friends. We _are_ friends. And if you think of saying anything back to me that would not be pleasant to my ears, I will have you locked in your room for the remainder of the week." I would fucking hate to be in my room for a whole week. And since she was a princess, she did have some kind of damn merit over the things that I did. Still. I couldn't help but grin at that bitch. Did she actually think I cared about what she did to me?

"So you're going to lock me up in my room~?" I cooed, stepping around her. Renata looked at me like this was the first time I had done that. See, if we were "friends"... If this was something that we just did, she would know I was just fucking with her. I stopped in front of her, narrowing my eyes. "What the fuck do you want? I told you I wasn't crying."

"But it looks like you were," she answered back just as quickly. "Are you still thinking about Naira and Defina?" I took a step back before I laughed out loud! A_hah_a_ha_! Was that bitch serious?! I started crying from how hilarious that was! Just like I said before, I didn't fucking care about those two! They weren't my "friends". They weren't my companions. They were just people that I worked with. So what, I was supposed to cry like Summoner Sa-yu-ri's partner? Did she think I and Chio were one in the same?! "Lucrecia, I know you enough to know how angry you get when you are truly irritated." Yeah. Like that bitch was irritating me now. "Just tell me what's wrong. That's why I'm here."

"I'm going to the Science Department," I spat, walking around her. Of course that bitch tried to follow behind me. I knew she was going to do that, so I wasn't as pissed as I should have been. "They want me to go to some stupid celebration or some shit like that at there. Who the fuck mails someone an invitation and doesn't say what the damn celebration is for in the first place?!" I was trying to walk faster so I wouldn't be bothered with that bitch but she walked just as fast, trying to keep up with me. That's when we heard some kind of screaming coming from the hallway above us. Fuck, this was just another thing to hold me back. Renata gave me that look—but I didn't fucking care about that look!!

"That sounds like Summoner Sayuri! Lucrecia, quickly!" I rolled my eye. It must have been the thirtieth time I rolled my eye. I teleported us to Sayuri's room and she was on the bed, underneath the covers sweating up a storm. Chio had been holding her hand to try to stop her from squirming around, but that wasn't stopping anything. All of her bullshit-ass friends were crowding around her, trying to see what was wrong with her. Renata, of course, walked over to her side, asking everyone what was wrong with her.

"What's going on?" Renata asked, touching her other hand. Sayuri winced at that, squirming in the bed again. This was ridiculous. Could I do any-fucking-thing anymore? It was obvious that the bitch had been having a nightmare. And if that wasn't enough they had Shiva out here too. I could take the cold, but wouldn't Sa-yu-ri be further irritated by it? I cracked a smile, walking towards Sayuri. Morta eyed me, like she thought I was going to do something stupid. And if I did?!! Would she stop me? A low laughter escaped from my lips.

Shiva, in all of her damned ice glory, folded her arms. "We who have seen war will never stop seeing it, in the silence of the night we will always hear the screams," she said, shaking her head and gesturing towards Sayuri. For once, that bitch had a point. "She has been through quite a lot... And her only escape is through her dreams. It is a shame, however, that even in her dreams she hears those cries for help."

"Oh Sayuri..." Chio muttered, holding her hand with a tighter grip. "I—I couldn't imagine this..." Her eyes started to water and she started crying. Poor baby. I sighed, looking the other way. This was fucking time-consuming! Just wake the bitch up!! Could people do simple things anymore?!

"People who have seen war don't always come back as sane as one would want them to," Shiva said, stepping around the room. "In any case, they either learn to live with what they've seen, or they change into an irreversible monster—"

"She's not a monster!" Chio shouted, looking back at Sayuri. "She's my friend, and I love her!!" Now that bitch was reduced to screaming and shouting. She looked like a fucking mess. "Sayuri, you have to wake up!! You're the only reason why I'm still alive and you're the only reason why I keep staying in this place!!! I _hate_ it here but I follow you because you're my friend and without you I have no other place to go!! This isn't fair and we'll get you out of this I promise! Wake up Sayuri!!!"

"She's just having a nightmare," I said, snorting. "Wait for her to wake up out of it if she's not going to wake up from your screaming." I was right. The bitch wasn't going to wake up anyway until her nightmare was over. You could tell! If Chio's fucking screaming hadn't woken her up, then this was something that could only be corrected inside of her head. Whatever the case was, that bitch was in the bed hallucinating, not me. I turned around and walked towards the door-knob. I didn't have time for this. And at any rate I needed to hurry up and go to this party...

"They died keeping her promise," Miyuki said, standing up straight. "That's more than enough to make her act like this, Lucrecia."

"Why the fuck would I care?" I spat. "I'm sorry, you seem to be under the misconception that I give a damn." People in this fucking castle needed to get over the fact that those two died!!! So what?! The world would keep on spinning without them!!! Who the fuck were those two? They weren't anyone important, and yet everyone was still crying over them and it had been a couple of days since they died. But when the important bastards died?! Did anyone care about them? Fuck no. It was all about the people who died because they have some sort of rank.

"Lucrecia, you do not understand," Shiva said, entering the fucking conversation. "We have all seen it. We have all seen the war and that makes us all one in the same." I was fucking tired of people thinking that they knew something about me. I was going to make this place explode in a few motherfucking seconds!!! "Everyone in this room has dealt with war, whether they've told their stories or not. And if you fight, you have been through war. So why not change your ways and feel a bit of pity for the Summoner of Time?"

"Hahahahha!" I laughed, almost falling over. "Did you forget that bitch took my fucking arm and ruined my life?! Since when does the predator feel sorry for its prey? It's because they fucking don't. And I'm going to kill her anyway, despite of any damn nightmares she might be having." I paused, grinning. "She's probably having a nightmare about me."

"You wish!" Kokoro shouted, getting angry. Ha, so I had made him angry, huh? These kids were so amusing. "I keep telling you that we're not going to let you get anywhere near Sayuri! She didn't take your arm off because she was never here before!" That was a bunch of bullshit. If the bitch had of been smart, she would have taken my arm without giving me her Goddamn name! I knew Sayuri took my arm. I couldn't forget her face, or how fucking high her voice was. Or that sword... She got on my fucking nerves because she was a Summoner. Not a fucking fighter! So what was she doing with a sword?!

"I'm not listening... I'm not..." Sayuri murmured.

"Sayuri!" Chio shouted, looking at her. "Sayuri, are you okay?" That bitch still didn't wake up. C'mon. This was wasting my time! Sayuri kept squirming, trying to let go of Chio's hand.

"I'll... Fix everything. I'll... Nothing can..." Sayuri said, trying to wake up. I could tell. Renata was praying over her body. "If it won't kill me, then I'll only get stronger..." Her eyes fluttered open and Chio threw her arms around Sayuri's neck as she sat up. "Guys, what are you crowding around me for? Chio... What's the matter?"

"Sayuri! You're okay!" Kokoro shouted, jumping up.

"You... You were acting weird!" Chio sobbed, which made Sayuri frown a bit. Then that bitch looked towards me and Renata, so she must have known something hadn't gone right. Whatever she had dreamed about wasn't going to go away. Maybe she and I were one in the same. Always being haunted by the past and what we could have done to prevent it. That bitch was lucky; she was the Summoner of Time and could do anything to help ease her pain. I was just fucking unlucky.

"Um... Hi Renata and Lucrecia," Sayuri said, rubbing her eyes and getting up. Now she wanted to act like we were all good friends all of a fucking sudden. "I must have been asleep for a really long time. It's already four isn't it?" Smart bitch. She didn't even have to look at a clock to know that. I rolled my eye, tapping my foot on the ground. "I'm sorry you guys. But I was just sleeping. Chio, you can stop crying now. I'm not going to go anywhere." She paused, looking down. "And... And if we all are going to rush into this war... I'll be the first one to go in, and the last one to come out of it."

"It is okay, Summoner Sayuri," Renata said, bowing. "My mother and I are all ready talking about the actions we should take to stop my father. Before he even came that day, we both understood that there was something wrong with the equation. I was just hoping that our suspicions were not true." I couldn't argue with that shit; of course Saivan had been doing something he had no business doing. He had been gone for a long-ass time. I hadn't seen him since I was with the Science Department. Sayuri got up and sighed, knelling next to her bed.

"Guys. I think it's time for a prayer," she said, tilting her head. What the fuck was she talking about?! Everyone gave her weird looks. "No, I'm serious. We need one for this war. Now act like you want to take a part of this and bow your head please..." She closed her eyes, folding her arms.

"Okay Sayuri! Whatever you say! You're the boss!" Kokoro said, knelling down next to her. The room was quite and I just looked at all these stupid-ass bitches.

"Our Father in Heaven, before we go into battle, every soldier among us will approach you each in his own way," Sayuri began, wiping some of her hair out of her eyes. "Our enemies too, according to their own understanding, will ask for protection and for victory. And so, we bow before your infinite wisdom. We offer our prayers as best we can. I pray you watch over my friends. The Summoners and Aysel's guard that I lead into battle. You use me as your instrument in this awful hell of war to watch over them. Especially if they're people like me, deserving of a future in your good-will and blessings. Amen."

"Amen," the whole room said, getting up.

"Oh, oh! Wait. One more thing," Sayuri said, kneeling down really quickly. "Dear Lord, about our enemies... Ignore their heathen prayers and help us blow those little bastards straight to Hell. Amen." I smirked. So for once she was thinking the right fucking way. How admirable. She walked past me, but then she turned around. She didn't have any socks on. She was barefoot—which I found fucking disgusting. There was a million things on the floor. "But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. Heaven help me if I don't..."

She walked straight past me, like she was pissed for no damn reason. I kept smirking. The kid had been getting better after all. I twirled my hair with my index-finger. "The bitch is conflicted, isn't she?" I cackled, tilting my head. "She's _pissed_, Renata."

"I've never seen her so mad before," Kokoro said. He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I guess you can't blame her after everything that happened with Naira, Defina and Saivan."

"She's acting like this is _her _war," Morta said, shaking her head. "It's obvious she doesn't want any of us to fight with her." She paused, dusting off her hands. "And it's apparent we don't know who we're fighting against. Unless Saivan has another army with him somewhere on this planet... If he was talking about going to war, then he must have soldiers to help him fight. Though one thing is true. He does have power. Lots of it." Morta had a point. We didn't know who we were fighting against. I grinned again. That made this all the more fun. To run into battle with our fucking eyes closed was an honor!!!

"I am sure he has a reason for this..." Renata said, holding her hands together. "We just have to get through to him. He's my father." Didn't Renata get it? Sayuri wasn't all about talking to him! Did she see the way Sayuri thirsted to _kill him_?! Fucking retarded bitch. "If anyone can get through to him, it is me."

"And do you think we're letting you fight?" I hissed, folding my arms. "Not a fucking chance. So Aysel can bitch at me? As if. The only thing we can do now is prepare for battle. If they don't attack us here, they're going to attack the kingdom, I imagine. I can, of course, but wrong in my observation. But that's merely what I would do if I were them." I paused, looking at Renata. "If you and Aysel are constructing a plan, wouldn't it be smart if you went and talked to Zed before you order shit to start?"

Renata sighed. "You are right Lucrecia. I shall. Okay, I am going to go back to doing what I was doing. I want you all to stay safe." She bowed and grabbed both of her hands.

"We will, Renata!" Kokoro shouted, waving his hand.

"Don't worry Princess Renata, we'll take care of all this!" Chio joined, smiling. So her arm was still cut from sword wounds, and yet she acted like she didn't have any pain.

"Well, I'm out of here," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "I've got that Science Department thing to go to. Don't call me if you need help, Renata. Maybe I might even get into a fight and Sa-yu-ri won't be there to help me or say some stupid shit about 'God' and 'stepping off first'." That really made Renata mad. She turned around and threw her hands out.

"Lucrecia, no. You're taking someone with you."

"The fuck I am," I shot. Then I thought about it. Maybe she was right. I put my hands in my lab-coat. I would learn more about this Apathīa if I had to give up my other arm!! Because that was Issaru's dream. He wanted to be this great, well-known scientist who cured people and who worked only to help people. And if I could find out the secret to Apathīa, I could grant him his wish while wearing his coat. I walked out of the room, staring at the ceiling.

If all of this was kid-shit, then why was I still hanging on to it like this...?

* * *

**A/N:** Wee! XD

And now we've got our first mention of Issaru in the main story! Okay guys, here's the problem: Geez do I not like writing romance. And as much as I do like writing my favorite pairings and whatnot, my writing gets really... REALLY slow. Like, I don't know why that is. I know I can write the stuff, but I just have this voice in the back of my head telling me that I should make it perfect! XD I think.

It's either that, or I'm afraid of writing it in the first place. I don't have a problem writing Issaru with Lucrecia, I really, really don't. But it's gonna kill me when/if Isaiah goes to see her. D: I think I've been avoiding that because of that sole reason. XD I've gotta man up. I've gotta man up and write more of that stuff, because right now it's not hot, the way I seem to crap out on myself and write a thousand words in like two hours... XD;;

*headdesk* And then I really have a problem with writing Zed. D: Because I really effin don't like him at all. XD;;; But someone has to do it. So that takes me even longer, and it gets REALLY bad when I do it in first person, which I'mma have to do next chapter, which I_ really_ dun wanna do. XD;;; *headdesks some more* But just because I hate the guy doesn't mean I'm not gonna ship him and Lucrecia together. Maybe... Maybe I'll learn to put my feelings aside. But not now. XD;;

Did anyone catch all my Dark Ages/Middle ages connections? D: Because I'm trying my damnedest to make them apparent. You can check it out--back in the day scientists spoke and wrote things in Latin. And the smart people. And the rich. XD And there's more connections, but this A/N is already long. XD;;

Let me sneak this in. Ever's "caught between Scylla and Charybdis" means... Well, if you know your Greek stuff, Scylla was a sea monster who was in a cave--(Scylla is Lucrecia's last name)--and Charybdis was a gaint monster that created whirlpools, and when you rode a ship into that body of water, you were screwed, because you'd gey cluster-effed by one of those monsters no matter how much you tried to get away. XD;; Yeah. Ever's attempt at a joke... XD

So! Until Next chapter! :D But wait! Before I go! XD How awesome is Sayuri?! XD;;; What she did is fangirl worthy. XD And are there any Hyaboriaists in the house? XD Because I am. Long live Lord Agathangelos! XD


	33. When You Say Fuck You, Say It Louder

**A/N:** Well... Damn. *blinks* I did it. XD;;; I can't believe I just wrote this whole entire chapter in Zed's point of view. Victory? Well, this will be the 16th chapter of the year. Ha! I knew I could do it! Now the score is 16/50 chapters done, and I have until the end of the year to fill that bar. ^_^

I'm feeling lucky. If I could get past this chapter, I can get pass anything! See how Chiharu just switched tenses right there? Because I am fawesome. XD And no one can do it like me. That used to be how I wrote my first person. Jumping around in my tenses because that was just simply how I wrote. I wrote the way I talked...

I've fixed the problem now, but damn, you know.

I think I've maintained the fact that Isleen did have some sort of infatuation with Sayuri... XD;;; If you guys don't know, now you know. It was all onesided though. No ideas, Addy. XD;; And how could she not love Sayuri? XD;; Who couldn't love her?

* * *

"So, what am I supposed to do? I've thought and thought about it and I just can't figure it out..." Isleen says, clutching her knees as she looks at Riona. Riona listens to everything Isleen says, a glass of wine in her hands. Isleen folds her arms, looking down at the ground.

"How many times have I told you already...?" Riona sighs. "It's not something you can "become" just because you want to," she says, putting her wine glass on the bar table. Isleen tilts her head, her wolf-ears perking up.

"But Suzuki became one—"

"He didn't become one, he WAS one from the beginning. That's how it works. It's too late for that now." As Riona talks, Isleen gets more and more depressed, refusing to look at the Summoner of Death any longer. Isleen's ears perk up once again to the sound of footsteps.

"What's too late?" Sayuri asks, walking towards the two of them.

"Ah! Sayuri!" Isleen shouts, jumping out of her chair. After that she looks towards the ground, her smile fading away.

"Isleen here wants to be your childhood friend, Sayuri," Riona says, looking up at her leader. Isleen scratches the back of her head and nods as Sayuri tilts her head in confusion.

"Childhood friend? What does she mean by that?" Sayuri asks, looking towards the silver-haired Summoner of Change. She looks back at Riona and gives her a disapproving look.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" At this notion Isleen cracks a smile, looking at Sayuri through her dangerous silver eyes. No matter how human Isleen seems to make herself, her animalistic traits always seem to shine through without any problems.

"Well, remember how you were saying that childhood friends stick together forever when we saved Suzuki and his planet? I was just asking Riona how to become yours." Sayuri puts her hand on her chin, nodding her head and giving Riona an equal, disapproving glance. Isleen is still a wolf, through-and-through, and before Isleen could walk on two legs Sayuri had to teach her how to be human. Sayuri even gave Isleen her name.

"Oh, I get it now," Sayuri says, rubbing one of Isleen's wolf-ears and kneeling down so she can talk to her with the appropriate eye contact. "Sorry Isleen, but I'm afraid we can't be childhood friends. We're both pretty grown-up now, you know." A frown covers Isleen's face as she looks at the ground, turning the other way and kicking the air.

"Oh really...? You have to be kids...?"

"But that's okay! We're still friends!"

"Really?"

"We might not be able to be "childhood" friends, but we're friends all right. And friends can stick together forever too." Excitement overtakes Isleen's body as she brings her hands to her face, trying to contain her joy.

"So does that mean it's okay then? Can I stay together with all of you forever?"

"You bet!" Sayuri says, smiling and putting out a fist. Isleen grabs Sayuri's fist and starts to laugh, swinging her arm while dancing around.

"Friends! Friends! We're going to be friends forever!" Isleen sings, turning Sayuri around and jumping on her back. Sayuri holds Isleen's legs, laughing along with her friend. "A—whooooooo!"

"That tickles Isleen! I get it, I get it, okay? That's enough!" Sayuri insists, trying to stop her laughter. Isleen lets out a few, happy howls as Sayuri tries to walk forward. Riona picks up her wine glass, smiling to herself.

"They might as well be childhood friends," she says, sighing, taking another sip of her wine.

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Three: When You Say "Fuck You", Say It Louder :-**

_His piercing eyes meet mine  
Please simply stay awake.  
Talk to me and I'll hear you  
Don't fall asleep this time  
Gotta stay awake, gotta stay awake_

_Contemplating you is like a dream_  
_I never want to wake up from what I finally see_  
_Perfect circles turn in orbit_  
_Following a perfect path from your perfect hand_  
_Don't you see me reaching for you?_

_I swear I really do love you._

— "Sleepwalker And Whispering Fingertips" — Flyleaf

"Now listen," Lucrecia said, narrowing her eyes at me. "Don't do anything stupid, okay Zed? I just need to get in there, meet that Ever bitch, and come out with the information on Aline, you hear me?!" She had nothing to worry about, of course. I smirked at her as she tugged on my tie. The look on her face made me arch an eyebrow. Why, she looked frustrated, like I was going to ruin the night for her! I could never do that to the Doctor—not when she wanted me to assist her so. "Don't fuck this up for me, and don't wander around, either." She paused, pointing into the room. "As soon as you step inside of there—well, as soon as _we _step inside of there—it's going to be fucking hell on earth, and the last thing I need to happen is to be looking for your sorry ass."

Before we had left to go to the Science Department, the Doctor had a... Sudden change of heart in what she should wear to the event. She was now wearing a black microfiber halter-dress that had a lace-up front and a lace up back. The back had been laced all the way down to the end of the dress. The laces were pink. After she felt that I looked... Sufficient enough to enter the room, she started to play with her laces, making sure nothing was out of place. She was a perfectionist, was she not? The perfect person to help lead me in my plan without so much as to knowing what she was getting herself into.

I smirked again and she tilted her head, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders. "The hell are you laughing for?" she asked casually, tending to her laces again.

"I do not believe I was ever laughing, Doctor," I said, which made her fume in rage. I smiled at her reaction, standing up straight. She was so easy to irritate. I found it fun being around her. She stomped her right foot on the ground—and if I did not know she was used to wearing heels—I would have thought she would have fallen over side-ways. But it was the Doctor I was with, after all. She knew how to do things like magic, did she not? The sound of her four-inch chrome high-heel buckle-ankle boot hitting the floor reverberated throughout the hallway. Even the chains on the shook.

"Shut... Urgh, you're annoying you little shit," she spat, rolling her eye. Aww, look at how red she was getting! Even under all of her make-up it was still apparent that she was getting angry with me. I hope she did not think she was going to be able to put on an act in front of all of those people with me around her. I smirked once more, making her lower eye twitch. She knew I knew things before she even fathomed them—just like I knew she was going to try and act like she wanted to be inside of that room.

And she knew I knew that.

And that made her angry—the anger that I had come to know and love. She pointed her mechanical index-finger at me, her finger-nail poking my nose. "And another thing. Don't you ever. Ever. _Ever!!!_ Call me Doctor when we get inside of this room, okay? You know it's all your fucking fault that everyone and their whole Goddamn family thinks I'm this wondrous Doctor!! So I'd advise you to keep your mouth closed or you can call me by my name." I grabbed her arm, which startled her a bit, but the fury inside of her did not die.

Why, it was almost as if she was waiting for me to say something else, and say something else I did. She wanted me to—who was I to turn down such a pleading request? For it was not her voice that asked me, but the way anger seemed to protrude from her eye in a way only she and I knew existed. This, my friend, was how the Doctor and I interacted with each other. "What? And call you something the common man would call you, Doctor?" I cooed, pushing her arm away. She scowled at me, standing in front of the doorway.

"You don't fucking get it!!" she said, throwing her arms in different directions. Her actions just amused me. I put my hands in my pants pockets, and even that exasperated her more. "Stop smiling, it's starting to piss me off!!! They all ready call me Doctor. Now if you would stop calling me that, maybe they fucking would." Honestly... Look at how much she went through to get her way... Such dedication. Truthfully, it had been a while since I had called the Doctor by her real name.

"Okay, Doctor," I said, grinning. "I shall call you Lucrecia from here on in."

"Don't fucking say it like that," she spat, her gaze steady on me. Perhaps she wanted me to call her Doctor again? "You're saying it like don't fucking know my name. I'd appreciate it if you said it like you fucking cared that it's my name, Zed."

"You would appreciate something from me, Doctor? Honestly?"

She rolled her eye, simpering. "Look, we're never going to get anything fucking done standing here and going back and forward about a stupid name." She paused, putting her hand on her forehead and closing her eye. "At least you're smart enough not to call me something fucking stupid. Like—" Of course I was going to take advantage of the situation. The Doctor was practically waiting for me to call her something that she would not have liked.

"—Like Lu, Doctor?"

"There you go. You did it fucking again!!" she said, turning around, fury exploding from every syllable that left her lips. "I can get the 'Doctor' thing. I can even stand it—it's been so long. But you are_ not _going to call me Lu, got that? Don't fucking do that again!!!" The Doctor had illuminated a new kind of anger, something that led me to believe she held held that name close to her. A vain was throbbing in her head—but even that did not take away from her overall beauty. If she wanted to stop me, I was more than happy to see her try such a thing! I put my hands behind me, smiling still at the Doctor.

"It is but an abbreviation of your name," I said, taking a few steps down the hallway. "How could a two-letter word make you so angry, Doctor?"

"Stop asking questions," she hissed. "You know it makes you look fucktarded when you ask questions, especially stupid ones."

"Is it not questions that have made you what you are today?"

"I take that back. It's not the damn questions, all right?! It's the damn questions that _you _ask. Now please, shut the fuck up so we can get in and get out. I'm not one for staying at parties... Especially when I've got work to do back at the castle."

Work? Both the Doctor and I knew that she would not get any work done while she was here with me. A smile crawled on my lips and she scowled again. And both the Doctor and I knew that if we were standing next to each other like this, neither of us would have been able to get what we needed to get done here. "But the fact that I am asking the questions make it all the more fun to answer, yes Doctor?"

She was going to say something else, but someone came out into the hallway, walking in between both of us. The woman was dressed for the occasion—wearing pearls around her neck with her blonde hair pinned up. She was also wearing a sparkling gown... One that resembled the sweetest of sparkling wine. She looked at the two of us, quirking her nose. Of course a simpleton like her would not understand the situation at hand, and the Doctor had been anticipating the moment in which the woman said something... Wrong.

Just the way the Doctor handled things made me want to stay and watch.

I started to tap my fingers on my shoulder, waiting for the moment in which Lucrecia lost the grip on her tongue. The woman glanced at Lucrecia, and then looked at her mechanical arm. The Doctor gave the woman an equal, confused look, folding her arms as well. "Who the fuck are you and why are you looking at me like that?!" the Doctor said, an aggravated sigh leaving her lips. The woman jumped back again, startled by the harshness in the Doctor's voice. That was something that I had grown to get used to, after all! The Doctor could not scare me even if she tried, and that too sent her into spiraling fits of denial.

"Why, excuse me," the woman said under her breath. "I came to see what was making that noise. It sounded like something out here was _dying_. And as the security here, I had been sent out to throw whatever was dying away." I tilted my head, chuckling under my breath. She must have meant the Doctor's screaming! The Doctor tilted her head, a sadistic smile covering her face.

"They... You—ha!—_you're_ the security around here?"

The woman quirked a brow, taking one step forward. "Why yes. This is what I do for a living. I come here to make sure that trash like you do not crash parties. And by the looks of it, you are most definitely guilty of that crime." She paused, looking back into the room that was holding the celebration in the first place. Before we had even gotten here, we could hear the sound of music overtaking us and filling our heads with strange desires to have... Fun. "What did you even come here for, impudent idiot? And what is that thing on your arm? I must say, it is not stylish. It reminds me of trash..." The Doctor remained silent, the same smile on her face.

"Do you know who the fuck I am?" the Doctor said slowly, so the woman could comprehend what she had been saying. "Because you're about to be put through this wall behind me, and straight through these glass doors that lead out-fucking-side, you hear me?! So they made _you _the security of this place?" She paused, cackling. Her laugh had managed to get more demonic—more out of control. Impressive. "Well, the Science Department sure knows how to downgrade, don't they?" The woman stood back, shocked that the Doctor would even say something like that.

"I do not know who you are, but the way you speak reminds me of someone who does not deserve to live anymore! Why, I never! I am going to take you in for further questioning. You look suspicious while I stand here thinking about it."

"Miss," I said, smirking at her. I reached out towards her, hoping that she would take my hand. "I do not think it would be wise to try and escort this woman out. She really means no harm. The Doctor... She..." I looked towards the Doctor, making sure she knew that I ignored saying her name on purpose. Even if the Doctor would not say it, I knew she wanted to hurt the woman standing in front of me. I could see it in her eye and I could read the Doctor like a book. "The Doctor has a temper. She will leave you alone in a minute."

"I hope you get that thing out of my sight!!" the woman yelled, giving the Doctor another menacing look. "The world does not need more people like her living in it!"

"You're just another rich-bitch who ignores the political news in the world," the Doctor spat, pushing me aside. I gladly stood back without any hesitation. "You don't know anything, do you? What the fuck are you doing in here, anyway? See, the world is composed of people like you." With each word, the Doctor walked up towards the woman, making the woman step back. The Doctor continued to smile, pointing her mechanical index-finger at the woman's face. "You don't even know why the fuck you're here. Well, I'll tell you why. You didn't come here to party... Or even to fucking flaunt your status!"

"... Please," the woman said, her voice shaky. She looked towards me, even doing so much as to reach out towards me. "Please, let the kind man over there handle this situation. I am sure this whole spat can be a-avoided." I let out another chuckle. The Doctor had been right. That woman did not know anything about the world. I would have expected she would have at least recognized me... Especially by now. And if she did not know who Lucrecia was, she was not going to remember me. The Doctor could do anything she wanted to this woman now. I would not interfere, just like the Doctor did not want me to.

The Doctor had managed to back the woman into a wall, and after that she drove her mechanical finger into her cheek, but not enough to draw the woman's blood. That made the woman absolutely terrified of Lucrecia, up into the point where she fell on the ground. Aww. Poor woman. I tilted my head, watching every move the Doctor made, studying her. "You see, what you fucking fail to understand is that I'm Lucrecia. That ring a bell?"

"Lu—Lu—Lucrec—ci—"

"Lucrecia! Wow, it's amazing how you can pronounce my name! I bet you remember me now, right? So this is the part where you say you're sorry a thousand times... Maybe even... I don't know... Piss yourself?" The woman looked so pale. It was funny how she thought the Doctor was not the best fighter in the world... "And you know what else? I'm sure you know all about me working for 'Queen Aysel' as well. In any case, you know that I can kill you right now for even thinking about treason. Hitting someone from her guard. Fucking scary, isn't it. So." She paused on purpose, her sharp teeth illuminated by the lighting coming out from the room holding the celebration. "How would you like to fucking die?"

"I—I am sorry! I should have listened to you before, please do not—!"

"It's too late for that now!!" the Doctor shouted, scratching her finger across the woman's arm. The woman screamed out in pain as blood began to seep through the line on her arm. Lucrecia then pulled the woman up, her face inches away from the woman's. "And now you can get the fuck out of my face!! Here's a world to the wise: I've had your job before you did. And you know what? You do a fucking horrible job with keeping people who don't need to be in here out." With that said, the Doctor kept her sweet promise and through the woman down the hallway with an enormous amount of force. The woman skidded against the floor and went through the glass doors, just like she had promised.

"How domestic, Doctor," I said, clapping a bit for her. She glanced at me, dusting her hands off. She looked the other way, trying to clear her head.

"Sorry," she muttered. "Don't look at me like that. She's not even dead. I just can't stand bitches who think they know everything."

I tilted my head again. "Is that why you are blushing, Doctor?"

"... Hmm? What?" She hadn't even noticed it. Was the Doctor really that out of tune with her surroundings and emotions? Or was she ignoring it simply because she was with me? She brought her hands up and touched her cheeks, shrugging it off. "Whatever. It doesn't even fucking matter anymore, got it? Now c'mon, let's go into this party, find that Ever bitch, and get the fuck out. My neck hurts, and people are going to come out here if they heard that glass break. But judging by all of that fucking loud music in there, we might be saved from further bitches wanting to get into our business..."

"So does that mean I get to call you Doctor or Lu?" I challenged, my grin still plastered on my face. She looked at me, and thus the cycle of her game started all over again. She was going to explode again, but someone else stepped out. This time the man bowed down to us—a suit and all. At least this simpleton knew who we were. He looked at Lucrecia, a smile underneath his mustache.

"Hello. You must be Lady Lucrecia," the man said. "I am Gatto, and I will be your waiter for the night. I was expecting you to walk in, but you seem to find much more entertainment out here, do you not?" The man looked important, so he would not make the Doctor more frazzled than she already was. The man looked towards me, bowing again. "And you have brought Sir Zed with you, have you not? It is a pleasure meeting you." He reached out towards me and I returned with the standard handshake.

"It has been an honor, Gatto," I said, bowing my head down as well. I knew he saw the broken glass at the end of the hall, but he had been ignoring it. People were afraid of the Doctor! But why? I could not but my head around it. There was nothing to fear! Gatto let go of my hand and grabbed Lucrecia's flesh-hand... Perhaps her mechanical one was intimidating him too much. He kissed it lightly, which did not change Lucrecia's facial expression. She looked expressionless as she gazed at Gatto.

"Please, please come in," Gatto said, standing up straight. "Ever really wants to meet you, Lady Lucrecia."

"I bet that bitch does," Lucrecia spat, a smile cracking on her lips. Gatto coughed inside of his free hand. It appeared that he had never been around a woman that swore so much out loud. "At any rate, Gatto, I want to get in and out, do you understand me? Each extra second that I spend in this bitch is each extra second that I'm going to spend coming back to torture your ass. Are we clear on that?" Apparently, he had been use to being talked to like that as well. He did not flinch, which surprised Lucrecia to say the least.

"As you wish, Lady Lucrecia," he said, nodding his head.

"Ah, ah, don't fucking call me that." She truly did not know what she wanted! The Doctor was such a strange person. An interesting person.

"What would you like me to call you, Lady Lucrecia?"

"You can call me Doctor." She grinned, and we made our way into the room. The ballroom, to be exact. It was big, but not big enough to top the Mistress' throne room. I started to wonder how much longer would it be until the Mistress fixed her room. I must say, Saivan did a wonderful job with attacking the Summoners. He almost convinced me that he was going to attack me in an instant! Why would I ever think something like that? I had the king's trust, and nothing in the world was going to break that bond. Both of this kingdom's leaders would prove advantageous to me. And no one else in the kingdom had my level of thinking—therefore—no one else could figure out my plan unless I told them.

When we walked into the room, people seized their talking and dancing, stopping to take a look at us. As we passed people, they started to bow at the sight of us. This was something I had also grown to come accustom to. And I could not appreciate it anymore than I did at that moment. Soon, this would all be mine. The money, the power, the fame, the kingdom. All because of people who did not know how to watch themselves. And she would watch me do it, the woman walking next to me. I could not ask for a better world to live in, honestly! Our table appeared to be in the middle of the room and Gatto seated us.

Lucrecia looked naturally bored, looking at the band preforming their jazz ensembles. She tapped her fingers as the security stepped around our table. Silly people. Where they really that bloodthirsty to see us? We were not that important. Just two people riding the wave towards success and fortune. Lucrecia looked at the crowd of people wanting to ask us questions. We heard them, and we heard how our names fell from their lips. Some even fainted at the mere sight of us. From here, it seemed like we had everything would could ever wish for! Why, people would _kill _to be in my position.

And if that was not enough, a new's crew stumbled their way into the room, their cameras and microphones pointing at us. Still, the Doctor did not move, tapping her fingers on the table. "I fucking hate the paparazzi," she muttered to me, giving the people a disdainful look. "They're no different than the woman we had the unfortunate Goddamn chance of meeting. They're all one in the same because they're all fucking annoying."

"But do you not find most people annoying, Doctor?" I asked. Even at that question she scowled, stopping her tapping. She narrowed her eye at me, breathing through her nose.

"You mean _you_, right?" she said, almost singing her words. She glanced towards the guards, slamming her mechanical hand into the table. "Go ahead, let some of them ask whatever the fuck they want to so we can get this over with so I can go home. And Gatto!!" she shouted, so demanding. I smiled at the sudden pitch-change in her voice. "Gatto!!! You find that Ever bitch and bring her back to me so we can talk about shit that you know nothing about!!! All these white-coats, and I don't see her ass anywhere! In fact, I don't even know who the fuck I'm looking for..." She sighed, rubbing her temples. She glanced back at me when an old man was let through, holding a magnifying glass against her mechanical arm.

"This... This is amazing..." the elderly man spoke, shaking from the pure excitement. He got to get close to her arm. That must have been a dream come true for the man. "I—I cannot believe... Excuse me Lucrecia, but I have been a part of the Science Department for quite some time. I have never seen something like this before. May I touch it?"

"My damn arm?" she answered back, tilting her head. She refused to look at the unworthy trash, but she extended her arm out, holding it up in mid-air. "You scientists... Get weirder and weirder every fucking day. Most people would want to look at an experiment or a body. You want to look at my fucking arm. Go ahead. Knock yourself out." It truly was an impressive device, though the Doctor would never admit that. She never told me how she obtained such a thing. She has never talked about it to anyone else, save Princess Renata, I suspected. I would get her to tell me about it—even if I was the last person she wanted to talk to about it! I could make the Doctor do anything I wanted to without her even noticing it.

"It is a work of art..." the elderly man said in awe. Lucrecia's arm started glowing as it always did. It just meant it was working. Air was coming out of a vent in the back of her arm, her fingers twitching at the man's scrawny fingers touching over it. "And you can feel me expecting your arm? Amazing. Did you build this yourself?"

She jumped at the question, and then turned around at the man. "'Did you build this yourself?'" she mocked. "Fuck no, does it_ look_ like I built this myself?! You should be praising the scientist that did, and not thank me for having it in the first damn place. But then, you wouldn't know him. I say you should go back to whatever lab you're assigned to and do more research, old man." The man was too overcome with admiration and did not even realize that she had insulted him. And in a burst of admiration just like his, more people ran up to inspect Lucrecia's arm. She looked absolutely irritated!

If I knew the Doctor, she would throw someone out of the window.

"This..." she began, rolling her eye and looking toward me. I smirked at her. "This is fucking annoying. You're nowhere near annoying, Zed."

"But I can be, and that is all that matters, is it not Doctor?"

She looked around before sighing again.

"The technology!"

"It must have taken years to make something like this!"

"My I ask what happened to your eye?"

She snapped at the last question, taking her arm away and putting it at her side. "Why did you just ask me a dumb fucking question? Why the fuck do you care what happened to my eye? Is it open? No? Then that's all you fucking need to know. Now all of you! Get the fuck away from my arm. If you want to marvel at my arm, why don't you lose yours and have someone build you a new one out of pity?!" And of course, being the fans that they were, they all stepped down, and the newscast stepped up. The Doctor was past her limit with dealing with these things, and their were still mountains of people piling up to meet her. And me—by the looks of it. She began tapping her fingers on the table again.

"Lucrecia! It has been a long time, hasn't it?" the newscaster said, pushing his microphone into her mouth. "Hi, I am Danade, your local news man. I am reporting live from the Science Department and I am speaking to Lucrecia Scylla. Most people do not live live long enough to meet her, but here my crew and I are, waiting eagerly to talk to the scientist who has made her name known all over the world—"

"No shit, huh?" she spat, which made the man jump. Amusing little people they were.

"Aheheh. So, Lucrecia. How are you feeling tonight?"

She stayed silent for a while until she grabbed the microphone, tapping on it with her mechanical finger. When she heard the sound escaping from it, she smiled a mischievous grin. "If that Ever bitch is watching this, just have her know I'm patiently waiting for her to show up," she spat, giving the newscaster a malicious grin. She pulled on his tie, and he started shaking. Sweating. The people back at the castle were going to see this... Or perhaps not. They were trying to train for the war. I felt like I had all the power. I was untouchable! Loved by the enemy, loved by the people fighting a_gainst_ the enemy. I had no problem standing back and watching this war take place!

"Erm, okay," he said, making sure his tie was in the right place. He started to smile again, which made me think he had something else to say of worth. "I see you are doing well for yourself, Lucrecia. Now what can you tell me about you and your date?"

"Mmm. I think it's best you leave now," she said, looking the other way. "Now."

"Oh Doctor, do not be so harsh on the young man, he only asked you a question..."

"A fucking, _stupid_ question! Keep fucking with me Zed and I'll flip this Goddamn table!!!"

I chuckled under my breath, slumping back down into my seat. She was far too amusing to leave alone, and even I knew that she could never do anything to hurt me. The man looked at us, confused, before her grew enough courage to talk again. "I think I hit the wrong button, huh?" He tried to laugh, but that angered her more. "So maybe Sir Zed is here for the sole purpose of escorting you. Even if that is the case, can you tell us more about the war that seems to be going on at the moment? Can you spare any words on the situation? The people of Aysel seem to want to hear this, after all."

"You're missing the point, scared newscaster man," she cooed, drawing something in the air with her fingers. "You think I care. I fucking don't. Get out of here."

"But of course," I said, taking to the man. I did not want to leave him in the dark, especially when Lucrecia had been so mean to him before... It would have been a shame if he went home uneducated. "There is nothing to fear. War is just a word that holds no water if nothing is really happening behind it, you see? But it is not a rumor. If a war does have the courage to break out, Aysel, her soldiers, and her guard will stop whatever seems to overtake this land." I stopped abruptly, leaning back in my chair. He felt that was sufficient enough. He looked back into the camera, running his fingers through his hair.

"Okay, you have heard it here first. Here is Danade Addison, and I'm leaving the couple for the—" I did not even see the Doctor move. And in fact, she did not! The man was suddenly hanging upside down from his leg, all kinds of electronics and things falling out of his pockets. He demanded to know what was going on through incoherent pleads, but the Doctor did not pay him any attention! She folded her arms, closing her eyes.

"I told you to watch what the fuck came out of your mouth," she said, grinning from ear to ear. She swung the man into the wall and it left an imprint in it. The rest of his crew went to see if the man was okay as he slid off the wall and collapsed into the floor. The Doctor buried her head in her arms, sighing. "Fucking... Stupid-ass... I just want to go to sleep now. Fuck work. I don't have time for this shit. This place hasn't changed after all. Just a fucking carnival with fucking clowns wearing the same faces." I would not say that was all true, but whatever the Doctor thought... I would agree with it.

"Doctor, you never told me how you ended up getting that arm of yours," I asked, truly interesting in what she had to say. She looked up at me, her earrings tangled in her hair. She simpered, sighing again.

"Why do you fucking care?! Again, it's always the same shit. It doesn't concern you!!"

"You are a scientist, Doctor. It is one of the things you do. You answer questions when they have been presented to you." She flinched at the realization, making me smirk again. She had come to realize that I had usually won most of our debates and arguments. Her juvenile tactics could not work on me and she did not have the slightest idea why.

"Here," she said, sitting up straight in her chair. She adjusted her glasses with a push of her index-finger. "Now let me fucking break this down to you, shall I? People ask questions so they have something to gain. Me telling you how I got my arm isn't going to help you in the slightest! Therefore, your question is stupid, fucktarded, and has no purpose of being asked. Therefore, I don't want to answer said question, and therefore you need to find something else to do with your questions, because quite frankly, you're wasting your fucking time asking me stupid fucking shit."

There was an easy way out of that, we both knew it. I smirked once more, flaunting my superiority. "What about when you came to me asking about the Apathīa? Was that not a question that had nothing to do with you, or how your life is set up and run, Doctor? I find your way of living and tackling questions very abysmal... Perhaps you would work towards making yourself more accustomed to questions." She tapped on the table again, irritated like always.

"That's right, the Apathīa." Her eyes softened and she stood up, scanning the crowd. "Still no sign of that Ever bitch..." She glanced back at me, sitting down again. "That strain may have had nothing to do with me, but it was impressive how you seemed to know so much about it. Still, there's nothing stopping me from cracking the code to the strain, is there Zed?" she said, tracing circles into the air. She seemed to have a problem with saying things, so perhaps that was a way with drawing them out for me. The Doctor had... Odd mannerisms. But, of course, it could have been blamed on the fact that she liked to use her hands.

"And there is also nothing stopping me from asking you about your arm," I said, my smirk still plastered on my face. She hated that, but I loved the way in which she hated it. "You can tell me everything, just as I have told you."

"I don't like to talk about it, you know," she said under her breath. "But you did help me out. And you did come with me to this hell hole. And we don't have any-fucking-thing to do right now... But you have to promise that you won't say anything, okay?! Got that?!" She was so self-conscious. She worried too much for a Doctor.

"I trust you won't tell anyone else about the secret to the Apathīa except those who need to know, so of course I won't tell anyone else this story." She nodded her head, cracking her neck and glancing back at the piece of metal attached to her body. Even I knew that there was something special about it, and I was not particularly well-delved in science myself.

"I just had to make sure. I don't want this floating around. Because then I'd have to find and fuck up every single person in this kingdom until I found out how put it out there in the first place. And you know what else? If I ever find out you've told someone, it's your ass." She paused, letting off a smile smile. "And I mean it like Summoner Sayuri said it when Saivan crashed our meeting a couple of days ago." I nodded my head. She could trust me, could she not? I had never let the Doctor down, and I was not going to now. At least, not yet. She clutched her mechanical hand, watching it light up. "Well, of course you know what Sayuri did. I don't have to reiterate that. You see, I used to work here. And I used to be a kind of security here. In fact, I was the only fucking security here. I... Well damn, would you look at that, I can't remember most of it."

"Take your time, Doctor," I cooed, sipping some water. She arched a brow at my response to her blank-minded-ness.

"Well, like I said, I used to work here and... Damn is this just great. Any other time I can remember shit, but not now?" She paused, rubbing her temples. "Before I was this place's one-man-army, I wanted to be apart of Saivan's guard before all of this shit came to be. It was me and two other people. Angeal and Cecelia were my best friends. Imagine my surprise when I saw Cecelia the other day." Imagine my surprise as well, Doctor! Because I was not expecting her to pay us a lovely visit! I chuckled under my breath, but not loud enough for her to notice and take offense to it. "We weren't called any fucking guard. We were the Antiquity. Well, they trained us three. And I think you know all about how I helped beef up the land's security. Those Earth Eaters. Yep, they made me fucking fight until they made that thing. I had beat it, but they had thought I should have been dead. And of course Angeal had died while I fought the first Earth Eater of my life..."

"Your partner, correct?" She nodded her head.

"He got in my fucking way. I told him not to get in my fucking way. He was annoying as shit. So I used him. It was either my life or his and I didn't think I was going to be a hero anytime soon." She paused, feeling resentful. She narrowed her eyes and took a sip from her glass. "At that time... Well... You remember the ceremony they had for me. For being a hero of Aysel. That's when this guy called Nero came... Gatto!!!" She yelled. He came walking to her side, attentive and ready to serve her. "Please, would you give me some vodka? Please?"

"As you wish, Lady Lucrecia."

She nodded her head. She was getting wearisome. I tilted my head, continuing to smirk at her. "Nero. He used to be the head scientist here. Don't get me wrong, the bastard was a fucking idiot. He used to... Hate it when I called him 'Professor Nero'." Gatto had brought her back her vodka and she began to drink it like she hadn't had water in a while. She thought she could drown her sorrows in alcohol. How cute. "He used to always get his panties in a bunch. Fucking pussy. But I didn't care. As long as I was getting paid I could put up with almost any fucking thing."

"Ah, just the way you can't stand me calling you 'Doctor'? So that's who you get it from, Doctor?"

She rolled her eyes and gazed at the band playing. "He told me that one of his friends needed special guarding. One that was working towards the next best thing... The thing that would protect Saivan. Nero told me that this invention would stop people from having to be soldiers. Nero and that guy had been working on it together... His name was Issaru, and at first I wasn't buying that shit. But I went with it anyway, because I couldn't stand Adel's old-ass and I had nothing to do." She abruptly slammed her glass on the table, pouring more of the sparkling vodka in her glass. I smirked.

"That is really a bad habit, Doctor."

"Tch," she muttered. "Issaru built my arm. After I came back from being defeated, he must have built it for me. And you know fucking what? The first time I had gotten this arm I was fucking miserable. I didn't know how to write anymore, or how to hold things... But I got better at doing it." Issaru was the man Isaiah came from. It all started making sense now, which means that Isaiah really _did_ have a connection with Lucrecia. One that was a lot deeper than she let on, according to his dreams. She knew nothing about this situation. Nothing at all, and that tickled me.

She stretched across the table, almost touching me. "So there, I told you what my story was."

I let out a laugh. "This Issaru is no longer with us, is he not?"

She simply nodded her head, getting up and pouring herself more vodka. "It's not my fault, though. Don't you dare fucking say it's my fault, because it's not. And if he was here, he'd tell you that it wasn't my fault. And that's why I have to... I have to... I have to find out what the fuck this Apathīa is, because only someone like Issaru could built something like it and make it work, I'm sure of it. And if you know so much about it... Then..."

"Then?" I was simply playing along with her little game, and she wasn't even aware of it.

"Then that's more than enough reason to pay attention to your ass. What, were you expecting some kind of apology? As if." I cracked my knuckles, grasping her free hand as she drowned her sorrows away in her vodka. I had never seen her so lost like this. She was not completely gone, but she was close enough to the point where in about a second now, she was going to collapse on the floor.

"You killed him, did you not, Lucrecia?"

"On accident. Look, it's not like I'm going to go to jail for it or anything. And!" she announced, in a drunken fit of accomplishment. "And I buried the man all by myself after I had done it. And I didn't think twice about it, and everything was all said and done. What, are you going to try and trick on me? Well, it's not going to work, Zed. It's been a couple of years since that happened. If I'm not going to get in trouble now, what makes you think I can get in trouble... Now?"

"Nothing Doctor," I said, genuinely meaning it. Now she was drunk, especially since she had stopped cursing so much. Perhaps she was finally... Thinking about everything she was saying, releasing it might have been a bad idea to tell me. I got up, continuing to hold her hand. She almost fell on the ground, barely able to walk in her heels. I sat her down in her chair, removing the bothersome things. "So this is why you need to know more about the Apathīa? To fulfill his dying wish? Or did he not have one?" I snickered. I could not tell if she was looking at me.

"He wanted me to be happy," she said, closing her eyes. "At least that's all I can remember."

True, it sounded like something reasonable, but happiness came at a price. And it was a high one for my Doctor! Once I had gotten her shoes off I helped her down the two steps separating our table from everyone else. I helped her down the best way I could, feeling that I had gotten all the significant information I had needed. However, just as we were about to take our leave, a woman stepped in front of us. She had her hair up in two, blonde pigtails and her lab-coat was loose-fitting on her. That was unjust. I could not see her fingers. She looked up at us—she was rather short.

"Hey! Lucrecia and Zed! Err—I mean... Well. Welcome to my celebration!"

"You must be Ever," I said, shaking her hand. It was still underneath her lab-coat. "For a scientist, you seem really young." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Yes, I am Ever. I know... I look like a kid, but this is just how I choose to dress. And I know I am short, but I make up for that! Can you not hear it in the way I sound? I am glad you two made it after all! It has been an honor having you here, but it looks as if you two are leaving too fast." She paused, looking at Lucrecia. The Doctor looked like she was fading in and out of consciousness. Too bad. She would hate herself for this in the morning. Poor Doctor. I smirked, looking back at Ever. "Is Lucrecia okay?"

"The Doctor is just fine," I reassured. "She has just had a little bit too much to drink."

"Aww, that is unfortunate," Ever sighed. "I had something really important to tell Lucrecia, too. It involved the girl that she had sent us to monitor over. We found something very important... Do you think you could tell her when she wakes up? Or gets over her vodka high? Get it? Vodka high? Vod-ka hi-gh? … I thought you would not get it..." She bowed her head. She was a strange girl. She looked back up, pointing her hand in the air. "I'm Professor Nero's niece! I was born to be funny! Hahahaha!" She put her hands on her hips, letting off a fairly serious laughter. She looked at me and expected me to laugh with her.

"So that's why you're the head of the department...?" Lucrecia said, albeit slowly. "So I was right... They did only put you in charge because you were connected to someone..." Ever squinted at Lucrecia, as she tried to stand up on her two feet. She managed it, astoundingly! I wonder what she would have thought about all of this if she was sober.

"Yeah well, you are right. I do not know much about science, but they did not want give the head position to someone other than a person from the family line," Ever answered back, bowing her head. "I know I am nothing compared to you Lucrecia, but hear me out! We found something—" A sound similar to shattering glass filled our ears, making Professor Ever duck down and put her hands over her head. Everyone started screaming, and that irked the Doctor. People started to clear the vicinity and Ever and I looked at what appeared to be a Wicked Spawn coming in through the window.

"Holy sweet mother of applesauce!" Ever exclaimed, hiding behind both I and the Doctor. She had nothing to fear. They were such peaceful creatures. All it needed was direction! "Someone get rid of that thing!"

Lucrecia stumbled over to the table, picking up the full bottle of vodka. She stumbled back down the steps, taking two steps in front of me. She had taken her sling out, ready to fight, despite her obviously drunken disposition. "Doctor, what are you doing?" I asked, knowing she was too out of it to actually form words of importance. She turned around and glanced at me, then she glanced at the green, ravenous Wicked Spawn in front of her.

"Fuck you," she spat, producing her sling and swinging it around.

"Just the reaction I was looking for, Doctor!" I praised. "So your mind is still intact after all!" She ignored me, putting as much alcohol in her mouth as I could fathom. Then she sprayed the oversized, flower-like Wicked Spawn with the substance until it was soaked. She prepared her sling with a bullet, and in an instant she let it fly with precise aim, lighting the monster on fire. "Impressive Doctor," I said as Ever popped up, watching the Wicked Spawn revert to nothing but ash.

"There has been a rush of those things, has it not?" she said, shaking her head. "Now it looks like the party really is over. Thank you two for helping me out here. I guess I will have to get the people up here to clean up this mess, huh?" She walked around a bit then waved us off. The Doctor did not notice it, she was too drunk to care. "Hmm. See you guys later, I guess. And when you get the chance, tell Lucrecia I need to talk to her! Thank you!"

"We were happy for you to have us as your guests here, Professor Ever," I said before teleporting back to the castle. I had made sure I made our destination near the Doctor's room, and she stumbled for a second before she was reminded that this was her room. She opened the door and walked into it, cutting her light on. She sighed before looking back up.

"I hope you get the rest you oh-so need, Doctor," I cooed, starting to walk off.

"Get out, and fuck you, Zed," she spat, slamming her door.

"You should say that louder, Doctor!" I answered back, turning around. "Like you actually mean it!"

Because she did not mean it.

In fact, she meant the complete opposite of that, and I smirked at the realization.

* * *

**A/N:** Why do I feel like I could have done a whole lot better with this chapter? XD;;

As always, Chiharu is left here to wonder... What could have been if only she had tried harder with the stuff in a chapter that she's just spent the whole day writing...? *headdesk* And I know I could have done a whole lot better with Lucrecia's past... But I'm lazy. *shrugs* Don't blame me guys. XD Thought I think I told it in a way where you guys could at least understand it. Even if you didn't get it all the way, I'm sure you've got the gist of it. D:

... Issaru must have it bad, now. XD;; I'd hate to be him...

Daw. Drunken!Lu needs hugs. XD

... Just a thought or something for you guys. The reason why Lucrecia doesn't like other people calling her Lu is because Issaru used to call her Lu, and as you can see, she doesn't take that at all very well... XD;; The ladies love it when we make shots--*shot* Okay, I'll stop dancing to music that shouldn't be played now. XD My plot is starting to show itself! :D And I'll make it all clear in the next chapter. Well, Lucrecia's part. XD

Muhahaha! XD And I've only gotten this far because of all of you who read this story and take your time out to review and fav, and even lurk. XD Because every time I get a chapter out, there's at least 100 of your that check in for the latest chapter, and that I am happy for. *bows*

And for all 100 of you that lurk, you guys BETTER be Lucrecia/Zed shipers like I am. XD;;; *shot* Banter, banter, all they do is banter...

Either way it goes, nothing can save me from the annoyingly bad... Chapter next chapter is gonna be. This is gonna suuuucckkkkk. XD;; But just like this one, I will get through it! And so I walk on into the darkness! Not ready for what is up ahead, but crazy enough to try and find the light through all the fog that may strangle me up ahead. XD And do you guys know how ANNOYING it is to name characters you're never gonna see again? D':


	34. Die And Get The Fuck Out Of The Way

**A/N:** *drags face around* Boooy this chapter was the most boring peice of crap I've ever written in my life. U_U *touches eyes* Yeah, I just HAD to get this over with and out of the way... XD;; I knew it was going to be hella boring for me before I even started... But I never realized how boring it would have been until I was well in the middle of this chapter.

Also, though it may SEEM like there's going to be some heat or whatever you call it... XD;;

Though it may _seem _like this chapter'll turn to something M-rated in the middle, Chiharu would never do that to you all. XD;; So don't freak out and scroll down because YOU can't handle it. XD;;; Because _I know _a few of you will do it. Um, whatelse? After this chapter, there is NO reason you all shouldn't know about Lucrecia's past now. XD;; There's prolly an un-important tidbit that wasn't explained in this chapter and the last one about it.

But that un-important part sounds like something Aysel would briefly mention, so you guys have to wait until Aysel briefly metions it, and then you'll have to catch it. XD

Oh. And this is just something extra that I thought of while writing this chapter. XD So I'm in AP Computers and my computer teacher is like "Hey! Lilyara!" ... So I turn around and she's like "I heard that!" Of course I'm denying it, but I curse in that class all the time anyway, and she went "The f-word sounds so dirty... It's like any other curse word is okay, but the f-word is taking in too far." ... Of course I thought of Lucrecia. XD;;

Just something I'd thought you'd know. XD

* * *

"Sayuri!" Miyuki yelled, clutching her fists. Exasperated, Sayuri stopped in place while Kohana and Chio proceeded on running around the court grounds. Morta was vigorously training also, each swing with her scythe spelling something out in magic. With perspiration sliding down Sayuri's forehead she seethed, glaring at Miyuki.

"What. Do you want?" Sayuri said, panting. "I'm trying as best as I can! It's bad enough you made us drop everything we were doing to train!" Chio and Kokoro caught up with Sayuri by the time she finished her sentence. Chio wiped her straight, brown hair out of her eyes. She leaned on her staff, interested in Sayuri and Miyuki's conversation.

"Aww Sayuri," Chio said, smiling sweetly. "Miyuki, I don't have any problems with training. I think it's really fun, y'know?" Miyuki stared at Chio for a while and Sayuri did the same thing, except she looked more dumbfounded than Miyuki. "I can't keep up with Kokoro and Sayuri, but I can if I try hard enough, so I guess I have to keep trying hard! Maybe then I'll be almost as strong as they are!"

"That's the spirit, Chio!" Kokoro exclaimed, raising his hand in the air. "If we keep working really hard, we'll be able to beat everyone! I'd hate to be the person that goes up against you. You'd destroy everyone!" Kokoro said, smiling ear-to-ear. Morta walked towards the party, her scythe slicing the castle's freshly cut grass behind her even more so.

"Chio, listen to me," Sayuri murmured, closing her eyes. "Training is not cool! This is retarded! If we are already good, we can beat whoever has the guts to stand in our way! Like hell they can walk all over us! We're already good enough so we don't have to train! Chio, you're really strong. Don't let what Saivan did to you the other day make you uneasy. None of us could see him, so you're not weak at all!"

"Actually," Morta said, cutting in on the conversation. "If I remember correctly, King Saivan did sort of walk on your face..." Sayuri narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening around her wand. "He actually _walked all over you_, which means we _do_ need the training." The wind started to blow harder now, the party of five turning around and looking at Aysel's castle. For a moment, animosity was completely over-taken by fear. The grey clouds sucked up every ounce of hope. Chio turned around, holding her staff with both of her hands.

"Can we... Protect this...?"

"We're going to," Sayuri answered, biting her tongue. Her whole face grew red and she covered it with both of her hands. She started to remember Renata on the ground in Austere, Naira and Defina's funeral... "I've been thinking, Miyuki... I don't want to... But we have to..." Miyuki dusted her leotard off, adjusting her left boot as she let off a slight smile.

"A Summoner and her Guardian," Miyuki said, which made Sayuri roll her eyes. "I told you this would be the worst mistake of your Summoner career. And whatever you decide, I would be the one to protect you." Miyuki paused, looking at the clouds forming above them. "So far, I have never used my full powers—but now I fear I will..." Sayuri's wand disappeared from her hand as she put her hand on her hip. Her wand disappeared in a fury of flashing purple light.

"What I did was the right thing, Miyuki," Sayuri said, taking a few steps towards the castle. The grass crunched underneath her short, brown lace-up boots. "I don't regret anything. And Aysel and her people need me, Miyuki_. I _need you, Miyuki."

"I need you to understand that what you did was silly, Sayuri Hanako Outtaike."

"Don't use my full name!"

"Maybe you should run a few more laps around the castle and think about it while you try to shoot more targets in the process." Sayuri quirked a brow. It was the first time Miyuki had actually 'hissed' at her before. Her cat genetics jumped out at the Summoner of time.

"Daw. Kitty-cat? Got your tongue?" Sayuri mocked, making a face. Miyuki scowled. Chio put on a frown and touched Sayuri's shoulder.

"Sayuri, don't—"

"I've got something for you, Miyuki!" Sayuri exclaimed, clutching her wand. "Argh!" Sayuri tried to put her arms around Miyuki, but the Celestial Being swiftly stepped out of the way. Sayuri stumbled, but didn't fall down on the ground this time. Morta sweatdropped, letting her scythe go. It disappeared in a fury of violet light before it got a chance to hit the ground.

"You shouldn't exactly announce when you're about to hurt someone," Morta commented, putting her hand on her forehead. Sayuri smirked, twirling her wand in the air. She ignored Morta, smiling innocently.

"Ancient gods and goddesses, I invoke thee," Sayuri chanted, her wand glowing a bright blue. "Waters from the sky..." Her voice was heavenly and sweet, her emerald eyes gazing into the sky. "Let it be. I command thee now! To all thee. Listen to my desire rain, fall!" she shouted, pointing at Miyuki from behind. And instead of rain pouring down on the world, she made it rain on top of Miyuki. Personally.

Her cat ears instantly drooped down, her apricot-colored hair getting in her eyes. Kokoro stood back in awe, shocked that Sayuri would even do something like that. Miyuki started to shake, but she didn't say anything. "I'm the leader of this team," Sayuri announced, standing next to Miyuki. "I run this. Not Miyuki."

"Um Sayuri?" Kokoro said, putting his index-finger in the air. "Miyuki looks really pissed. You should run." Sayuri's frown turned into a nervous smile in all of three seconds. The blonde streak in Kokoro's otherwise brown hair started to shine in the sunlight's rays that were cracking through the clouds.

"Riiiiight! Okay guys! See you when Lucrecia and Zed get back from that thing!" Sayuri shouted, running into the castle. "Remember that she said she had something important to tell us! So if I'm not there when they get back, someone cover for me and take the information!"

"Bye Sayuri!" Chio yelled back, waving her arms in the air. Sayuri turned around for a second, laughing. And in turn, Chio giggled.

That was the famous 'Summoner Sayuri' running, after all.

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Four: Die And Get The Fuck Out Of The Way :-**

_Your lies are bleeding through your teeth  
Your eyes, the only one thing in me  
Your promises never really meant a thing  
But they float from your lips so easily_

_It's my best at your heart  
The glass that rips your word apart  
Is it the guilt that keeps you up at night when you're in bed?  
Well you can sleep sound honey, I'll write you a check_

— "Stay Away" — Paramore

"Coming through my window..." I said, rolling my eye and folding my arms. "I—I..."

I'd admit that I didn't want to see that fucking bastard! But why did I... Feel like I wanted to cry? I refused to look at him. I had already had a long fucking day! But it was _him_... I ran my fingers through my hair, cursing to myself. "You're not real."

He looked at me with those piercing bright-orange eyes. I didn't know what fucking happened to me, but my stomach felt empty and this was _so_ painful... But... I felt like I did when I was around Issaru. I didn't want to admit that stupid-ass shit. I was too old for this. I didn't have time for love or fucking-stupid crushes... I grabbed the sleeves of my button-up shirt that I had over my black, front tie-wrapped babydoll. I looked down at the ground, trying to avoid talking to him. "So you know who I am?" he asked, keeping his distance. There was no fucking way I was going to walk towards him. That... _Thing._

"I know who you _were_," I answered back. Why was my voice so fragile and soft? That was not what I wanted to say to him. I wanted to tell him to get the fuck out. He did just come in through my window. Luckily, I was trying to clear my head and rid my body of all that vodka I had drank... All I needed to do was meditate and use my focal energy to cleanse myself... That... What had happened at that party was an honest mistake. I shook my head, looking back at the imitation of my 'former' object of affection. He folded his arms, completely aware of the tension in the room.

I closed my eye long and hard. Issaru always did have really soft, orange hair. Okay, it was apparent that I couldn't think straight under these conditions. "You look different from Larunda," he said, which made me flinch. He sounded _just like_ Issaru. Everything about him reminded me so much of Issaru. Issaru always sounded like he was singing to me. He didn't have to stretch his words—his voice was just so... I couldn't explain it, but I loved his voice. My thoughts were going fucking hay-wire. My emotions were fighting with the cold-hard science that I knew. The man in front of me wasn't real. Issaru was _dead. _

And yet, here he was, standing in front of me... Even talking to me.

A—and I had just come back from a party after I was drunk out of my fucking mind.

"So, your name is...?" I asked, refusing to believe that he was Issaru... _My_ Issaru, and not anyone else's Issaru. I spent years making sure it wouldn't come to this. I spent years of my life making sure nothing ever happened to him. Guarding him... Protecting him. "You know you're lucky, right? Because I—I meant to kill you instead of Issaru." It was weird, seeing the man that I had stuck in my memory, never to be freed from it because he was dead. I started shaking and I think I was close to tears.

"I... Know this is probably awkward for you, but..."

"Of—of course it is!" I exclaimed, nervous as hell. "You came through my damn window and you... I—I..." I paused, shaking my head. "No, no, it's not you, it's me. You don't know how much you've thrown me in a loop." I was so frustrated that I started pacing around my room, knocking down whatever was in my way. My head started fucking throbbing and my heart was beating out of my chest. And yet he was still there, like Issaru had always been. I tried to look at him again but I let off a coy smile, looking back at the ground. "So, err, I'm Lucrecia. You_ have_ to know me if you knew where my room is in the castle..." My fingers felt numb—both my mechanical and fleshy ones.

Dammit, I didn't know what the hell was going on with me or my body. My stomach felt weightless, like a thousand of Cecelia's butterflies were flying around in it. This was what it felt like to be in love—I could distinctively remember the feeling. But I wasn't _in _love with some cheap-ass imitation of Issaru. I wasn't in love with Issaru anymore either. I was better than this! I didn't need Issaru to take care of me anymore. I had my own fucking job, and I got to pick and choose when the fuck I wanted to work! At last, I had found something that no one else could do! I had everything I could ever want! I didn't need love. I didn't fucking need this.

And the last thing I needed was to be tripping around because of some bastard that just happened to _look _like Issaru. "This is kind of... Hard for me too," the guy said, looking at me. "So you're Lucrecia. I've been... Dreaming about you." My breath caught. He what? I immediately looked up at him, scowling.

"Do you think this is some kind of fucking game?" I shouted, throwing my arms out to my sides. I glared at him, making sure he knew that I was being fucking serious about this whole thing. I wasn't tripping over myself for nothing. I didn't trip over myself at all!

He closed his eyes, shaking his head like he knew how I acted. Like he remembered. "Lucrecia, I didn't mean to make you angry. You should calm down..." His voice made me look at him, feeling like I hadn't gotten mad in the first place. Issaru had been that kind of person. But this man wasn't Issaru. I had to keep reminding myself of that. This man _wasn't_ Issaru. No one could ever be Issaru... "I just wanted to ask you a few questions, if I could..."

I looked at him. I didn't want to take any fucking chances. He knew that I could kill him, but of course I wouldn't. Not when he was Issaru's Shadow. "Go ahead. But I don't have all day." He nodded, leaning against the wall like Issaru would have done if he was bored, or if he was about to give a long story about his past. I cracked a smile, memories forming inside of my head as I looked at this man, awaiting his questions. Issaru's questions could never be annoying. I'd love to answer them all the time if I could.

"I'm Isaiah, and I know I'm a Shadow... But I think you know more about me than I do, Lucrecia. When I said I dream of you, I wasn't kidding. There's this man named Issaru that—in my dreams—is always talking to you. And he looks like me. Can you tell me who that is?"

Before I should have said anything, I should have told this Isaiah person that I loved his old name. Issaru. I loved him as Issaru. Another thing was that I should have asked him where the hell did he come from. I was supposed to kill Issaru's Shadow... But I accidentally killed Issaru. It was hard telling them apart. I walked around the room a little bit. "Issaru was... Issaru was a scientist that worked at the Science Department, Isaiah. He worked on the project that gave you life." I pushed up my glasses. "This project was going to replace soldiers." I put my arm in the air, trying to emphasis my points. "Here's how it worked. Someone had to give up their 'breath'. The person would say 'aaah' and the person extracting the breath would charge their hand with focal energy, making the breath dance out of their mouths. Snake charming, almost."

"You're... Shaking. Are you okay, Lucrecia?" Isaiah asked, sighing. "I'm not really supposed to be here for reasons different from your own, but if you want me to leave I can. You've already helped me so much with just your first sentence..."

"It's okay," I answered back. "Once the breath was contained, it'd be put into a container, and then into a tube that is supposed to mold the breath into a being called a Shadow. A Shadow is a living breath. Technically, Shadows are supposed to be the very worst in that person morphed into another being. Sometimes that works. But you... You are almost exactly like him. Exactly like Issaru. I didn't want his Shadow running around—especially when the Shadows started to go around killing the people they originated from... And plus, I didn't really want Issaru to make a Shadow in the first place anyway, but we were fighting and he never listened to me when he was angry with something I did."

I stopped for a second, looking at Isaiah. He looked back at me, urging me to finish my story with the look in his eyes. "You must really have loved him," he said, nodding his head. "With the things that I saw, you two were really happy."

"Yeah, _were_," I replied. "You see, I had mistakenly fallen in love for the man while I was supposed to be his bodyguard of sorts. That kind of deal. And it will never happen again," I said, clutching my fists. "Never fucking again. Because it hurt so bad to see him so angry with me. And we were mad at each other for something stupid... I can't even remember what it was, but just—I had to be around him all the time while he was pissy. It made protecting him really... difficult. You're just like him, you know." I was telling the truth. If I didn't know anything about the Shadows, I would have thought he _was _Issaru, and I might have done something fucking stupid.

"And you agreed to having a Shadow too, Lucrecia? I know her. Her name's Larunda."

I flinched, feeling sorry for myself. "I only did it because Issaru did it. At first we were both against it. Nero was in love with these Shadows. He wanted to create the best army for Saivan. He had asked me a lot of times if he could extract my breath, but I had told that bastard no. I can just imagine what my Shadow is like..." I said, shaking my head. "She's destructive, isn't she? I knew it. I know all of the bad shit that is inside of me. Back then I didn't let it show too much. But now..." I paused, cracking a smile. "I embrace it. And I couldn't have more fun!"

"She's nice," he said, putting his hands in her pockets. My eyes widened. I wouldn't believe that bullshit. "Larunda is really smart too. You take things to literal. You really are her Other." He started to laugh. I mean, he started to laugh out loud. His laugh was nice and long... I tilted my head, wondering when he would stop. He wasn't intimidated by me, or even afraid of me... "So, what can you tell me about Adair? He's a Shadow too. I don't know where he comes from, but I think you'd know. He swears that he doesn't ave an Other."

"Easy," I said, dusting off my sleeves. "Adair is Angeal's Shadow. Angeal had died long before I had met Issaru." I knew _all _of these things because they were _all_ my fault. "I killed Angeal, but only because it was business. And only because it was also survival of the fittest. He wasn't alive to get his breath drawn out of him, but Nero _did_ have has blood. He extracted the oxygen from it and made Adair. Like I said, Nero only wanted Shadows of strong or intelligent people. And well, that's pretty much it. So now you know, Isaiah. Now it's my turn to ask you a question... Where are you staying...?"

He hesitated in answering me. Like he was thinking of some bullshit-ass lie to say. "Since you helped me out so much Lucrecia... Saivan's already been here, right?"

"Of course," I replied back.

"The army that he intends to fight with is one thing, but Adair, Larunda, Cecelia and I are his guard." I didn't know why I just started laughing when I heard that, but I did. They were his _guard?_ As in, 'Aysel's guard'?

"Ahahahaha!" I laughed, unable to contain myself. "Now we're talking! That bastard has got the right fucking idea! So this might be harder than I ever thought it would be before... The Summoner's might get the shit kicked out of them after all. And you guys have Cecelia with you too? That's just great! And from the sounds of it, he has a castle somewhere, doesn't he?" It didn't matter too much to me! Either way, I would beat every single person that dared to fight me! If I died, then I died fucking someone up! It wasn't like any one of _them _could beat me anyway.

Isaiah sighed, shaking his head. "I told him not to go into war so soon, but His Holiness just doesn't get it."

"'His Holiness'?" I said, quirking a brow. "Cute. He has you call him that."

"Or annoying. But I have to do it if I want to live, Lu," he said, grinning. I returned the smile. But wait... Did he just call me 'Lu'? As soon as I realized he had said that, my eye started to water and I couldn't hold my damn tears back... Flashbacks started to re-play in my head. That was the moment in which I knew that I really couldn't bare to live without Issaru—this was the reason why I missed him so much. It was because he had given birth to a new part of me and wanted to protect it... The old 'Lu' was dead. She had always been dead. And there was nothing that anyone could do to get her back because she died when Issaru died.

Once one tear fell from my eyes, I couldn't stop myself from crying. I didn't cry like most people; it took me a while to figure out why I was crying, and even if I was really crying. Sometimes I wanted myself to cry, but I could never force myself to. Isaiah didn't like seeing my tears either. He looked pissed. Not pissed at me, but pissed at something that I couldn't understand. He took the fact that he wasn't real very well—so why was he still here? He had been asking himself the same question, too. I'd be okay once he left. "I'm not him, so I don't really know how to deal with your tears, Lu," he said, forlorn. He was right. He wasn't Issaru. But he was so close...

Isaiah didn't understand anything about the situation. We had fought for one another. We cared about each other. We finished each others' sentences and reminisced the same thoughts. There had been no one else on this planet that understood what we comprehended. We understood each other on a level higher than a 'deeper' level. We had destroyed each others' fears and replaced them with only the sweetest dreams... We had the same aspirations—the same goals. We both loved science and we both hated our jobs. We'd give and give, take and sometimes not give back—it hurt when we took it too far—but that pain was _real._

And I'd give anything to have that pain again... The pain of him loving me.

That was the truth, and I... No one else could give me that joy. No one. No one in the kingdom could. I wanted to look down at the ground and kill myself for even thinking such a thing. I wanted him to get the fuck out of my room, but then I didn't want him to leave at the same time. This was the essence of Issaru standing in front of me. Not wanting to let me go. Even if he wasn't real. I didn't want him to go. Not again. I didn't want him to leave me again. "Please don't go," I said, a part of me dying on the inside. I couldn't lie to myself or him anymore. I wanted him to come back...

Isaiah looked at me for a second, confused at what I had just asked him. In fact, I think he wanted to make sure if I had actually said something like that. I couldn't believe it myself, but the fact of this reality was that I couldn't deny my feelings or what I _wanted_ to feel. With Issaru, I was truly happy. I had always been happy. I wanted to be happy for just a few seconds more. It looked like he wanted to say something, but the words were tangled up in his throat. Issaru used to do the same thing too. He'd look so cute...

I knew what Isaiah_ was_, and maybe those weren't his feelings that were bubbling up inside of him, eating him away on the inside. Maybe what was left of Issaru really was trying to come out and show me that he really loved me. I realized that Issaru was very much here... He was real, and he was still beautiful. And I had just said I didn't want him to leave my side. I wanted to be selfish and keep him with me forever. But then those pretentious-ass bastards in the castle would ask me why I had him in my room in the first place. They'd stick their noses in shit that didn't concern them. They'd ask what Isaiah was.

Isaiah swallowed before he brought his free-hand to my face. He curled his fingers into the fringe that hung by my ear and he rested the palm of his hand around the curve of my jaw. I blinked for just a second, wondering what it was that I was really doing. Was I myself now? What the hell was happening to me? I hadn't felt this way in a long while... I didn't feel like myself at all. The confusion on my face was what prompted him to press his lips against mine. He had actually kissed me, and his lips felt the same way they did so long ago. His kiss was soft and gentle, and it seemed like he had only done it to see my reaction. He wanted to show me his feelings. That he was there, and he wasn't going to go anywhere.

To keep his promise.

I wasn't going let him slip away from me this time. He kissed me again, but I was ready and I wasn't confused by his actions. He knew this was what I wanted—and I didn't want it to slip away from my fingers anymore. I had almost forgotten the way my lips seemed to tingle whenever he kissed me. The sensation was really enough to knock me out if I let it get to me enough. The movement of his lips against mine sent a tingle throughout my whole entire body, not just my lips. I had forgotten what that felt like—having that sensation go throughout my body. Isaiah was different from Issaru, but they were practically the same person. Isaiah was born from Issaru's blood, so it was only natural that he had his kissing abilities.

When Isaiah spoke, he spoke only for me. His kiss spoke for me. And I wanted to answer it. This was what I yearned for. This was _who_ I yearned for. It didn't matter what name I called him, he was still _my_ Issaru. He kissed me again, tenderly meeting the graze of my lips and leaning into the kiss. He was deliberate this time—he didn't kiss me just to make me feel better. I could tell he wanted this too. I started to kiss him back—but he wasn't ready for _my_ type of kiss. A surge of desire zipped through me, the wall that had kept me in line shattering once it had fallen apart. I leaned in more eagerly, opening my mouth over his to suckle his bottom lip between his own. I couldn't actually give what he tasted like a name—it was some fruit, I know. It was sour and sweet, bitter and delicious... I'd never find a taste like it before, and that only made me want him all the more.

We broke apart, both of us needing time to breathe. We looked at each other, trying to find out what exactly had made us do such a thing. It was completely pitch-black in my room, but that wasn't enough to hide how red our faces were, the obvious attraction, or that little extra something that was hidden behind our locked gazes. The things around me started to blur as I started to give up to that unwanted urge. But even as I was thinking about it, my attention focused back to him in lighting speed. I was glad to give in to my emotions for once. And once I had gotten rid of all the things that were holding me back, I could do what I had preferred to focus on. What was even better was that Isaiah stopped asking me questions; now he was simply waiting for me to do something. "Isaiah..." I breathed as my hand cradled the back of his head, tilting it to position his lips directly on mine.

I wasn't prepared for him to just give in like that, so a tiny noise escaped my lips as his descended on my own. I didn't like that slip up, so I started to kiss him more deeply. He didn't waste any time returning my kiss, pressing his lips against mine again. My free arm came in-between us and rested on the shirt clothing his chest. I was trying to search for his heart. I could hear it beating—beating through the flimsy white material. He had one, I could hear it... We both had been searching for our hearts. And now, at this moment, I thought we could find them together. We had both fought each other and ourselves up to this point, but now the white flag had been raised and we both lost that war.

If this would have been any other, _ordinary_ battle, I would have been pissed.

But this was the first time in my life where I actually liked losing.

Something flared up between us—we wanted to complete each other. For some reason, we were molded and made to fit along with each other. We were both human, there was no denying that. Just by us kissing, I could feel how real this whole thing had been. Just the our lips brushed together defined every lingering taste on my tongue. I—I was done living without him. I _wanted _him. I pulled away from him just enough to let his name slip from my swollen lips. Shuddering, I took in some air, griping his shirt and kissing the corner of his mouth. I left a trail of kisses along his cheek until I found his tongue, stopping abruptly and letting my warm breath caress the contours of his ear.

"You're... Making me insane," I whispered in his ear, my arm quickly fastening around his waist, pulling him closer. "You don't understand, Isaiah. I've been thinking about you ever since the day that you died. And all the while, I... Don't think I've ever stopped thinking about you... About touching you..." I knew he could hear me because I felt him shudder and he tilted his head to the side. I grinned maliciously, my teeth catching the outer curve of his ear. The way his body reacted to it sent a thrill through my body that shook everything inside of me. I had always thought and thought about doing this... No, I didn't_ really _want to do this, especially to him—someone who wasn't real—but if he kept responding to me like that, I was pretty unsure if I would have been unable to stop myself...

This completely obliterated everything within my my most darkest of fantasies. That was just me _thinking _about this happening. Right now it was a reality. He was holding me and kissing me. It was intoxicating and it was almost driving me to the point of_ insanity._ I kept telling myself he wasn't real. But I felt real now. I clutched his shirt even more with my mechanical hand, but I was being extra-careful not to puncture it with my sharp, metal finger-nails. My tongue teased the area I had unforgivably bitten, leaving a moist trail of saliva behind. I didn't try to push him back, but he hit something—which would have been my dresser. I wasn't at all worried about what would fall out—I was too interested in making him squirm underneath my clutches.

"Lu—Lucrecia," he panted, the heat and the rush from my touch forcing his eyes to close to the fire that refused to leave him. I wouldn't let it leave. My lips traveled to the space that connected his ear to his neck, my nose brushing against his skin as my lips moved across the the tender area. My hands moved—digits running through his hair, my fingertips coaxing his body to give me more of him.

The control I had over my actions was failing. Fast. And he was basically urging me on to continue, silently, but he didn't do or say anything that could have signaled me to stop. He didn't have any idea what he was getting himself into. But he wasn't real, so why did I care? "Isaiah," I murmured again, tracing my tongue up his neck in a lethargic trail of saliva. My breath traveled into his ear and I raised his head high enough to hover on the side of it. He twitched for a second, but he gave a slightly different exhale of breath that let me know he was listening. I continued to whisper sweet-nothings in his ear. "I love you, you know," I said, my lips barely touching his ear-lobe. "And you have... No idea."

The way he moved underneath my clutches excited me in ways I couldn't even begin to express, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as he tangled his hand into my hair, a pattern of pants flowing out from his lips. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you, Isaiah." He didn't say anything to me, but I could feel the way he excepted my words—sending another chill down my spine. We didn't need words. We were beyond words. Words were for people who didn't understand each other—and I wasn't going to waste my time with them. He wasn't really a human—just an artificially created one, so I knew all of this was just overwhelming for him. Or rather, maybe he was feeling what Issaru would have felt at this moment. I shrugged. I didn't care.

He was real enough, which aroused me to dangerous levels. I brought my lips to his again and savagely kissed him, the lust I was feeling and the unknown feelings of love making me fall over the point of no return. And if I fell, I would be sure to bring him over the edge with me, because I wanted him to partake in everything I did this time—not just a fraction of my life. But still—he didn't know what he wanted at this point, and I had to make sure he knew that right now, I wasn't bullshiting in the_ slightest_. "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?" I asked, my voice hoarse against his mouth. I was supposed to let him answer me, but I didn't even give him a chance to do even that. Desire overtook me and I saw his invisible answer—the sentence that he wanted to say.

...Or I imagined it. Whatever happened, I would make him mine.

I wasn't thinking because I was too busy exploring his lips with my tongue... But then I remembered that I had to work in the morning. … Amongst other things. Just what the hell did I think I was doing? "Well, sorry Isaiah," I spat, backing away from him. In truth, he was only a fucking empty vessel—a soul without a real reason for an existence. "I was tempted to, but then I remembered that I had an obligation to my country. It doesn't fucking matter that we're not on the same side—and actually—I have way too much here to fuck everything over trying to..." I paused, trying to find my words. I pointed towards the window, now knowing what I wanted to say. "Yes, I know you still will remind me of him, but fuck all that. I hope you're a wonderful opponent, because I will be... Killing your ass." He folded his arms, thinking really hard, but all of that was just an act.

"Of course I'll do everything in my power to make sure I'm the best opponent you've ever had Lucrecia." I turned around, putting my index-finger down. I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"You... Already are, Isaiah," I murmured. This was just fucking great. I was going to be up all night thinking about this. Conflicted with myself. I closed my eye, gliding my fleshy-fingers over my lips, tasting the bittersweet blood I had purposely drawn from his ear. "Do you need a band-aid, Isaiah?" Why the fuck was I caring so much? I wanted to throw shit around, but I couldn't. He cracked a smirk at me, looking at me through the corner of his eyes. He stood sideways to me, looking sure as hell. He was fucking pissing me off!

"Lu, if I didn't know any better, you just want to touch me," he remarked, mock-glaring at me. I cracked a smile. As much as I wanted to kick his ass, I couldn't help but smile at his witty comeback. I wanted to touch him—something simple, like our fingers intertwining—but I wouldn't look like some love-sick puppy.

"Not really," I answered back, convincingly. He tilted his head. "I'm a doctor, Isaiah. I made you bleed and naturally... I just want to correct it, okay?" There was a deafening silence, neither one of us wanting to say anything. We'd destroy the moment. He took a few steps back towards the window.

"Okay Lucrecia, nice... Umm... Talking to you today. Oh and one more thing," he said, saluting towards me. "I didn't come through your window. Be safe over here, okay? I'm not really looking forward to fighting you." I wasn't either, but I wasn't going to tell him that stupid shit. "Thank you. For everything..."

"Die and get the fuck out of the way. Hurry up too," I hissed. He gave me a smile before he teleported away. I folded my arms, hating the taste in my mouth but not wanting it to leave me... "Hmm," I said, sitting to top of my bed. I closed my eye before adjusting my glasses.

This was _ridiculous._

"Fuck," I muttered, opening my door and slamming it behind me. "What the hell_ was_ that back there?" I yelled. I stopped in place and looked around me. It was so damn dark and I couldn't see anything! I ran my fingers through my hair. "It's been years since I've seen Issaru. I'm better than this. Dammit, I'm better than this!" I teleported right outside... Right outside in the court grounds. I couldn't stand it in my own room anymore. It smelled of him. This was why when the dead died—they needed to _stay _dead, because stupid shit like this happened! I walked up to the balcony, grabbing the railing and looking into the sky. I simpered. It was so late. I didn't think anyone would have been up; let alone a Summoner brat.

"Why the hell are you up?" Kokoro was startled for a minute, like the bastard didn't notice me up until this point. He stood back and looked at me. Trying to recognize me.

"Oh hi, Lucrecia," he said, scratching the back of his head. He had fire-truck red pajamas on, which meant he was trying to sleep before he came out of here. "I can't sleep... It's kinda hard sleeping when you know you're about to start fighting for people that are gone..." I sighed on purpose this time, narrowing my eye and looking out into the sky. "It's a good thing the others are sleeping now, though. Sayuri and the others looked so happy and I didn't want to wake them up. ...Are you okay, Lucrecia? You look like you're really mad for some reason..." What was with every-fucking-body thinking they knew something about me?

I wasn't angry.

I was fucking pissed. I grabbed the railing tighter. "Mmm. Kokoro, you're afraid of what's going to happen in the war, aren't you? You shouldn't be afraid of what you can't see, Ko-ko-ro," I said, a mischievous grin on my face. He glanced at me, a little uneasy. The bastard didn't like it when I smiled. Or maybe he did—ha!—either way, it made him worry a bit about his well-being. "It's okay. What happened today is going to pass, and you won't even remember it in the morning."

"Lucrecia?"

"What the hell do you want, kid?"

"I didn't say anything about today..."

"But I know what you're thinking," I said, scowling. I pointed to my head, narrowing my eyes. "I can read minds when I want to, remember? It's actually pretty damn easy reading you Summoners' minds. An Enlightened One can block their brain patterns, but you bastards don't have that ability, which means I'm free to search around that small brain of yours."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Kokoro exclaimed, raising his hand in the air. "Thank you for making me at least feel a little better, Lucrecia. You're really nice if you get past everything that you did when we first came here." I simpered, but after that I started smiling. So many stupid bitches kept saying that I was nice... But they didn't know anything of what I was capable of! "I'm going to go and try to go back to bed. See you in the morning, Lucrecia..."

"Bye, Ko-ko-ro," I said, waving as I tilted my head to every syllable in his name. He left and I balled up my fist, looking back into the sky. I wiped my face with both of my hands, closing my eye and opening it back again. Whoever the hell wanted to fight me—whatever unlucky bastard wanted to get blown to hell—they had better start praying.

"Just know..." I said, turning around and walking back into the castle. "...That when I fight you, I'm going to unload all of my life's problems on your ass..." I turned on my heels, twitching at the sheer thought. A smile danced across my lips.

I'd save this world, and everything in it.

"And I'm going to have fun while doing it."

* * *

**A/N:** Maaan.

Well, now that that is over... *doesn't want to talk about boring chapter* Guess what? Yep, you guessed it. The war is gonna start in real time now! XD And I thought this chapter was chapter 33, on real stuff. XD So that means I'm writing more chapters than I would have ever thought I would be writing. XD But I just HAD to knock this out of the way. I am one more chapter away from getting to the big 35! :D How about it, guys? A pat on the back?

Err, I maintain the fact that Isaiah is _made from _Issaru, and they're the same person, but they're not. XD;;

So... I'm sure you guys read how painful Lu got all towards Isaiah. XD;; Yep, that was painful for _me_ to write. But fear not! Because it shant be happening again! _Ever **again**_! D: I mean, I like Lucrecia/Issaru as much as the next person, but if I have to write her out of character because she's tripping over her face for a dude, that's not cool at all! XD;; God, do I ever HATE that. XD;;

Which is also Chiharu's number 798231th reason for shipping Lucrecia/Zed. Pst, it's easier for me. XD;;;

But that's enough about what I like. I'm sure this chapter swayed some of my more romance-delved readers. *coughRainbowcough*

To zee war! XD


	35. Her Despair Reeks Of Alcohol

**A/N:** Hi guys! I kept my promise! I told you I'd be done with this chapter in no time! And I like how long it is! So I saw Iron Man 2 in it. It had some high points, but it was... Meh. I could have seen Robin Hood! D: Robin Hood! With Russel Crowe in it! That guy is my hero! D: As for this flashback, this fight is so beasty... It was Naruto-inspired. XD;; Can't get enough of that. Naruto has some of the best fights ever and I've been writing all my fights with it in mind. XD;;

Sorry, all you haters. XD;;

But anyway! Back to Ironman! At least I liked Nick Fury. He was fun. XD I usually hate him, but... *shot* Okay, let's talk about this chapter. There are no typos here. So if you think Hiroyuki's name is a typo of Miyuki, you're very much wrong. XD;; If you guys didn't know... We're in the third world Sayuri and her party have traveled to in this flashbacks. This would be super-boss number three.

What else? Lucrecia's mother's name is Nedezhda. (Nah-DYEZH-dah). There. It means "hope". So you shouldn't say it wrong, okay? XD And another thing! Lucrecia's name is not said like (Lu KREESH ah), it's said like (L(u)-cre-cia). The people in my story know that. You guys may not. And it means "bring light". XD Now that that is over...

Chiharu has no comment today about her chapter title. Deal with it. XD;;

* * *

Colors, feelings, sensations—all of these things twist in turn into one being as she struggles to breathe. Sayuri, with her left eye closed, tries to look at her opponent, the man with the long, black robe on. His straight, mid-back length blonde hair sways in the wind as she falls to the grip his clone has on her—his arms locked around her in a sleeper-hold. Perspiration slides down her face as she grits her teeth. "It's not... Not yet..."

The energy that she once had—the energy that used to make her shine so bright throughout the fight is being sucked out of her. Because of her prior sentence, the clone of the man tightens its grip around her neck, making her body seem limp. The real man looks at her through the corner of his eyes, not showing any remorse for her pain. Sayuri's guardian Hiroyuki—in all of his wolf-form glory—claps his hands together, closing his eyes as he starts to pray.

"You are a persistent little insect, aren't you?" the man says without any facial expression.

"Hang in there, Sayuri..." Hiroyuki says gruffly, his Celestial Being wings twitching. "Please, you can't give up. This world will die if you don't..." Sayuri looks at her Guardian with blank eyes. She only wishes that there is something that she can do. She closes her eyes, trying to think of a way to get out of the clone's grip. There_ is_ no way, and she knows that. But she needs to do this for Isleen. She needs to avenge her somehow. But if she can't move, that's _perfect_. A slight smile covers her lips.

"You don't know anything about my time magic!" Sayuri shouts, breaking away from the clone. It crumbled to stone—fragments of it flying everywhere as she continues to pant. "I can age anything with ease... It's not that easy, but when it's a matter of life or death, I think I can do pretty much everything. Do you see how strong I am, Macarius? I could always see you—and I'm the only one. I can see you _and _your clones!" She paused, trying to keep a lid on her mind. "And about your clones... It looks like there's only one of you left."

"The power of time is a dangerous one..." Macarius mutters, looking at Sayuri. "I'm sorry, but not quite." Sayuri scowls, looking at the man through the corners of her eyes. Bianca—an Entente belonging to one of Sayuri's friends—prays along side Hiroyuki. Sayuri looks at her two companions, gritting her teeth.

"So these Macariuses are just fakes... Someone is controlling them from somewhere else..." Macarius, without any emotional feedback, swipes his arm across the air, making Sayuri step back.

"Hiroyuki!" Bianca says. "Let's do something, okay?"

"Right!"

Sayuri turns around at Hiroyuki's sudden leap of faith. With his claws drawn, he jumps towards Macarius. Sayuri leaps towards Macarius, her eyes glued on her Guardian. Bianca takes a step back, her long, bunny-like ears dragging across the floor. "Hiroyuki!" she shouts. Again, Macarius remains emotion-less.

"I've had enough of your useless dreams and illusions," he says, extending his right arm. "You were such a worthy opponent." Sayuri jumps towards her Guardian, only to fall flat on the ground. The sand sifts in between her fingers as she hears the sound of Bianca's voice, screaming out Hiroyuki's name. Sayuri looks back up at Macarius, veins popping out of her head. She sees a sword impaling her Guardian as he brings the lifeless body to his side.

"You bastard...!" Sayuri shouts, getting up and balling up her right fist. She launches towards the man, only to have Hiroyuki's body flung at her. She slides back, overtaken by how fast Macarius threw his body. She opens her eyes, only to realize Macarius has grabbed her by the neck, throwing her backwards. She gasps in pain, coughing up saliva.

"You forget that I can mimic what you do," Macarius says in monotone, slamming Sayuri into the ground, his fingers still tight around her neck. The ground cracks, an explosion of dust and gravel shooting up into the air. While Sayuri's arms hit the ground, something sharp pierces _both _of her hands. She gasps, looking up. Macarius took his short-sword and drove it into her hands, blood seeping from her wounds. He crouches down on one knee, looking at Sayuri as she looks at the sword driven in both of her hands—shocked. She lays on her belly, her arms extended outwards.

"Are you going to come quietly now? Summoner Sayuri?"

"Argh..." Sayuri mutters, looking at her dead Guardian. She hears Bianca's tears and something in her head just _breaks._ "Who the hell are you?" Sayuri shouts at the top of her lungs. "What the hell do you want! Why are you_ doing _this!"

"Why?" Macarius says, tilting his head. His purple eyes lock on Sayuri, making hear grit her teeth. "Everything happens suddenly. The reasons only become clear later." He looks at her with a sinister glare, making her grit her teeth more so. "Now that I have you down... Yes, let's talk for a while. You asked me why am I doing this... My answer won't change anything. But if we have a talk... Then maybe..."

Macarius pauses, standing up. "I told you. This is something even your friend that gave you your sword couldn't achieve." Sayuri looks at him, staying silent. "Through justice, I will bring this world peace." It takes a moment for that to actually click inside of her head.

"Peace...?" Sayuri says in a low voice. Her eyes are dark. "Justice...? You've gotta be kidding... You've gotta be freegin' kidding me...!" Macarius looks down at Sayuri, his blank expression only pissing her off more. "My master! My teachers! My world! My friends! How can you say that... When you destroyed them ALL?" She stops, panting some more. Her fingers move just a bit, but she can't free herself from his sword.

"Then... What do you want, Summoner Sayuri?"

"I want to defeat you!" Sayuri shouts, determined. "And bring peace to this world!"

"I see. That's a wonderful goal you have." Macarius walks forward, his hair swaying behind him. "But my family, my world, and my friends... We were all destroyed too. Do you really think you Summoners are the only ones who get to talk about the joys of peace and justice?"

"What are you talking about?"

"We both want the same thing, Sayuri. That thing in which Kohana spoke of. Justice. You and are are no different. We both just want that. The justice I have meted out against this world... Is exactly the same as you are trying to mete out against me. We are both working for justice. You... And me." Sayuri's eyes soften as she looks into the dirt. "Everyone knows the hurt of pain all the same. We both know that pain. You are working for justice... And I for mine. We really are just ordinary people... But if revenge is called justice... Then that justice breeds more revenge."

She gazes up at him. "... And in that, Summoner Sayuri, becomes a chain of hatred."

Sayuri closes her eyes, wishing he would stop. "Living within it, aware of the past, predicting the future... That is what it means to know history. True history. You can see me and I can see you... I can see the struggles you go through, Sayuri. We cannot help but know that people can never understand each other. This world... _All _of them are run by hatred."

"..."

Sweat beings to slide down Sayuri's face. "How are you going to face this hatred in order to maintain and keep the peace?" Sayuri doesn't say anything back. "Let me have your answer," he says, making sure she knows that he is fairly serious.

"I... Don't know. I—I just... Don't know." Macarius walks over to the large crack in the ground from slamming Sayuri into it.

"Well. I decided that I would break that chain. The world will know pure fear. Pure hatred. Pure pain. And the fear of said pain will put an end to suffering and sorrow. It will lead the world to peace."

"That's not real peace! It's nothing but a _lie!" _Sayuri shouts.

"People are stupid," Macarius replies. "If I don't do this, there will be no more peace. Time will pass—the very thing that you wield—and everything will heal. Eventually, however, people will start fighting all over again. This time they will kill themselves and know what suffering really is. And after that, peace will be known all over again. And this cycle will continue. That is my justice. For this world and the others out there."

He walks back towards her. "You say my peace is fake—but what in the world is truly real? A peace where we can all get along is simply nonexistent."

"You're wrong! Shut _up!"_

"All you do is talk, Summoner," Macarius says grabbing his sword. "You can't even prove anything. You can give me your power, however. You can help me control that time."

"I told you..." Sayuri murmured, the determination never leaving her face. "When I kill you—this world will know peace." She closes her eyes at the sharp pain running throughout her body. "You... Your swords...?" She writhes, her whole body impaled with his swords. She can't breathe. The pain running through her body is too much.

"You can't move on your own, but they aren't deep enough and I've made sure to keep you alive."

"Sayuri!" Bianca shouts. "Don't give in! Don't give up! You're going to save the world! Don't listen to him! Hiroyuki, Isleen, and the others died because they knew you could do it! If you die... I'll never forgive you!"

"Nosy Entente," Macarius says, raising his arm.

"YOU BASTARD!" Sayuri shouts. "Bianca, run away! Get out of here! Don't—" Suddenly, a flash of purple light zips past Sayuri, making her jaw drop. Bianca is saved, but now Suzuki is standing in front of her, giving Macarius a menacing look.

"Get out of here Suzuki!" Sayuri roars. "You can't win!"

"Your friend?" Macarius says in monotone. "Let him know my suffering as well."

"It doesn't matter," Suzuki says, cracking a smile. "I could never let you die. Because I really do love you."

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Five: Her Despair Reeks Of Alcohol :-**

_It's not that complicated and you ain't gotta believe  
They'll put me down in a hole before I let you succeed  
I've never been complacent, I can't afford to be  
I know you think you're special but you ain't nothin'_

_You've pushed me one too many times  
I'm sick of all of the fiction, we're gonna settle it  
You've pushed me one too many times  
I'm sick of all of this shit, I'm gonna settle it!_

_Hope I'm on the list of people that you hate..._

_It's time you met the monster that you have helped create._

— "Meet The Monster" — Five Finger Death Punch

Aysel was looking at me.

And I was looking at that old witch.

And we kept looking at each other. I held my breath and I didn't know if she was holding hers in too, but she didn't look like she was moving! I had called a meeting today this time, and everyone was going to hear me out! Even stupid 'Queen Aysel' and her wonderful kingdom! Now that the throne room was all nice and dandy again, nothing was stopping me from saying what I needed to say! "So I was talking to Renata," I said, walking around the room. This time I was ready for Saivan to bust through out of nowhere. "Anyway, I was talking to Renata yesterday, and she told me there was a way for me to get stronger!"

I looked at everyone else and Renata seemed to sink down into her chair, trying to hide her face behind some kind of complicated napkin. It looked like it had gold on it. Why the heck would you put gold on a napkin in the first place? Stupid! I bet that whole entire thing was Aysel's idea! It was just a napkin! They were throwing away gold, practically. "... So Renata was telling me about this secret place in the castle! And dammit Aysel, you're going to give me the key to get into this place so I can get stronger!"

It wasn't the response I was looking for, but I'd take it!

I blinked. "Why does everyone look so dead today...?" Was I the only one full with energy? Chio looked exhausted from training so hard yesterday... She always pushed herself way too hard to catch up with the rest of us. She did miss out on a lot of fights, but I kept telling her she didn't want to be a part of those fights in the first place. Kokoro just looked a mess. His hair was all over the place and his eyes drooped down. He even had those lines under them. I could tell he didn't get any sleep at all.

Morta was just plain old Morta. She only cared when we talked about something important. And since everything that flew out of my mouth was _very _important, I didn't know why she wasn't listening! She had her head tilted in the palm of her hand, her dark-brown, wavy hair laying on top of the table. Aysel took Naira and Defina's chairs out, so there were just enough chairs for everyone here that were still _alive_ and capable of fighting in this war. I looked down at the ground for a moment, sucking in some air. Phew, this was going to be a long day.

Aysel was in my chair, just giving me a look that I was more than happy to give back. She was smirking slightly, something that let me know she was going to go on a whole entire speech about how she was the queen and stuff like that. Oh joy. That was just what I wanted to hear. I looked around the room again. "Man guys. Is this anyway to look like when we're about to go to war...?" Seriously! This was a major let down! Miyuki even looked terrible. Well, she had some kind of bell thing in her hand. It was pink and shaped like a heart...

But every time Miyuki moved it—the bell would sound and it was annoying! What _was_ that thing? I wouldn't let it grind my gears. "Miyuki? You too?" I asked, slumping my shoulders. "Aw, c'mon Chase! You look like you've eaten about three things of cheese!" Chase looked at me as attentive as ever, but something told me he didn't really want to be in this room. I sighed again. Was this really a bad choice? I shouldn't had thought with my heart! I should have used my head! If only I had kept my mouth shut! Then we wouldn't have to go to war with these people! Or army! Or whatever the hell Saivan had!

"Sorry Summoner Sayuri," Chase said, grinning. His grin was sloppy. He did a really horrible job of trying to fake one. "I just haven't been getting as much sleep as I've wanted." Oh, like that was an excuse! He needed to get over his drowsiness and get his head in the game! He couldn't sleep in the middle of a battle, could he? And what the hell was wrong with Adel? He looked horrible. He was holding his stomach, his black locks falling into his eyes as he bent over forward. So I pointed at him, trying to get his attention.

"If you're sick Adel..." I murmured, pointing to the door. He looked at me, giving me that blank expression before he looked at the door.

"I can take this, Summoner Sayuri. I do not think it would be wise if I left in the middle of one of your meetings." Damn straight! I liked his style! I nodded my head, putting my hands on my waist. I thought I had seen the most hopeless of hopeless-y people today, but I think Lucrecia topped the bar. She was... I don't even know how to say it. She was laying face-down on the table, and when she did lift up her head she looked like she had been hit by a hurricane. I shook my head.

Well. I guess one thing was for sure today. Zed was the only person who looked liked he cared about the war. I shrugged my shoulders. It wouldn't hurt to tell Aysel what I felt now. "Well anyway Aysel, I heard about this place you have in the castle or something, and like I said, I would like to know how to go inside of it. The war hasn't started yet, and any amount of training is really good for me and my team! Please, Aysel. We only want to do it for your kingdom." Aysel smiled, putting one leg over the other. She had her hand right next to her chin, snickering, maybe. I couldn't tell.

"Summoner Sayuri, if that is what you so wish," Aysel said, standing up. "But ha! You will never hope to get as strong as I, Queen Aysel!" I sweatdropped.

"That's nice Aysel..."

"I find it rather admirable that you are trying to prepare for this war! My kingdom is very important, but my well-being always comes first, does it not Summoner Sayuri?" I didn't know how to answer that. Maybe? Somewhat? Pffpt, I should have just stopped lying to myself. I really, really,_ really_ did hate Aysel right now. Aysel got out of my seat, her dress flowing behind her as she took off her necklace and threw it on the ground. Well, she dropped it, but still! What the hell was she doing? She extended her hand and they started glowing blue...

"Have you ever met the Truth, Summoner?"

"Mother, I don't think that's such a good—!" Renata said, jumping out of her seat. She thought about it for a second and sat back down, though. Of course I didn't! If I knew what it was, I wouldn't have been looking like Aysel punched me in the stomach or something! "Never mind. It is the only way the Summoner will be able to get inside of the Garden of Truth..." Well, that didn't sound so bad. I thought Renata was talking about some kind of Apocalypse or something. I was scared for a second, you know! I stood there, wide-eyed. I was starting to think if I should have just talked to Aysel myself...

"You have not I see, Summoner Sayuri!" Aysel laughed, thinking she was the best thing in the world. "This is the key that will get you inside of the room," she said, handing me her necklace. Then what was the point of dropping it on the stupid floor in the first stupid place? It seemed stupid to me. "Now once you get into the room, you will know what to do when you get there. Adel!" Aysel called, waving her hand in the air while closing her eyes. "Take the Summoner to the room." I narrowed my eyes. Great. Aysel never did anything herself, did she? Everyone started to leave the room—but I didn't tell them to leave!

"Hey, get back here!" I shouted, stomping my foot on the ground. But by the time I had already said that, mostly everyone had made it down the hallway. I sighed, shaking my head. Adel stood next to me, his hands behind his back. Being a hero of a whole entire world sure was exhausting. I had promises to fulfill, things to carry out, monsters to fight... I looked up at Adel, and how much he was towering over me. He was really tall—just like Lucrecia. Now I saw who she got it from. I clutched Aysel's necklace in my hand as he led the way, walking out of the door. He wanted me to go first, I could tell, but I hesitated, and so he took the floor. "Nice to see you again, Adel. You're not still sick, are you?"

What was with everyone in the castle being silent-butts? It took him a long time to answer me. "No, I am quite fine Summoner Sayuri. You have been very busy lately. Or very stressed. It takes a toll on your body when you act like that and you are standing differently then when I last saw you." Ah, he was right. There was stress everywhere I looked. "You know that revenge only begets revenge, Summoner Sayuri. I thought you of all people would know that." Why? Just because I was this 'goddess' that people saw me as? Fat chance!

"Look Adel. If you don't like what I'm doing you can get the freggin' heck out," I said, closing my eyes. I started to slow down. "You're going to fight in the war whether you want to or not. What King Saivan did back there was unforgivable, and you saw that. In fact, you didn't even try to do anything about it! You just stood there and watched him hurt Chio! Even Chase tried to do something, and he's the biggest pacifist I know!" I stopped, thinking about everything that I had just said. "Wow, you and Lucrecia are nothing alike..."

"I simply do not believe in fighting if it is not necessary, Summoner Sayuri." Cha. And two of his teammates dying at Saivan's hands didn't make it necessary? "If Chase is a pacifist, that is something that he chooses to believe in, but that does not come anywhere near what I believe in. I am a pantheist. If God and the universe are equal, then why do we try to fight God? Everything in this world is equivalent to that being. Even the people who live inside of it. I try not to meddle with such affairs that have nothing to do with me. You are fighting 'God', Summoner Sayuri."

What a bunch of crap. It was amazing the stories people told other people when they were scared of owning up to their failures. "So are you calling Saivan 'God' then? Because he's far from it." I gritted my teeth. "And so what if he is? I don't care! If that's what it takes then I'll fight him. The bastard! He killed my friends, and no one seems to understand that! Like I said, it was unforgivable and I'll show him what happens when he crosses me!" Woah, I kind of had a little meltdown there. I blushed a little, smiling. "Eh, sorry about that... But..." I tilted my head. "How the hell did you make it into Aysel's guard if you think fighting is wrong?"

"What I am capable of doing," he said, looking down the hallway. "...Is enough to destroy this world. And it would be horrible of me to unleash that power onto one person. The technique I use is called Nightmare—as I can look into someone's mind, go into their deepest thoughts... Their darkest memories and desires—and create a creature composed of such madness." I stopped. I couldn't believe this. Adel looked behind him, giving me a confused look. But I didn't care. What the hell was he thinking?

"You can do _that?"_ I gasped, stomping my foot on the ground. "And you didn't do that little thing on Saivan, why? And I don't want to hear your God crap! That's insane! No wonder you're in Aysel's guard!" I tapped my finger on my chin, chewing my lip. If Adel was that strong... Now I knew who Lucrecia got it from. I thought about it some more... And that's when I realized I was being really mean to him. Just because he wouldn't fight the person that I was trying to kill? Not everyone was like me, like Miyuki said. I wish they were though! "Sorry, Adel. Forget I ever said anything about it..." I bowed, feeling really sorry. He kept walking, showing me the way.

"The only reason I decide to keep it to myself is because what I create is enough to make an entire nation fall down to their knees and beg for forgiveness. It is a nightmare; a real assembled nightmare that I control and only I alone. But even then I cannot control it. There has been only one man who has tamed one of the beasts that I have made. Hatred is a sin and it overtakes us—even if we are built to withstand anything. Enlightened... We... Are not fit to take on the impossible, and even hatred is a formidable foe." I tilted my head. Okay, so his imaginary friends did sound kind of scary. I was starting to wonder what my nightmare would look like if Adel had given it life. It would look pretty cool, I think. But then again I wasn't one for freakishly huge monsters. Especially monsters made from _me. _

"So who is the lucky guy, Adel?"

"His name was, if I remember, Suzuki Negaigoto." I coughed on air. Suzuki? _My _Suzuki? Suzuki from Earth Suzuki? Hell no. It must have been a coincidence, right? There was no way in hell Suzuki survived the blast in Japan. No one did. Not Tariku... Not Tanran... Not Itasca... Well, Itasca did manage to find a way into Spectra, but still. It must have been another Suzuki. I nodded my head even though my fingers were shaking. It would be really scary if Adel was talking about my Suzuki. If he was still alive... Then at least I had another friend who wasn't dead because I messed up... "It is all just a blur, but he helped me when I let the beast out... That time when Aysel had my wife to be killed because she was a Nocuous." Well, now I knew that no matter what, Aysel would have always been a dirty bastard. What a coward... Now I felt like garbage. I should have never said all of those things about Adel. I didn't even know what had happened to him to make him feel that way...

"Well, so she had her killed, and you just got so beaten up that you unleashed your own nightmare?" I didn't want to ask him something so personal, but he gave me a head-nod.

"Yes Summoner Sayuri, you are correct. But I had been working with Aysel and her castle before she had my wife executed. She had not found out about our relationship until she had Lucrecia. She was so beautiful, Lucrecia's mother." Wait, wait, wait. Did that mean that Lucrecia was part Nocuous? Way to stick up for her kind.

"So I take it Lucrecia knows nothing about her mother, right?" Aww, that sounded so stupid. It made me remember how Kohana just left me that day. Well, she didn't leave me. She kinda kicked my ass _and then _left me, but still, it was all the same. "And she probably doesn't even know that her mother was a Nocuous." Wow, Aysel sure knew how to mess someone's life over. She and Saivan really did make a good couple. They were both a couple of stupid people.

"Nedezhda, Lucrecia's mother, looked exactly like her daughter. She only wanted Lucrecia to have a normal life," he said, still focused on taking me to Garden of Truth or whatever. "The only one who knows of Lucrecia's genetics is you, Summoner Sayuri." I stopped, my eyes widening. He trusted me enough to tell me that? I couldn't say anything. That was... Sudden and unexpected. "Suzuki helped me contain the monstrosity that I had created out of my hatred, and I have learned to come to like Queen Aysel, even if I did not believe in some of the things she may have done."

"Well, at least you don't hate her anymore," I said, trying to lighten up the mood. Why was I so stupid? I could really be mean!

"After Aysel had Nedezhda killed—she demanded that I give Lucrecia to science, which is why she worked for the Science Department for a great duration of her life... It was never my desire to have her take part in experiments she had no knowledge about, but that, essentially, is what happened. Whatever my daughter decides to do with her life is her choice, and Nedezhda could not be happier with the way her daughter has turned out—even being submerged in all of this madness." We stopped in front of a weird-looking door. It was white—way different than all the other doors in the castle. I guess Lucrecia had been through a lot of stuff. And now she didn't have an arm... And she swore it was all because of me...

"Adel I'm sorry. For everything..."

"If I let out another nightmare—be it mine or someone else's—for the sake of this war, people will die." My heart skipped a beat. He was serious. I looked back up at him. My respect for him increased ten-fold. "That is why I tend to walk away from battles that I know will only escalate because of hatred. As long as Lucrecia has her freedom—that in which Nedezhda wanted her to have—I will be happy, and so will she." I nodded my head, balling up my fists. A guy like him didn't belong in a place like this. He was so understanding and... He had a whole new level or morality. I kinda felt ashamed. I was just talking about killing Saivan, and he had been holding in all of his hatred trying to protect the people he really wanted to kill.

And they took everything he had away from him. More than his friends. More than his mother...

I couldn't compare to him. I nodded my head as he put his hand on the knob. "Though I will say this Summoner Sayuri. This world is being submerged in a deep darkness. One that I will help clear away. Nightmares are born from darkness, and I want to prevent that." I started to smile. "I know more things than the common man should—and as homage to time and the surprises it brings—I will not alter it. I will stand by your side." Tears started to from in my eyes from happiness. I couldn't stop smiling. Adel had just made my day a little bit brighter. I wouldn't ask anything more from him. Just knowing he wouldn't run from this war made me happy. "Let us bring the light back to this land."

I put out a fist. "Don't worry!" I said, tears falling out of my eyes as I blinked. "I will!" I was waiting for him to pound my fist, but he looked at me like I was crazy. Oh yeah, right. I had forgotten that people from this world didn't do the things on my world. "Adel, see, all you have to do is touch your fist with my fist. It's called 'pounding' on Earth. Friends do it all the time when they agree on something." Without hesitating he pounded me back. I nodded my head, looking towards the door. The necklace I had in my hand started to glow, and then Aysel came out of nowhere, her hand on her hip. Where the hell did Aysel come from? I tried to wipe my tears really fast, but she started cackling.

"Having second thoughts Summoner? Because I am Queen—"

"I heard you the first time," I spat, shoving her necklace at her. "So that was just something to summon you when I got close to the door, huh?" Aysel was a lazy person. Really lazy. She didn't do anything by herself! We didn't even have to walk all that far to find the garden! … If this was really the garden... I looked around the hallway we were in. As a matter of fact, I had never seen this place before... That was what I got for not paying enough attention. Aysel raised her hand in the air, quirking her nose.

"How dare you interrupt I, Queen Aysel! No one can do this for I am the best! Guardian of Truth, arise from your deep grave! Is the one that stands before us strong enough to withstand your fine game?" Aysel cackled, waving her hand in the air. An anagram appeared on the ground and this... Short, purple-haired chick came out of nowhere. She was holding a cardboard thing in front of her that made her look like a maid. She wore glasses and had her hair in a ponytail.

"Welcome back, Master," the chick said, tilting her head. She sounded like she was forcing herself to be overly-cute. Adel stepped back and opened his mouth. I arched a brow, watching this weird lady that stood behind a purple, cardboard maid outfit thing. "What's the matter, Master?" Was she talking to me? Weird. Well, she was looking at me, so I just assumed...

"What... Exactly do you think you're doing?" I asked. I was unsure for two reasons. One, I didn't know who the hell she was, and two... What the hell was up with the board? The lady then tilted her head and started to giggle.

"Haha! Cute, don't you think?" she said, pushing the board to the side of her. Now I could see her whole body! She wore these headphones—and had on an orange and purple dress. Her eyes were purple too. "It's a Victorian maid outfit. I found it in some historical literature."

"Literature you say?" Aysel cooed, folding her hands. The lady looked towards her, nodding.

"Yep! I was flipping through some history books," the woman said, closing her eyes and swinging her arm any kind of way. "... And apparently men loved being addressed as 'Master'." she glanced at Adel, who was looking at me. What...? I squinted my eyes. "Well, did you, Adel?"

"... Um..." I said, trying to think. "I'm not so sure I really get this... Why would they enjoy being called 'Master'?"

"Hmm. I dunno. They're really old books," she said, putting the cardboard thing on the side of the wall. "Okay!" the woman shouted, pointing her index finger in the air. "How about I try this?" Dammit, the chick produced another board out of thin air again! This time it looked like... Something like my... Gym uniform...?

"Tra la la!" she said, in this sickening voice. Her voice was already annoying to begin with. "I looooove you, big brother!" I squinted my eyes even more.

"Hnn?" I didn't get any of this. Just what was Aysel trying to prove to me here? I looked behind me and Adel looked like he was losing it.

"Well? Are you smitten? Did you enjoy that?"

I folded my arms. "Okay. I'm getting more and more confused here. 'Big brother?' I don't even have a little sister!"

"Take a good look here. I'm not just a little sister type. I have glasses on. Glasses!" … I kept giving her my usual, what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look.

"Is that... Supposed to mean something?"

"I dunno..." she said, throwing the cardboard down the hall.

"What were people thinking back then?" I carped, folding my arms. "What were they trying to leave future generations with books like that? That made zero-sense! That made anti-sense! You should show me the books that you read so I can burn them!" The lady put her hands on her hips, tilting her head.

"Beats the heck out of me. That was a long time ago." Gah. That WAS the answer to everything now-a-days, wasn't it? "Well anyway!" she said, full of body gestures. "What's important to us is the here and now! We live in the present, after all! The present of the Dark Ages!" I had to agree with that. What? I didn't even know the lady's name.

"True, let's not get hung up on the past," I said, nodding my head. "Live in the moment."

"Kid, I like you!" she announced, throwing her hand in the air. I looked around and Aysel was gone! Sneaky witch! "What's your name?"

"Summoner Sayuri," I answered back, nodding my head.

"Ah, a Summoner!" She walked around me for a bit. "I like you! My name is Mima. Nice to meet you Summoner Sayuri! I think it'll be really cool when I walk you into the garden!" Oh, so she must have been that Truth person Renata and Aysel were talking about. Yeah, this would have been fun! I was going to say something but Adel took two dramatic steps back. We both turned around and looked at him.

"Reflection is at times necessary. There are always new discoveries to be made by studying history." He looked at me, like I really understood what he was saying. "People's behaviors accumulates, and this becomes history. It is our responsibility to pass that on to our future. Yes, as the witnesses to that history..." he said, making an arm-pump. We both looked at each other, Mima and I, and Adel just stayed in that same exact pose...

"Anyway! Let's get back to this garden stuff!" I announced.

"Aye aye, Summoner Sayuri!" Mima said, saluting towards me. We both smiled at each other, and five minutes must have passed and Adel still didn't move. Slowly, both Mima and I turned our heads and stared at him. Yeah, we would just leave him there. I was sure that he could fend for himself. Mima put both of her hands out. "I'm Truth—one of Aysel's created helpers. I'm made out of magic kid! Do you know how awesome that makes me?" Oh great! I hope she didn't act like Aysel either!

"Yeah, they said you could help me out here," I said as we both took two steps towards the door. "So behind this door is the Garden of Truth? What kind of training are you going to make me do, Mima?" Mima pushed up her glasses, her hand glowing a bright blue. The door opened up like magic. The scenery was beautiful! There were trees and lots of butterflies! There was a small section of rock floating in the water... Mima took two steps into the room and I followed her.

The door closed behind us. I could hear the nature around us... "This, Summoner Sayuri, is going to take a few days to learn."

_"A few days?" _I yelled. "I don't have a few days, Mima! I'm supposed to be going to a war! I promised them all that I'd lead them! That I'd be the first to start fighting, and that I would be the last one to stop!" That wasn't far! When I told Aysel I wanted to get stronger, I didn't mean for her to take me out of the war! I didn't have time for this! Time was what I didn't have! Mima wiped her nose with her arm, shaking her head.

"Okay, that can be arranged! But you can't go to war feeling like that, oh no no no!"

"Feeling like what?" I asked, lifting my head up. Mima stepped on the water and made it towards the small area of land in the middle of the lake. She was actually standing on the water! She looked like an angel! An angel with glasses! "I guess I should... Follow you?" I asked. I walked towards the water, but it didn't even look that shallow. She didn't really walk across this, did she? I was scared. I wasn't Jesus. I gazed into the water and then someone pushed me from behind, making my arms flail around.

"C'mon Sayuri! If you think I did magic, then you have to believe in it!"

"I believe in not drowning! I can't swim Mima!" I growled, looking behind me. Mima didn't even give me a chance to say anything else.

"Sayuri, the first rule about magic is if you don't believe in it, it won't work. True, you're chalk-full of it, but every time you doubt yourself your abilities will weaken! If you believe you can walk on water, then by God you can!" That was a lot of talk for a person made out of magic that thought I could swim! I gritted my teeth. Eff all of this, I didn't want to drown! I closed my eyes, taking two steps across the water. When I noticed I was pretty dry, I opened them again, and next thing I knew I was on the small section of ground!

"I did it!" I exclaimed, my hands in the air. "All right! I knew I could do it all along! I didn't need anyone's help, did I?" Mima was sitting on the ground next to me. She had her legs crossed. You know... Mima was really annoying... She pulled on my corset and I fell down on the ground. "What the heck was that for—?"

"Ssssh," Mima said, bringing her index-finger to her lips. "Sayuri, I want you to sit exactly how I'm sitting, and listen to the sound of the nature. You see the butterflies flying all around you?" I nodded my head. How could I not see them? "This garden is called the Garden of Truth for a real reason, Sayuri. The people that enter this garden get to see things that they couldn't see before. Of course, I have to make sure they're fit to get into my garden! This is_ my_ garden after all!" Okay, I knew it was her garden. That's when I realized that there were flowers everywhere around us. "No one gets in here. I'm cut from the outside world in here. The truth only stays in here."

"Okay, I got it," I said, gritting my teeth.

"This is the place where Queen Aysel trained to get as good as she is now! Isn't she the best?" I nodded my head. Anything to get her from talking about that stupid person that decided to leave me with Adel.

"That's the spirit!" Mima exclaimed. "Close your eyes Sayuri. And dream out loud." Dreaming out loud...? That should have been easy for me. I blocked out everything, except for the sound of the nature around me. "Do that, and the truth will come to you, Sayuri. And you'll never want to let it go~." Never... Let go... The butterflies in front of me materialized, then someone came out of the wings of them. It was really weird. That somebody kind of looked like me though... In a weird way. A very weird way.

"So, what was the deal with Aysel, huh?"

"What?" I said, choking. I opened my eyes and that chick that looked at me had a smirk on her face, her eyes dark. "Um, is there something I'm missing here?" I blinked, turning in all kinds of directions. "Mima, where are you?" Seriously, where was she? This was starting to creep me out. "What do you mean Aysel? Why are we still talking about Aysel? I thought she left us a long time ago, before we came into the garden! Is that you, Mima? Are you trying to scare me? B—because it's not working now!" My fingers started to shake. That chick in front of me kept smirking.

"How come you didn't kill her the next time you saw her, Sayuri? She insulted your mother. Almost had Lucrecia kill you. And you let her live why?" I tensed up. That person looked just like me. Sounded like me too. I would have sworn it was the mirror Essence, but I didn't have my wand on me. And plus, the mirror Essence is always talking in some kind of stupid riddle or something. I pointed a finger at the woman and she just kept looking at me.

"I'm not killing anyone!" I shouted. "Who are you?"

"I'm you, Summoner Sayuri," she mocked, cracking her neck.

I seethed. "That's a load of bull! You better tell me your name or I'll send you back where you came from!" I was serious! I was done with games! If this chick thought she could keep me from training to kill Saivan, she was really wrong!

"You know, I knew you were this dumb, but not this dumb!" she cackled. I stood up slowly. Mima did say this was the place where the truth would be revealed. So maybe the woman standing in front of me was telling the truth after all... Still, I kept my guard. I would never drop it again. Not until I killed Saivan for all of the things that he did. "You're really silly, you know that?" Her lips shined, like she had some kind of lip-gloss on or something. I smacked my lips. "I guess I'll put it in words that you understand. I'm you. The real you."

"Still not buying it for a second," I said, stretching out my fingers.

"But it's true! You know that thing Adel was talking about just a second ago? Hatred? I am the hatred inside of your heart, Sayuri! I am the dark part that resides tangled up in your heart! And I know you want to kill Aysel—as well as all of the people that crossed you! No one wanted to pay attention to you at your meeting. Don't you think you should go back and kill them all? All of your so-called 'friends'? If they really cared about you, they'd help you in this war."

"And that they are," I said, stomping my foot down. "I'm not killing anyone. They're all just worried about me."

The fake me let out an narcissistic laughter, which made me grit my teeth. Who the heck did she think she was? "You know, you and me Sayuri... We're alike in so many different ways. You want to protect Kohana. Well I on the other hand... I want to spill her blood over. And you know another thing, Summoner?" She kept mocking me and mocking me. "The Magic Wand?" She paused, an explosion of darkness forming around her hand. "...It likes me way better because you don't know how to fight!" She showed me her teeth—something that I really didn't want to see. "Water Essence!"

She raised her wand into the air, and the water around my collapsed on top of me! It filled my lungs, and then it constricted around me. I wasn't drowning, but I was being choked _by the water! _What the hell was going on? My wand appeared in my hand and it glowed a bright red, the fire I generated turning the water around me to mist. Now it was raining. "If it's a fight you want, then you can have it!" I exclaimed. The fake me wasn't wet, and she kept smirking at me. My wand charged up again and I was going to give her another fireball. She was thinking the same way, aiming just like me. Her fire was more menacing and I tensed up again.

We shot at the same time, our fire consuming the other—but we flew backwards. I was panting, trying to keep my grip on my wand. "You want to be a warrior?" she hissed. "You have to work for it, Sayuri!"

"So what? We're matched," I said. "Though you're right. You are me... And that makes us the same. Still, I'll find a way to beat you!" I put my wand in front of me, preparing for the worst. I twirled it around and flames danced all around me. They were wild, but nothing compared to what Kokoro could do. The fake me smirked, snarling.

"Ha. Maybe you can beat me now."

Before I could answer, she had the same kind of flames around her! This was pissing me off! I was going to move but Mima appeared next to me. "You know Sayuri? When you listen and become one with the nature, you enter the world inside of you. After that you produce a mirror image of yourself... Unlike the mirror Essence, of course. You really are fighting yourself!" Mima needed to shut up! I was going to run after my dark self, but then I opened my eyes.

Mima stood behind me, her hand on my back. "It's okay Sayuri. You can stop panting now, kid!" I was panting? I _was _panting. And I was sweating everywhere. I looked for the fake me and she was nowhere to be found... "You saw another part of you, right? And only she holds the key to your powers. Never forget that. Now, do you want to meet her again?"

"Even if... Even if I can't beat her... I'll try until I can..."

"That's the spirit!" Mima exclaimed. "Now close your eyes..."

She started the whole explanation over again, like I hadn't remembered it. No matter how scared I was, I would find the answer to my inner-strength!

I would avenge Naira and Defina, and show everyone that I could keep promises!

I would kill Saivan!

And I would make everyone learn my name!

I am Summoner Sayuri!

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. XD;; How perverted is Adel? XD;;

I laughed at him while writing that part. First he's all "I'm so wise." Then he's all... Perverted. XD;; It is Mima's fault, I suppose. Oh noes! Sayuri's gonna not be in the war at this point! D: What the hell is she doing! If she doesn't get out of that forest, she's going to like... Not be there and break yet another promise to herself and her friends! *smirks* I do this stuff on purpose, you know.

Well, here's hoping that these two guys at least get Sayuri to learn something!

So you guys know what this means right? There may or may not be Sayuri for a few chapters... Depends on what Bandelle is thinking. Or maybe it might just be two chapters. Or a half-a-chapter. XD;;

I don't know. It's up to Bandelle, my plot. XD


	36. Bullshit Gets Up And Walks Around

**A/N:** Here's that chapter, guys! XD And this flashback is still made out of epic-wins and pwns everywhere, might I add. This is another reason why I love flashback!Sayuri.

Like for serious, she's like the most epic person in the story. *tear* XD;;

* * *

"Stop! Suzuki! Don't do this! Please don't do this!" Sayuri yells at the top of her lungs. Her eyes shimmer as she starts flailing, trying to free her hands from Macarius' sword. Her eyes plead for Suzuki to stop but he stands in front of her opponent, his cape swaying in the wind behind him. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? You'll die! You saved Bianca, okay? Don't be a hero!" She pauses, looking at the ground. "That's _my _job..."

"Sayuri," Suzuki says, taking off his cape. He takes it off with finesse, being careful about how he unsnaps the buttons around his neck. He acts as if nothing is wrong... As if Isleen and Hiroyuki are still alive. "I know this man might be stronger than me, but I'll never know until I try. I can't stand the fact that he is willing to fight against the whole entire world—a woman, no less." Suzuki turns towards Macarius and he looks back at him with blank eyes. "My kingdom needed help, and you were the one to give me that help. I'm not here because you simply need assistance to beat this man..."

"Suzuki..." Sayuri mumbled, almost inaudibly. He doesn't glance back at her.

"I've known you since I happened to accidentally show myself in your world... You were always there to help me, and you not only saved me... But millions of others. If my planet was to die, everything else in this world would have faltered. I'm only here because... I've been following you around because I just want to _study_ you, Sayuri. I've always wanted to see what made you you, and be around you."

Her eye widened and she could have sworn she started crying.

"I'm not afraid to die if it means protecting you." Suzuki cracks his knuckles, resuming his stance. "I thought humans were such vile creatures—humans and Celestial Beings. Everything else in the world that weren't Essences, in fact. But you've changed me so much..." He turns around, giving her a big grin. His teeth shine as the sun reflects off them. "I've actually finally figured out that the only reason why I've been able to stick around beside you is because I love you—"

Sayuri's face is frozen from pure shock.

She looks at the two men in front of her—_dumbfounded_ as three leashes appear in Suzuki's hands. Two in his right hand and one in his left. Three, vicious dogs then form out of darkness, each of them looking as menacing as the last. Their teeth are jagged and razor sharp. There is saliva dripping from their mouths and accumulating in puddles as it meets the ground. Macarius isn't worried. He stands there, staring the gigantic dogs and their master down with his purple eyes.

"Rêvez de la Mort!" Suzuki shouts, all three of his dogs running towards Macarius. With each step they take, the ground cracks underneath their paws. They act as if they haven't eaten in years—fighting with each other to take the prize of reaching Macarius first. The dogs sink their incisors into Macarius and he doesn't even flinch. At a first glance, it looks like they are taking him down. That all changes when Macarius narrows his eyes, holding his right arm up.

The ground cracks in a crescent formation, making Suzuki's dogs disappear. The ear-shattering blast from the ground's surface makes Sayuri flinch. Suzuki is sent flying backwards, lying on the ground a couple of yards away from him. _"Stop!" _Sayuri shouts with everything she has, her face turning red. Veins pop out of her head from how pleading her scream was. Her eyes are wide open—she has no words for what is laying right in front of her.

"This reminds me of how my loved ones were killed in front of my eyes..." Macarius mutters to himself, gazing at Suzuki's body.

Sayuri stares at her enemy.

"Love breeds sacrifice... Which breads more hatred..."

Sayuri lets out a shrill yell, an explosion erupting from all around her. It raises itself into the air, clouds of smoke surrounding the field. The wind blows more violently as she continuous to scream, the ground splitting at the sound of her voice. Now she stands on all fours, another howl escaping her lips. Her hair—her oily hair has increased in length two-fold, fangs protruding from over her bottom lip. Blades sit on her arms and legs as her clothes melt away, her body only shielded by a purple light. Under her eyes resides black shadows, complimenting the slit in her pupils that make her look like an animal.

Her ears are pointed outwards, fur on the back of them. Her fingernails are much longer and she starts to growl—even _that_ shakes the earth. A wolf's tail shoots from her back, wagging back and forward. "...Then you can know my pain..." Macarius muttered, looking nonchalantly at Sayuri. "Do you hate me?"

"Graaaaaaaaaaaah!" Sayuri yells, cracking her neck as she plays with the dirt in her hands. The mountains around them begin to crumble—trees breaking and houses from far away start to collapse. Her voice sounds twisted and deranged—a hopeless cross between human and animal.

"Do you really think people can understand each other like this?" She yells once more at the sound of his voice, even louder than before. "That's it. But my pain is far more greater than yours." Sayuri is damn-near standing on top of a _crater_—and one glance at the blood pouring out of Suzuki's mouth is more than enough to implore her to start fighting. She rolls her wand over to herself with her right hand, playing with the diamond on top of it. Macarius takes heed. "Is that what has been holding her back...?" Abruptly, Sayuri smashes the diamond—the indestructible mineral—watching fragments of it stick into her hand.

Sayuri, without thinking, dashes towards him—almost invisible to even his eyes. But the wind that swirls around her alerts him that she's coming. He puts out his right hand—and he tries to shoot her away from himself. Instead, fragments of the earth fly back a great deal, but Sayuri stands her ground, her wolf genetics overtaking her body. Huge boulders fly back and even a few trees. Macarius' concentration is destroyed as he_ himself _is thrown back, tumbling against the ground.

"She withstood my blast... And used it against me?" Macarius says to himself, narrowing his eyes. He collides into the rock formation behind them, taking down the _whole entire_ mountain. Debris flies into the air, making Sayuri smirk. She starts sniffing around, _swearing_ she can smell his blood.

And that makes her happy. It soothes the animal she has become.

"Sa... Sayuri..." Suzuki mutters, turning his head towards her. Macarius arises from the destruction, his cloak hanging off the side of his body. Half of his chest is showing; cuts and bruises riddling his body.

"Absolute Obliteration," Macarius mutters, throwing both of his hands in front of him. A blast the size of a planet appears in front of him—circling in an orange-red catastrophe. He wastes no time sending it towards Sayuri. It destroys everything in its path, making a huge trail of barren land behind it. It hits another rock formation, sending a pillar of earth falling on top of her.

Sayuri manages to get up from the rocky rain, making Macarius squint his eyes. "That girl's power is amazing... Her Trance Mode is superb." Sayuri lets out another howl as he jumps into the air, looking back at her. He appears to be running away from her, leading her up into more thickets of trees.

Perhaps to a place where her friends can't find her?

Still, Sayuri isn't about to let him get away. He claps his hands together, his tattered cloak fluttering in the wind behind him. The ground floats in the air and forms into a big orb. From the air, it looks as if a huge meteorite hit the ground... And the debris around the orb is floating into the air. Sayuri sniffs into the air, jumping towards the circle of earth. She breaks her way into it and Macarius looks up from above, a blank expression on his face.

She reverts back to normal, standing on top of what appears to be water. She clutches her head, refusing to cry. "I don't know! What should I do? I don't know anymore!" she screams. "I don't know! It hurts! I hate this!"

_"How are you going to face this hatred in order to maintain and keep the peace?"_

His sentence replays in her head, over and over.

"I'll... Destroy_ everything!_" Sayuri says, laughing sadistically. She cracks her neck, a smile playing on the ends of her lips. Blood starts to pour out of a wound on the side of her chest as she laughs manically. "I'll destroy everything that hurts me. I'll save him from the pain... I'll give him all _my_ pain!" She laughs, tears forming in her eyes. "I'll make sure he's really happy!" The circle that was once in the air disburses, Macarius' jaw dropping at the sight.

"I can't believe it..."

Clutching her sword and an exact replica of it in her other hand, she shoots out of the dome—coming towards him. She stops in mid-air, throwing out her hands. "Die you bastard!" Upon saying this she chuckles, her eyes dilated. Her swords charges with purple light and she swings them, two frightening disks of explosive power heading straight towards him. Macarius only side steps out of the way—though the explosion almost causes him to fall over. She stands upside down in the air, grinning at her opponent. He looks back at her, his eyes blank.

Before she continuous to fight, her eyes soften as she looks back on the village—and at how destroyed it is... "I—I did this...?" Her voice cracks as she asks herself more questions.

"She's strong enough to inflict damage on me and she can see me. She deflected my attack and sent it back at me—going so far as to escaping my prison. She's tough."

Tears seep down her cheeks as she clutches her chest. "I did that? I killed Bianca... Suzuki...?" She pauses, hearing familiar faint heartbeats even from far away. "Thank God... Thank God..." She pauses, wiping her tears away with her arm.

"It's time we finished this," Macarius says. Sayuri looks at him, rage in her eyes. "If you don't understand someone's pain, you can never understand them. Do you understand a little pain now?"

"..."

"But just because you understand them doesn't mean you can come to an agreement. That's the truth."

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Six: Bullshit Gets Up And Walks Around :-**

_He had a plan to kill you all along,  
The evidence was hidden in this song,  
I was a ghost,  
I was there at the scene,  
As the embers rise, my hands,  
Smelled like gasoline._

_You're the only one that wore your seatbelt,  
We're the only ones that cried,  
Catastrophic accidents,  
You're the only one that died.  
_  
— "When I Go Out, I Want To Go Out Like A Chariot On Fire" — Escape The Fate

"Well, we cannot send you home just yet Aline," Ever said to me, writing on her clipboard. She was always writing on that clipboard in some language that I couldn't understand... I had been in this place for a while now, so I was used to her telling me that. I couldn't go home. I could never go home... But I really wanted to see Chase and Renatari again! The only reason why I stayed with Professor Ever was because I wanted to get better so I could see them...

It still hurt sometimes... Other times I didn't know what hurt, but my head—definitely. It was hard being around Professor Ever. I didn't like Enlightened Ones. Honovi was Professor Ever's assistant... She played with me a little. Whenever I was bored she'd ask me if I'd like to play with her. Honovi acted like a real grown-up! I didn't know how old she was. She was pretty, too. Her lab-coat was different from Professor Ever's, but she was just as important.

I looked down at the ground, tracing a circle with my foot. She was an Enlightened One too. "Why can't I go back...?" I muttered. Ever gave me another look through the corner of her eyes, taking two steps forward. She smiled at me, brought her clipboard to her side, and nodded her head. "I feel fine! H—honestly!"

"You are sick dear," Ever answered back, making my spirits drop. "Aline, you are_ very _sick. If you go back to Austere, there is a possibility that whatever you have may spread on to the next person... And it will become something that would be very hard to contain, you hear?" That was what she said every time I asked that question. Everyday they would leave me in this room and I never got to see the outside world... I missed the sky. I didn't get to see it for too long, but when the others went to go see Shiva, I saw it! That blue sky! But it didn't belong to me... It belonged to people like Honovi and Ever.

"Things like this just take time," Honovi agreed, shaking her head. She had the most pretty black hair... Her bangs hung over her face and it made me wonder how she could even see. It was glossy and really shined when she stepped into the sunlight. "We're working on a cure to make you better. Professor Ever is, anyway. Is there anything you remember about that night with that woman you call Renatari? Can you give us a name? Anything?" I wanted to remember, but it was like every time I tried, something tried to burn a hole into my brain.

I shook my head, kicking the air. "All I remember are pictures, but I don't want you people to look inside of my head!" I put my hands on top of my head, crouching down. I felt so violated whenever one of them invaded my mind. That wasn't fair... Why did they get to do that and we couldn't? I couldn't remember what happened after I saved Renatari from that man, and I didn't want them messing with my memories. "Whenever that happens, someone's dear memories are always altered!" Ever put her hands on her hips, amused at what I had just said.

"Well I'll be!" she said, laughing. "You should not listen to everyone who lives here, Aline." But they all told the truth! They were all here much longer than I was. "People tend to get plenty crazy inside of the Science Department. We're all nice people, don't you understand that?"

"You aren't nice people!" I shouted, my face red. "You all made Shiva come and attack us! Renatari was hurt because you people weren't there! You people said you'd protect Austere, and yet we live like we do now!" I paused, swallowing. Honovi and Ever looked at me. They were definitely surprised at me. "You people weren't there when I needed you the most... That's why I'm sick now. Renatari..." I paused, closing my eyes. "I hope she is okay. I think she..." I couldn't say anymore.

"There's only one problem with that kid..." Ever said. "I have searched the whole entire database. There's no one in Austere that is named Renatari. In fact, there was never anyone named Renatari in Austere." That wasn't true! Renatari was my best friend and she was real! "Are you sure she is not just your imaginary friend? Friends are good to have Aline, but imaginary ones are not going to help us find out what made you sick like this." I wasn't kidding, honestly! I wouldn't lie like this!

"She's really real, Ever! And nothing you can say will make me think otherwise!" I yelled back. "All Enlightened do is make up lies and they expect us to listen to them! I was taught not to believe you people, and if you keep saying that we'll never be friends!" I folded my arms, pouting. I scratched my head after that and Ever did the same thing. She thought I was lying about knowing what happened that day. There were times when I wanted to remember everything, but then I was scared. I was scared because I didn't want to know if Renatari died, or if something bad had happened to me.

"Well, get this kid. I guess I can't just leave you hanging," she said, sighing. "Look, there's something that Queen Aysel and King Saivan put on everyone in the kingdom a long time ago. Longer than... Well, it was a really long time. A memory block. I think that is what you are suffering from right now. Whatever is making you so sick is blocking that memory of that day. Queen Aysel and King Saivan put a memory block on everyone in the kingdom, and only a select few actually know that Princess Renata had a sister..." I hated Queen Aysel! I hated them all! Where were they when we were being attacked? Queens are supposed to be nice and princesses are supposed to help you all the time...

"I don't care," I said, turning around. "If it's not about Renatari, I don't care! She brought me a flower and I left it back in the church! I have to go get her flower!" Ever snapped her fingers and Honovi walked in front of her, bowing. It was really weird. Honovi always did everything Ever asked her too. Honovi had ice-blue eyes which made her look weird. She didn't like to show her emotions, but she was nice enough to me... "Yeah, she made me the most wonderful flower... With magic! She used the same magic you guys have! It was awesome!"

"Kid, you are a genius!" Professor Ever exclaimed, throwing her pencil into the air. I jumped. She was scaring me! "If you take a look at that flower I bet, you will remember everything!" She was going to take me back to Austere? Back home? I started smiling. Anything to get away from those people! I didn't like being examined everyday—and when I really wanted to go outside they'd only let me walk into another room. I was in jail for being sick, and that wasn't right!

What would my mom say about this? Did they even tell her where I was at? Where was Chase? I had so many questions and no one had been giving me answers to them. "I'd love to go back home!" I exclaimed, smiling. "I can see my Mom again, and Dad, and my brother and my friends! It'll be awesome! And maybe I can see Chase again! If anyone's told them where I'm at, it'd have to be him, I—"

Honovi glanced at me. "You mean Chase Kaluza?" I nodded my head. Yep, that was my friend's name! "... He's a part of Aysel's guard now. There is no doubt in my mind that right now he is working very hard to ensure this kingdom's safety." They took Chase away from me too? My eyes started watering, but I wouldn't cry. I'd see the flower again and give it to Chase the next time I saw him. My bottom lip started quivering and Honovi started patting my head without any emotional feedback. That's when I got mad. What was Chase fighting for? He almost never fought... Only when it was extremely important and necessary! And he would never... Never...

"He would _never_ work for Aysel!" I yelled, closing my eyes. Tears flew out of the corners of them. "Chase didn't like Queen Aysel! He always told me how she ran things the wrong way! He hated her! Hated, hated, hated her!" I balled up my fists, stomping my foot in the ground. Honovi always gave me bright-colored ribbons to tie in my hair. We didn't have those back in Austere. I liked them, though. I wish Honovi could buy all the ribbons in the world for me. "He only fights for Nocuous! He told me that my kind was the only kind worthy of being protected by his sword. He trained his whole life to help us, and you're trying to tell me that he's fighting for Aysel?"

Ever flipped another page to her clipboard. When she wasn't writing on it, she was trying to be really funny. She wasn't that funny. "Ah, appears so, kid. Apparently there's supposed to be some kind of war going on right now. Yeah, the system is in pretty bad shape. It's a rumor that's been floating around, but Saivan walked right into the castle and..." She paused, making hand gestures. "Bam!" I jumped, and she laughed a little at me. Lightheartedly. "He destroyed Aysel's throne room—whipped the Summoners—and managed to defeat her whole guard in a matter of seconds."

"Was Chase hurt?" I exclaimed, looking up now. I wiped away my tears. Honovi didn't like it when I started crying. "Tell me he wasn't hurt! What's going on with the world now?" I didn't know too much about what happened in the Palace in the Sky... In Austere, we barely had any trouble. Everyone knew each other and we were all one big happy family. But we were happy. "If King Saivan attacked Queen Aysel, does that still make him king?" Ever didn't stop looking at her clipboard. She was in love with it.

"Well, not that I know of," she answered in her scraggly voice. "All I know is that this country is in a war with enemies we don't even know exist. Some say King Saivan has an army full of ghosts... Others say he's protected by robots. The press have been trying to get a hold of Princess Renata and Queen Aysel, but everyone's been turned away by Lucrecia... Extraordinary woman, she is. After Naira and Defina died, I knew something bad was going to happen to this place. Aline, you can only be hopeful and pray that your friend is okay." I wish I had hope left over... She waved her pencil in the air, unwrapping some gum.

"And... Yeah... Of course that makes Saivan king. He cannot stop being king unless Aysel divorces him. He can do whatever he wants..." Her voice trailed as she walked over to the cabinet, putting her clipboard on it. She smiled back at me, jumping up into the air and stretching. "But it is just another rumor, kid. You cannot let stuff get to you like that." What if me being sick had something to do with the war...? Something was inside of me—I knew it! It would talk to me at night and never leave me alone. It was pushing me forward. There was something that neither Professor Ever or Honovi was telling me. I had to ask them about it and 'hope' that they gave me an answer.

"What exactly... Is wrong with me...?" It hurt to ask, but the thing inside me wanted me to suffer. I could feel it. I clutched my heart, feeling it beat. Everyone in the world had hearts, I was sure. What made these people that stood before me so heartless...? "I know I'm sick, but this isn't a cold or anything like that, right?" I swallowed, hoping one of them would really answer me this time. Honovi looked up at me while Professor Ever was looking for some kind of lie to say.

"We have found out that there is something living inside of you," Honovi said, looking at me with blank eyes. I knew that much. At first I hated it, but it liked to talk to me whenever I was lonely. Just like Honovi did when she wasn't sleeping. "What that thing is we don't know yet, but it was injected inside of you, and it will spread without the proper care."

Ever folded her arms. "Jeez, did you have to tell the kid everything?" She paused. "Well yeah, sure, there's something inside of you. We've been working on a cure! Nights and nights of experimenting, and we haven't gotten anywhere!" She stuck her arm in the air, sniffing from her failures. She was really dramatic. She turned back to normal as soon as she looked at me again. "We also think we've seen the same thing before. Honovi looked into some of the old files—she cracked the code to my uncle's stuff, and I don't know if this thing inside of you is what he made, or something similar to it—but there was one person that made a cure."

"Who? Tell me who! The sooner we can get to them, the sooner I can go back to Austere!" Honovi always told me that she had never met someone who was so eager to go back to Austere. She didn't understand what it was like to have wonderful friends and family. And when you're away from them for such a long time it just... Makes you feel really sad and broken for a while. Professor Ever rubbed her hands together, looking at the ground, and then back at me.

"Well, I don't think we can contact her too easy. Last time I sent a letter to get into contact with Lucrecia, and even that was hard. Now, I don't think they're taking in any mail—the castle. It had been documented by an unknown person that Summoner Sayuri came up with a cure. She was even sick like you were, but she didn't let that deter her. She was truly a hero." Wow! If Summoner Sayuri could get better, than I would be just like her! "Of course, I think once you get what you've got, you can never get it again, so she might be immune to the sickness. If she's lived this long..." What? My throat got dry and I stopped cheering. Was I going to die? I didn't want to die! I started panicking, sweating too.

"Am I... Going to die, Professor Ever? Honovi?" They gave me sad looks.

"I don't exactly know," Ever said, shaking her head. "While we do not think this is life-threatening, it was documented in my uncle's sightings that the 'mystery sickness' is capable of destroying whole entire civilizations in just a matter of minutes." She slid against the wall, putting her hand on her forehead. "Jeez Louise, gives me the creepers every time I think about it. What makes Summoner Sayuri so amazing? She's smart, pretty, and she knows how to hold herself well—as well as fight! We need to get a hold of her. I do not want you dying Aline. Not on my watch you aren't. Like you said, you have a family you have to get to, and my uncle always said that when a scientist is confronted with a problem, they try their best to come up with a solution!"

I exhaled. This would have hit me harder if I wasn't used to feeling like I was dying... Only Chase and Renatari could save me now. I nodded my head. "So how are you guys going to talk to Summoner Sayuri if you can't reach her?"

"We're going to mind-call someone in the castle," Honovi said, closing her eyes. "Most of the smart people there have mind-blocks so that one can't read their minds, memories, and so on. But if we could get a hold of someone who is not paying too much attention, we can contact them. To be able to mind-call, you must have mental picture of that person, and a strong mental and physical complex. You must be ready for the worst, because not everyone is in their right mind...

"Yeah, mind-reading is big business," Professor Ever said, nodding her head. That made me feel at least a little bit better. "People have actually _died _from not being careful with it... But oh well!" she exclaimed, patting my head. She used to love running her fingers through my hair until I started putting it in pig-tails. "You don't have to worry about those dangers! You should be glad that you are not one of us, right?" She grinned, but was she trying to make me happy, or make me worse? After that, there was a huge explosion that shook the whole building! I fell sideways on the ground and Ever looked up at the ceiling, noticing debris falling down. Just a little, though.

Honovi looked at Ever and they both nodded. After that, I could hear people screaming! I knew where it was coming from. I got up on my feet and ran towards the window, looking down to see a lot of white-coats running out of the building. Someone got thrown out of a window and landed on another person. The thing inside of me didn't like all of that screaming. It made my head hurt... Ever bowed her head, putting her hands on her waist. "So, it looked like we've got ourselves company, right Honovi? Well they can bring on whatever they've got, because I'm not moving—_ahaaaaa!_ The ceiling almost fell on me, did you see that?" Ever pointed up, crouching down.

Honovi nodded her head, taking something out of her pocket. It looked like a ball! She pressed a button in the middle of it, and right before my eyes it turned into a huge, big gun! I had seen a lot of guns but this was the biggest one I had ever seen! I almost stretched across the room. It was scary. "W—what's happening?" I asked, shaking a little. Honovi's gun looked so heavy that she had to carry it with both of her hands. She glanced at me, nodding her head. "You're not going to hurt anyone with that gun, are you Honovi? You're better than that. W—we don't need violence to solve all of our problems now, do we?" Chase was always telling me that and I just wanted to pass it on.

"They're working their way up," she said. "More than likely, the person that broke into..." I couldn't hear her because another explosion went off. I fell down on the ground again. "...they want you Aline. You are special."

"I'm special?" I repeated. There was nothing special about me. I was just an ordinary Nocuous that came from Austere. Professor Ever got up, holding on to all kinds of things before she found her balance again.

"I want you to use that 'thing' inside of you, Aline." My eyes started to shine. Honovi was serious about what she had just said. "There is a reason, I believe, why you are the only one who has been able to control that creature. We have taken the same strain and given it to countless others. They all eventually go insane or die in a horrible way. But you... You show promise. Whomever this is... You must not give up to them. They want your gift."

"I have a gift...?"

"Whether it is accidental or not, you are now a soldier. For what, I have no idea, but you have to continue to live, Aline. You can control it." I closed my eyes and folded my hands together. I could always control it, couldn't I? Renatari and Chase would have been so proud of me... She put her finger around the trigger—not afraid of anything. Honovi was really heroic. "That is what we meant to tell Lucrecia—that if she had not brought you in when she did, you probably would have died. It is a subconscious matter—and even if we do not have enough time to look into it, Aline, you do not have to die."

Professor Ever had managed to grab her clipboard, and now she was writing on it. That was, until, someone came through the door, not even bothering to open it. This woman was really weird looking. She wore a suit, but it was covered with butterfly pins that jingled whenever she moved. They were everywhere—like she belonged as a prize in a carnival! ...I had never been to one of those before, but I desperately wanted to. They had those here, but not in Austere. She was adjusting her glove, taking two small steps forward. Honovi propped her gun and Professor Ever glanced up from her board. "Well, who in the hell are you?" she said to the lady with the blue hair.

"48 Cecelia Leingod," she answered back. Her pins jingled, making sounds sweet to my ear. "I came here to take the girl away from you. The people that guard this place do not really do a great job with guarding it. They were easy to take out—and I imagine that you two..." She paused, glancing at Honovi's gun. "...Will prove to be no match for me." Professor Ever sighed, putted her hands on her waist.

"Well, I knew that's what you came here for. But guess what?" Professor Ever paused, sticking out her tongue and showing Cecelia her butt. After that, she started spanking it. "You can't have her!" I laughed under my breath because Ever was really funny sometimes. But not all the time. "You're going to have to fight us two before we let you even get close to her. She is a valuable person for this institute and will be the stepping-stone for us getting a cure for everyone who eventually becomes infected with this sudden illness." She paused, standing up. "And if you are Cecelia, you are that person that attacked the Summoners and Aysel's guard the other day. So you spoke to Summoner Sayuri, yes?"

"I fail to see how that information helps preventing me from taking the girl," Cecelia said, still fixing her glove. "Such information is not necessary, and I have been programed not to reveal what should not be said." Ever quirked a brow, folding her arms again.

"So, you're a robot, hnn? I might not know much about science, but..." Her tongue hung out of her mouth as she dug into her lab-coat. "Nyaha! I found it!" She took out a wrench. It was a normal-sized wrench. "Your statement leads me to believe that you're a robot, which means you can be taken apart, and that my friend is my specialty. You'll leave this place in shambles." Professor Ever started smiling, feeling triumphant! She glanced at Honovi and she nodded her head. Cecelia was done looking at her glove, so she looked at the three of us with her turquoise-colored eyes.

"Such actions would take you a fortnight," Cecelia replied. "No one is that fast."

"You don't believe me kid?" Ever answered back. "Ha, watch and learn." She walked towards Honovi's gun and started moving at the speed of lightning. Parts started hitting the ground and I twitched when the really big ones made really loud noises. Oil got on Ever's face but she didn't let that stop her. Two minutes had passed and there was nothing left of Honovi's gun. Cecelia looked at us... She didn't show any emotions. "Now that's on a good day." After Ever had said that, she reassembled it, putting it all back together again. She did that just as fast. Honovi put her hand on the trigger, aiming at Cecelia.

"Go back to wherever you came from," Honovi said, giving Cecelia an equal unemotional look. "This girl is too pure for you to take away. She has been given a destiny to follow out... Nothing that involves you, Cecelia." Right before my eyes, Cecelia raised her hand up and it transformed into a cannon! Except it was pulsating! I was really scared so I ran to the corner and ducked down. "Hmm, it looked like that thing on your hand has been modified. Very excellent detailing... A scientist can never demean such quality work even when it is put to a negative use." Honovi started shooting at Cecelia, and at first Cecelia didn't move... After the first bullet went completely through her body, that's when her eyes widened and she started moving really fast to avoid getting hit with the others.

Honovi had really great aim, following Cecelia wherever she went. The room was being destroyed, though. I ducked down... The thing inside of me didn't like all of that noise. It kind of made my head hurt just thinking about it... Just knowing that the sound was there made me want to jump up and help Ever and Honovi. "Horsepower, a modified barrel gun," Honovi said. "I can pierce just about anything with the special bullets that Professor Ever has made for me. I made the gun, of course. If you slip up or move the wrong way, you will end up looking like cheese, Cecelia Leingod. If you come quietly, we will let you live."

Cecelia stopped moving, and instead of shooting at her Honovi stopped. Cecelia smiled at us, and it was really creepy. The wound in her shoulder disappeared before our eyes. "You actually think such an abysmal creation can defeat me? Shoot me as many times as you want, my body has already adapted to the impact and feel of the bullets. Each wound will heal now, thanks to the little show that you decided to play!" Honovi was too stunned to move and Cecelia ran towards the gun. She jumped on top of it and kicked off it. Butterflies started floating around the gun, and just like magic it had vanished. Now the butterflies were floating in the air, overhead Honovi.

If I were Honovi, I would have been very surprised, but she just stood there and exchanged looks with Cecelia. "You know Cecelia, when you become a scientist, you have to swear and oath. Yes, whoever built you was brilliant, but you are, sadly, lies on legs." She started to walk around, her arms behind her back. "It is amazing that you can still walk—using lies as your fuel. I bet you do not know who you are..."

"Your words do not compute," Cecelia said, her butterflies still flying overhead. "You make no sense, my opponent! It soon will not matter, for I will kill you!" Honovi put up a hand, closing her eyes.

"It is surprising that you do not remember me," Honovi answered back. "Even if it was so long ago, that one fateful day... If I had known this would happen... If I would have known they would turn you into this insane story—filling your head with _bullshit_, I would have never took you here, Cecelia." That really got to Cecelia. She started staggering back, putting her hand on her head. "I remember when I first found you on the edge of Austere. You were so scared and... You did not know where to go. Then I found you and brought you here... Only to see you changed into a weapon of mass destruction." Cecelia stopped stepping backwards and looked at her.

"So what?" Cecelia cackled. "You knew me before I came here? You can see now that things from the past cannot effect me now! The only thing that matters is your death! Yes! For everyone who thinks they can remind me of the past... I will kill them and cling to that past no longer! I will become the ultimate fighter on the planet! A pawn used only for protecting the one I was built for!"

"She's far too gone now, Honovi," Ever said. "Even if she was your friend then, she's sure as hell not now. We need to get her out of here before she does something outrageous! Like mess up the notes on my clipboard!" I thought Cecelia was going to take Professor Ever's clipboard, but Cecelia moved towards me, which caught everyone off guard. She grabbed my right hand and lifted me up. I started kicking and screaming—anything to get her to let me go.

"Stop it! Stop it!" I yelled. Cecelia didn't even look at me. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"

"That's a negative, child," Cecelia said. "It's now time for me to take you back to His Holiness." Honovi started running towards Cecelia, but Cecelia was faster. She lifted up her freehand and shot her with some kind of loud... I don't know what it was, but I flinched at the sound of Honovi hitting the ground really hard. Professor Ever screamed Honovi's name, running to her side and pulling out some kind of vial from her lab-coat. I didn't think about what to do next, but I bit Cecelia's finger. She let me go, hissing in pain. I scrambled to my feet, closing my eyes.

I wished that Cecelia would just disappear! I really wanted her gone. So I kept closing my eyes—and suddenly my prayers were answered. I opened my eyes and a sort of black-mist came from them. I stretched out both of my hands, and it was like shadows were hovering behind them. I had felt this power before and I could use it now! The thing inside of me wanted me to do just that! "Cecelia, you won't get away with hurting my friends!" I yelled, staying where I was and punching at the air. The shadow-arm stretched all the way to where Cecelia was, upper-cutting her and sending her twisting into the air.

That was the power that Honovi had been talking about. I grabbed the air, and my shadow hand grabbed Cecelia, constricting her—denying her of oxygen. But if she was a robot, she didn't know how to breathe. I slammed her against the ground a few times, making sure that I didn't put a hole through it. I extended my other hand, holding Cecelia with both of my shadow ones. "When you hurt my friends, you're evil, and I don't like evil people!" I said. I looked back and Honovi started to get up off the ground. She was breathing pretty weird, but at least she was okay. Cecelia had been trying to get out of my hold, and that's when her butterflies started gnawing at my shadow hands. They were trying really hard, and I could feel their razor-sharp teeth—(just a stinging pain on my real arms)—but they could never free Cecelia.

"You think it'll be that easy?" Cecelia said, clones of her forming around me. I gasped, but there was nothing I could do. My power just... Switched off. I started shaking my arms but nothing wanted to work. Professor Ever stayed with Honovi and they both looked at me. Her clones grabbed me and walked me out of the room. Cecelia stood up, cracking her neck. "In the end, I win. I've been programmed to win all the time. I can't afford to lose..." Her voice trailed off and she looked at Honovi, her eyes watering. "Or... Or they'll upgrade me again!" Cecelia sounded different now... Like she was human.

Honovi stood up, but she didn't walk towards her. "Please save me..." It sounded like her voice was glitching, but when she turned back around to face me, she still looked emotionless.

Honovi balled up her fists, gritting her teeth. "Aline, you can do it. You are a fighter now. A soldier. And you are a survivor. Whatever happens... You come back here alive!" Honovi fell down on one knee, clutching the wound her her chest. Cecelia didn't say anything to me when we reached the first floor of the Science Department, but all I could think about was Honovi's words.

I was a soldier now? Then I'd try to fight and save Cecelia like she had asked...

I'd find a way out of this, and tell Cecelia and Renatari all about it. I smiled. The stories I'd tell when I came back...

* * *

**A/N:** Is that what you've been waiting for, Breakfast? XD;; You're gonna be pissed when you read this chapter. You thought I would just let Aline stay there for everyone else to get? Of course Aysel wasn't sending anyone to get her. XD Aysel could care less about Aline, to tell you the truth. And that's why Cecelia went and got her. Yes, yes, guys. Aline has the Apathīa, but she can control it unlike Naira and Defina. And there's a lovely reason why. It's not because she's not Enlightened.

You'll see when we get more into this war. But Aline is special, like Chase said a few chapters earlier. And when I say "a few chapters," I mean "waaaay back in the Shiva fight". XD;; Nah though, I might as well tell you now. Everyone in the Dark Ages has some kind of their own personal hell they're fighting right now. Aline, however, is the only person in this whole arc that doesn't have something eating away at her.

I guess you could say she's of pure heart, she's not really 'mad' at anyone... She might be resentful, but it's not enough to eat at her. Everyone else, on the other hand... XD;; Let me say this, if they end up getting this Apathīa, they're gonna _die._ XD;; And I'm telling the truth. I mean anyone else. Sayuri, random people in Austere... Sayuri's already proven that fact. We've seen the darkside of her. That darkside fuels Apathīa.

There's a whole other side of this that neither Lucrecia, Professor Ever, Honovi, Saivan or Zed have actually hit. XD;;

Nero would be proud. XD;; *shot*


	37. Wonder Drug Wonderland

**A/N: **Well, I got this chapter out quick, didn't I? It's so hot here, man. HOT! D:

It wasn't even that hard to type up. But yeah, I've written 19/50 chapters now, and I've killed my last year's goal. The only thing that's keeping me writing are my reviews... Well, nah. XD;; It's not my reviews, but I do like to hear about my awesome from time to time... It's my PLOT! Yes! D: There are things that I would KILL to be able to write right now, and I can't write them unless I get all this boring, pointless stuff out of the way. XD;;

But I do care about my reviewers. XD;; *pat*

But as a writer, I'm obligated to serve my plot. *nod*

Also. Someone _please._ Kill Aysel. Thank you very much. XD;;

* * *

"Summoner Sayuri, all of this persistent fighting will mean nothing. It's all useless," Macarius says, drawing his sword. Sayuri stands her ground, wiping the blood off her lip.

"Bah, so you say," Sayuri answers back. "While my friends might be off fighting other clones of you and protecting the village, I know there's one of you that controls them all. When I find him, I think I'm going to have a long conversation with him." She puts her hands on her hips, triumphant. In her heart she knows that her other teammates are okay. Nina is too strong to die. Leyiko's fire burns too bright for it to be extinguished. Riona's scythe shines with the light of one thousand moons, and Jessica has a steady-beating heart—wings to carry it with.

"But all of your power is gone, Summoner Sayuri," he answers back. "You don't even have your Magic Wand anymore—did you forget you destroyed it?" Yes, that is a problem. She looks to her left. She has a plan, however. She always has a plan. "But you figured out how my clones work. Very smart girl. However, I'm done with all of these words. It's time to fight now."

"Heh, bring it on," Sayuri challenges. "I don't think I can be beaten anymore. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain!" He looks at her, his expression unchanging.

"You can only warp time two times before you can attack again, Summoner Sayuri. If you miss twice, that's the end of you. And you won't have anymore power to do it a third time. You'll lose. I won't give you a second chance, and if you miss, I'll beat you to death and take you prisoner." Sayuri resumes her stance, holding her sword and putting her freehand in front of her. She is determined to win, and that's something that he cannot take away from her.

"Then I have no choice but to fight you!" she exclaims. "I'm going to find the _real _you!" With that said, she runs towards Macarius with full speed, time magic amplifying her steps and sending her flying across the field. She reaches for his sword and successfully grabs it. Once she has a secure grip on it, she comes strong with her left foot, kicking her foe in the stomach and effectively breaking his sword in half as he flies into a mountain. The mountain cracks—he leaves an imprint in it. Subsequently, he falls towards the ground face-first, taken by full surprise.

"Here goes nothing..." she says, sticking what she holds of his sword in her hand into her shoulder. She winces at the pain—but swears to herself that she doesn't feel anything. She closes her eyes, staggering a little. "If I can turn the energy-sapping power around... I'd say that I can trace and pinpoint where the real you is at." Smiling, she pulls it out of her shoulder. "And guess what? I've found you!" Macarius pulls his face off the ground, frowning at her.

"Bastard..." he mutters, trying to get off the ground.

"Ha, ha! There's no getting away!" Her hands start to protrude purple lightning as the ground starts to crack in front of her. "I'm going to split time... And split you right along with it!" she yells. Macarius arches a brow, standing up. She now holds a purple lightning bolt, power pulsating through her veins. She throws it at him, but he's prepared.

"You can't hit me that easily," he says, extending his hand. He stops the raging lightning bolt in its tracks. Sayuri takes one hand off her hip, smirking.

"Now you of all people, Macarius, should know my time magic doesn't turn into lightning." Macarius is taken aback, his mouth open wide. Sayuri raises her other hand up to reveal her wand—looking as good as ever. "The Magic Wand is composed of Essences. If it breaks, the Essences are set free, correct? You want to know why they haven't attacked me blind yet?" She pauses, swinging her wand around. "It's because they're all loyal to me. They came back and fixed themselves together, repairing my wand." She swings it again, making another lightning bold attack him. He barely got to extend his hand in time to stop it. She nods, determined. "He has a five second wait time before he can do that again. I can do this!"

Before he can dodge the next one, Sayuri raises her wand in the air. "Mirror Essence!" she shouts, two of her appearing on the sides of him. He stabs both of the replicas in their stomachs with two swords, and she watches from afar as the lightning bolt almost cut him in half. He makes an impressive jump, dodging it and watching it decimate the rocks behind him. "Four seconds," she says to herself. "Just four." He stands in front of her and notices she's panting.

"Three seconds," she says.

"Your time bombs were your mirror Essence clones in disguise," he says. "That was two, and you missed both times. It's over." Her wand starts to glow as she lifts it into the air, a whole entire field of purple lightning dancing above his head. He looks up, confused. With dark eyes Sayuri simpers as the lightning starts to get closer to him. He can't escape his destined fate.

"Two seconds."

The lightning wraps around him—rendering it useless for him to move. The only thing he can do now is extend both of his hands. He is almost fully charged. It won't take long now. With enhanced speed Sayuri dashes towards him, her sword drawn. She lifts it up in the air and it acts like a lightning rod, sucking in all the lightning around her. He grunts. "If you don't have an answer, give up!" he yells. He has enough power to shoot her again, and shoot her he shall. The wind picks up and he thinks she should be dead, but she still stands there, her sword dancing with lightning.

"What the...? You withstood it? You weren't in Trance Mode!"

"No!_ You _give up!" She takes off on her right foot, grasping her sword with both of her hands. "Eat this!" Her sword, both with lightning and time magic imbued inside of it—howls at the sight of him.

"Five seconds left... She can touch me at this point..."

"I'm going to send you back to the Stone Age!" she shouts, stabbing him in the stomach. A huge explosion results after that, his body twitching from the lightning surging throughout his body. His eyes boil, the liquid spilling from his eye sockets. Blood spews from his mouth as his right arm and leg burst into flames. His ligaments disappear in the fiery eruption.

She watches him fly across the wilderness. He hits the ground and Sayuri runs to his side. But for some reason, as she looks at his body, her eyes start to water. She shakes her head, cutting a hole in the air.

She knows where he is at, and plans to end it all.

She jumps into the darkness, and there he stands. A broken puppet. "Do you want your revenge?" he asks. Sayuri looks down at the ground, closing her eyes. "You can't even do anything anymore. You didn't even give me an answer. You can only be the sacrifice that will help me bring peace to the world." She balls up her fists, remembering everything that he told her. He shoots another one of his swords at her, which makes her step back as it impales her chest. "I can easily control you now with that thing in you. Don't worry, I haven't killed you. You're very important to me now, after all."

She glances at him—her wolf eyes piercing into his soul. His eyes widen as she snarls at him, growling. "You can't control me. I came to talk to the real you. You said if I understood your pain that it wasn't enough... That we could never come to an agreement. I wanted to see you. And you know what?" she said, pulling the sword out of her. "I thought I would change." She looks up at him, smiling. She lets out a laughter before clutching her sword. "I want to kill you_ so_ badly now, Macarius, that my fingers want to jump in front of me and pull your neck away from your body!"

She walks towards him, but her smile fades away. "I—I can't."

"Love and forgiveness can't be handed to a person..." Macarius says.

"You're right..."

"You said you'd kill me and bring peace to the world, correct?"

"If that's your justice, you're fine. You're not God, Macarius. And I still_ hate_ you... For everything you've done..." She pauses, balling up her fists. "You killed Isleen and... And... I can never forgive you for that." She looks back at him. "If I didn't sense my friends jumping to Hiroyuki's aid, he would be _dead _right now. Count yourself lucky—but I still hate you!" Tears stream down her cheeks. "For killing Isleen..."

"So then kill me."

"...No. I'm not going to. That's my answer."

He sighs. "You're an odd kid, you know that? You remind me of myself when I was your age. Never giving up... Never faltering. But you choose the right path... So I will... I will..." Sayuri looked down at the ground. She knew what he was going to do. "You'll bring peace to this world at my death. Sorry, Summoner Sayuri. You had a plan all along... One greater than mine."

"You're... You're crying..." Sayuri says, frowning. She notices the hot tears pouring out of his eyes.

"War brings death… Wounds and pain to both sides. There's nothing harder to accept than the deaths of those you love—so you believe they could never die. Especially those who haven't known war, like your generation. Dying like trash. Never ending hatred. Pain that never heals. That—is war. Summoner Sayuri—this is what you must face." He takes his sword and holds it in front of him. "You try to find the meaning in death, but... There's only pain and hatred. You don't know what to do with it after a while."

He drives it through his throat, falling down on one knee. Sayuri watches, clutching her heart. "My time is... Done, Summoner Sayuri. I'm counting on you..." She hears that all around her as he falls towards the ground.

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Seven: Wonder Drug Wonderland :-**

_When I took the blame we layed in ruins trying to quote your phrase_  
_We're yelling, "Someone's got the answers, but I'd rather think there's nothing to be found."_  
_If you knew I was dying would it change you? _

_So when you see me falling backwards down the wall that says I'm still alive,_  
_Don't be cautious when I'm cautiously approaching on the other side_  
_Everybody has their reasons, that's the reason we're all going to die._

_Because if seeing is believing,_  
_Then believe that we have lost our eyes._

_When I fly solo, I fly so high_  
_Don't touch me now._  
_We all deserve something_

— "I Can Barely Breathe" — Manchester Orchestra

I waved my sword across the air, looking outside of the castle. So this was it? This was the war we had been anticipating for the past few days? I was expecting war to look much more deadly than this. I was expecting the sky to be a dark shade of orange, stretching out for miles. I was expecting the grass to be tainted black—flames dancing across the sky. But I guess an old man like me thinks too hard on those kind of things. I knew what war looked like—but for some reason I expected it to look different this time. Princess Renata had given us all cloaks, and each and everyone of us wore it with pride.

It had the emblem of the kingdom on it—a new one that Summoner Chio had designed herself. It was the shape of a diamond. That was what kept us together. Diamonds were what the Summoners wore on them—Guardian Miyuki said it was to show how strong their wills were, and how they wouldn't break to things or lose battles. Just like the old saying, she said that the soul is placed in the body and it's like a rough diamond. It must be polished within or the luster of the soul will never appear. All the Summoners had some sort of diamond on them.

Summoner Sayuri wore a small diamond on the edge of her corset—and her wand was made up of a diamond. Summoner Kokoro had a diamond patch strapped to his arm. Summoner Morta had a keyhole cut on her dress in the shape of a diamond. Summoner Chio's ring was a diamond, and she had a tattoo on her hand of one. The diamond is a symbol of clarity, ascension and wisdom. It represents a butterfly—and they fly back home in groups. They'll always come back to their homes. That could also be translated as the soul's journey home.

The Summoners leave a legacy behind them wherever they journey. The diamond also stands for rebirth, revitalization, and metamorphosis. From egg, larva, pupa, and butterfly, all of these things are a step they have to take to reach the enlightenment of their immortal conclusion. For if one leaves a legacy behind, they will live on in the hearts of others. I glanced up at the sky. Diamonds are invincible minerals—they can't be broken with regular force. It takes something special. It also stands as a symbol for dawn—new beginnings.

They have started this journey, and it won't end until they claim this darkness. In alchemy, the diamond symbol represents the "ultimate truth", awareness, and connections to all things. If only Summoner Sayuri were here with us now—because a diamond's complimentary elements are time and space... The wind started blowing as I walked through the castle's doors. Everyone followed behind me—their hopes in their hearts. We all wanted one thing—we wanted to end this war and find out what was going on with this world.

Once we were all out and standing on the moist grass, we all stood in a straight line, awaiting Princess Renata's orders. She stepped outside with Queen Aysel next to her. She held both of her hands, looking fairly serious. She was so strong for someone her age. She had seen more horrors than I had, that was for sure. And I felt horrible because I let her see those things. I was supposed to be her knight now—and I couldn't even do that.

"Everyone," Princess Renata said. "You are all accounted for and ready to go and defend this kingdom." She nodded as she looked at everyone. I looked down at the ground but she nodded her head at each and every one of us. "Those emblems that Chio created can be charged by my amulet, so I will never be too far from you guys. I cannot believe... I cannot believe I am sending my whole entire guard to fight a battle across the world..." She looked down, but she looked back up. "Each of you will go down in history for this. You are not only my guard, but you are my friends..."

"Dearest daughter, friends were made to protect you!" Queen Aysel said, swiping her arm across the air. She smirked at us, as if she knew we were going to run into battle and win this war. It took a strong heart and a strong mind to fight a_ single_ battle. How long would this war go on? How long would we be out there? I didn't like this and it was written all over my face. If I had my way, I would have stayed with Princess Renata. The only reason I chose to become a part of Aysel's guard was because I wanted to protect her—not the broken country that Queen Aysel had made and the one King Saivan abandoned.

Princess Renata was the reason I breathed—the reason I slept at night and the reason I was still standing on two feet. She had saved my life more times than I could ever save hers. "You will all be heroes to this kingdom when you come back with victory! For I am Queen Aysel, and whatever I say will happen! I used to think that you Summoners were nothing but vile creatures, but now you have proved to be efficient vile creatures! I never imagined the day when Enlightened and Summoner would band together to save this kingdom." Aysel put her hand on her chin—but she had forgotten that I was a Nocuous. Still, that didn't bother me.

The thought of fighting someone else because they opposed her—it made me think of the Nocuous back home and how they were on the brink of fighting her because they couldn't live with Queen Aysel's choices. If I wasn't there, things would have gotten violent. What were my people doing down there without me now? What if I... Died? I couldn't handle the thought. "Adel, the schematics, if you would," Queen Aysel said, snapping her fingers. Adel, under his dark eyes, pulled out a scroll and began to inspect it. We had been over the plan thousands of times before, but we had to make sure that there was not a flaw in it. Anything could have happened. I glanced at Princess Renata and she saw me—which made her flinch and look the other way.

Either she wanted to come with us, or she didn't want me to go. I couldn't say anything now. I belonged to the cause of... Fighting. Only to fight and cause more fighting throughout the land. I was no different from King Saivan himself. But he wasn't my king, and neither Aysel my queen. This wasn't the land that I lived in, and I was being forced to fight for it. I closed my eyes. I had my own reasons for fighting, no matter what Queen Aysel wanted me to believe. Everyone standing before me had their own reasons for fighting in this war. "Tell me—each of you—what do you hope to achieve in this epic struggle?" Queen Aysel asked. It wasn't like her to care about the feelings of others, so we were all—in a way—confused.

Guardian Miyuki was the first to speak—her large, roseate eyes twinkling with determination. She was the one that guided the Summoners... And I feared that she would need all the help she could get without Summoner Sayuri being here to guide her friends. "Is that an honest question?" Guardian Miyuki asked, tilting her head. "Even if I wasn't in this war—even if my Summoners and I weren't in this war—we are always, always,_ always _in a constant war with The Wickedness. We were made to take that down. Lucky you it world-hops. This is nothing new for us, Queen Aysel. Please don't take it like we want to do this for you." So this was nothing new to them...

"Such a tongue you have, Guardian Miyuki..." Aysel said, trailing off. "Such words are only those belonging to a warrior! It does my heart and soul wonders to know that warriors such as you and your Summoners are here to protect I, Queen Aysel!"

"Did you hear her?" Summoner Morta said, crossing her arms. "We're not here to protect you, Queen Aysel. We're here to protect this world. There are more people than just you in it. And like Miyuki said, we can't let people in this world die—because our job is to protect them. That is why I'm fighting, anyway. And I'm sure Kokoro and Chio feel the same way." She paused, switching her footing. The wind caressed her hair as she put on a slight frown. "And anyway, why are we wasting our time telling you why we're going to fight? Shouldn't we be heading for Saivan's castle?" She had a point. I looked down the line we were standing in and glanced at everyone else.

I think it was time I said something too. "Yes, she's right." I paused, nodding my head. I turned around, looking at the sky and how blue it was today. It had always been a bright blue—but for some reason I appreciated its color more today. It could have been the last thing I would ever see in this kingdom. "I fight for the Summoners, of course. I promised them that wherever they went, I would follow. And then of course, there is Princess Renata..." I smiled, scratching the back of my head. "I know she's going to miss us when we're gone—and the last thing I want to do is cause her pain..."

"It is okay, Chase, honestly," she replied, smiling weakly. No matter how much she said she could handle all of this, I could tell that she was breaking. I had been her friend for a while now—she couldn't lie to me like she could to the others. We had a special bond that even the worst storm couldn't hope on weathering. "I know that in my heart you'll all come back—safe and sound. Because you'll all fight together and leave no one behind." Lucrecia yawned, closing her eye and stretching her arms. That woman always made me think. I didn't know what the reason was—but there was something about her that never sat well with me at all.

"Who said were fighting together?" she said, opening her eye. "I don't have time for that shit. If I see something I'm going to take it out by myself whether these bastards follow me or not. I don't know whether or not you remember it, Renata, but I get paid to protect this place—and I'd like to keep a steady stream of money coming in." She paused, rolling her eye. "All of this talking is unnecessary. Adel, tell us where we're heading so we can at least get started on going there. This is a bunch of bullshit—all this banter." Her father didn't hesitate. He took two slow steps forward, reading the map.

"Well, if what Zed has down here is correct—it's going to take us a while to get there." He turned around, looking at Queen Aysel and Princess Renata. He was thinking the same thing I was thinking. "Are we going to leave Summoner Sayuri here? From what she's told and showed us, she really wanted to participate in this war." That tickled me. Summoner Sayuri was truly something else. She was the only person I ever knew that wanted to fight in a war. Most people were forced into it—like I was. But she wanted to fight. She wasn't afraid of all the dangers that were ahead, and I don't think she cared if she had gotten hurt.

"Let's leave the bitch, we don't have to think about it," Lucrecia said, waving her hand. "It's her fault thinking she can train in like a day. Dumb bitch brought it on herself. We don't have time to sit here and wait for her ass. You hear about what's going on in Austere?" True. That was all my fault. Because if I would have been down there... How did all of those children get so sick? They were all turned into monsters like—like Aline was. Luckily, Aysel's lesser-soldiers were dealing with the problem. Still, I couldn't help but think that all of this could have been avoided if I never joined Aysel's guard in the first place.

I was just one man—but I could change so much.

"Don't talk about Sayuri like that!" Summoner Kokoro exclaimed. "She'll be here when we get back, Adel. I think it was a good idea that she not go with us. She's still a little shaken up about what happened on Earth—so I don't think she'll handle all of this..." The boy was lying; he was just afraid, and he didn't want to admit that they were doing Summoner Sayuri injustice. Why couldn't she join the rest of us? What was stopping Queen Aysel from going to get her? It all sounded like a game to me... But I would play it—just to win a prize for Summoner Sayuri and show her what we would accomplish after we came back.

"I'm not going to argue with a scary bastard," Lucrecia spat. "C'mon, we're wasting so much time talking about a bitch and her desire to go to war with us. She's not here. End of story. Renata, Aysel, we'll be back before you know it. I plan on giving Saivan a nice gift when I see him." Miyuki turned around and started to walk, and the rest soon followed her. Chio smiled—bouncing behind Zed as she tried to catch up with the others. She had a funny way with walking—like she had a permanent pep in her step. I waved my hand towards Renata, which made her lift her head.

"See you later!" I yelled, saluting the two of them. "If Summoner Sayuri gets out of that place early, tell her she can come and chase us if she wants to!" That was horrible of me to say, but Renata knew I was just joking around. She chuckled under her breath, waving back. Once we had made it out of the court yard, two soldiers had shut the gates behind us. This was it. The world ahead of us needed protecting and we were the only ones able to give that protection. From this point on, we were in a war with the world. I looked down at the ground as we all resumed walking forward.

Guardian Miyuki started to sniff the air and abruptly stopped. "I don't believe it..." She put out an arm. I was expecting the worse to happen. I was expecting that the enemy was closer than we thought they were. I grasped the hilt of my sword and I almost pulled it away from my back.

"What is it, Miyuki? What do you see?" Chio asked, stepping on her tip-toes and looking around. "I don't see anything that would make us stop like this... Maybe it's just your imagination?" I agreed with Chio. I couldn't see anything either. Lucrecia didn't stop with the rest of us. She kept walking forward and looked angry. She always looked angry—but now it was some type of anger mixed with impatience. She looked like she was looking for something... Maybe she was looking for someone? Whatever it was, she was going to have to wait. We had to act like a team. Miyuki twisted her nose, looking back.

"It smells like it did when we were fighting Aline. Either there are people infected here, or Aline's near us, and I definitely doubt the latter." But everyone looked so calm around us. I didn't get what Guardian Miyuki was getting. "This is bad. I fear that people here have the same thing Naira and Defina did. I can smell that rotting smell—we've got to get moving and find out what's happening here before more people start dying." So what would happen? We'd leave the kingdom and everything would fall into anarchy? Could we afford something like that happening? I didn't want to leave Princess Renata here if she was in danger.

"Sayuri's here," Morta interjected. "Maybe we'll make her clean up this mess if things get out of hand. She's always talking about how she's so much of a hero."

"Hey! Come on! Let's keep moving!" Lucrecia yelled. She was standing at the edge of the palace, looking down into the clouds. "We're not going to get anywhere if we keep fucking standing around! Let's go, people!" Impatient as always. We eventually met up with her and Chio looked over the edge, her eyes wide. "Why are you just standing there looking at it kid? Yeah, it's exactly what you think it is." Lucrecia paused, smiling. "You're going to have to jump! How fun is that?" Lucrecia kept her toothy smile, but Chio stood a few steps back.

"No, no... I don't want to jump. Can we take the stairs?"

"Do you see fucking stairs anywhere?" Lucrecia answered. "It's not even that scary. You jump, you prepare your feet to land on the ground, and you're fine." Lucrecia took a step back, extending her hand. "Do you want someone to fall with?" That was an odd question to ask--even to a Summoner. "Or are you just scared shitless of heights, girl?" I couldn't tell a lie myself—I was afraid of heights as well—but the past weeks in Aysel's kingdom made me learn to love the clouds. Lucrecia probably didn't fear falling because she lived up here for her whole life. But Chio lived on the ground. Adel closed the scroll, putting it in his pocket.

"We jump from here, walk through Austere, walk through the badlands—and there is going to be some sort of castle and that is when we will know for sure that we have reached where Saivan is." He paused, scratching his head. "Or have I made a misconception, Zed?"

"No, you are quite right," he answered back, amused that Adel would even say something like that. "I am more interested in what Austere really looks like. I have not been there for... Quite some time now. Ever since the Summoners have graced us with their presence." I nodded my head. Lucrecia grabbed Chio's hand, taking three steps back. Chio's eyes widened as she looked at all of the clouds passing by in front of her.

"Do we really have to j—jump?" she asked, shaking her head.

"How many times have I told you?" Lucrecia answered back. "Yes! Fuck yes we have to jump. Now get ready—and don't fucking puke on me!" Chio yelled and pleaded for Lucrecia not to jump, but she didn't listen to her. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, Lucrecia ran forward, somewhat dragging Chio with her. They both left the palace and were shrouded in the clouds. I couldn't hear Chio scream—but that was because I thought she was too petrified to scream. Now that they were gone, Miyuki stood close to the edge and looked down.

"What are you looking for, Miyuki?" Kokoro asked, putting his finger on his chin. She glanced back at him.

"I'm trying not to hit any birds." How nice of her to look out for the creatures. That proved that she cared about nature, and that was always a factor for having a good heart in my book. "On Spectra, Shirogane has this big thing about birds. I could kill one-hundred people, but if I lay my fingers on a bird, he'll never let me live it down. And he can tell when I've hit one. He can smell it on me. He's part cat too, you know. He might not look it but it's there." I never really understood what any of the Summoners were talking about when they talked about matters from their own worlds.

Miyuki jumped off the edge arms-first, as if she was grabbing something. She went straight through a cloud, I saw. There was no doubt in my mind that she would be wet when she hit the ground. Kokoro smiled, looking at me. "Well Chase, I'm going to try to go down backwards since Miyuki did that flippy-trick." That boy always did something to make me smile. I gave him a thumbs up, but not before I threw him a fresh pair of glasses. He caught them with ease, but when he looked down to see what they were, he frowned. "More... Sunglasses, Chase?"

"Yep! They'll help you fight, plus they'll make you look like a man!" I flexed my muscles and he sweatdropped. He must have never seen a man's muscles before! I'd help him get his own when we came back from this war. "Now go on Kokoro! You're holding us all up by just standing there." He give me a head-nod before he fell backwards. Adel walked up to the plate and didn't waste anytime. He jumped off, and then I decided I would go. Summoner Morta and Zed were still up there, but I didn't want to be the last one coming down. When I left the palace, I felt weightless.

Everything looked so different as I fell.

I had seen the kingdom in a new light. This was what we had to protect, and so many great people were in it. The castle looked warped—like there was a hidden evil about it as I fell. It seemed to be a quick fall, because after that I fell closer towards the ground. I thought I was going to hit the ground with a strong force, but a blue light surrounded me. I came towards the ground slowly, and I looked to see Adel easing me down with his focal energy. Chio looked dazed, walking around in random directions. She looked like she wanted to puke. I wiped my face, rubbing my eyes. What was it that I had saw just a couple of seconds ago?

"Yeah, Chase!" Kokoro exclaimed, raising his hand in the air. "You made it! But I don't think I need these glasses..." I wasn't paying attention to him, and I was really sorry for that. I was too busy looking all around me... Looking at how flowers had grown. This was the spot where we had battled Shiva, but it looked different now. Where did all of these flowers come from? Flowers were unheard of down here... Princess Renata would have loved all of these flowers. Miyuki sneezed, rubbing her nose with one finger. I scratched the top of my head.

"This place looks so beautiful now. It's different from when we were first here," I said. I had to let the others know. This was no coincidence. Flowers just didn't grow for no reason in Austere. I took two steps forward, and I felt the wind pick up around me. I had been taken off guard! I reached for my sword, but Guardian Miyuki acted quicker. She held some kind of weapon in her hand that I had never seen her wield before. The beast in front of me let out a roar—it was an Earth Eater from the looks of it, and it had been waiting to reveal itself.

"Reborn—" Miyuki began, holding the weapon with both of her hands. She had said it with a blank expression. The thing that she held started illuminating a pink light. "Strawberry Check!" Something shot out of the bell of hers—I couldn't tell what it was—but it had been super-effective in making the tall beast fall on its back. That's what we wanted it to do. Earth Eaters were weaker when they were on their backs. I unsheathed my sword, ready for combat as our other two comrades joined the fray. Actually, Guardian Miyuki had hurt it a great deal.

"Come, Shiva!" Summoner Chio exclaimed, her Aeon showing up by her side. Lucrecia folded her arms, switching her footing. "Do any of you guys need our help?" I smiled at her, shaking my head. I really thought Guardian Miyuki had already hurt it enough. All she needed to do was hurt it again.

"No Summoner Chio, I think your Guardian has got this one," I replied. "You should be able to beat it if you hit it once more, Miyuki." At first she just stood there, staring at the weapon she had in her hand. Right before my eyes it vanished without a trace—like it hadn't been there before. She looked at me, as if she was telling me to end its life.

Even if the creature was a monster, I didn't want to wound it. That was inhumane... Something I was incapable of doing. I shook my head, and that's when Summoner Kokoro took the lead. He threw both of his hands in the air, pointing at the Earth Eater. He wasn't intimidated by its size and its growling. "This time I'll get this guy!" he yelled, his hands sparking with a bright flame. "Fire!" He had enough of it to eat the Earth Eater whole. Chio flinched at the sound of the monster's voice as its skin boiled. Kokoro dusted his fingers off and looked at us, giving us a thumbs-up.

The fire had disappeared from the Earth Eater and it was completely charred. I walked over to Kokoro. I felt the appropriate praise was needed in this situation. "That was impressive!" I said. I looked towards Miyuki, who kept looking at her fingers.

"That's weird," she said. "I thought it would be good for at least a few more attacks..."

"That's okay, Miyuki!" Chio said, her frosty friend behind her. "It'll come back before you know it. That Strawberry Bell-Bell is a really neat-o weapon... It shoots out pretty light." So it was a bell? I felt something and I looked all around me. I didn't think that was all we had to worry about here. Lucrecia shot something in the air and something similar to a bird fell. I was right—it looked like one of those Wicked Spawn we faced earlier when we were here.

"This is not a good time to be having a damn conversation!" Lucrecia said, shaking the hand she used to shoot that blue energy from. "This place is swarming with nasties." She took a couple of steps forward, her lab-coat trailing behind her. She still wore that even when she knew we were heading towards the badlands when we made it out of Austere? Still, Austere was a large town—no matter how run down it was. "I don't know why all of these monsters decided to put themselves here—but it's almost like someone knew we were going to—"

"Midnight Wind!" Summoner Morta yelled, swinging her scythe behind us. She hit a row of regular Wicked Spawn. All five of the things flew back and disappeared upon impact. "Yeah, I think we should get moving now. We can't stay here. They know we're here and they're attacking us because they don't want us getting any closer to Austere."

"Which means there could be some kind of trap at the entrance of it, could it not?" Zed inquired. He was right. We weren't going to be fools and walk into our pursuers hands. "However, I do not think we have another way of getting inside of Austere, unless the Nocuous here knows one." I didn't get angry or mad at that comment. I was proud of what I was and I wasn't going to change. I closed my eyes and walked in a circle. He was right about one thing. There was only one way to get into Austere and one way out.

"What are we being bitches for?" Lucrecia muttered. "If we get ambushed then we get fucking ambushed. We'll just make sure we kill every bitch that dares to come and try to kill us. Goddamn, it's like working with a bunch of school kids. Like I'm babysitting or something. You guys are supposed to be trained to fight, right?" She paused, smiling a toothy grin. "Oh, I forgot, I'm talking to the dumb-ass Nocuous and he-who-doesn't-know-how-to-fight-but-came-along-anyway." She rolled her eyes, taking a seat on a rock. "Well, you guys are fucking boring me. Tell me when we get some real people to fight." How could she act like that?

"Well Doctor, there were plenty of opportunities for you to fight. I fail to see why you should be so angry about not fighting."

"Who said I was, you bastard?" Lucrecia replied, standing back up. "I said you two make me fucking sick. Let's hurry up and go! We're wasting time!" Adel looked at the scroll again—it looked like he had never been in Austere before.

"We've got more trouble," Adel said. All of us tensed up. Now where would it come from next...? At any rate, I thought we should have all moved up... We could at least fight while moving. I started walking ahead, my sword ready for any and all conflict. My sword dragged behind me as I brought it up. Where were they? Were they hiding? I looked at the others, signaling them to follow.

"Let's go! The entrance is not that far away now!" I yelled, motioning them all to come near. But I don't think I was ready for what jumped out in front of me. Debris flew in my direction and I tried to shield my eyes. Everyone else did the same, except for Lucrecia, who didn't have much to lose as far as her eyesight went. I looked back up and I saw some kind of monster—it wasn't an Earth Eater or an Essence. Truthfully, I couldn't tell you what it was. It looked more like an Earth Eater if you asked me—but it was a bigger and more vicious. It had razor-sharp teeth and its arms were even longer.

"What is that thing?" Kokoro said, jumping back a little. Zed started walking towards it, looking at it like it didn't pose a threat.

"It is an Essence Eater," he said. Essence Eater? Was there a such thing as something like that? "It goes around eating them—very straightforward, one would say." While he was talking, it had been trying to get closer to us. "Lucky you, its weakness if fire—but it has an overwhelming amount of heath and it isn't lacking in the strength department either. If you are going to fight it," he said, glancing at Kokoro. "I suggest you start now." I didn't even know where to begin. Would my Zanmato work now? My one-hit KO technique? Or was it too late to use something like that? I had to do something. I just couldn't stand there.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Lucrecia shouted. "This'll be a nice workout before we get to Saivan and his group of pawns. But you know what? I've got to ask—why do you know so fucking much about this thing?" She got into a stance, but the monster still over-towered her. She pointed her mechanical index-finger at it and shot a powerful explosion, but it didn't even flinch. Lucrecia put her hand down to her side and started chuckling to herself. "Ah, so it is a stronger version of the Earth Eater." She couldn't stop herself from grinning. I didn't know what was so funny. Miyuki's deck of cards appeared in her hand and she threw them all at him—a popping sound erupting from the deck but they fell limply towards the ground.

"Oh, that would be because I study them, Doctor," Zed replied, standing and watching the monster persist on pushing us back. I wouldn't tolerate this any longer! There was a cliff right behind us and if we didn't do anything we'd fall of the edge of it! We wouldn't make it to Austere at this point. Kokoro was nervous, but he was going to try something.

"Conflagration Orb!" he shouted, his orb appearing in his hands. "Solar Flare!" He threw it in the air and even managed to kick it in the monster's face. It fell back, but it had got right back up again. I was hopeful for all of five seconds. Once an Earth Eater is on its back, that's usually the end of it. Was there anything we could do to stop this monster?

… I'd have to do it. I closed my eyes, standing my ground. "Zanmato!" I exclaimed. This would do it. This would knock it out for good. One slash was all it took, and the monster fell towards the ground in a goopy green mess. I panted, standing up straight again. I wiped the sweat off my forehead, exhaling. "That was close... Zed, you said it was weak to fire attacks, but even Kokoro couldn't manage to do any damage to it. It must have been very powerful to withstand his flames." I took a look behind me, and if I would have waited a second longer, we would have all fallen off the cliff.

"You cannot put an estimation on fate," Zed replied, looking in the direction that would take us to Austere. "You can sway it, however. Fire, in this case, could sway it—but unfortunately it was not enough to make it turn." I rubbed my head. I would take that for now. I nodded.

"We lost a lot of ground, so we should start walking. I know a lot of people in Austere, so I could get us a place to stay and everything." I paused, looking at the sky. How many flowers had we just stepped on? It felt like a sin—because Aline always told me not to step on flowers.

How would Austere look when we finally made it there?

* * *

**A/N:** *wipes tears* They grow up so fast. Lookit all my children marching to war... XD;;

But no, seriously, I did start crying... Poor me. XD;;

See how fast it took me to type the next chapter? Not long at all, guys. Not long at all. XD And this week, I'm going to be pumping them out because I get out of school. Hahaha. I have finals for three days and then I'm out. Then I start Behind The Wheel, which means I'mma be getting up at like... Five in the morning and stuff like that. Who else here is mad that they didn't take Sayuri with them? Because I'm kind of mad, but we can all blame it on Mima. XD She lied to Sayuri! Of course it was going to take a couple of days.

Chase doesn't really want to fight, guys. XD But what'll happen if he suddently has a real reason to fight? I mean a real reason. You'll see, guys. It's all starting to come together. How many people are going to miss Isleen? I don't care if she was only in the flashbacks, she was a true original gangster. Macarius went out the bad way. I would have forced Sayuri to kill me or something. I couldn't kill myself like that. XD;;

But she did eff him up! Right guys? XD; I'm so proud! XD

I need to start working on my monster skills. *rolls back shoulders* It took me a moment to come up with that there Essence Eater. XD;; It's eating people from Suzuki's world! That SUCKS. Who would make such a thing? D: Nero, of course. Because Nero makes ALL the monsters. I mean sheesh, give this guy an award for being so smart... Lucrecia's wish to fight will not go on deaf ears. You hear that Lucrecia? Your author sees your flailing, and you should be careful of what you wish for! XD;;

Okay, I think I'm pretty done here. XD


	38. Azido Phencyclidine Electrophoresis

**A/N:** First thing is first! XD The chapter name goes along with the last chapter... Are there any smart people in here? Or at least... People who look into drugs? Okay, I'll explain.

**- Azido:** Azido is a chemical that can make poisions if mixed with the right stuff.

**- Phecyclidine: **You guys should get this! ...Or not. XD But anyway, have you guys heard about that drug? PCP? Don't worry, it's nothing new, you should all have at least heard about this in a health class or something. Phenylcyclohexylpiperidine is the scientific name for PCP, and Phecyclidine is the cut version of Phenylcyclohexylpiperidine, for people that can't be bothered with typing that whole entire world out. In short, PCP is a drug that causes you to see things and stuff.

- **Electrophoresis: **Electrophoresis is the motion of dispersed particles relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. There. You guys get the definition because that one is kinda hard to explain. XD

And yes, I know, I didn't write more to the flashback. I thought it was fine the way it was. So get to reading, you lot. *loves Valerie* XD;;

* * *

She smirks, holding her sword in her hand. Invading his dreams never sounded delightful to her—but now that she's started, she can't force herself to stop. For the man standing in front of her is the root of all evil—the reason why she's been so pissed off in the first place. She watches him sit down in a chair... She is his worst nightmare, after all. Quite literally, of course. What's more amusing is the fact that he can't really see her. He sees an embodiment of his nightmare—and not the purple-haired, middle-aged woman that she is.

She props her sword on her shoulder. "Let's see. What to guess, what to guess?" Kohana muses, tapping her chin. "Ah!" She grins playfully. "I bet you think I'm Aysel now, right?" He shudders at the sound of that name—and Kohana's right. Saivan does see Aysel standing right in front of him. He tilts his head gracefully, brushing her asinine comment away. "This outta be fun." She hasn't invaded someone else's dreams besides Sayuri's. This is a new canvas for her—and she doesn't know how long she can hold this 'nightmare'.

"It was my assumption that those Enlightened of yours... Naira and Defina would prove far inferior..." She smiles at the sound of his voice. It was just as she suspected. He did think she was Aysel after all. Well, Kohana wasn't all about putting on a show. She stood there, very out of character. Her shoulders were slumped and she was just as relaxed as she could be. The king stood up, rubbing his chin. "...In the face of your tactics." Tactics? What tactics? And just what kind of evil overlord bastard admits to failure?

Kohana purses her lips. "Amateur—wah~" she practically sings, closing her eyes with glee. "You make my spine ripple in rage, Saivan. Even if you are losing, you shouldn't really tell your opponent that you're losing. You'll ruin the dance," she says in a mocking tone of voice, narrowing her eyes. She props her foot on a chair, leaning on her knee. "You summon and kill..." She pauses, kicking the chair away. "Summon and kill..." She walks forward. "I fail to see the logic here." Kohana turns back around, scratching her face lethargically. "Is sanity the price to pay for power? Hmm? Is it, Saivan? Your Majesty?" She tilts her head, waiting for an honest answer.

He produces a human skull out of thin air, holding it. Kohana smirks. He doesn't know who he's dealing with, does he? "You think that I'm just a lowly villain? Just remember, Your Majesty, that I'm the main antagonist in her story." Sure he doesn't know what she's on about, she takes a few steps around him. "You don't know what the hell you're doing. And it pisses me off."

"Humans... They are but stubborn and foolish," he answers. "Aysel, why can you not see that? It takes a journey to Hell for them to accept and praise their God. A fact that tickles irony's judgment." She laughs as he crushes the skull. After she's done, she shakes her head in disapproval. She lets out a lethargic sigh, batting her eyelashes. Narrowing her eyes, she slumps forward. Today was not a good day to meet this man. Tomorrow wouldn't be a good day either. Kohana could never have a good day knowing that he was still alive.

Spewing his garbage.

And the sad part about it was that he would never remember who she is. At least, not yet. She lets out a playful laughter, closing both of her eyes and tilting her head. She waves her hand in the air. "And your judgments interest me not. For I'm here... To reclaim... What is rightfully mine!" She bares her fangs, putting her hand on her chest. "My daughter can't worry about stupid crap like you. Sayuri's a hero. And you know what? I'm Kohana, and I'm supposed to be the person that strikes her down. Not you. Not Aysel. Not Nero. Not any stupid, deluded wanna-be from this world. You lay a finger on my daughter, and when the time comes, I'll make sure I send you to your promise-land in a body bag." She smiles as she puts her hands on her hips.

She thinks she's made her point. Feeling victorious, she tilts her head in the air.

"...I am sorry. You are Koh—who?" She instantly falls towards the ground—slowly recovering from his idiocy. He grins at her sudden distress. "Aysel, you are as senile as ever." She makes a fist, shaking it.

"I'll show you senile, old man," Kohana hisses, glaring. He pays her warning no mind.

"Summoner Sayuri, is it not? Is that what you seek? Well, I will have you know that I do not intend on having her dying just yet." Kohana crosses her arms, careful not to stab herself with her blade. Confusion overtakes her face. Saivan starts swinging his sword. "Yes, Summoner Sayuri is very valuable to me—she may be hotheaded, but that only adds to my prize, you see? Her and her friends. And that is why I wait in your path!"

"Hehe. You will fumble in your opposition of my quest." She shakes her head, swiping her sword across the air. "Though I encourage! For an opportunity to battle a being such as grand delusions as you..." She points towards him dramatically. "...Is a sweet fortune!" She twirls on her heels, kissing her index and middle finger. "But I can't fight you today, King Saivan. Perhaps when we're both awake and in your world, say?"

She smirks as he tries to make out what she's just told him.

And he disappears from her world.

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Eight: Azido Phencyclidine Electrophoresis :-**

_And I've got romantic ideas  
But they're not meant for you  
And my bed's filled with  
Black roses to show that our love is through_

_Like a broken mirror _

_I hope the fire licks my lips_  
_And pulls me close against her hips_  
_This town will go down in flames_

_Like a broken mirror  
They're pieces of me  
Like a broken mirror  
They're pieces of me  
They're pieces of me now._

— "Bonecrusher" — Senses Fail

"Do you want to start this game? Then let's start you asshole!"

"Bitc—"

"Teacher, do you hear that? The crumb-bum just called me a—"

"Dummy!"

"Egocentric bastard!"

"That's cheating, you can't use two words!"

I held my violin in my left hand, looking at Teacher through the corner of my eyes. She had brought some funny looking people in, but I didn't care! It wasn't like Akuma acted any different in front of her anyway, and now she just wanted me to stop? Just because we had guests? Was it because we were supposed to be playing for them? Akuma didn't seem to care. He didn't care about this situation, or his guitar! And he still looked like a dumb idiot with all of those piercings in his ears! Did he have them just because he could afford them?

That wasn't even the bad part. Akuma always looked like a fool. He had black, ragged—_ugly _hair that he always dyes red at the tips. That doesn't make him look any cooler. It makes him look like an idiot! But oh—because it's _him, _he automatically looks what he would call 'sexy'. Because only his definition of 'sexy' counts in this world. Three piercings! That man had three piercings—two at the top and one in the lobe! How does he _stand?_ That isn't even the worst part. The worst is yet to come—he has only _two _piercings in his other ear.

He thought he was so much better than the rest of us, the dog! Klaus and Tammy could do so much better than him! They could play the musica better than Akuma, and still he thought he was better than all of us! Not to mention his eyes got on my nerves! His left eye is blue and his other one is green. How did something like that happen? He thought he was so special... Teacher's guests did look strange, and I almost thought I recognized one of them, but Akuma tapped me on my shoulder and I was all the more enraged. Klaus was definitely more tolerable than Akuma was. Klaus was at least smarter than he was! I wished Akuma would listen to him more often!

Klaus had long black hair that hung down to his legs. It rested against his back and he was always wearing white. No matter what the occasion was. He always had his eyes closed, and he was always smiling. He was a lot older than I was, but I think everyone was... Klaus had his hands in his pockets, appearing to be looking at them even though his eyes were closed. He had a weird way of looking at things. I was starting to think that maybe he was made out of some kind of magic.

"Hey fat fart, turn around and keep going. You can't sneak your way out of this one, Camilla." I balled up my fists, looking at him.

"What'd you say, you ginormous pain in my ass?" I yelled, sitting my violin down. "Teacher!" I paused, pointing at him. Akuma thought he was so great? He just wanted to show off in front of her guests! I looked back and they all looked at us like we were from another planet. After getting a second look—my eyes adverted quickly to that thing standing in the crowd of those weird people. I could hardly see her because she was so short, but I was sure that she was a monster! Slowly I put my index finger in the air, my skin pale. "May I... Please leave?" I asked. Teacher shot me a look, holding her baton with both of her hands.

Teacher was a really tall woman, and she wore a white suit—she could almost pass as Klaus's mother if she didn't have blonde hair. She had one long bang that hung completely over her right eye. Her hair was soft and fell down to her lower-back. She had blue eyes, but she was terrifying when she was angry! Teacher didn't have any patience, and right now she looked like she was going to kill the both of us! I stood up straight, trying to contain my fear of the monster standing in front of me. She had cat-ears and fangs and frightening pink eyes that just seemed to jump at me! "Eeep—!" I gasped, trying to cover my mouth. And what was with the woman standing a few people away from her? Was her arm made of _metal? _And what happened to her other eye?

Akuma stood in front of me, his hand in his pocket. "What Cam? Don't tell me you're scared."

"I'm not scared," I whispered back. "Teacher is going to rip you a new one if you don't be quiet..." It was too late for that. Klaus was holding his flute being silent, but he was tired of that. He stood up straight, his eyes still closed. Holding his flute behind his back he walked up to the guests, but he made sure to stay a good distance away from them. Teacher's eyes were scary, like they always were... She didn't have a good side and I was so mad earlier that I might have forgotten that she was in the room... That was a bad mistake! I didn't want Teacher to yell at me...

"Akuma!" Teacher yelled, which made us flinch. You could see a small amount of saliva escaping from her plump-lips. Of course she wore make-up. Teacher loved that stuff. She looked at us like she was going to send us to the chopper. Her voice was mad-sounding... Full of hatred for the way we acted when those people walked in the room. She slammed her baton into the ground, propping both of her hands on top of it. "What is going on?" It was clear and straightforward, her voice. It made us both shake in fear.

Akuma just put his hands in his pockets, shrugging. He smiled at her. "I am so sorry that you had to witness that, Teacher..." She kept her gaze on him before she looked towards the people who had seemed to walk in.

"Who are you people?" Teacher slammed her baton in the ground once more, making the room shake. "Hands in the air, all of you."

"What the hell kind of bitch is this, ordering me around like she's some kind of—"

"Lucrecia!" the brown-haired boy hissed. He had a streak of blonde in his hair. He looked fairly normal. "Just do what she says, okay?" That was what the robot-woman's name was? How could something so pretty belong to a monstrosity as that? She grumbled under her breath, her eye much more sinister than Teacher's. Even still, they didn't exchange looks because Teacher no longer wished to pay her the light of day.

"Valerie," the old man in the front said, daring to speak Teacher's name. He waved his hands in front of him, smiling an extra-special, _cheesy_ grin. "It's me, Chase. No need to get excited now." He paused, putting his hands up in the air. "We didn't come to hurt you, we came here to ask you for a favor since you're the only person I know that has a real 'house' down here." Teacher didn't make any facial movements, but what moved me was that that man actually had the nerve to call her by her first name! We all saw the look on her face. "I know it is sudden, but I need to ask you for a favor. But please, shut all your contraptions down so we can come in further and talk."

"So this place is like a pyramid?" I opened my mouth at the sound of the accent I had just heard. I had never heard it before... It come from that woman with the really large eyebrows. She had long, wavy brown hair and her arms were crossed, as if she didn't like this place already. Everyone else still had their hands up. She looked around the place, and then she put her hands back up. "If any one of us took another step forward, that would have been the end of us right?"

"And behind me..." Chase said, pointing at the boy and the girl that just spoke a few moments ago. There was another girl standing behind them. She was holding some kind of staff. It was real—it didn't look fake. It was the first time I had seen something like that. These guys weren't from Austere. They were too well-dressed and equipped to be from here. Then where could they have come from? "These are the Summoners, and Miyuki is their Guardian." Teacher still didn't take her eyes off of them.

"Frisk them."

This was the worst part about being Teacher's student. Klaus, Akuma, Tammy and I walked towards the mysterious group of people and Chase's jaw dropped. "Hey, didn't you hear what he said? We're Summoners!" the boy exclaimed as Klaus went through his belongings. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" I was hesitant with doing it—and I didn't really know any of these people, so I tried to look like I was at least doing what she said. I stood next to the dark-skinned man and he watched me. It was almost as if he was telling me that it was okay for me to stand next to him. To pretend. I nodded my head slowly, taking great care around these people.

Teacher arched a brow, her hands on her baton. "How do I know you three are really Summoners?" She was unforgiving—not willing to give any mercy. "Anyone can say they're someone famous." Teacher was right! She was always right... I looked in the other direction and my jaw dropped. I clutched my fists, biting my tongue.

"Akuma? _What are you doing?" _I yelled, flailing my arms around. I saw that look in his eyes and I just mad! I started flailing around.

"You've... Got to be fucking kidding me..." Lucrecia said, her whole body shaking. I could hear the sound of her metal arm shaking. That could have been the way Akuma was holding it now, though. He had been running his fingers up and down it—that was a blatant breach of personal space! Teacher had taught him to act better than that! Lucrecia looked at him through the bottom of her eye, giving him the most vicious glare I had seen in a while. She jerked back—but it didn't get her out of harm's way. "Stop touching my arm!" she roared, trying to step back. But that stupid imbecile...!

"Oh come on Cam, Teacher told me to do it, and I think this arm of her makes her look sexy—" I sweatdropped. Teacher just looked at us with her ominous eye. The man that was standing in front of me wasn't standing in front of me anymore. He was so fast! Akuma let out a noise comparable to the sound of someone dying... It was bad. That man ran up to him and didn't care about the traps that were up. He kicked Akuma in the face with a really big boot. Akuma flew across the room and hit the wall really hard, and the man standing in front of Lucrecia put his arm out, his eyes burning with fire.

"Stay away from Lucrecia, you fiend," he said, cracking his knuckles. "I hope you are content with having a boot-print on your face for the rest of your life. I do not think it is going to come off for a couple of days. I really do not think it will if you start messing with it. Let it sit." Akuma did what he always did after he got hurt. He stood up, staggered a bit, and started smirking—perhaps he was trying to shrug it off. But Akuma was an idiot... I gritted my teeth, ashamed that I even knew that man. He didn't have any respect for his musical instrument, as it was just laying there on the floor. Tammy, with one hand on her hip, walked over to the poor thing and picked it up.

"I've got it," she said. She had a string of straw in her mouth. It only complimented her short, orange hair. She didn't have to comb it sometimes, which was nice. She had dull brown eyes and wore a white shirt that had beige buckle-suspenders connected to her light-green short-shorts. "Akuma, you're just going to get in trouble again, why do you even bother...?" Tammy shook her head, sitting down in a chair. Akuma... Poor Akuma got back up and that man was right... There was a rather big imprint on his face. Akuma rubbed it, smiling at him.

"So you want to fight, huh?"

Klaus leaned forward, scratching his head. "You sure do like to get in a lot of trouble, don't you Akuma..." Klaus almost always had his eyes closed. He didn't open them unless he was upset. Really upset. Because he normally didn't get upset. He smiled like he always did. "Don't mind him—he doesn't know what he does half the time." Klaus scratched the back of his head, walking up to the 'Guardian' of the group. He extended his hand, and out of nowhere a cup of coffee appeared. "Thirsty?" Miyuki looked at him for a while, but she hesitantly took the peace offering.

"Jeez old man, you act like that's your daughter or something..." Akuma said.

"She_ is_ my daughter." He freezes, and the man looks at him more intently. "And I would like it if you called me by my name."

I looked back at Miyuki, and she tilted her head at Klaus' smile. "Thank you, but I don't eat or drink the food you people do. It's most certainly not your kind that I have a problem with, it's your world as a whole. In fact, I eat stars, so don't take it personally..."

"Ah! But could you at least taste it? Please, Guardian Miyuki? It would be an honor if you did." Miyuki looked down at the coffee and sighed. "Yeah, just one sip!" Miyuki brought it up to her lips, looking like she was regretting ever tasting it. Klaus grinned, holding out his hand. "That'll be one-hundred sona." Klaus grinned, tilting his head. Oh no, not again. He was always scamming people. I sighed. Tammy and I were the only sensible people in this whole entire mess. Teacher just looked at all of us.

"Hey, you can't just con Miyuki like that!" that boy yelled.

"It's not conning if the person walked into it and agreed," Klaus said, smiling. "I'll be taking that one-hundred sona, now." Guardian Miyuki raised a brow. Wow, this was getting interesting, and Tammy and I were just standing back and watching it all unravel in front of us. Teacher normally did something by now... What was it that she was waiting for?

"What makes you think I have money—let alone the currency of this world? Kokoro is right, what you did was a little trick."

"Ah, so you're aliens!" Klaus said, his mouth shaped like an 'o'.

"Then what's your name?" Akuma asked, standing up straight. He was talking to Lucrecia's father.

"Now how rude," the man answered back. "You, of course, by nature, have to give your name first. It's like a law that you have to abide by." Teacher tapped her baton on the ground and it was loud enough to catch everyone's attention. She turned around, her hair bouncing with her movements. She closed her eyes, looking at the chandelier on the ceiling.

"You lot can come in," she said. "Chase, I'd like to have a word with you when everything is settled." Teacher sounded so frank when she said that. That Chase character flinched and stepped back for a moment, but everyone else behind him were a little unsure. Akuma smirked, rubbing both of his eyes. He was trying to act like he didn't feel the pain of that man's boot, but he was in more pain than he would tell anyone.

"Don't worry about the traps, there are none, and that's just a joke Teacher's been telling Chase for years. Isn't that right?" There he went again trying to seem like he was the one winning all along. Why that little...! My face grew ten shades of red. He made me so angry! Teacher turned around again, her face riddled with fury.

"Didn't I tell you lot to get moving? Scumbags, walk forward!" Teacher snapped. She tapped her baton on the ground and everyone took one step forward. A lot of them looked like they couldn't believe that Teacher was shouting orders at them. "I guess if Chase came here on the impulse, I ought to tell you who I am. I'm Valerie, and in Austere I teach the Nocuous the musica," she said, her face unchanging. "Chase is right—I am the wealthiest person in all of the land, which is why my hall is so lush... Though I won't waste my time explaining myself to pigs such as yourself."

"Still, even at that notion, Miss Valerie, that does not explain how you are living so extravagantly in this broken land. Pardon my asking, but everyone standing in this room are Nocuous, correct?" Lucrecia smacked her lips, glaring at the cerulean-haired man that said that.

"Oh sure, Zed, call her by her name," she spat. "This place just keeps fucking rattling my nerves. Go ahead and finish your Goddamn story, 'Miss Valerie'." She rolled her eye, and everyone just kept on talking like nothing happened. Such power that woman had. She was almost second to Teacher! I had to study her... I wanted to know how she worked.

"Yes, my students and I are Nocuous," she answered back, arching an eyebrow. "What did you expect? I can't do well for myself and my students because I live in Austere?" She paused, tapping her baton on the ground. "People in Aysel pay good money for their kids to be able to learn the musica, and I'm the only one in the whole entire world that knows how to play it. They send their kids down here—because there's a reason why I can't go up. Though an esteemed musician I may be, I'm still a Nocuous, and your kind still discriminates, yes?"

"Only because you have stupid-ass people in this town like that stupid-ass brat over there," Lucrecia said, her green eye glued to Akuma. "I'm triple your age, you stupid bastard," she said, scoffing. "Furthermore, you shouldn't refer to us as 'your kind'. I don't know... I might get _offended_." A toothy smile covered her mouth, and she put on the most evil... Vicious leer I've ever seen anyone wear in my life. What an odd group of people Chase chose to travel with... Kokoro waved his hands around, jumping in front of Lucrecia.

"Valerie, don't mind her—!"

"So what if you're triple my age? I just think that makes you a better catch."

"Akuma!" I yelled, stomping my foot. "No more! No more! I WON'T STAND HERE AND WATCH YOU MAKE A FOOL OF OUR KIND!" Everyone stopped and looked at me... And I put my hand over my mouth and tried to blend in with the color of the wall. Five seconds passed and Lucrecia's head snapped towards Akuma and she extended her hand, a deadpanned look on her face. After that she started waving her hand in random direction and like magic Akuma started to collide into things until she slammed him into the middle of the room. Some of the ceiling even started to chip away and fall on top of him. She smirked as he laid on the ground, stretching out her fingers.

"Now then, back to what you were saying, Miss Va-le-rie." She tilted her head in a really weird, scary way, but I wanted to make sure if Akuma was okay.

My worst fears were right, she really hurt him...

And he wouldn't admit it.

I helped him up and Teacher banged her baton on the ground. "What I want to know is why Enlightened such as yourselves are following Chase around. What's more is that I want to know why you have_ Summoners _with you."

"You have no fucking right to ask us that question, Nocuous," Lucrecia said. I disliked that woman already. She really did a number on him... "We're the ones in authority here. Sure we're Enlightened, but we also have the Summoner brats with us." She paused, flicking her wrist, grinning mischievously. "I guess you could have met that Summoner Sayuri bitch, but she was late and we couldn't wait for her ass." Teacher tapped her baton on the ground again, and her eyebrow twitched. Summoner Sayuri? I had heard about her before... I was trying to remember her but Akuma was trying to get up and my grip tightened on his arm.

"So you must be Lucrecia... The person Summoner Sayuri beat that long time ago..." Teacher said, thinking. Again, she kept the same, serious facial expression. She's all about business. Lucrecia didn't like what she said and tensed up, biting her tongue, which I would have thought was very unlike her if I knew her for a long time... "Summoner Sayuri is a prodigy," Teacher said, tapping her baton on the ground. "I've talked to her before. She asked me to teach her the ways of the musica... And I wholeheartedly agreed. But..." Teacher's face had gotten dark and I started flailing my arms. "_SHE DIDN'T PAY ME SUBSEQUENTLY!" _She put her hands out, her eyebrow twitching. "I'd like to have my money back. Right now."

Lucrecia folded her arms, looking the other way. "That bitch can go kick rocks. I'm not paying her a damn thing. That's Sayuri's problem. Stupid bitch..." Teacher narrowed her eye, strands of her hair moving with the way she shifted her position. She still stood as straight as ever. "And another thing. She didn't beat me. Keep talking like you know what happens up there, Nocuous, I still have a job to do, and I won't hesitate in killing your ass if you get too rowdy with me." She grinned, putting her hands to her sides. Zed walked towards teacher and paid her much more than normal lessons would cost.

"I think that should cover it," he said. Teacher looked at his and balled up the paper, throwing it over her shoulder. He didn't even flinch.

"I'm going to warn you all right now. In Austere, you have to work for what you owe, and work hard. You'll see that Summoner Sayuri tried to fight me to get me to teach her the musica. I'll have you know that just because I'm a Nocuous, that doesn't mean I do not know how to fight. Each person standing here before you have found themselves enshrouded within the musica, and they know how to fight. We don't need lazy magic to be able to fight." She paused. "If you are going to stay in my hall, you're going to work for it." She turned back around. "Summoners. Aysel's guard."

"Wait!" Kokoro yelled. "How do you know Sayuri when she's never been down here before?"

Teacher glared at him, which made him shudder. _"Don't_ ask questions." She looked at Klaus, Akuma, Tammy and I. "Students, if you would. Please show them around Austere. As guests from beyond the stars and the palace in the sky—they need to be acquainted with the land here." Teacher made her way to the long, white staircase and we were all left to stare at each other. Chase scratched the back of his head, turning around and smiling at his party.

"Eh, sorry about that guys. I didn't think Valerie would be so mad at me for leaving when I did..."

"So she was like that because you left to help guard Aysel?" the staff girl said, wiping some of her brown hair out of her eyes. "She sure was mean about it..." Tammy, shifting the straw in her mouth, walked in front of the group and extended her hand. Chase looked at her for a moment before shaking it. She had a firm grip, which caught him off guard.

"You can tell a lot about a person by how strong their handshake is," Tammy said. "You've got to work on your form Chase." She let go of his hand and put her hand on her hip. "You're from Austere, so I don't think you need to see it again, but you can come if you want. There's been pretty weird stuff going on around here, so don't be surprised if you see something that's unusual. The name's Tammy, guys, and this is like a home away from home. Teacher also lets us stay in here, so we do whatever she wants us to do. She taught us how to fight as well, so I guess you could say she's like a second mother to us. Don't worry, she really likes you lot..."

I decided to leave Akuma on the ground and I walked towards Tammy. "My name is Camilla. I play the violin, Klaus plays the flute, Akuma over there plays the guitar—as you can blatantly see, and Tammy plays maracas. They're in her back pockets." I shook Chase's hand and Klaus pranced over to us. Akuma struggled to get off the ground, but he made it towards us anyway. Akuma was a fool! He had made Teacher really mad at us. "We call this place the Taj Mahal, and you should see the upstairs if you like the view down here. Um, and about the musica... It's a special art... When all of us play, we can summon something very monstrous and beast like—you'll have to see it for yourselves. But Teacher has_ perfected_ the art of the musica."

"So it's not like magic, Camilla? Oh, and by the way, I'm Morta," she said, extending her hand. I shook it without hesitation. "Or is the musica something similar to it? Kokoro is right. We haven't been here before but everywhere we venture we hear stories of Sayuri. If you had to guess, what would be the reason why Sayuri would come to Valerie to learn musica? She doesn't play an instrument, as far as I know. And knowing her, she's not that coordinated..." Morta closed her eyes, folding her arms. After that she looked back at me. Her accent was very peculiar. Teacher did say she came from the land beyond the stars... I shook my head. There was something more to musica than what met the eye.

"When one uses musica, they use the energy that surrounds the world and channels it," I said. "It doesn't have to be played on a musical instrument, but it has to be felt throughout one's soul... To the greater good—"

"_CHASE!"_ Everyone in the room twitched, and he sighed, putting his fingers on his forehead. He sweatdropped, sighing.

"Sorry guys," he said. "I guess I won't be coming with you all to take another look around Austere." He started to walk up the stares, slumping his shoulders and looking very defeated. We all looked at him as he disappeared up the steps. I sighed. We should get out of hear before we hear Teacher at her angriest...

"Okay people, let's go, this way!" Akuma said, pointing towards the door on the left. "You guys came through that door behind you, but to get to the main city you've got to go through this one."

"You can still talk?" I shot, cracking my knuckles.

"And why shouldn't I be able to?"

"High-and-mighty bastard," I said, seething.

"Ignoramus!"

"Jack-ass!"

"Kitten-eater!"

"Grr!" I didn't even want to continue his stupid game! We exchanged looks, and then the others looked at us. "Sorry about that," I said, straightening out my shirt. "Now, um, follow us please?" We started walking towards the door, and I couldn't help but start thinking about things. For one, I heard the Summoners only came when a world was in danger, and I heard about the first time they had came here. When I played my musica, I could feel an undying darkness trying to strangle us... All of us could, lately. I put my hands in my pockets. My white ringlets, bounced with every step I took. My hair in the back was straight, but I had ringlets all around my face. Still, there must have been something wrong for the Summoners to come down here—and it was even worse that _Enlightened_ were with them as well...

Something didn't feel right.

Once we made it outside, Chio looked around in awe. "Where's the sun?" That was the first thing she had picked up on. "...And the sky?" It was understandable, since she could have forgotten that Austere was a city built underground. "And look at all the buildings, they're really out of shape..." Well, yes, I wouldn't see why they would be in tip-top shape... "It's like a hurricane hit this place." Yes, and the streetlights were on all the time. "How do you people live no no sun? No stars? It must be horrible."

Klaus put his hands behind his back, and after a short while he poked Chio, which made her flinch. "Oh, but we can constitute those things. And besides! If you know how to do battle when the time comes, you can always travel to the land above to look at all of those things." He walked around, as if he was weightless. "There's things you can live without down here."

"Don't mind me asking," Kokoro said. "But _who_ are you?"

"No one," Klaus said, his permanent grin on his face. "Just the prince of this place." After Klaus said that, a good number of the guests we had screamed out his previous sentence. Chio said it more times than anyone, hearts in her eyes. She started to inspect, but his eyes were still closed. He had an unsure air about himself, though.

"A prince that swindles people...?" Miyuki said, looking at him with heartless pink eyes. "That's not really prince-like."

"Probably not, but you still owe me one-hundred suna, cat-girl," he said playfully. "Like I said, I was testing you. I'm not the only prince of this place, don't worry. My Father's had a lot of children, and I have three other brothers and six sisters. I don't know where they are. I lost contact with them as soon as I left to learn the musica." His grin was still as bright as ever. He scratched the back of his head. "You'll be amazed about how many fights we've had over who will rule over this place. Yes, the battle for the opposition as the ruler of Austere is very tough..."

"Ah, this place has a king?" Zed spoke up. "Where is he now, presently?"

Klaus shrugged. "I haven't seen him in forever. He's still there, somewhere. But it would be an honor to rule Austere, no matter what situation it's in. That's why I've got to find a way to find him and show him something amazing. Perhaps it might sway his choice. At any rate..." A mischievous grin covered his face. His eyes, as always, were still closed. "As your princess and queen have a guard, I have one also." Tammy's eyes widened and she looked back at Klaus.

"Don't be an idiot, Klaus. This isn't what Teacher told you to do," she said, shaking her head. Klaus put his hands behind his back, ignoring her. Something really bad was about to happen, wasn't it? I closed my eyes, trying to think of a happy place. I wanted to be anywhere but here.

"What better thing to show him than the Summoners themselves?" Klaus said, tilting his head. His smile was really scary when his actions didn't match up with them. Our guests tensed up. "And bringing him back a couple of Enlightened isn't bad either! He'll really appreciate everything that I'm about to so for him! Guard, if you would..." Oh no, this was really bad. What would Teacher think if she found out about this? From out of nowhere a smoke cloud appeared, and two people came out of no where, hidden behind masks. They wore baggy, black clothing, but didn't hesitate on walking forward.

"This'll be fucking easy," Lucrecia spat, securing her position. "A couple of stupid-ass Nocuous? What a joke! Is that the best you've got?" she yelled, running towards the closest one. She had a blood-lusting smile on her face and she tried to grab Klaus' helper by the face, but the man quickly grabbed her black arm and kicked her in the side of her head, all the while tightening his grip on said arm. With the way he was holding it, I could have sworn he broke it. I gulped. What was Klaus doing? Lucrecia blinked for a moment, surprised that she had just gotten kicked in the head. She turned around slowly, meeting with her opponent's eyes.

"What the hell are you?" she asked, breaking his grip and taking a step back. "Sorry, bastard, but it's made out of metal," she said, showing off her arm. "You're not a fucking Nocuous if you can move like that." She spat on the ground, smiling. "But I guess if you could do that, then I don't have a reason in hesitating to blow you sky-fucking-high now, right?" She extends her hand, but the man that she ran into a couple of seconds ago grabbed her fingers, which made her frown.

Klaus tilted his head, his hands in his pockets. "It's called the way of the ninja... Ninjustu, is it?" With his eyes still closed, he frowns. "They excel in combat more than you do. Let's see what you're made of, legendary Lucrecia." His smile comes back as he looks at her.

"Why you bastard...!"

Miyuki takes one step back, a deck of cards appearing in her hands. "Lucrecia is one thing. The Enlightened may be another, but I'm the Summoner's Guardian, and I know what ninjutsu is. Though I'm slightly surprised to find that you people know what it is on this planet—especially in this town." She threw a couple of cards at the man's hands, and at first I thought they were going to pierce his skin with the way that they spun. In all actuality I was wrong, because he let go of Lucrecia's fingers, propping his leg on the ground and upper-cutting Miyuki into the air. _With his foot._ I stood there, completely dumbfounded.

"Teacher is going to get _so_ mad at us..." I said to myself, shaking. I started imagining what she would do if she found out Klaus attacked our guests—and I just stood there watching the whole battle take place. Miyuki, in mid-air, caught herself, throwing a couple of her cards at the man. It looked like she deliberately missed him on purpose, making a circle around where he was standing. Unfortunately if she was planning something, Lucrecia had decided to fight the man again. The other fellow standing next to Klaus didn't move yet. And neither did the others on Miyuki's side. They all stood and watched.

"Who cares about Teacher?" Akuma said, putting his hand over his mouth. "Look at her in action—it's like you're watching—"

"Shut up, Akuma!" I shouted, stomping my foot. "Tammy, do something!"

"Even if I wanted to, the fact still stands that Klaus is a prince to Austere, and it's kind of illegal for me to tell him to stop or to interfere," Tammy answered, sighing. "We can only sit here and hope he doesn't kill anyone."

"I am the stag of seven tines; I am a wide flood on the plain; I am a wind on the deep waters; I am a shining tear of the sun; I am a hawk on a cliff; I am fair among flowers; I am a god who sets the head afire with smoke," Miyuki chanted, the circle she made around the two starting to flare up. A shape similar to a star formed under their feet, and Lucrecia didn't mind at all that she was going to be stuck in between the crossfire. Was she mad? The man looked at Miyuki as he tried to fend Lucrecia off. A dark, orange smoke cloud shrouded the two, and I thought they were both really hurt—judging by the explosion that was set off—but Lucrecia was the only one that stood there, and she was unharmed, trying to find out where he went.

"Woah Miyuki—!" Kokoro tried to say as the man that his Guardian was just fighting grabbed him from behind. He scowled, grunting. "You're not going to get me!" I didn't think he did anything, but the man's hand started smoking. He quickly pulled away from Kokoro, Morta and Chio taking their stances. Klaus waved his hand across the air, grinning ear-to-ear.

"All right. You may go now too."

And his second watcher jumped into the fray. The way they moved was amazing. They would overwhelm one person and move onto the next, and before the first person got a chance to recover, they would go back to them. Like they had all the time in the world. Klaus stood tall, content with the show in front of him. Chio wasn't much of a fighter, I could tell. She was trying to parry attacks with her staff. Kokoro's hands started to burn with fire that I had never seen before. "Okay, now we're going to get serious!" he said, clapping his hands together. The ground underneath him shook with blood lusting flames. I thought I was in the way so I screamed, but I was in no real danger.

"Loser," Akuma snickered.

"Man-whore!"

"Numbskull!"

"Old man!"

"Pain in my ass!"

"Wow, how many times are you going to use that word, Akuma?" I shot. "It's already been overused as it is!" He grumbled, but this wasn't over. I stopped looking at him and paid attention to the fight in front of me.

It looked like trouble had already started... Or maybe it had just begun...

* * *

**A/N:** Ahahaha. XD;;

Finally, I've got this chapter out! I'm so proud of myself. I hate introducing characters, I really do. But I heart Valerie. XD And Klaus. He's cool too. XD;; I mean, I love those two guys. *huggles them* These guys are so badass, man. I love them all! But look at Klaus' guard. He only has two people, by the way.

Because he's _that _awesome. XD;;

And Valerie's such a commander. She'd do so well in a war or something, wouldn't she? *hinthint*

You guys think you've seen something? You haven't seen anything yet. As these chapters count down, and this arc comes to and end... I err, I'm half-way done with this arc, by the way. In truth, I was half-way done last chapter, but now I'm just making sure you guys know. XD And this is chapter 20 of the whole year. I'm not half-way in my goal, but I think that is amazing, hmm? I have no school-'cept driving for Behind The Wheel on the 5th of June, but I go every other day at 6AM in the morning, so yeah.

Valarieeeee~ *swoons*

Okay, I'll stop. But I wonder what she's so mad at Chase for... And why the heck did Sayuri scam her? XD;; Bad Sayuri, bad! Speaking of Sayuri, when is she going to get done with her training? What is she in the garden doing? Eating bricks? She might be, I dunno. XD;; Until the next chapter, my fans, readers, and monste-*shot*


	39. Martyr Art

**A/N:** Hurroo, my readers. XD And random people. Lurkers. All of you lot. XD Here's the next chapter to CCFA chapter 39. Wow. I feel so epic right now! :D

As for the chapter name, it should explain itself.

As for this flashback, yes, there are two people talking. Kohana's talking to the thing in her head. XD;; And they say a whole bunch of crap that could never make sense. Kohana a Summoner? Bah. XD;; It's all because she's going insane, I tell you. Don't mindrape yourself on broken words.

* * *

Red is the only thing she can see around her. She can smell it—the blood of millions spilled. Vines stick up from the ground, lacerating numerous corpses. She stands up straight, her hands tainted with her daughter's blood. She lets out a few coughs, her vision deteriorating. "She wasn't supposed to get away from me. She wasn't supposed to leave... Damn you Celestial Beings, always sticking your noses in things that don't concern you!" Kohana manages to stand up, looking at the city sleeping in flames that she's created. She glances into the sky, her breathing jagged.

After that, she takes a look at what she's done. Something swirls up inside of her and makes her whole body want to explode. She feels like a newborn baby crying for the first time. So helpless... So unable to do what she wants. She clutches her right arm, wondering why her face is getting so red. She stands up straight, laughing as loud as she can, throwing her arms into the air. And she laughs. And laughs. And laughs. That pain comes back again, making her abruptly stop. Her eyes dilate as her smile fades.

"I did this!" Kohana yells in a fit of glory. Her smile returns and she lets out a demented chuckle under her breath. "I destroyed Japan without even trying! That's something I can at least say I've done!" She lifts her head in the air, taking a few clumsy steps forward. The sound of decomposing bodies squishing under the soles of her boots makes her smile. She takes a breath of air, but she only ends up falling again. Her eyes start to flicker red, and a smile covers her face. She gasps, but in the end she smirks.

"You fool! There's no way you could bring Sayuri on your side," Kohana cackles, which makes her frown. She claws her head, swinging her arms around in random directions. "What if she doesn't want to save the pathetic likes of you?" Kohana tries to keep her mouth shut, gritting her teeth.

"I'll do... Whatever it takes to... Show her that there's another way..."

"By force if necessary?" Kohana laughs. "If all goes well and Sayuri agrees, that's one thing. But what will happen if it's the other way?" Kohana's hands leave her head and she stands up straight. "You said even though she was your daughter, you never had rights to call her that because you were just going to abandon her! Well I'm asking you, Kohana, what would you do if she were to attack you?" She gasps, staggering back. Her eyes widen at the accusation.

"What? Why would... She'd never do that..."

"While it is true that Sayuri is still pure, she could be easily colored by anything. A battle with the wrong person. One of her teammates dying..." She pauses. "Her mother beating her and leaving her to bleed on the battlefield..." With every word that leaves Kohana's mouth she's struggling with herself to calm down. She's struggling with herself not to get angry, but her lower eye keeps twitching. Kohana lets out another malicious cackle.

"You bastard! Quiet in there!" Kohana yells, seething.

"If that should happen, Kohana, would you be willing to fight and stop her? Even if it meant killing her...?" Kohana's facial expression changes and her eyes widen. "Could you weigh Sayuri's life against the entire world? The entire universe? For you still have a cycle to continue! And you still have a body for me to take!" Kohana stands up straight, smirking, but she starts to shake.

"I'd protect the whole entire universe!" Kohana yells as loudly as she can. "And find a way for Sayuri so we don't have to keep doing this! I won't... _Nygnn._.. Kill her!"

Kohana laughs. "...You're such a child."

"You—you _don't _call me a kid!"

"You talk nothing but pipe dreams... There are times when a Summoner must make painful choices." Kohana's eyes widen and her jaw drops.

"Like I don't... Like I don't know that! Someone told me something like that before... But there's no choice. I won't bend my words. That's what being a Summoner means to me." Kohana seems to have gained control of her body. She closes her eyes and stands up straight, coughing more. A sharp pain goes through her body and she shrieks, falling on the ground.

"I've given you some of my power, Wickedness. You're amusing. Unlike any host I've ever had, in fact! I want to see how long you can keep up this game. I hope... The day never comes when you have to use it. Can't have you dying now."

Kohana manages to pick herself up off the ground. "You're after me, aren't you? Then why not take me now?" she shouts.

.

"Sayuri, are you okay?" Renata asks, holding both of her hands. "I know it is painful waiting for Lucrecia and Zed to come back, but give them some time, okay?" Sayuri glances at Renata, shaking her head. She gives a faint smile.

"No, it's not that. It's just that... The war... It's reminding me of times that I tried so hard to forget. I'm starting to remember Kohana. And those memories that I locked in the back of my mind are coming back.

"_I'm the Wickedness. I am the one you have to beat. I am your adversary. I have always been your adversary. Every since you were born, you became a thorn in my side, or at least a bump in the road for me. You are a nuisance. Sayuri Outtaike… my daughter… Is this where you thought you would end up? Is this what you thought the last moment with your mother would be like? Look where we are!"_

Sayuri closes her eyes. "I was... Really scared, and before I knew it I couldn't move, no matter how much I wanted to. Kohana just looked at me with those eyes—those eyes that I've learned to know and love—and she just kept hurting me and hurting me. I wanted to fight back, but I knew I couldn't do anything about it. She was so much better than me. So much faster. And Miyuki was under her control. But I knew that if I didn't do anything, I'd die."

"That's horrible, Sayuri!" Renata says, her eyes watering. "Is there anything that I can do? Anything at all?"

"For a moment, I could see her before I passed out. She turned around at me... She... Was crying." Sayuri shook her head. "I always thought I had been just imagining that. I couldn't figure it out. It made no sense. She wanted to kill me... She hurt my friends." She pauses, looking out the window. "But it looks like you were telling the truth."

.

Tears hurt her skin as the roll down her cheeks. Kohana closes her eyes, trying not to fall victim to losing consciousness. "Sayuri, what are you doing now? Are you... Okay?" She shakes her head before standing up straight. "Listen, you. What Sayuri sees and what I see are two very different things. I want you to use my body."

Kohana takes one step back, cackling. "Oh? But you've been trying to stop me all this time! Besides, do you really think you need me? You're as ruthless as you are sadistic already."

She pants, holding her arm. "I know. But... But I don't want to be held back. If you notice me giving Sayuri the slightest help, please, don't hesitate on swallowing me whole."

"Okay!" Kohana laughs. "But don't try to worm your way out of this. Remember, you _agreed _to it!" Kohana puts one finger in the air, a Cheshire-grin on her face.

"Oh, and one more thing. If you kill Sayuri, _I'll kill you,_" she says, her eyes flickering red.

"You wouldn't..."

"Oh yeah I would."

Kohana closes her eyes, letting off a smile. She falls down on the ground as darkness starts to take her away.

* * *

**-: Chapter Thirty-Nine: Martyr Art :-**

_Let's bring joy with us, let's keep a smile on our face_

_The cold wind knocks on the window tonight, tonight_  
_I made a wish on a fleeting star_  
_That as long as you smiled for me_  
_I wouldn't mind if I was hurt tomorrow_

_The radiant light falls to the earth_

_I'd give you all the flowers and joy in the world_  
_Our meeting is a precious treasure to me_  
_All the little smiles and tears that overflow in these hands_  
_Are singing of the future within your eyes_

— Miho Fukuhara — "Winter Song"

Wow, they were _really_ doing this.

Klaus was out of his mind. But I could only stand and watch, no matter how much I wanted to tell all of them to stop. I shifted the straw in my mouth and put my hand on my hip. This fight was starting to get interesting now. I had never seen a Summoner transform, let alone summon an Aeon. I was starting to wonder how an Aeon such as Shiva got summoned down here. It was hot down in Austere. We were underground. I couldn't lie, Klaus wasn't an easy person to fight against. Even though he had such a frail build, he was capable of doing so much more.

He stood there with his eyes closed, examining the fighting going on in front of him. Akuma stood up stretching. That kid was always getting in the middle of things. I looked at him, one hand on my hip. "Don't you even think about getting up and messing things up more than they already are, Akuma," I said, turning back around. "Even if I can't physically touch Klaus or his guard, I'll try to get the other party to stop fighting them, okay? There has to be something that they can say to each other. They have to be able to come to some sort of agreement." Akuma shot me a look, which made me stand up straight.

"Nah, I wasn't talking about that!" he answered back. "I was only standing up because I wanted to see the flames coming out of that kid's hand! It's like he's using magic—but it's not Enlightened magic." Camilla huffed, stomping on the ground.

"You dope, he _is_ using magic," she said, folding her arms and looking the other way. "He's a Summoner and that's what Summoners do. It looks to me like Kokoro's the Summoner of Fire with the way he controls those flames. I just hope nothing hits me..." She paused, holding both of her hands. "Why are they fighting anyway? What does Klaus want with them?" I knew Klaus heard us. He just didn't want to say anything. He had an arrogant way of handling things. I sighed, dusting my hands off.

"Fine..." I said, straightening out my scarf. "I'll go at least try to stop his guard." Camilla smiled at me, trying to tell me that she approved of what I was about to do. I scratched my head. "Besides, if I don't do something Teacher is going to eat our heads, right?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to look intently into the situation. One of his people were taking on three of those guys. Morta had decided to help Miyuki and Lucrecia fight, and the other person was fighting Kokoro and Chio. That thing called magic... It was amazing. The brightly colored lights flashed before my eyes, making me second guess myself.

Was this something I should have gotten myself involved in? It didn't matter. I was going to make the numbers even. "I'm going to fight, Klaus," I mumbled, walking past him. He didn't look at me. I hated when people ignored me. "Hey, squint-face, I said I was going to fight!" I put my hands in my pockets, trying to keep my cool. "Aren't you going to do anything about it?" Klaus looked at me, cupping his head in his left-hand.

"Do whatever you want. I'm going to have Summoners and Enlightened pretty soon!" He said, grinning. He turned back to look at the fight. … So arrogant... I bit my tongue, dashing towards Kokoro and Chio. The man had jumped on his hands, catching Kokoro off guard and kicking him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Chio let out a concerned gasp, waving her staff in the air. She was telling Shiva to go after him, but the man threw what appeared to be needles at her that stuck inside of her hand, making her scream in pain. She dropped her staff, and that's when I came in.

"You're not going to try and hurt me, are you?" Chio asked. I walked in front of her, cracking my knuckles. Kokoro got up too, standing by my side. Fighting was so stupid... I looked back at her, shifting the straw in my mouth to the other side. I didn't like it when people made fools out of themselves like this. I pointed at Chio with my thumb, my other hand on my waist.

"Hey Kokoro," I said. He jumped at his name leaving my mouth. C'mon, we all weren't the enemy. This was just Klaus being stupid. "I'll protect Chio. You just focus on beating this one guy. When they see that there's more people to take down, that pumps up the adrenalin inside of them. Have you ever been so mad to the point where in a fight you don't feel pain? That's actually reverse with these guys. They get faster. Stronger. And his guard is loyal to him, believe it or not. If you insult or try to hurt him, they get pissed." He nodded his head, putting his hands in front of me. Chio started shaking, and her hand was bleeding quite a lot.

Still, that wasn't important now. What was important was that we stopped this fighting. Those two guys stood in front of each other until Kokoro decided to dash for him, his hands ablaze with fire. He tried to punch the guy but he was faster, jumping over Kokoro, a few needles in between his fingers. Kokoro put his hands over his head and shot out a frighting amount of fire, but the man shifted his body in mid-air, barely dodging the fire ball.

This bored me. "Chio, that's your friend, right?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation. "Does he always fight this hard? His form is kind of wonky; I can tell he does whatever comes first to him in a battle." Shiva had been tending to Chio's wounds... The Aeon even brought Chio back her staff. The girl looked up at me, wide-eyed. Fighting wasn't her forte. I looked at the rest of her party—the two males that we standing around and watching the fight unfold. "Are they too good to battle or something?" She shook her head.

"Well... I've never seen Kokoro fight a whole lot, but he's trying his best right now. Adel told us before we came here that he was only going to fight when it was absolutely necessary. I guess now isn't a really necessary time." She paused, gripping the ground with her uninjured hand. The dirt sifted from in between her fingers. So now people got to determine when it was necessary when they fought. A fight is something unpredictable. No one ever knows when it is really dire that you cross swords with someone. "And Zed's our tactician, whatever that means..." She started poking her face and I crossed my arms. I looked back at the fighting taking place in front of me.

The man flipped over Kokoro, but the Summoner of Fire didn't waste any time. With both of his hands in front of him he summoned a fiery inferno—it looked like a tidal wave in the form of fire. His face lit up with yellow and red hues. The man in front of him didn't seem to be worried. He stood strong, his stance never wavering. He sidestepped out of the way, narrowing his eyes. I smirked. So the man was going to use the smoke and fire as a cover to get closer to Kokoro? Very nice... He did just that, appearing in front of him in no time flat. Kokoro was taken by surprise as he got punched twice in the face, stepping back.

His face turned red at every connection until he strengthened his footing and launched back. He was going for another flaming punch, but the man grabbed his fist, extinguishing the flames. Kokoro's eyes widened even at that. Klaus' men were good. I had never seen them fight before, but now they were amusing me. Still, fighting was stupid. I wish it never existed. "How can that guy say he wants to bring us back to his king?" Kokoro exclaimed. "We're not toys!" The man kicked him in the stomach, sending him sliding back. "This isn't fair! I forgot that guy's name already! That con-artist!" He looked back up, frowning. "How can you instantly fight for that good-for-nothing?"

The man flinched, balling up his fists. He produced a dagger out of nowhere and almost stabbed Kokoro in his side. With fast reflexes, Kokoro moved out of the way. But the look on his face suggested that he had a plan. He quickly extended his hand, pointing towards the man's head. He blasted him with fire and the man flew a pretty nice distance away from him. However, Kokoro didn't like seeing his head on fire and clutched his fist, making the flames disappear. Slowly, he walked towards the man in awe.

"Wow, I can't believe I got him..." he muttered, but something tightened around his leg. It was a rope that had been tied to a streetlight. Clever. I looked up, assessing the trap. Kokoro's whole body hung in the air upside-down, and he hadn't been prepared for that. He gasped, looking at the man punch him in the stomach. That punch not only sent Kokoro flying into a building, but it also broke the rope on the streetlight. Kokoro rubbed his head as the man stood his stance.

He got up, dusting himself off. "Fine, if that's the way you want to do it!" he said, smiling. "Can your prince even fight? If he's got you all fighting for him, he must not care about you guys at all!" The man moved lightning quick this time... I didn't even see him move towards Kokoro. He punched at him but his hand got stuck inside of the building. Kokoro smiled, poking the man's mask.

"Fire!" he shouted, the flames engulfing his face. The mask melted away, and what he saw amazed him. "What...?" Shoulder-length jet-black hair with platinum yellow blonde streaks unraveled from behind the mask, making Chio flinch. The girl's hair was parted down the middle, with a fringe that hung over her eyes. Her brown eyes enhanced her will to take Kokoro down. She produced an umbrella out of thin air, and that wasn't a good sign. I turned around, my straw almost falling out of my mouth.

"Shiva!" I yelled. "Protect Chio!" Shiva nodded her head, and with one swift wave of her hands, an ice-wall surrounded her. I smirked. This was going to be better than I thought. She threw the umbrella in the air and it started spinning while it opened up. "How thick did you make the ice?" I asked, stepping behind the wall." Shiva looked at me with her icy eyes, waving her hand across the air. She truly was a goddess. Crystal-infested wind circled around her feet and up her body. As if her cold, blue-tinted skin wasn't already frozen.

"I'll fix it now," she said, the wall getting taller. The way it shined made me feel safe. I nodded my head, letting her know that was enough. We were _so_ lucky we were a great distance away from the fight up there. Morta and the others would have felt this...

"Senbon Shower!" the girl exclaimed. Her eyes were deadly—but that's not why Chio started screaming... It was because the needles that flew from the umbrella were banging against the ice wall. Kokoro didn't know what to do and he tried running, but they were impaling themselves in his body, blood trickling down wherever it could. There was no telling when the needles would stop, either. Chio started screaming more-so, and I could tell she didn't like looking at the sight of blood.

"Shiva! Heavenly... Strike!" Chio said between breaths, putting two of her fingers on top of her staff. The staff glowed and Shiva nodded her head, stepping out into the onslaught of needles. The needles bounced off her frozen skin, making the girl tense up. Still she stood firm, like every fighter should. Shiva jumped in front of Kokoro and he stopped shielding his eyes, but his whole body must have been in pain. He winced and pulled three needles out of his arm, hissing. But there were still more inside of him. Plenty more.

Shiva waved her arm across the air, and a huge bolder of ice struck the umbrella down, which stopped the onslaught of needles. "After throwing a special umbrella into the air, it will release a hailing 'shower' of senbon," I said, which made Chio look up at me. "It cannot be dodged by moving away since the needles cover a wide area in all directions. Although the needles were said to be able to pierce a five millimeter thick steel sheet, they can still be blocked by a powerful enough shield. They can also be dipped in poison to increase lethality."

At that, Chio had it. She was tired of sitting down and not doing anything. She stood up and picked up her staff, her eyes watering. "He's not poisoned is he? Those were a lot of needles! I won't stand for it!" Yeah, those needles did a pretty nice number on the buildings, too. This fight was more than enough damage already... If Kokoro had been poisoned, he would have hit the ground a long time ago. What if people were out walking on the streets? She could have killed a lot of them. A Summoner's pain tolerance and physical endurance is heightened when they transform.

"Shiva!" Chio desperately shouted, waving her wand in the air.

Shiva looked back, and the girl latched herself onto the Aeon's back. That was gutsy. I blinked in total admiration of that girl. She opened a grenade and taped it onto Shiva's back. After that she jumped off the top of Shiva's shoulders, flipping backwards to get out of harm's way. Chio's eyes widened and Kokoro tried to take a step back but the Aeon met an exploding end. It took down the ice shield in front of us and I jumped on top of Chio, making sure she didn't get hurt.

I couldn't stand watching innocent people get hurt...

I got up and looked at the smoke. "Ah jeez! That was enough to..." I ran into the smoke, waving my hands around. I started coughing but I didn't care about my well-being. Now the buildings over here really looked shoddy. Buildings were crumbling and I saw no sight of Kokoro or the girl. I looked frantically until I spotted the girl. While I was watching her she had her eyes glued on some kind of orb thing. It had fire inside of it and she nudged it with her foot. It rolled a little bit forward and she frowned.

"I hope he's still alive..." she murmured, her eyes filling with tears. "His Most Excellent Majesty is going to be upset..." She picked up the orb and her hands started burning. Before she got a chance to retaliate, her natural body response was to drop the thing and that's when Kokoro—in his needle-infested glory appeared behind her, putting her in a hold. With his arms around her neck, a bright light shined before he took his arms away from her. Quickly, he formed a string of fire and tied it around her torso, taking her arms with it. The fire didn't appear to be causing her any pain and he fell down on the ground, panting.

"Everything hurts all over..." he said, sighing. He rubbing his head and pulled more needles out of his arms. "That was tough..." I smiled. He seemed okay. Chio got up and ran to his side, forgetting about her staff. It was a big weight, it seemed.

"Don't ever get hurt like that again, Kokoro!" Chio shouted. She didn't want to touch him, but she tried to pull out as many needles as she could. He flinched and eventually put his hand out, telling her to stop. That girl sat on the ground, folding her legs. She looked like she was glaring at them.

"That's enough, Chio. Thanks, but I can pull them out all on my own," he said. "They don't really hurt as much as that blast did anyway. How's Shiva doing? Can you summon her again?"

Chio shook her head. "No, I can't... Shiva's got to have time to recover. Normally when she takes a big blow like that she stays in her world to recover from it." Ah, so even the Aeons had worlds... Chio smiled. "So even if Shiva dies here—she can't physically die unless she gets killed in the Land of Summons. Oh! I hope we eventually go there on our trip to save the galaxy!" Kokoro managed a smile and she frowned. "Still, you're really hurt, and I wasn't able to do much..."

"Are you kidding Chio? You saved the day! Silly." He sat up and glanced at the girl, who was glaring at him. "...Anyway, as for you... You could have hurt Tammy and Chio with that explosion and that umbrella thing you had, you know! That was a dangerous thing you pulled off. All because you wanted to beat me?" He looked into the air. "And I seemed to get the best of you whenever I talked bad about that prince guy..."

"Don't talk about His Most Excellent Majesty!" the girl said gritting her teeth. "You don't know anything about him!" Kokoro looked at her and pointed a finger.

"Well, I didn't like the way you tried to capture me and my friends!" he shouted back. Kokoro winced, but he was going to say something else. That was until Akuma ran over, being his obnoxious self. He was still the same idiot as before. He hadn't learned anything from this fight. Camilla was with him too, and the first thing he did was make a funny face in response to Kokoro being hurt. Miyuki walked over to him.

"Ouch, it looks like she got you pretty bad, huh?" Miyuki said, her hands traveling over him. Lucrecia stormed through everyone and adjusted her glasses, smiling a toothy grin.

"Hnn, out of my way you bastards," she said, snarling. "This shouldn't take long with some focal energy, just leave the stupid-ass kid to me." Before my eyes Lucrecia's hands started to glow and she started touching every needle. Upon each touch the weapons seemed to go away. So she was some kind of doctor? Heh. I shifted the straw in my mouth.

So everything was good now?

"Nice battling!"

Everyone turned around and there was Klaus, smiling and waving at Kokoro and the others. We all had our eyes on him. Morta was holding the other member of his guard over her shoulders. Kokoro brushed Lucrecia's arm away and stood up on his two feet. "What's the matter with you? Why are you so happy?" he demanded as Klaus walked up to him. Klaus—being himself—slumped over a bit (probably because he was taller than Kokoro was). He had a smile plastered on his face—his eyes seemingly closed.

In truth, Klaus' eyes weren't closed all the time, but they were so squinted that...

"I have to say you people do know what to do in the field of battling," Klaus said, as happy as ever. "You guys don't have to work up there. Do you really want to go back after everything you've seen down here?" He paused, putting his hand in the air. After a while, he put it back down, being his odd, peculiar, happy self. "I've got an offer for you all. You should come and work for me! First we'll take over Austere, and then Aysel... And then the world!"

"No!" Kokoro yelled. "Nobody would want to work with you—_arrgh!_"

Wow. Looks like that girl had managed to get up. Apparently she hopped off the ground, jumped into the air, and latched her teeth on top of Kokoro's head. It looked like she was trying to eat his brains. I chuckled under my breath. This was a wonderful bunch of people... The girl started growling, refusing to let her grip falter. She really did care about Klaus.

"... _You _..."

Who was it this time? I thought we had seen everything, but it was Teacher and Chase. They were standing behind everyone, and that must have been Teacher that growled. Camilla got on her knees and started worshiping Teacher. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry teacher! It wasn't my fault honestly! I wanted to stop it but Klaus is a prince and he was trying to fight the guests for his own gain and he was being really impulsive and stupid and Akuma kept cracking jokes and I didn't want anything bad to happen and then Tammy ran to go help Kokoro but I—" She went on and on, sobbing too. Teacher, with flared eyes looked towards Kokoro.

"So this is YOUR fault the town is in flames?"

He blinked. "F—flames...? Flames?" He twitched at the sight of smoke. "I—I didn't mean to Valerie! I was only trying to fight off that guy, Klaus! … See, you better tell her Klaus! … Klaus...?" He started looking around, and Klaus wasn't there. Where did he go, anyway? Even I didn't know where he went. "Wait. This can't be happening guys. Morta!"

She blinked too. "Well would you look at that? The guy I just had got away..."

"Where's the girl?" I said, looking around as well. Teacher didn't care if we couldn't find Klaus, she was just steaming mad right now. We needed to find out some way to put out the flames, and Austere wasn't a town known for keeping water everywhere, after all. "Do you Summoner guys know how to put of fires? Kokoro, I saw you put out that one fire on that girl's head and on her mask... Do you think you could do it again?" He shook his head, poking his hand.

"I only did it because I didn't want her to get seriously hurt." He scratched his head. "Hey, but maybe Sayuri can...!" He paused, putting his arms back down. "Oh yeah, she's not here with us right now." I could see 'defeat' spelled all over his face. Miyuki stood in front of everyone, closing her eyes and drawing her deck from underneath her fingers. With one swift movement from her leg, a hurricane-like wind appeared, blowing out the flames on the buildings. After a moment she stood back up, looking at everyone. She cracked her knuckles, turning back around.

"Problem solved, Miss Valerie," Miyuki said. "Sorry for all the commotion my Summoners caused... But I think we'd like to go back inside and rest." Teacher gave Miyuki the evil eye.

"Do it again and I'll make sure I walk ALL of you to your deaths. There are people that actually live in those run-down houses you decided to light on fire. Worthless insects, don't think you're going to come down to Austere and try to destroy what can't be destroyed! Your kind makes me sick," she spat, rolling her eyes. "All this violence. And for what? A shot at being a winner? You all are worthless little swine; you won't remember this battle in a few days. I hope it was worth it." She turned around on her heels, dragging her baton across the floor.

"Bitch you better watch your tongue," Lucrecia said, pointing at her. "I've just about had it with you!"

"Then why don't you do battle with me?" Teacher's words were sharp. She wasn't afraid of anything, and it was unheard of for her to back down from a battle. Besides, with the musica, I knew Lucrecia didn't stand a chance. How reckless it was to battle someone you knew nothing about on both their parts. I looked behind me, shifting the straw in my mouth. Fighting. How third-grade. It sickened me. I didn't want to watch this. "If one fights to show superiority over another person—what more can they win?" Teacher's facial expression stayed the same, while Lucrecia inspected her arm, ignoring her and gritting her teeth. "I don't have time to play with children."

"You're lucky," Lucrecia said, sneering. "...You're fucking lucky that I have to screw this thing back in place. Otherwise, with a mouth like that, I'd kill you were you stand." While Lucrecia was in the middle of her first sentence Teacher turned her back on her, walking towards the hall. Kokoro slumped his shoulders, leaning on Adel.

"I'm so tired..." he muttered. Then he stood up straight. I looked at him through the corner of my eyes. "But I can't rest. Not when I know that guy is somewhere around here." He started to look around, paranoid. "That dummy. First he tries to capture us, and then he tries to get us to work with him even though he probably has no money." I chuckled to myself. That boy was truly amusing. We walked inside of the hall and several people started to go their separate ways. Miyuki went upstairs—probably to sleep, and Chio was laid out on the lounge chair. Adel walked towards her.

"Do you need me to carry you upstairs?" he asked, politely. Then he saluted her. "Summoners need their rest, after all, and I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing you're down here in the open..." He looked around in the same fashion Kokoro did. I walked over to Chio, and she had her hand over her forehead.

"You need some water, kid? You did have a tough time out there..." I said, putting my hand on my hip. Chio smiled at us and shook her head.

"Don't worry guys, I'm fine! I just want to take a nap, but it's nice of you two to ask! Tammy, Adel?" She paused, looking up. "Umm, you want to go see what's wrong with Kokoro, Tammy? A—at least see if he's all right. He kind of got up really fast from all of those injuries he had. I just want to make sure he's okay." She grinned at me, pointing at him. Kokoro looked like he was going into the room that had all the foot-courts in it... I nodded my head. It was nice to have such great teammates. Kokoro was lucky that he had so many people concerned with him. I ran over to him and he looked at me, a smile appearing on his face.

"Is something wrong, Tammy?" he said. I shook my head.

"No, I just wanted to make sure you were all right." I looked at the floor, feeling exhausted. "Phew, sorry. Just looking at fighting makes me want to collapse on the ground. You did pretty good out there today." He sighed.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about that stupid prince," he muttered. I heard something... It sounded like a cat dying so I looked around. The sound was really strange; we didn't have any animals down in Austere because this was a city underground. So what was the damage? It must have just been my imagination. But then I realized it was that boy's stomach. He looked at me, rubbing it and I laughed.

We walked into the court, albeit careful... There were a lot of Nocuous in here—they were the normal, standard citizens... Not wearing anything flashy... To tell you the honest truth, my friends were part of the upper-class down here, and that's not saying much.

Speaking of upper class... "Where do you want to eat?" I asked.

"Let's see..." Kokoro said, touching his chin. "Let's eat... Wait!" I didn't know where he was running to, but I followed him and he started gritting his teeth. "Hey, it's that prince!" he yelled, pointing a finger and Klaus. Oh, it was Klaus. But wait, how did he see him from all the way over there? "I could see your stupid white coat!"

"Oh, hey!" he answered back. "It's nice of you to come by, friend!" Kokoro frowned and hit him on top of his head.

"Stop acting like nothing happened just before! What are you talking about? We're not friends! And... You know your friends earlier gave us a real run for our money!" Kokoro shouted. Klaus looked at him, waving his hands in front of him. He was still smiling—a tinge of embarrassment on him, maybe.

"Oh, okay! I saw the whole thing myself. Don't worry, I'll tell them that they shouldn't be so ruthless later." Kokoro took a step back, crossing his arms. Amusing, this whole thing. "So, the girl you fought? Her name was Himani, and the man's name is Raylen. They've been protecting me ever since... Ever. You know, being a prince like me in a place like this isn't really the most safest situation." Klaus nodded his head and Kokoro kept staring at him, his arms crossed. I chuckled again, looking out of the window.

"Well I still don't like you, you horrible prince—_argh!"_

"Himani sure knows how to come out of nowhere..." I sighed. This time she managed to jump in through the window and bite Kokoro on top of his head. Klaus chuckled, and then a man walked up to him.

"What'll it be, my good Sir?" the waiter said, his notepad ready. He looked at us and laughed. "Quite the party you've got going on here! Are you going to order for everyone?" Kokoro kept glaring at him, and it seemed Himani had unlatched herself from his head.

"His Most Excellent Majesty will not tolerate you talking about him!" Himani said, her hair in a bun. She quirked her nose at Kokoro, folding her arms. Klaus put his hand up, smiling.

"Oh no, I'm not buying for everyone, surely not. But I'll have everything on the menu just for me."

"Everything on the menu?" Kokoro exclaimed. _"How_ are you going to pay for all of that?"

"That's the easy part," Klaus answered back, grinning. "Fellow, if you could, I'd like you to put it on my tab. See this crest right here?" Klaus pointed to the... Cloak he seemed to be wearing. Since when did he get something like that? I arched a brow. Something wasn't right. "Yep! Just send it right to Queen Aysel's tab! I'm a part of her guard, you know!" The diamond on the cloak started to shine and his smile got brighter. The waiter returned the smile, writing the order down. He was only happy because he was going to get paid for the food.

"Brilliant Sir! Absolutely brilliant! We need more people like you who are generous enough to pay for all of this stuff in cash!" I took a closer look at the situation. Oh, okay. I got it.

"Good," Kokoro said, nodding his head. "I thought you weren't going to pay for it."

"Of course, of course," Klaus said, clapping his hands together. Wow, that kid must have been really dumb not to notice what was really going on around here. I was almost tempted to tell Kokoro myself, but it was only a matter of time until Kokoro noticed what was really going on. "I would never order the whole menu and run before I got a chance to eat it. That's not very prince-like, is it?" Kokoro nodded his head, agreeing. The waiter came back, clapping his hands.

"So what is someone from Aysel's guard doing down here?"

"Expedition work you see," Klaus answered back. "We're looking for a very special rock." Klaus narrowed his eyes, looking at Kokoro. "And we're trying to find this special rock and bring it back to Her Highness because she really wants to chisel it into something she can give to her daughter. Isn't Queen Aysel the best?" The waiter nodded his head.

"Yes, she is the best if she has loyal subjects such as yourselves." That man was lying through his teeth. He only wanted the money, nothing more. People were bothersome. I sighed, putting my hand on my waist again. Kokoro's jaw dropped as he looked at chest.

"Wait a second..." Kokoro muttered. It took him a while to put two and two together, but it finally came to him. He touched on his chest and started babbling. "...How'd you get my cloak?" Klaus smiled at him. "... That's _mine!_ Take it off right now!" Kokoro started flailing his arms around, but something us hit him in the head. "What? Did you just buy the whole menu with Aysel's money?" Klaus nodded his head, licking his lips and putting his hands on the table. After that he started to tie a napkin around his neck. "Take it back take it back take it all back!"

"Klaus, that was pretty mean of you..." I said. "You could at least warned him first."

"We're friends now, Tammy!" Klaus replied. "And besides, Queen Aysel should be swinging in money—_hahah__!_ What's a few thousand missing suna?"

"A lot of money." I sighed. Kokoro dropped on his knees.

"Noooo. Nooo. Nooo. Nooo." He kept saying that over and over, slamming his head into the floor. His voice was monotone, which was weird for him. Kokoro was normally loud. Klaus sat sideways in his seat, putting his hand by his mouth.

"Okay! So I told you a little bit about myself, Summoner. So now you have no choice but to come with me! Well, first thing is first... How do you use magic? Teach me everything you know."

"No," Kokoro answered. "Not a chance. You don't get to learn how to use my magic! There's a reason why I'm the Summoner of Fire! Summoners don't cheat people out of their money, or attack them, or... Or...!" Kokoro was cut off due to the sound of Klaus getting up and wrapping his arms around Kokoro. He started petting his head, too.

"Oh c'mon! Please? If you don't tell me it means I have to go with you! Learning the musica is nothing compared to being able to shoot fire everywhere!" Kokoro didn't move—Klaus was more-or-less _exasperating_ him. Himani didn't like Kokoro, I could tell. She was standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowed. Kokoro started to punch Klaus on top of his head, and even managed to snap his cloak off his neck.

"No, you're _not_ coming with us!" Kokoro yelled. "And that's final!"

"Aww," Klaus said, putting his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'll just have to ask one of your lady friends then." Klaus started to walk towards the door and Himani bowed down in front of him.

"You're ready to leave, His Most Excellent Majesty?" she asked. Klaus nodded his head and the other guy, Raylen, walked next to him. Kokoro frowned, throwing out his hands.

"Wait!_ Don't _talk to my friends!" Kokoro almost tripped walking after them. Klaus turned around.

"Oh? Well, if you won't tell me, who will?"

"Not them!"

"I see." He stood there for a while. "I know!"

"What?" Kokoro demanded.

"I'll ask your lady friend that hasn't come here. Summoner Sayuri, was it? Cute name." Heh, Klaus was so unforgiving. Kokoro stared at the ground for a while before he took a few steps backwards, sitting in the chair that Klaus had just got up from. He put his hand on his forehead.

"I don't believe that guy..." Kokoro muttered. "Tammy, why do you hang out with him?"

I shrugged and shifted the piece of straw in my mouth. I didn't know why I hung out with anyone. All I knew was that they were my friends. And I loved Klaus to death. Kokoro sunk down in his chair, melting, almost. I didn't know... He was the Summoner of Fire, so anything was possible. "Sir!" the waiter said. "I've got your order!" Slowly, Kokoro looked behind him. There were millions of waiters and waitresses holding platters just for him. His eyes widened and he jumped out of his chair.

"Woah! Woah! That's not mine, that was that guy's—!" He pointed towards the doorway and Klaus was gone again. Kokoro shook his head. "No, not again! Himani? Raylen? Where are you guys?"

"Sir, you're the one with the diamond crest, so this has to be your order...?" Kokoro looked down at his cloak, sighing.

"He got me again!" he shouted, running his fingers through his hair. "I can't pay for this—it's not my money! Klaus! Klaus!" He flailed his arms while the people started putting food in his table—thanking him for buying it all. Eventually Kokoro sat in his chair, tears running down his cheeks. Aww. He folded his arms, throwing a tantrum. "I don't like princes," he mumbled, looking at his food tower.

"But you're still hungry, Kokoro." He was going to protest, but his stomach started growling. He sweatdropped. I sat at the table and picked a chicken-wing up. "Here, I'll eat with you." He was hesitant at first, but with a frown on his face he started eating.

Many things were bothersome, but Summoners were actually a lot of fun to be around.

* * *

**A/N:** Baaah! Klaus! XD;;

I love Klaus! Bwahahaah. Klaus. *proceeds to fangirl* He's like the best thing on earth. And give it up for Himani! Blowing up Shiva like she did! :D She just got badass and Shiva went kaablooeeeey! XD Klaus is a gangster, guys! He's really fun to write, and people just do not get that Klaus is a beast in everything. Everything. He's just that badass. XD;

I really seriously do not think she likes Kokoro too much. I loved writing this chapter, guys. XD And that's all for me.


	40. Jesus Loves You But I Don't

**A/N:** Phew. This took me a while to get out. o_e

Only because... XD I don't do so well with feelings and emotions and stuff like that. And if it's in first person... Oh hell no. It takes me a little bit longer to process my thoughts. But I got this chapter out, right? I'm going to tell you guys right now. You all should know how far I take gore and horror and violence and stuff like that. And I'm warning you ahead of time. Though I'm not going to write anything gory now or next chapter...

Just know that you're about to be face with a CHAIN of deaths. XD;;

A _CHAIN._ I kid you not. A chain of deaths. One after the other. And I'm gonna do my best to kill them all in the most horrible way ever. I'm going to try to make every death honorable in my eyes, and I'm going to try to kill everyone fairly._ No one _is gonna get a mercy kill. _And if you think Kohana's idea of a mercy kill is painless_, you are mistaken. *shot* XD;;;

But I'm WARNING you. XD;; People are going to DIE. That is all. XD

* * *

Sayuri hates the sound of her boots banging against the ground... It bothers her, to say the least. It makes her remember how alone she truly is. She looks at the ground, a scowl on her face. Her sword is safely tucked under her sash, hanging off her waist. She looks up, hearing some sort of breathing.

"What do we have here? A young lady?" The voice is raspy, definitely belonging to a male. "You know, it's dangerous coming to a place like this alone. You oughta be more careful. Seriously. Serious things can happen." She looks up to see a man dressed in really odd clothing, smiling at her as he tries to make small talk. He's a cyborg as far as she can tell—half his body replaced with technology. She grits her teeth. She's _not_ a young lady. "Young lady" translates to "kid" as far as she knows. However, she doesn't put her hand on the hilt of her sword just yet.

"Gyahahahahaha. Maybe that's why she came!" Behind her. Yet another male. Dressed up in the same getup as the first one. A cyborg, too. She scowls again. "It's what she wants. Two grown men to keep her company." She sighs yet again, watching the guy circle behind her. "Puhahahahaha!" He stops, scowling at her. "Horny slut—"

"—Hold your tongue," Sayuri says, her eyes filled with rage. "The old man has got his hands full. So I'm taking his place." She pauses, smirking. "Not that it matters. He asked me nicely if I could finish the job for him. I don't like people like you. Going around and stirring up problems for the rest of the world. Gangs are not good. Whether he's here or not..." she says, grinning mischievously. "...The result is going to be the same." She looks up, scowling. "I _don't _have time for this!"

"_You're_ taking Shannon's place...? Wow. I've gotta say. I'm feeling pretty disrespected."

"Just shut up and fight!" Sayuri yells, clutching the hilt of her sword.

"Listen to this whore..." the man in front of her says sarcastically. The one behind her starts walking around her.

"... Acting like she's some kind of femme-fatale. 'Shut up and fight,' she says!" He dashes in front of her, making sure she sees his face. "SHE'S REALLY PISSING ME OFF!" he yells in her face. She looks at the metal taking the place of half his face.

"Seriously. She's so rude," the other man says. "Reminds me of my complaining costumers. Now... Shannon. He knew how to fight like a gentlemen. Sliced me in half, sure, but he did it with grace. I wouldn't have robot parts if it weren't for him."

The other man extends his hand to her. "I mean c'mon. Put 'er there."

"Huh...?"

"You know. Let's shake hands. Sportsmanship is paramount to a fair and clean fight." He touches the place where his heart is with his other hand, which makes her roll her eyes. The other man extends his hand, restless.

"Hurry up and shake!" Sayuri stares at him. "Stupid bitch."

"Whatever. But... Which one?" Yes, they both look the same. She figures she has to get this over with so she turns to her left and grabs his hand. They both start smirking, whispering something that she doesn't bother to pay attention to. His mechanical hand starts to pulsate but Sayuri pulls it off, blinking. He jumps back, astonished. She smirks, waving his hand around.

"Was this supposed to... 'Spark'?" she says, mocking him. She throws it over her shoulder, hitting the other man in the head. "Lame, guys. Truly, truly lame." The man's eyes widen, rushing to retrieve his hand.

"Filthy skank!"

"Yeah, that wasn't very smart!" the other man says, pointing at her.

"I'll make sure Shannon gets your head in the mail!" Sayuri abruptly turns around, her sword drawn.

"Enough with your freak show!" she yells. "Now bring it." They both stand next to each other, ready for whatever she has in store for them. They point at her in the same fashion, almost appearing as twins.

"We're gonna kill you twice over!"

Sayuri smirks. She'll make this quick. They don't even get a chance to see her move across the field. She goes for the closer of the two, absorbing his fear and anger as she positions her sword. With one swift cut she beheads the man, his blood squirting into the air. Red stains her otherwise clean, purple hair. She balances his head on her sword before she tosses it into the air, slicing at it horizontally. First she cuts his jaw away, then she makes another slash right under his nose... After that she slices the top of his skull away and watches his head fall to the floor in pieces.

"Wooaha—_argh!_" she exclaims. The other man grabs her arms, catching her off guard. She tries to struggle, keeping her head down as she moves her body. He cackles, stepping on her back. That makes Sayuri angry and she manages to crack his mechanical fingers. His grip loosens on her and he stares at his hand, taken aback. She narrows her eyes as she jumps on his shoulders, positioning herself right above his head. She jumps into the air, pointing her sword down.

"What?" He looks up, only to have her cold steel impaled through his forehead. His head starts to spark, but she's not finished yet. She simpers, increasing her grip on the sword. She spins around, twisting her weapon into his head—ripping up everything inside of it. His screams of agony make her wish that this would never stop—his face making her happy. She glances at the other man's body still standing up—spewing blood out of his neck. She launches away from the man, her sword in her hand.

She lands on her feet, looking down at the ground with her eyes closed.

The both of them blow up in terrifying flames. She turns around after the smoke disappears. "That really blows," she said, scoffing. "I can't believe I fell for that." She looks up at the ceiling. "If Shannon cut this guy in half, then he got glued to two robotic parts." She paused, kicking the air. She let out a cruel laughter, sheathing her sword. "It doesn't matter now! He's dead anyway! Bastard."

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty: Jesus Loves You... But I Don't :-**

_No apologies, nah suckers I'm not sorry  
You can all sue me, y'all could be the cause of me  
No apologies, y'all feelin' the force of me  
No remorse for me, like there was no recourse for me  
No apologies, not even acknowledging you at all  
'till I get a call that God's coming  
No apologies, laugh fuckers it's all funny  
I can spit in ya face while your standin' across from me, no apologies  
_

_My head hits the pillow, a weeping willow, I can't sleep, a pain so deep it bellows  
But these cellos help just to keep me mellow, hand's on my head, touched knees to elbow  
I'm hunched over, emotion just flows over, these cold shoulders are both frozen, you_ don't_ know me._

— Eminem — "No Apologies"

Rest in peace.

Not because they died. But because of what they did while they were still alive.

I closed my eyes, holding both of my hands together. The room was nice and dark—just like I liked it. One lone candle was lit in front of my face. My baton was lying on the ground next to me as I inhaled the fumes of cinnamon coming from the candle. Looking back on all of this now... No. I stood up, clutching my fists. Death wasn't in my vocabulary. I was a strong woman full of strong morals and enhanced abilities.

I was better than the Summoner garbage that decided to drag themselves to my hall. I didn't understand why Chase thought it would be a good idea to bring those rats here! I couldn't blame him by much, however. Chase was an idiot. And he was standing right behind me. Looking at me. I knew he was aware that I could sense him at the threshold of my room. I had a mind to chew his head off for not saying he was there, but I was in the middle of remembering my lost comrades. I paid my respects every night because it was the right thing to do... I didn't have the luxury of being able to visit their bodies because frankly... There weren't any bodies for me to visit.

I closed my eyes, wafting the scent of the candle towards my nose. "I bet up there they get ample treatment to see their loved ones, right Chase?" He didn't answer me. I turned around, my face fuming red. My student Tammy and I shared the same pet-peeve. People who didn't answer my questions often met my bad side very quickly. But then I stopped and remembered that this was Chase that I had been dealing with. It was okay for him not to answer me. Him and him alone. "When a person dies up there, do they find their killer...?" He stepped into the room, scratching his head.

"Val," he said, sighing. "It's late. Don't you think you should be going to bed?" I could have asked that buffoon the same question. Him being up threw my whole entire plan off for tonight. I couldn't accomplish what I needed to because he was up. I needed this. My country needed this. Everyone in Austere was counting on me. But then again, I took orders from no one. Still. If I had to choose against Chase's loyalty and my friends' well-being... It wasn't like he was ever here for me in the first place... I closed my eyes.

"Don't give me that," I spat. "All of a sudden you come back and you're my nanny?" It was normal for Chase to feel a little hurt by something that I said. He winced, and he knew why I was so angry with him. When I had told him to talk with me earlier, we didn't talk as much as we stared at the walls around us. It's hard trying to strike up a conversation with someone that you know abandoned you for people that were responsible for making the citizens of Austere suffer like this. "I don't like this anymore than you do, Chase." I turned around, my hair flowing behind me. "So why'd you leave and not tell anyone?"

My voice was demanding. My stance strong. My gaze sharp. I narrowed my eyes. Actually, I thought it made me look more intimidating with my hair over my left eye. I could still see, but it put fear into others. Just knowing that it appeared that I couldn't see but I did... I saw this whole situation from _all _sides. Chase knew better than anyone that he couldn't lie to me. I started to walk around the room with my hands behind my back. I chewed my lip—which was something that I never did. "You... Made a lot of people worry about you, you idiot."

"Yeah, I know," Chase said, making his meaningless excuses. I didn't have time for excuses, and I didn't like hearing his. "Val, I don't know how many times I can tell you I'm sorry for leaving. But I left because I wanted to protect people. And I was kind of in a predicament." He paused, smiling. I glared at him still. His upside-down frown didn't do anything to detract from the negativity I felt for him. This wasn't about helping people. This was about how _I _felt. I—I didn't want to lose another friend. Not to violence... Not to the unexplainable... I gritted my teeth, turning around.

"What kind of predicament?" I demanded, staring at him coldly.

"The kind that'll end up getting you killed if you don't handle it the right way." I arched a brow. Was he trying to make fun of me? Was he trying to be sarcastic with me? Chase? The Chase that _I _knew? I folded my arms. This was all new to me. Those people up there took my friend and changed him too? They re-worked his whole outer appearance. His once spikey, black hair was now tamed... I felt like they had taken the wild out of him... Everything that made him a Nocuous. Even down to the clothes that he wore. He wasn't the Chase that I knew... But a different one.

"Speak to me like you know who I am," I spat once more. He flinched again.

"Sorry."

"I'm tired of your excuses, Chase!" I shouted. "Since when did you get so selfish? You know almost as much as I do that selfishness doesn't cut it down here in Austere!" Forever the oblivious one. Chase scratched the back of his head, letting out a large yawn. He looked at his hands, playing with his fingers. He just didn't want to look me in the face. In my eyes. That only made me want to intensify my gaze. I wanted Chase to suffer just like I had when he was gone. "If you were going to die... Then you should have given your life to death while you were up there! How many times have I told you? Stop playing hero! Just who do you think you are?"

"Val, you're going to wake up everyone if you keep screaming like that..." Now he really wanted me to stop. But I wasn't going to let him get away. He needed to know how I felt. He put his hands on my shoulder and he would have lost those fingers. I stepped back just as quick, fuming with rage. "There's something wrong with you but you won't tell me what. How can I help you feel better if all you're going to do is lash out at me?" I wasn't lashing out at him. I was scolding him for being such a big child. He still didn't get it.

"I don't have time for your ignorance," I said. "Either you start looking into the big picture, or you can leave my room." I was tempted to not give him a choice. Looking at him burned my eyes. It made me remember everything I wanted to forget. "If you really wanted to help, you'd stay and listen to what I have to tell you." He threw his arms out in confusion. That made me quirk my nose. He even smelled funny.

"That's what I've been trying to do, Val," he said, trying to be careful of the words he chose to say. "But you won't start! So then I'll never know what's really wrong with you!" He paused, waiting for me to say something. But it wasn't going to be that easy.

"I want to know what happened while you were up there..." I said in a low whisper. "Please, it'll help me a great deal if you told me." Whether or not it would sway my judgment of the Enlightened and Summoners here... I had no clue. But if Chase had been traveling with them, they must have been great people... At first I could tell he was hesitant. But then he took a seat on the floor. I had chairs and things of that nature in my room, but obviously the overgrown cow didn't want to sit in those. I huffed, my face turning red again. He closed his eyes, poking his chin.

"Well, first off, I went out to train—"

"—What have I told you about that?" I interrupted. He glanced at me, looking sorry. That was all I needed. At least he still cared about my emotions.

"I went to go train, Val, and I noticed Aline had followed me up there so I was searching for her," he said, patting his knees. "I guess you could say it was a twist of fate because half of the Summoner team had found her and she had been safe. I showed up when they were fighting an Earth Eater and I helped them take it out with my special move." I sat down on the ground next to him, poking at the floorboards. "After that the other Summoners came and I met Princess Renata and Lucrecia. Lucrecia's the one you were having problems with earlier." Ah, that nuisance of a woman... I cupped my chin in my hands. He thought I was going to say something, but I kept my mouth closed.

"So you met Princess Renata?" I said. I waited for a moment. "...Don't lie to me, Chase. When you tell me everything that went on up there... I mean I want you to tell me everything. Leave nothing out. For your sake." I made sure to add extra volume to my last sentence. He nodded at me. You know, even though he didn't want to say it, I think he was shocked that I didn't seem to trust him anymore. I had every right not to trust him.

"I'm telling you the truth, Val," he replied. "After that another Summoner showed up. Chio, actually. She was sleeping and Shiva had been attacking the land. We all split up to look for her and eventually we found both Shiva and Chio. But afterward Princess Renata was under attack and Lucrecia and I went to help everyone." Did he really willingly help fight with _Enlightened? _I could see Summoners, but Enlightened? It made my blood boil at how naive Chase was... He could have died fighting for them! I banged my fist into the floor and he looked at me.

"Go on, it's nothing," I insisted.

"But it is..."

"No, it's not!" I shouted. "You need to stop being so sentimental all the time!" I showed no remorse for hurting his feelings. "I have a hunch that you didn't even agree to go up there." It appeared that I was right. He twitched at my accusation. "So they forced you, correct?" He didn't answer me. Time was slowly running out for him. It wasn't going to be long before my opinion could seize to be swayed. "Chase, this isn't looking like the kind of situation someone like you would get yourself in."

"You're right, Val. It's the opposite, but... I didn't want anyone dying." I sprang up to my feet, pointing to the door.

"Tough dreams you have there!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Because death is a natural thing. You can't save everyone, Chase. Even the people that you want to save. You think going to war is going to save our people? Who cares about those Enlightened up there! While I'm sitting here, I could be spilling their blood right now!" Chase stood up, putting his hands out. I was breathing too hard to care about him holding my shoulders. "They did this to us Chase! Why punish your friends? Why replace us with them?"

"Get a hold of yourself Val! I'm not replacing you! You're standing right in front of me." My breathing relaxed and I looked at him. Could I honestly believe him? Even if I forgave him... Could I forgive those Enlightened that were up in Aysel living without a care in the world? Enlightened that would have been more-or-less_ dead_ if it weren't for him saving them? I could never forgive them... They are the ones that took the people I held dear away from me, and I wasn't going to let them have the object of my affection too.

"Then why do you fight? Surely you're not going to tell me that it's for Austere. Because if you were fighting for Austere, you'd be here. You wouldn't have left. And please, don't lie about how you fight because you have to. I know you're better than that." I paused, seething. "Can't you see that those monsters are up there laughing at us? And you fight to protect _them_?" That was the only thing I could think about. And the candle-light in the room wasn't helping the situation at all. I was going to kill every Enlightened and Summoner I saw. All of them. None of them were allowed to live in Austere, so help me God...!

"I wasn't fighting for Aysel." I looked up, distracted from my immediate anger. There was something different about his tone of voice. "Val, I—I... No, you. You don't understand this at all. I was prepared to die as opposed to working with Aysel. But Princess Renata helped me to get back on my feet and she inducted me into her guard. I was fighting for her and her only. And I trust the Summoners more than you know. They've helped me a lot too. And these Enlightened are my friends. I can't turn my back on them because you don't like them." I gritted my teeth. No one said I didn't like them. I breathed, sitting back down. Chase took comfort in me doing that but I closed my eyes. It was hard changing for him... And it was even harder changing my opinion of the people who I knew had something to do with my lost comrades.

"I know you know that everyday I send my regards to my friends from in here..." I mumbled, brushing my hair away from my eye. "I really, truly want to find out what happened to them. People just don't go missing without a trace, Chase. You know that." I was calming down now, my regular scowl plastered on my face. I smirked, lost in thought. Chase couldn't keep my emotions pent up forever. He wasn't that good. He was far from it. "You don't think that every night I dream... I dream of obtaining my revenge?"

"...How do you know the Enlightened killed them?" he asked, arching a brow. I seethed.

"Who else could have done something so monstrous?" I yelled. "They're the only ones capable of such a thing. Those people were my friends. Are you saying that you trust the Enlightened more than my dead comrades?" Chase shifted around, scratching his chin. That's when I got a closer look at him. Even when he came in my room to make me feel better... Even still he had his sword strapped to his back like _I _was being the dangerous one. Yet it was he who was the one that I couldn't trust. I gritted my teeth. It was like he was mocking me on purpose, but he knew that degree of idiocy didn't bother me much.

"We're not going to get anything solved like this." Oh really? "Every time I try to point something out, you slam me down and get paranoid." He stood up, dusting himself off. "Val, when you really want to get this thing off your chest, I'll be here and ready to listen, but until then you—" I narrowed my eyes. There wouldn't be a 'then'. Chase felt something was wrong and abruptly turned around. He jumped at my facial expression.

I thrust my right arm outwards, my conductor's baton hanging out from under my sleeve. I pressed a button on the top of it, making it turn to its normal length. Now it couldn't touch the floor and I could handle it with ease. I looked up at Chase, my eyes showing no mercy. "Musica is the art of healing," I said, waving my arm across the air. "Without musica, there would be no Essences. No you and me." I'd have to find a way around my clothes. I was going do something that required something with a little bit more freedom, but my work outfit would have to make due.

I wore a sheer white lyrcra blouse and a pinstripe black dress with a side-front slit. I wore a matching belt and a red scarf around my neck. I lifted my baton in the air, marveling at its beauty. Chase pleaded with his eyes... He was pleading with me not to do this. I ignored all of his silly excuses. "This is a white 350mm carbon-graphite conductor's baton. You want to know who gave this to me?" He couldn't even more. He was too afraid too. "They stationed Enlightened officers here. In _my_ hall. They invaded. _My_ hall!"

He put his hands out. "Val, wait! We can talk about this!"

"I'm done talking," I said flatly, pointing my baton at him. "I've already since decided that if you got in the way of me saving my hall from these bastardy insects that I'd kill you along with them. You can't be trusted anymore than they can." I paused. His eyes were shimmering with hurt. What a weak man. My lips twitched into a smirk. "...I don't trust you as much as I can throw you." I stood there, intrigued by the way he grabbed the hilt of his sword. His face darkened and I awaited for what garbage he decided to throw at me this time.

"You'd go that far, Val? You'd kill innocent people that have nothing to do with the disappearance of your friends?" Chase asked, looking directly at me. "You _can't_ go around doing that!" He had said that thousands and thousands of times already! I was going to put an end to his hopeless squawking! I started to move my hand, objects in my room starting to sync with the musica. He pulled his sword away from his back, standing in a way I had never seen him stand before. He seemed scared. "I won't let you hurt anyone in this hall. Enlightened, Summoner, or Nocuous!"

"To the eyes of a baboon such as yourself," I said, closing my eyes. "You might think conducting is easy. That all I'm doing is waving my baton anywhere I please." I moved my hands around in the air. "The world is surrounded by energy. It hovers over the sky above us. When using musica, we can harness mother nature's natural remedy. However. Though I have told my students that musica is a natural healing technique and I only teach that part of it, no one knows of the dangers that move below us." He stepped back. Fool. "Where there is healing energy, there is destructive energy!"

I waved my baton forward, lifting it straight in the air. Chase dropped his pitiful sword as he floated in mid-air. "Using the energy from the ground itself, I can do wonderful things. As long as I'm giving the gravel a reason to sing!" Though this was a city underground, that did not stop me from throwing him through the wall. And he went through it with force. Silly man! He thought because I was his "friend" that I wouldn't hurt him? If he valued his life, he would start fighting me! We were on the same terms now. This was a fight between life and death. Not love and admiration.

I looked through the hole I had created. "Hmph," I muttered, walking back and kicking his blade through the hole. I hope he was ready for it to fall down. "Pretentious dog!" I had a mind to turn back around. Austere or not, that was a rather long fall. He wouldn't get up in time to stop me. It would be easy. I'd go room to room, ending their lives as quickly as possible. Never dilly-dallying. The only ones who deserved to stay in my hall were my students and the Nocuous. Not fools like him.

I was no idiot. I had to make sure Chase was really, truly dead. I extended both of my arms, sheets of music flying downwards. They, too, were being carried by the power that was underground. And they were being instructed by the musica. I jumped out of the hole, landing on my feet. I looked around and I saw no sign of Chase. But with hundreds and hundreds of sheet music flying around me, I was sure there was no way he could get a surprise attack on me. That and his sword slowed him down tremendously. So what was it that he was waiting for?

I held my baton with both of my hands.

"Another thing, Chase. People give off natural energy as well—comparable to the energy surrounding the planet!" I shouted, pointing my baton at an abandoned building. It wasn't standing tall to begin with, but my music sheets—like swords—went through the faulty brick like a hot knife making its way through a block of butter. With the energy meshing with my sheet music, they were stronger than the average blade. Sharper. Easier to control. "I suggest you get from behind there, Chase!" I shouted, both of my hands on my baton. I could have killed him at that moment if I wanted to.

He showed himself, his sword in his right hand. Oh. So he retrieved it after all. "Thank me," I said, cocking a brow. I supplied him with the very thing that would help him "try" to save his life.

"You're... You're going to make me fight—"

"Enough!" I shouted, waving my arms again. Three of my papers cut into his shoulder-blade, splitting his skin in an instant. He dropped his blade again, the fool. The helpless look on his face repulsed me greatly. He grabbed for his wounds—but remember, paper cuts are the worst cuts out there... Especially when they're enhanced to slice through mounds of skin like a blade. I leaned on my knee, tapping his cuts with my baton. "You think I won't kill you? Stand up and fight!" I yelled, waving my baton across the air. He was pushed backwards and I sent more of my music sheets toward him.

Luckily he managed to grab his sword.

We were fighting under the streetlights... Everyone was gone now... No one could save him from the fate I was going to deliver him. I was going to give him no mercy. I had already tried to warn him. Twice at that. I waved my hands again, this time being sure that I made no mistakes. "In a 4/4 time scale, I'll move my baton in a upside down "T" shape. Beat three moves outward, and I change my form!" And change it I did. I thrust my hands forward, multiple sheets of music flying in front of me. I pulled my hands back and the paper rolled into tubes, razor-sharp at the tips.

"Stop hiding!" I yelled. "I can find you Chase, no matter where you decide the shadows will protect you!" I warned him a _forth_ time. I scowled. That was my last time warning him. I swore it. He decided to hide behind more abandoned buildings and my paper flew straight through the stone. They were like my own, special-made bullets. And still he ran. He wasn't running towards me, but he was running out of harm's way. "Stop running!" I paused, my movements stopping. Chase took advantage of this, trying to catch his breath. I wouldn't let him—!

I gasped. There was no way I could have just imagined him standing in front of me, was there...?

A stinging pain surged throughout my body... One that I was familiar with. I gritted my teeth. I wouldn't be taken down so easily! Another slash to my shoulder-blade, making me stumble, but even that wasn't enough to take me down. Crimson liquid leaked down onto the gravel under me. My grip tightened on my baton. I wouldn't let him take me down so easil—"Grah!" I exclaimed, seething. He cut me again—and he cut me like this on purpose. Now we both had three identical wounds. He looked at me, closing his eyes. He waved his sword around, my blood flying from his blade.

"Val, please, I don't want to do this."

"Stop... Pleading..." I said. The look in my eyes didn't change. I held true to my claim. I was going to spill his blood over. I waved my baton in the air, bright blue light shining over my wounds. They closed up in no time flat, making his jaw drop. I stood back up, scoffing. "I told you not to underestimate the musica!" I shouted. I moved my hands and the paper spears I made flew straight through his upper-torso from behind, his blood splattering over my clothes. Apparently the fool didn't believe I was going to hit him then, either. "I have to do this I keep telling you."

I took two steps towards him, my heart aching at the sight of pain on his face, but my brain not caring about what he felt. Be it pain or joy, Chase was still an idiot. His breathing was jagged for whatever reason... I hadn't punctured a lung of his. I was sure of it. I quirked my nose at the smell of our blood. Not just his. Not just mine. _Our _blood. It smelled of violence and silly gain... I couldn't keep lying to him like this. I saw his fingers twitch and my eyes widened. I screamed in rage, moving my hands again. More of my paper spears impaled his body. Three of them went through his right leg, and three more riddled his back. They didn't go through it, however.

He coughed up blood and he was making my hands tremble. "Are you done now?" I asked, straight-faced. "Are you done trying to play the hero? Abandoning your post? Stabbing your friends in their backs?"

"You're the only one who's... Doing that Val," he answered. The stupid idiot shouldn't of had the energy to move, let alone talk! I seethed again. My wounds were healed. That was the extent of the musica. But he was still mouthing off... Even though he was so hurt and wounded. I'd show him. I wanted to raise my baton up again but he grabbed my hand. His gaze was killing me on the inside. I didn't want him to hurt anymore. I—I... "I've known you for a while... Val..." He was struggling with his words... I imagined his pain. My grip loosened on my baton and I dropped it. It bounced off the ground twice before it decided to stay down. "Who told you to kill us?"

I twitched. "You idiot! Why would you think someone told me to kill you all?" I was hyperventilating now. "I never follow orders! I do everything my own way and I have fun handling them like that!" Nothing made sense anymore. I felt like I was going to lose my mind any second here now. Those were the people that hated our kind...

"Valerie," he said. He actually attempted to get up. Blood stained his clothes—his_ Enlightened_ clothes—but still he tried to get up. The paper that was stuck in his back fell limp on the ground. He must have been in agonizing pain... Who was I to tell him what he could and couldn't do...? Now I felt sorry, but another half of me wanted him to pay like this... He got in my way. I didn't do this on purpose. I did it because I had a promise to keep... "I've known you for too long. This isn't you."

"You don't know me," I answered back icily. My fingers were shaking but I manged to keep my cool stance. I wanted to make it look like he wasn't getting to me. I picked my baton up, pressing the button and making it longer so I could lean on it. "Chase. If you say anymore then I'm really going to kill you." There was no want in my voice. No need. I wanted him to see the _Great Commander Valerie_. Like old times. Like when we were younger. Chase let out a few more coughs before he looked fairly serious.

"I know that you're loyal Val. And I can understand the pain of losing your friends." He paused, looking up. There was no sky here, that idiot. He must have been so used to it up there. I gritted my teeth. Even more of a reason to kill him now. "When we were up there, two of my friends died from something called Apathīa. It was quick a sudden, and we didn't know what to do. Queen Aysel decided on having a funeral before the autopsy and so many people started crying. Summoner Sayuri... I thought she took it better than most others, but Princess Renata told me otherwise. If the death of a friend leads to the death of another friend's morality, then I'm not sure... If I want them as my friend anymore."

I cracked.

Was he abandoning me now? But I—I needed him...

My head tilted. That was the only change in my disposition.

"But Summoner Sayuri isn't driven by the same thing you're driven by. She thirsts to avenge our friends too, but she isn't willing to kill anyone over it. Let's say if you had something to do with their deaths. She wouldn't kill you. She'd be a little mad, the kid..." Even in his pain he laughed. I twitched at his laughter. "...And so will the others... But they know when it's wrong to cross that line." My eyes started to water for no reason... I—I... "And I know you're the same way, Val. You're intelligent and you know better than this. You're beautiful at that..."

"Shut up."

"You're one of the few people that actually have sense down here. They see Enlightened and they shun them like Princess Renata. But when you see them you take them in and give them a place to stay..."

"Shut up."

"And you really care about Austere. You don't want it to fall. Hmm, you even get mad at the smallest garbage landing on the ground. You're always doing all you can to ensure peace, so why betray us, Val? Why try to kill us all when all we've done is be nice to you?"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands out. "Everything you just said has nothing to do with what is going on now, I—I!" He put his hands on my shoulders again... The streetlights accented his seemingly warm smile. Any defenses I had put up were shattered in that instance. I cracked a smile. Damn Chase. Damn him.

"Just tell me what's wrong, Val," he said soothingly. "That's all I've ever wanted from the beginning." He closed his eyes. "Now that we're in war... I won't be staying here after this, but I'm sure you knew that. But when we win Val, I'll come back. I'm not going to stay up there forever..." That made me feel better. "With what King Saivan going around hurting people, I can't afford to stay in one spot. I want to make sure you're okay." I looked down at the ground.

"... He told me that if I killed you all here... He'd tell me where my friends were..." I balled up my fists, trying to stop myself from crying. "He'd show them to me. He'd let me know that they were okay..." My face felt like it was going to explode from holding in all of my tears. "I desperately... _Desperately_ want to see them again... Chase this is my only chance. This is my only chance... I've tried everything but nothing's worked. Even the musica has let me down in my pursuit." I looked at my baton... It was laying on the ground. I walked away from Chase, retrieving it. You know... I had forgotten I had dropped it.

I waved my hands in the air, the musica healing all of his wounds. The energy around the planet was supposed to be constant, but it was depleting. I knew my students and I weren't the cause of this. Something was coming. Something bad.

I walked back towards Chase absentmindedly, bumping into him. My eyes were blank. He paid attention and caught me before I fell. While I was sucked into my own greed. That's when it started to kick in that I almost killed Chase tonight. All because he was trying to help... "So he had you ambush us. Were your students in on it?"

"No... I could never..." I whispered.

"You have real friends here, Val. You don't need those people anymore. They died a long time ago." That hurt to hear, but he could have been very right. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"I thought you died."

"You thought I died?" he said, laughing. "I must have surprised you then."

"Perhaps."

"Valerie, you're not going to do anything stupid like that again, right?"

"As—as long as you don't disappear."

"I can't. It's impossible for my body to go invisible!"

"I love you."

"I know you do." He held me close like I was some type of lost doll, but I couldn't take all this pain anymore. They had stationed Enlightened in my hall to make sure I got the job done. I couldn't tell Chase that now, because I had fallen to my knees, right in front of him. Desperate, I grabbed his blue cloak... Grabbed it with everything I had and I started crying. Painfully crying. I never thought I could cry like that. I wailed as loud as I could, every tear falling from my eyes meaning something that I couldn't quite define.

My eyes were screaming for me to stop because they were being strained for every tear I was holding back. From the moment Chase disappeared from my life up until this point. With a sadness this deep, Chase knew there was nothing he could do. That it would have been best for me to sit there and cry. I tried to hide my face in his cloak but I only felt vulnerable. I couldn't take back the things I said.

I wanted my friends back.

And now I knew that there was going to be trouble when everyone woke up. All because of me. Not only did the Enlightened and Summoners have to suffer, but my students and the Nocuous as well.

I wouldn't stop crying. "C—Chase! I—I'm so—sorry!" I said between breaths.

He'd never forgive me.

* * *

**A/N:** Bah Val snaked out! XD

That's the real reason why I couldn't write this chapter as easily as I wanted to. It's very hard writing a snake for me, as you all know. But oh crap. There's going to be some heat. And Enlightened in Val's hall? That means that they aren't people working for Aysel since Aysel didn't make that order, which could only mean that those are people on Saivan's side! But who? D:

Plus, Val really irks me. XD

I don't care what anyone says. Chase/Renata all day. XD;;

I'll work on the chapter really fast! It's gonna be something I think you all will like! XD A gift from me to you.


	41. Timing Just Isn't Your Thing

**A/N:** Okay. XD Hi, guys! So... Like... I'm proud to say that after this chapter I should have 400 reviews which is AWESOME. And this is a special shout out to Daisy. It makes me feel really warm inside that I have readers like you that appreciate the awesome-sauce that is my work! :D Though you might not review all the time, you lurk, and I'm so glad you typed that review for me to read. XD;; It made my day. Seriously. I hope I keep kicking enough ass for you.

Also. Mah. I don't like Chase and Val together. XD;; Sorry. XD;; It prolly won't happen.

As for all of you that keep getting confused by my flashbacks! D: Think! Think! Think!

As for this flashback... Um. _Kohana is weird_. XD;; I don't condone her actions in this flashback. I think she's being really immature._ Ignore _her. XD;; Oh, and there was something else that I wanted to say... HAPPY BIRTHDAY. ... Yeah. I promised you guys a gift this chapter. Ta da! Sayuri Outtaike is back after five good chapters! ^_^ A lot of you missed her and what can I say? I missed the little kid too. XD;;

So... Here! Chapter 41! :D

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"Hmm. Okay." Kohana pauses, sitting down. She puts her arms behind her, leaning back. She points into the endless darkness, pictures of events flashing across what appears to be a screen. Images of people from the Dark Ages flash before her eyes. A smile slides its way across her face, her thin-lips curling. She moves her fingers and the images shuffle. Kohana, not being able to take this anymore stands up, her hands behind her back. She takes two steps forward, smirking wildly.

"Okay, let's start with Aysel," she says, turning around on her heels. "Ah. The idiot. And is there a reason why anyone should let her live? I mean, seriously. She can't carry herself and she sucks as a queen. Anyone can see that from a mile away!" Kohana looks at Aysel's picture—which is one of her sitting on her throne looking as proud as ever. Kohana snorts, drawing a mustache on her face. "_I'm _a queen." She points at herself, scowling. Then she points back at Aysel. "This? This thing right here isn't a queen. And she thinks she's running a kingdom... Ha!"

She shakes her head, taking a seat on the ground. She moves the pictures around again. "And then there's her first guard member Adel, who just sits around doing nothing. How does anyone get anything accomplished doing nothing? Terrible, just terrible, Queen Aysel." The mocking tone in her voice increases with each word. "I suppose a guy like this is what I'd expect from a hick like Queen Aysel. She's cracked her skull. And Adel's cracked his too. Look at this guy! He can't even keep his own daughter in line!" She throws her arms out, watching the soundless videos of him. "This is making me mad. Gah. If Sayuri said something like that to me she'd be missing a jaw. ...Next!"

Disappointed, she turns the pictures again. "Naira and Defina. Well. Didn't those chicks already die? Why the heck am I still worried about what happens to them? Apparently they were too weak to last to this chapter of the story... And if you're too weak to last to chapter _forty,_ then I guess you really suck. I mean come on. This story isn't even that bad. I mean, pfft, it'd be so different if the author was chucking around garbage cans of radioactive green... But not even that. I guess what I want to say is... How the heck did those two even die? … I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can't even remember them." Kohana puts her hand on her forehead, clearly disgusted by the speed in which they died. "I'm sorry. No wait. No I'm not! Next time get better life insurance."

She stands back up, waving her arms around. "This world crawls under my skin. But not as bad as Lucrecia! Now I really want to know why in the world she's still alive! It's like she _evades _death. She had the audacity to try and hurt Sayuri and I should have beheaded her when I had the chance! And she thinks she's so cool. Bah. I'm better than everything down there! And half of them don't even remember my name... She wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for me! This world keep making me angrier and angrier... It's like they just want me to come down there and turn everyone on their heads."

She yawns, laying down on her back. "I wouldn't mind going down there to show everyone who's boss! All those guys suck at being rightful antagonists for my child! And ladies and gentlemen, you know this story has completely fallen into a pit of fire when you've got people like Zed lurking around not doing anything but then insisting that he's for the cause of two backward-antagonists that don't know what they're doing." She stands up, dramatically putting her arm on her forehead. "Is there not anyone tough enough to take on the responsibility of the true antagonist?"

She skips forward. "Where have the days gone when I could rely on someone to keep Sayuri company? That guy is as good as stupid. Because if they both find out what he's doing at the same time—_ahahaha_! This is why you only rely on yourself to get what you want~." She rubs her nose. "Hnn. Maybe I'll see hope in this world yet. But the fact of the matter still remains. Sayuri is an idiot for not going with the others when they left. How many chapters has it been? Five? That adds to the thousands of words she's been useless. Why did she decide to stay back in the first place?"

Kohana shakes her head. "That girl is a mystery to me. But not as much as that man... Saivan..." She pauses, putting her hand on her sword. "Heheh. When I get there, I'm going to show that idiot just who's in charge. I swear this on the steel of my blade that I'll give him a reason to _die_ for!" She taps the tip of her sword with her index-finger, smiling with a malicious intent. "You stood in my way, Saivan, and I'm going to make sure you fall. And you're going to tumble just like I intended you too. And this time you're not going to get away from me. Just you wait, people. Your savior is coming."

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**-: Chapter Forty-One: Timing Just Isn't Your Thing :-**

_Let it all out, let it all out_  
_I'm so full of weaknesses_  
_Because I've met you, it's alright to not be good enough_

_What will happen "for certain"? That's what I want to know_  
_I hid a small knife in my sock_  
_It always hurt more to put on a brave face and lie_

_It's really frightening, but regardless we'll keep on living_  
_The wind gently caresses your smiling face_  
_We'll hold out our small hands and together_  
_We'll create stardust and search for an eternity that glows so brightly_

"Let It Out" — Miho Fukuhara

Great! There was no way out of this! Not only did I get my ass kicked on a regular basis by random people I didn't know, but even the dark part of me was kicking my ass too? I couldn't believe this! Breathe Sayuri. You've got to breathe... It was hard to do even that when I knew she was around here somewhere. Hiding from me. I felt like two trucks ran over me at high speed. There were cuts and bruises everywhere on my body. But I promised myself I wouldn't lose. It was just so hard... What was it that I was fighting for in here? I couldn't talk to Mima because I was kinda inside of myself right now.

I tried to stand up straight but even that was hard. No, I was fighting to get stronger. The team needed me in this war. If I left too weak to hold my own, I wouldn't be much help would I? Yeah, that's what kept me going, and that's why I was going to win against my dark self. Eventually! They were all waiting for me! I had to give them something to laugh about when they saw me! Okay, this time I tried really hard to concentrate. Stupid butterflies! There were way too many of them for me to feel safe. And that's when the dark part of me materialized again. You know that white part of your eye? Yeah, that part of her eyes were tinted black. But I could still see her emerald irises.

She didn't have a single scratch on her! That made me mad! I stepped back. So what was all of that I had just done? Was it all for nothing? I was used to being disappointed so it didn't even matter to me anymore. All that mattered was that dark Sayuri still had that smirk on her face. She looked like she was so sure she could defeat me. My grip tightened on my wand. I couldn't have her thinking that, could I? "So you're back again?" she cackled. "It'll always be the same, though. You can't defeat me..." How would she know? I stood up straight and smirked back at her.

"I know. Trying to fight you didn't get me anywhere," I said. "You just do whatever I do! And that's not pretty fair, is it?" I must have confused her because she arched a brow and frowned at me. Don't tell me the dark side of me had feelings and emotions... That kinda sucked. So she could be pissed off too? I thought it was a kinda... One thingy. You know. She had only one emotion. Which was being angry all the time. Okay, I didn't know what I was talking about. "You're a really great fighter," I complimented. "I guess you're only great because you're me."

"You can't get rid of me either..." she muttered, her fingers twitching.

"Then you all ready know, don't you?"

She stood there, trying to figure out what I had just said. It was really easy to get! I wasn't talking in a puzzle! ...I didn't know how to talk in a puzzle anyway. "What are you trying to say?" she yelled, obviously angry at me. I didn't even know what I did... I looked at her, determined to beat her! She wouldn't get the upper-hand on me this time!

"See, I've got a plan. Can you guess what it is?" I scratched the back of my head, smiling. She glared at me, throwing out her hands. She looked at me in a you-can't-be-serious kind of way. I still found it hard to believe that she was the dark part of my heart.

"How should I know...?" she asked. I smirked.

"You're not going to beat me!" I declared. "See, if this place is a mirror to my heart, then I'm just going to have to show you what my plan is." I threw my hands out in the air, closing my eyes and smiling. "I'll show you why I'm going to win against you." She stood there, waiting for what I had in store! Finally she wasn't beating me up to a pulp! I had put everything on this plan. This was a last resort for sure... It came to me when she was bashing my head into a tree. I knew it was kind of risky to go off a plan that you came up with near-death, but it could work! I swung my wand in the air, making a circle.

At the image, Sayuri's eyes widened and she tilted her head. It felt so weird calling someone else my own name! My tongue hung out of my mouth while I really tried to remember what I left back home. Once I was done, I slumped my shoulders. I was really tired but I kept a smile on my face. "Okay, you know what all of this is? I'm sure you do. Back home, I used to have a lot boardgames!" She gritted her teeth, meaning I was going to win this one soon. The boardgames were floating over my head and they hit the ground. "And this?" I said, pointing to the diamond shape I had drawn in the air. "That's my symbol for being a Summoner!"

She closed one eye. "You bastard..."

I looked at her and just kept smiling. "Yeah, my symbol. At first I didn't want to be a Summoner. I didn't think it was cool... Or fun. I didn't like the idea of fighting for a whole bunch of people I knew nothing about. I'm sure you didn't either. And I almost quit when Aysel had that dinner a long time ago. But I've grown to like this symbol. I don't know. It's like I'm the only one who can wear it... Like it just fits on me." I didn't want it to show... But memories started flashing in the sky. Dark me looked up and got pissed. I looked up too and saw images of Kohana laughing with me. Before I got pushed into all of this. And it hurt too... But I kept smiling.

She waved her arm across the air, balling up her fist. "Why would you get attached to something as stupid as that? You idiot, that's stupid! You're going to thank the people that twisted your life up? You're like a tool them them now! They expect you to go around saving the world because you were chosen to! And you're just going to trust them like that? They're using you! Everyone is lying to you Sayuri! Everyone! Kohana, Miyuki, Queen Aysel...! They stabbed us in the back! Don't you remember?" I closed my eyes, looking at the ground. But then I realized that I needed to face this. For her sake. I looked back up at her, wearing a blank expression. She put her hand on the spot where her heart was supposed to be.

"We _suffered!" _she shouted. "It _hurt! I_'m the only one who understands you!" She was really mad now, but she was making me feel like I was the bad guy in all of this. My eyes widened. I didn't think she'd feel so strongly about all of this. I kept her trapped inside of me? She didn't get a chance to make friends like I did... The dark part of me was all alone and I was the only person that she had to make her feel better. "Don't believe them! Why would you?"

"I—I... I know what you're talking about. But... Those guys are my friends." She gasped, not really believing it at first. She looked defeated. Like she didn't know what to do. "I know it's hard to believe, but they really are." She looked really hurt and she even started crying. My arms felt weak. I couldn't take her doing that... "You have to believe in me, Sayuri." I extended my hand, smiling. "And if you believe in me, I'll believe in myself. And in return, they'll believe in me. They... Trust me."

Dark me had no words, it looked like. She looked at the ground and fell on her knees. Tears were dripping off the tip of her nose. "Ooh... Why...? After... After all we suffered...?"

My smile wasn't going to break. "All of these guys Sayuri! They all have something that they fight for! They don't doubt themselves and they don't sulk! Well, most of them. Chase was strong when Renata was in Austere, and Lucrecia doesn't have any second thoughts when she goes into battle! Kokoro's by my side one-hundred percent and I can count on Morta to take out all the mooks when I need her too. And Chio cheers me on. They're all proud of themselves!"

"Then... Then who the hell am I?" I flinched. She screamed that really loud. Tears were rushing down her eyes. "Am I holding you back?"

"I was able to be strong because of you," I said. "That's how I got this far..."

"Then! What... What should I do?" she yelled, rushing towards me with a punch. I couldn't move. I wouldn't move. Not because my body was incapable of it, but I didn't want to hurt her more than she was already hurt.

"That's simple..."

"What..."

I wrapped my arms around her. "You have to believe in me. Because you are me, Sayuri. Thanks... For everything. But it's enough now..." I smiled, holding her closer. Her eyes turned back to normal and she disappeared in a crowd of butterflies. They were multiple colors. They vanished into thin air and I stood up. She was gone now... I opened my eyes and Mima was standing right behind me. I could sense her. I looked back at her, throwing her a thumbs-up. "Mima I did it—_arckaaa—acakaka!"_ Oh great. First time back in the real world and I start coughing up blood? I looked on the ground and there was a lot of it. I wiped my mouth with my arm.

What? I have bruises everywhere too? "Mima, what happened?" I demanded. She skipped over to me, throwing her hands out to her sides.

"Glad you made it out, kid! So you must have won? Sorry about the blood there... When you get beat up in there it shows out here. I was getting worried about you. I thought you were going to die. And since I couldn't wake you up... Phew! I'm glad you snapped out of that because Queen Aysel would have had my head!" Mima touched my shoulders and that really hurt! I howled in pain and she jumped back. "Okay maybe touching you isn't such a good idea..."

"What... Did I win?" I panted, trying to stand up. "Do I get a prize for being able to beat my dark side?" I laid on my back. My fingers dipped in the water above my head. "Please Mima, tell me you're about to give me a prize. I feel like I've been fighting the dark me for a couple of days..." I carped, closing my eyes. I opened them and Mima looked at me... Like she was hiding something. "What? You mean I don't get a prize? Oh man that sucks! All that hard work I did!"

"No, it's not that Sayuri..."

"Oh you mean all of that was just a dream? Nooo!"

"Not that either..."

I sat up, scratching my head. "I can't think of any other bad news. You mind filling me in, Mima?" She helped me up and I felt a little bit better. Did she have some kind of healing touch? Nah, the cuts on my arms were still there. I was probably numb to the pain now. Gee, that was just great. "Can you believe that all it took to beat her was a hug? …Still, I finally know how she feels about this whole situation." I paused, waving my arms around. "Will she come out and try to help me? Nah, before I think about that I've gotta go and tell the others I made it..."

"Sayuri, that's the problem. They... Already left."

"WHAT?" I yelled, standing up. They already left? Impossible! They wouldn't dream of leaving without me! That wasn't something that could exist! I was supposed to lead them! ...Get a grip Sayuri. They didn't leave you. Oh no. They couldn't leave me. They'd at least come back and get me, right? I still thought Mima was pulling a sheet over my eyes, so I was going to stay calm. "You're always trying to fool me Mima!" I forced a laugh. "We weren't in here for that long..." I smiled, but she looked the other way. "Aww no..."

"I told you this would take a couple of days Sayuri, sorry kid." I stopped. I looked at her. Then I grabbed her and lifted her up in the air. She closed her eyes, and I started shaking her.

"You told me that it could be arranged! You lied to me Mima! You mean to tell me that my friends left without me? That they're fighting right now and there's nothing I can do about it?" This was unforgivable! I told Mima I didn't have time to train for a couple of days! "You better do something to fix all of this now!" My eyes softened. Oh no. "...I promised them I'd be the first one to touch the battle field and the last one to step off it." That was just fine! Every time I made a promise something would happen and I'd only end up screwing it up again! "Do you like watching me suffer, Mima?"

"L—listen kid! There's no reason for you to get upset!" Mima said, waving her arms around. "Most people take months to beat their inner darkness! You did well for a kid like yourself! That shows how strong you are!" I wasn't buying it. I gritted my teeth, letting her go and putting my hands over my eyes. So here I was. Hurt. Battered. Angry. And left behind. Oh joy. "Aysel letting you in my garden was a good choice!"

"But now I'm stuck here!" I yelled, seething. "All because_ you_ lied to me! What if they get hurt? What if Saivan does something sneaky?" I choked. "What if I never see them again?" Mima closed her mouth and thought about that for a while. "You don't understand. But of course you don't. Because you're just made out of magic. Sometimes magic is a lie, you know." I calmed down a little because I was being a little bit mean to her. But she deserved it! Now I was really far away from my friends! … And I couldn't fight. I'd have to rest before I got there. And that would have taken up even more of my time!

I turned away from her. I just had to calm down and think! I needed to get to them. But how? "Hey, kid..." Mima said, patting me on my shoulder. I winced, glaring at her. I told her not to touch me! It was like I had a permanent sunburn! "They shouldn't be that far... They're in Austere." Austere? I was there once before... It's the land under the kingdom, isn't it? "If you run... And I mean run... You might be able to catch up to them." I looked back at her. She didn't have to tell me twice. I'd run on broken legs if it meant seeing them again unhurt and still standing!

That was more than enough to make me run. Mima put her hand on her chin. "They should be in deep Austere. The town that's underground. I don't know if you've been there already but it's hard to navigate. And for a native like you... Finding the entrance is going to be a lot of work..."

"I'm ready for work!" I exclaimed. "Give me all of the work in the world."

She laughed. "That's the spirit! But you're being an idiot again Summoner Sayuri." Gah! I froze. What was she talking about? … Why did everyone think I was stupid? I frowned, sulking. "You can get extremely lost if you don't know Austere like the back of your hand. And you want to know what's worse? You'll probably end up in the badlands if you wander out too far." That didn't sound too promising... "The badlands are exactly what they sound like kid. Get lost in the badlands and you're as good as gone." She paused, scratching her face. "So what would be better? Waiting for them to come back or almost getting yourself killed?"

"Sayuri Outtaike doesn't wait," I said triumphantly. "Sayuri Outtaike is made out of too much time to wait. I've been waiting so long to fight just to have it taken away from me!" I paused, sighing. "... I'm tired of waiting. I wanted to act!" Damn straight I wanted to act! Mima messed this all up for me! I looked around the forest and all I could see was more... Forest. "Hey, you mind showing me the exit in this place?"

"You're leaving?" she asked. "You're in no shape to leave. And plus there's still training to be done—"

"I _don't _have time for that," I said. "I've gotta meet my friends. You're not understanding, Mima. No more training. No more waiting. No more losing. I'm determined to beat Saivan into a bloody pulp and ask him why he did all this. He still didn't tell me." I detransformed. I just didn't have the energy to keep it up anymore. "Really, I think everyone has a reason for what they do. But it's just that what he did was unforgivable. Mima, I don't care if I cough my own heart out. I'm not stopping until I find Saivan!"

She folded her arms. "I'm not letting you out of here Sayuri Outtaike." I twitched. "Nope, you've gotta stay and heal."

"Grah!" I exclaimed. "You've already wasted my time! And you know what else? I can't tell time in this place! Are we in some kind of different dimension or something?" Mima nodded her head. "That's why I lost track of time..." I muttered. I wasn't going to fight Mima to get out of here. I mean, she was the only one who knew where the door was. I needed her up and talking. Argh! See what happened when someone pissed me off? Saivan changed me I could tell. I would never think of hurting Mima... I shook my head. Get a grip on yourself Sayuri. You're better than this...

"I know I wasted your time..." Mima said slowly. "But Sayuri! You do need time to heal, but what if you healed along the way..." My eyes widened. Was she telling me that she would let me go? I jumped up, despite my legs screaming at me. I fought that girl for way too long. I closed my eyes, trying to forget the pain. Mima put her hands out, trying to keep me from falling. "Are you okay? This is making me worry about you even more. You can't even stand..."

"This pain... Is nothing..." I said, trying to stand up. I smiled. "I've been through way worse than this. Try having a scythe through your stomach. Or having your arm dangling from your body." Mima scrunched up her face. "Besides... This pain will be nothing to the pain that comes with learning that all my friends are dead! I've got to hurry." I stood up again and Mima nodded. She waved her hand and a door appeared right in front of us.

"I guess this is goodbye huh, Summoner Sayuri? It was nice meeting someone like you. You live up to your title!"

I smirked. "Oh no, you're coming with me."

"What...?"

"You heard me Mima. You owe me!" I grabbed her by her shoulder and she started flailing around. "You're going to make sure I get to Austere safely. Didn't you say you're a stream of magic? That means you can mold into anything and this human form isn't even your real getup. I'm going to need you to turn into something that I can fly." She protested, but I jumped on her back and started pulling on her ears. Viola! It was just like I thought it was. Her ears started stretching!

My tongue hung out of my mouth again.

"Get off me! You can't make me go!"

"Sure I can!" I replied. "See, I just gave you some wings!" … I wasn't that bad of an artist if I did say so myself. Her wings weren't beautiful, but they'd have to make due. "I could fly there if I wanted to, but I'm drained of power right now. And it's like you said! If you show me the way I won't die! We don't have to tell Aysel you left and everything will be okay on both sides!" Okay, really, I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. I'd say whatever I could to be able to meet the others. And I was going to tell them about themselves! Yeah! What was the deal with leaving me behind! Like they didn't care about me...? I jumped off Mima's back and she reverted to her normal form.

"Ah, the things I do for people that I take a liking to..." Mima said, shaking her head. "Let's go then, Summoner Sayuri." Ahaha! I had managed to convince her to come with me! "But as soon as you get into Austere I'm coming back here. I can't fight. If I do Queen Aysel will suspect something." I nodded my head. That much I could understand. But Aysel wouldn't do anything anyway. She rarely did anything because she's lazy... Has anyone else noticed that? No matter. Mima opened the door and the light was blinding. In the blink of an eye we found ourselves in the hallway.

Even though I didn't see it, I could tell I was all on my own. This place just felt empty. That's when it hit me that they really did leave... We started walking down the hallway and it was hurting me to breathe. Only because I was being reminded that I was alone in this castle. No one decided to wait for me? Not even Chase? Chio? The rest of my teammates? My speed started to increase and Mima was finding it hard to keep up with me. Those guys _ditched_ me!

"Sayuri!"

"Huh...?" I looked up and it was Renata! I smiled and Mima stopped too. Her first immediate thought was to hug me and I hissed in pain. "Renata, I don't think you should do that. I feel like I'm going to pass out." She stepped back and gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry. And hello, Truth." Mima nodded at her, bowing down. So Renata knew Mima. Did Renata know that this training would take a few days too? Renata was probably in on it! She wanted me to stay! So... I had figured Renata all out. Did she think that I wasn't strong enough? That I'd die if I went? Or did she want me all to herself for selfish reasons? I wasn't going to ask her. Renata had a hard time controlling her emotions. ...Like I was one to talk. "Summoner Sayuri! I am so glad you are okay! It has been a little lonely here all by myself. Everyone is... Gone."

That's exactly what I felt. But she went on. "It does not feel like home anymore. Now that the people that live here are not here at all... I am scared for them as well. I know they will not die, but there is a strange feeling in my heart that is telling me that anything can happen. Oh!" She paused, looking at me real intently. "Do you want me to heal your wounds?" I was going to shake my head, but then I remembered how much of a fine healer Renata was.

"If you can do it in five seconds, do it." Renata nodded and Mima stood away from us. That amulet floated in mid air, setting her eyes ablaze with blue, misty... Mist stuff. That amulet always made me think. If there really was an Essence trapped inside of there, wasn't it my job to collect it? I felt warm all over... Like the energy Renata was sending into me was closing all of my wounds. My clothes were still all torn up, but I felt like a million bucks. After she put her arms down I slumped over and jumped into the air.

"Thanks, Renata! That feels great!" When I said that I transformed again. Never had I been so excited to see all of those damn sparkles around me! I felt like crying! "Let's get back to the important stuff Renata... They made you stay?"

"I wanted to go with them. Really I did!" Renata answered back. "But Lucrecia told me Aysel would be upset if I went. And I am not a great fighting either..." Tch! Renata was really good!

"Don't let them tell you that," I spat, folding my arms. "If you can inflict pain on someone, then you can fight! Just because you're not a... Thing like Lucrecia or... Whatever Aysel is doesn't mean you're not as good as anyone else! I bet they really need a healer down there. You know what I mean? You're the best healer at that... Okay, so they've got Lucrecia, but Lucrecia's creepy and I wouldn't want her anywhere near me. You can't tell if she's being serious about you being hurt or not half the time." Renata let out a chuckle, but that was all that I could get out of her.

"Father gave me this necklace..." she said, walking ahead of me. I flinched. So that was something from that guy, huh? I still didn't like Saivan. "And now when I think about it, all the pieces to the puzzle fit and make sense. He must have been thinking about this for a while now. You Summoners... You Summoners must have put a thorn in his plans." What was Renata talking about now? Mima stepped up, adjusting her glasses.

"Yep! It's all like you say Princess Renata. Maybe having you kill your sister was just him trying to make sure the amulet was effective..."

Immediately I stopped. "What..." No. No. I must have heard that wrong. Out of all the things Saivan did... After everything I've seen...! Don't tell me he had Renata, of all people... Kill her sister? How inhumane... I was gritting my teeth and just doing anything to keep me from screaming my head off. But it was too late. I took one big gulp of air and let the heavens know that I was real. I was here. And I was pissed. I screamed Saivan's name so loud that I was sure I'd knock a few paintings off the walls. "Renata, he had you kill your own family?"

She shook her head. She was strong. And that led me to believe that maybe... Just maybe Renata had been tested to be able to withstand all of this. That she was just a tool... As my dark side kindly put it. Saivan carved her out to be this way from the start of all this. "But why?" I asked, looking down at the ground. I didn't even know Renata's sister, but I kept crying. "Why...?" Naturally, my tears were pushing her on the brink of crying. "What did she... Ever do to deserve dying like that...?" There were a thousand reasons why I was crying. I think what scared me the most was that he had her kill her own family. Like fate wanted me to do with Kohana.

Were we all merely just tools, then? Was this a part of a bigger game? Were we chess pieces? Mima patted me on my back. "Kid, what happened happened... We can't change it even if we want to. We can't bring the dead back to life." Yeah, just like I could never bring Tariku back... Or bring Naira and Defina back. But I swore in front of their graves that I'd find some way! I wasn't a quitter! It wasn't in my nature! I looked up, despite the tears still falling from my eyelashes.

"I'm going to put an end to all pain and sorrow..." I muttered. "On this world. I promise you guys. And this is a promise I _promise_ to keep..." I wiped my eyes with my arms and sniffed like a little kid who lost their favorite toy. "Renata... I'm... Looking... For... A way to bring my friends back that've died for no reason." I put up a shakey thumbs-up. Now I was really forcing a smile. "I've got to learn how to stop crying. Kohana gets really mad when I start crying..." Mima looked confused, tilting her head.

"Who's Kohana?"

"Her mother," Renata answered back. "Sayuri, you don't have to do this..."

"But I'm going to! I'm going to get your sister back no matter what it takes, got it?" I told her. I wasn't asking her if I could do it. "So yeah, Mima and I are going to catch up with the others and show Saivan who's boss! ...Just when I think I can forgive this guy. Just when I think he's not that bad... That there is hope to bring him back... I find out something else that makes me want to kill him!" Mima threw her arms out and Renata's eyes softened. Yeah, I knew I was being really scary right now. Talking about killing someone isn't really nice... But Saivan wasn't really nice either.

"Sayuri! Calm down, would ya?" Mima asked. I shook my head. … She was right. Renata on the other hand... This whole thing was just bothering her.

"Are you really going to kill Father?" she asked. You know, there was no way I could answer that question and she saw that much in the look in my eyes. I looked to the left and she... I dunno. It looked like she was going to drop the whole thing all together. "If you are going to meet up with the others, I—I..."

"Oh Renata," I said. "I want you to come with Mima and I too, but you are a princess. I mean, you're more capable than anyone else I've ever known but... We need you here to stay with Aysel, and I'm sure someone else has told you this before. And besides! You're the last person that I want to see hurt!" God, I realized how contradicting I sounded... "I mean, I don't want you to get hurt at all and I know you're really tough and all but..." I couldn't even finish the rest of my sentence. Renata nodded at me a smiled. She was really great at smiling. She could cheer anyone up! Her smile was second to Chio's though.

"It is okay if you do not want to take me. Mother is going to need someone to help her—" Hmm? She stopped so abruptly. It made me arch a brow. Was there something Renata wasn't telling me here? I wouldn't ask. I kept my secrets from her and she did the same thing to me. "—I want you two to come back safely, yes? Truth? Sayuri? Can you both promise me that?" Well, of course Mima could! I huffed, watching her shake her head. Renata looked at me and I gave her a grin and a thumbs-up.

"This won't be the last time you see us Renata. I won't let it be. And if need be, I'll bring back your dad's head on a plate." I meant that. Yeah, I know it wasn't the best thing to say... And not to Renata, but she knew I was just kidding right? I took another look at her. Right? She hugged both of us and we started walking.

"Wait! Sayuri!"

I turned around again. "...Huh...?"

Renata had something in her hands. It looked like a cloak. Okay, it was a cloak. But it was long on one side and short on the other. Still, that shade of blue was still ugly... But on the longer side... There was an emblem holding it together. It looked like the diamond on the side of my corset. Did someone make that? "I had been holding your cloak for a while now! Chio made the emblem and we were working on stitching it together. If you wear this the others will recognize you in no time because they are wearing the same thing too." Ah. So we had like a t-shirt thing where other people wear the same t-shirts. I took it out of Renata's hands.

And I looked at it for a long while.

"What?" I laughed. "Mima needs one too!" I pointed at her and Mima jumped.

"But I'm not fighting with you all! I have a garden to protect!" Garden smarden! It wasn't like anyone could find the door to that place! Mima didn't need to stay there anymore! And I bet she never saw the outside world too! She needed to open her eyes for once in her life. I walked closer towards her. Maybe I should have had her wear my cloak! "Sayuri! Kid! Don't be like this! Please have mercy!"

"Why, because they'll think you are a part of Aysel's guard? Or that they'll think you're a Summoner? I think this is your just deserts for locking me in that forest and then trying to make me stay here longer when I didn't have to at all!" But Renata and Chio made that cloak from me and I put it on. Ha, I liked the design. It fit me. The cloak was something that I could only wear. I smirked, showing Renata how I looked. "Do I look like someone that'll come in at the right moment—have just the right amount of timing and kick ass as soon as I get down there?" I struck a triumphant pose. Both Mima and Renata looked at me.

"Um..." Renata said. Oh. Well she didn't have to say anything at all!

"Sayuri, you look ridiculous..." Mima said. Gah! Mima couldn't talk! She still owed me a lot! Well, I flipped the cloak behind my shoulder and turned around. I didn't care what Mima thought! I was still going to go down there and kick ass to get what I wanted! And I wanted Saivan to pay for everything he did to all of those innocent people! He even went as far as to hurt his own family. Did he have a heart at all? … Okay, well Kohana did that too, but I could tell she still cared about me! ...Saivan was lucky. He was lucky I kept comparing Renata's situation to mine or I wouldn't have _any_ sympathy for him.

I turned back around. "I forgot one thing!" Renata stopped and turned back around. "Renata, don't do anything that you feel goes against your code of honor, okay? Everyone has one and if you feel like it's being breached, don't do it, okay? I... We want you to be safe up here. It's the only reason why we didn't take you." Renata nodded, smiling at me. I pointed in front of me. "C'mon Mima you're falling behind..."

"You're the boss!" Mima exclaimed. After we left that hallway it was the last we saw of Renata. I didn't know if leaving the castle was a good thing but it didn't matter. There was no turning back now! And besides! What if they didn't start fighting yet? They could have been sitting down without cares in the world! I was thinking too hard... Yeah, that's it! And even if they were fighting I'm sure they were taking down their enemies... Thus! I didn't have to fight as soon as I got there!

I wanted to have good timing. But you know how fate likes to play with my life. I couldn't even start to count how many times I should've died here. While thinking, Mima and I walked out of the courtyard. Aysel didn't need anyone to say goodbye to her. Hey, did I forget to mention that I still really hated Aysel? Yeah. That's why she didn't get a goodbye.

We left the castle and were outside of the gates. I looked at Mima. "Well?"

"I've got something better."

Really? I stood in anticipation and Mima was engulfed in bright blue light. Now she was some sort of giant bird. But you could tell it was still her. Because she was purple and orange. She spread her wings across the sky, telling me to jump on her back. Oh cool! I got to ride a bird! … Thing. A magical-bird-Mima thing! "Sayuri, just grab on to something and hang on tight. I'll fly us over Austere's entrance and I'll even go inside to make sure you meet up with the others. It's the least I could do for a friend like you."

I nodded my head. "And plus you owe me."

"I know that! … I really hate this form. Just so you know."

"This is what you get for—"

"I know!"

Mima took off into the sky and my stomach felt like it vanished from my body. This was it. I was off to war.

Why did it feel like I was making the biggest mistake of my life?

But the will to save others was stronger. Much stronger. And I'd do whatever it took to ensure it overtook the other feeling.

* * *

**A/N:** And does anyone _else_ think Kohana has an unhealthy obsession with Saivan? I sure do. XD;; But that's enough of Kohana. Maybe Sayuri _doesn't_ have the best timing. XD;; Because we all know that fate (... I don't know if she should call me "Fate"...) will not be nice to her and land her in a big-ass fight. Besides, that's what Val said would happen, right? Oh you guys. These next eight chapters are going to be hell for me! D:

Dear Lord, guys. XD;;

Let's see if I can get out of this alive, shall we? And Mima. And everyone else that's in this war. And Kohana needs to stop stunting Saivan, dude. XD;; She's most definitely stalking the poor guy and he doesn't even know. XD;; I don't think he'd want to know that a woman in another dimension was stalking him either... XD;; But that's just me. Oh, and Daisy... The reason Kohana can't have a rematch with Sayuri is because...

Count from one to ten. That's how long it'd take Kohana to kill you. Fifty times over. XD;;; That's how badass she is.

Sayuri wouldn't stand a _chance_.

Let it take time. XD;; Once a grizzly bear threatened to eat Kohana. She showed the bear her sword and the bear proceeded to eat himself, because it would be the less painful way to die. Of course I just made that up.

Anyway guys. Until next time!


	42. Year Of The Sucker Punch

**A/N: **Aaha! So what's a 6k chapter? XD;; I was going to get to the REAL thing of this chapter, but I'm like... Ah! This is the perfect way to end this chapter! My end-chapter bar was filled, and I felt like I had done great. This is a nice info chapter and stuff like that and the deaths have started and... I wouldn't be able to fit the second half of this chapter in this chapter if I tried, you know what I'm saying? ._.

So yes I'm being a foolish bottle-cap by ending this chapter. How the hell am I going to do this now? I better start praying for a miracle. As always, I'm still dead-set on ending this arc at 57 chapters, and by ending this chapter right here... I don't think I'm cutting my luck. I think I can still make it. XD;;

Without further adue, here's chapter 42!

* * *

"Hey, Lu! I want to know what the heck you're reading and why it's more important than getting the job done," Angeal mutters, putting his hands on his hips. He pokes at his spikey blonde hair, running his fingers through it and making sure it lays against his back. He doesn't want it to get in his mouth. Lucrecia glances at him, obviously annoyed.

"It's my birthday," she answers back. "Why are you even here anyway? Can I take one day off without you pestering me Angeal?"

"Because I love you!" he answers without hesitation, much to her irritation. She rolls her eyes, pushing some of her hair out of her face. Realizing she's got a better chance just_ agreeing _with him she stands up, making sure her suit is straightened out. He tilts his head, his grin fading away and replaced with an unsure look. "Lu, are you okay? You don't seem like it."

"Of course I am," she answers back. "This has been my one day off in forever. When I'm not around fighting all the time, I'm around fighting most of the time, and my body can't take all of this fighting like this, you know. I wonder where Cecelia is. Isn't she supposed to be with you at all times?" Angeal thinks about this, tilting his head. "So that must mean they're still doing modifications on her right now. If she's not fighting then I'm not going to fight."

He points at her. "That still doesn't answer the question as to why you're sitting outside under a tree... Reading a book while it's _raining._ Your book is going to get messed up like that Lu." She nods her head. Yes, she's aware of the condition her book will be left in. But the fact of the matter is that she can buy more books of the same kind. She can replace her book. Over and over again. But it's not the same for her sanity, and everyday she's being pushed closer to the brink of despair. Her birthday signals it. This is just another year of suffering.

Angeal's generally worried about her as always, and he doesn't mind if the rain messes up his hair. He wants her out of the rain. Before she catches a cold. That's what makes her angry because he's always worried about her. Like he's her father. Like she doesn't have one already. She rolls her eyes again. "What does it matter? Why do you care Angeal? I just want to be out here okay? And if I catch a cold that'll be no problem because they'll just cure it back at the Science Department. It's not a big deal."

"But you're a big deal Lu..."

"Huh?"

"See, I was the same way, but because of you I can forget about all of that boring stuff and focus on what I need to do! It's my job, you know?" He forces a smile and Lucrecia tilts her head. "I can't feel bad about anything now because you're here with me, and as long as I know that we're still friends, I can't afford to feel bad. I'll bring you down too." She closes her book in all of its damp glory, rubbing her eyes with both of her hands.

"Angeal... I'm glad you're here then. If just to make me feel better."

"Yeah Lu! And no one has ever effected my life like you have."

She yawns, stretching her arms out. "Mm'hmm. You've told me that already." Angeal pouts, throwing out his arms. What, did she not believe him?

"Seriously Lu! I thought I would be all alone in this whole thing but then you were behind me one-hundred percent! I thought I was going to die in this program but whatever it takes to get Saivan the best guard in the world, yeah? Sometimes I felt like I was just going to die and all I did was drag my body around. My life was slipping away from my fingertips and I couldn't think of a way to pull it back. But you're helping me, and you have helped me. You saved my life, Lu. And I can't pay you enough for it."

"Well, you could get out of this rain Angeal," Lucrecia says, sighing. His smile returns and she stands up.

"Happy birthday, Lu!"

She looks the other way, but then shifts her eyes towards him. She notices that his crystalline eyes have tears in them. "Thank you, Angeal."

* * *

**-: Chapter Fourty-Two: Year Of The Sucker Punch :-**

_I know that you'll believe  
Anything, anything, that I..._

_Say I want you_  
_Say I need you_  
_This is what you want_  
_This is what you get_  
_Take your drug tonight_  
_Lust and cigarettes_  
_Inhibitions gone_  
_I want to forget_  
_You wont sleep tonight_  
_You will soon be..._

— "Dance Of A Thousands Masks" — Eyes Set To Kill

_"Aaachuu!"_ Damn, that was unexpected. I stood up straight, putting my hands on the door knob. You know what? Why the fuck did everyone think I was the best candidate for this thing? I didn't understand a Goddamn thing about this! As much as I would have loved to crack Saivan's fucking skull open, I didn't exactly think I would have to do stupid shit like this.

Where the hell was everyone else? Oh, that was the easy part. Those bastards were waiting in the other hallway... Waiting for me to get this damn information. I inhaled and opened the door. That Valerie bitch was right. At least she could do something right. So there really were Enlightened soldiers stationed here. But why? I quirked my nose at the look on this bastard's face. He was from the army, no doubt about that. He looked fucking ridiculous. It didn't matter. All I needed to do was get the information and get the fuck out. I forced a smile on my face... Something that I never did. But nothing changed the fact that this was a commander sitting in this room. Waiting for me, at that.

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't stand the people in Aysel's army.

I fucked _hated_ the people in Aysel's army.

And this guy... He was asking for it ten-fold because he was giving me a look. I didn't know what the fuck he was thinking but I was here strictly for business and nothing more. The guy was in the standard uniform, his blonde hair in a ridiculously tight ponytail. I scoffed. I couldn't believe I was fucking doing this for those guys. And they had the nerve to tell me that whatever happened, I couldn't kill him. Or get angry. Or I would blow our cover. What the fuck did that bitch Valerie know?

I looked at the ceiling. So she knew that they were here and apparently we didn't ask. But who the fuck would have even imagined soldiers would be in Austere? One thing was for certain... If Valerie was right about them 'assisting' her in killing us... I had every right to blow this bastard's head into the ceiling fan. Lest all of these people forget that I didn't sleep very well! I was up all last-fucking-night! However, my attention was directed elsewhere so I didn't hear anyone trying to kill me. Lucky bastards. If I would have someone would have fucking died!

And did pricks like this guy really think they could have taken me out in my sleep? How idiotic. I let out a low chuckle, sitting down in the chair in front of me. I opened my eye. Still, I couldn't fuck this over... If I messed up there'd be a big-ass massacre here... I didn't care about all of these unimportant bastards dying, but I didn't need that shit under my name. I looked up at him and leaned against the table, folding my hands. "I wanted to talk to you. I didn't know you were here," I said, calming myself down. The ass-clown looked at me like he was surprised that_ I_ was here.

Ninja I'm not—if he did anything that wasn't up to par, I'd smear his fucking brains all over the Goddamn table. I wanted him to try and kill me. He held his head up with his right hand, still assessing the situation. Now was not the time to fucking think. "Ah, you must be Lucrecia," he said. Overly dramatic. Fucking oblivious. I was smart, don't get me wrong. I knew how to handle myself. "Lucrecia from Aysel's guard, correct?" That dumb bastard thought I was really stupid. If he was the commander of the army, then he _knew_ who the hell I was. "What a pleasure to see you."

"The same," I answered back. "Though I'm kind of conflicted. I didn't think a person such as yourself would have been here. In Austere, no less... And I know your work must be eating at you because they don't make my job any easier either." I stopped, tapping my chin and smiling. "Now if I remember correctly... Your name is Julian. Sir Julian." And I knew I was right because I never forgot the name of someone I wanted to kill. Now I remembered. I had met this bastard before a long time ago. If I didn't want to kill him a couple of seconds ago, I _really_ wanted to kill him now. For not finishing the job then. At any rate, Julian had a rapier on the floor next to him. I let off a slight smirk.

And he just smiled at me. That bastard was always smiling. Like there was nothing to be afraid of. It made _me _smile. "Sir Julian, I hope your stay hasn't been obstructed because we've arrived here," I said, sighing. "But we've got some fugitives to catch." I kept my eye closed, my hands underneath my chin. He gave me a confused head-tilt. So the bastard wanted to know more. I'm sure he knew more than he should have already.

"Fugitives?"

"Yes, fugitives. You see, they're... Well, they're not exactly human. But they come from humans. I can't understand how they work myself." I paused, sighing. "We haven't run into one yet, but when we do you don't have to lift a finger." I smirked. "We are more than capable enough to take down these creatures from Hell."

"Not exactly human? What are we dealing with here?" Stupid fucking bastard asking too many stupid fucking questions! I wanted to flip the table over! I was not the best person for this but amazingly I kept my cool.

"Yes, a being that is made out of living breath," I replied, looking into his eyes. "Let's see." I tapped my chin with my mechanical index-finger. "I'm in the field of science as you know, and looking into these beings... They take the appearance of the human that they've come from. But they're not actually them. They're... No. They resemble them. You could say I ran into one the other day. He was very strong. I couldn't will myself to kill him." He laughed, taking a sip of tea. I fucking hated tea. I hated the way it smelled, the way he drank it with that piss-poor smile...

"Ah. How peculiar," he answered. I tried so hard not to roll my eye.

"Of course I'm dead set on believing it's an artificially created monster from the Science Department. You know, one of those Earth Eaters. Just with a human form." I kept my same calm demeanor. "And if they're just Earth Eaters I'm almost certain I can take them out of commission too." I grabbed my cup and held it against my lips. The aroma was killing me. "But it's okay because I have Aysel's guard and the Summoners with me to help me take them down." Ah! So that got that bastard. When I said Aysel's guard the fucker wasn't too bothered, but when I brought the Summoners into the equation he almost pissed himself. "I tried to ask the creature I ran into earlier about his kind... But he kept his mouth shut... The bastard. We can't have something like that running around here." I put my cup down, tilting my head. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course," he said, a little worry in his voice. "Did you let the creature go, or do you have him held captive?" Ah! I'd feel so much more guilty for selling out Isaiah if I didn't know I would kill "Sir Julian" after all of this was over...

"I wasn't strong enough to keep the man," I said. "But for the moment I did have him restrained, he kept babbling on about how he would change the world with his group of 'friends'. At that time I really was concerned for the future of our world..." Bullshit! Complete and utter bullshit! But I must say, I was putting on quite the convincing act. I looked down at my tea, forlorn. "I didn't want countless slain. That was something I just couldn't allow. I had plans to torture the fool... Hoping that I could get him to tell me what I wanted to hear."

He looked at me more attentively. "But... I just can't stand the sound of people screaming!" I exclaimed. "It's horrible! Especially when I _have _to do it... Because then I feel really bad about myself and I can't sleep for days. Sometimes while I'm in the middle of doing it I just collapse from the sheer mental exhaustion of it all! My heart would die if I had to hear his screaming..."

"_She's convincing..." _I heard inside of my head. I gritted my teeth but I didn't say anything back. The others were getting what I was thinking through me sending them the information via mind-call. They heard everything I was saying and I bet that was the fucking Celestial Being that said that! And if that wasn't enough I heard Zed's bullshit-ass laughter.

"_The Doctor is such a horrible liar!"_

"_... At least she's trying,"_ the Summoner of Fire said. _"Let's all just calm down..."_ I turned my head the other way and then proceeded to look at Julian. He let out this laughter—preparing his lips for another sip of tea.

"Hahaha. But Lucrecia! You are _the_ Lucrecia, correct? You've killed more people than I could possibly count and you're the hero of Aysel. You're the one that helped the development of the creatures around Austere and you're coldblooded. But you have a non-tolerance for torture...?" I tilted my head.

"_Oh fuck this I'm about to kill this bastard!"_

"_Lucrecia no! That is an order. You can kill him after you've got what you want out of him, okay?"_ That Valerie bitch! Who the hell did she think she was? But she had a point. I put my hands under my chin, my eye cloudy. I let out a small chuckle. The sooner I got out of this room, the fucking better.

"I know. Shocking, isn't it? My mind doesn't click to the idea of torturing people I know. And that goes ten-fold for people I don't know. I'm getting way too old to be walking around threatening people with the ripping of their eyelids anyway." I paused, laughing. "Just imagine what would happen if I had kids. How would they think of me? It's too late for those thoughts now. I'm so old I must be trying to blow away in the form of dust..."

"Nonsense!" he said. "You... You are in perfect shape. You must have people lined up for you."

"Oh how I wish that were true," I replied. "But if I could make another person like me... Maybe she could walk around doing my job so I won't have to work so hard and I could keep this oh-so-called perfect figure that you say I have. One of my most frightening fears is growing old, Sir Julian." The bastard looked surprised. "That creature that I fought a while ago was perfect... Even though I knew he should have been dead a couple of years ago... He looked like someone I knew, and yet... What would it take for me to get something like that, Julian?" I twisted my fingers in my hair. "But then again I'm not anyone important, right?"

He put his tea down, getting up out of his seat. "Lucrecia, you will never have to lift a finger again." That was what I had been waiting for. I watched him walk towards me and I kept hands folded. He put his hand on my shoulder, leaning towards my face. Fuck was wrong with him? Invading my personal space! "Lucrecia... _The _Lucrecia. Soon our army will be replaced with a legion of breathes that know no mercy! That will spare no one that seeks to oppose us! And that goes for Saivan's "army" as well. We'll recreate the world together. How would you like a guard... Just for yourself... Made out of Shadows?" Bingo. So they did have the Shadow information, and what Isaiah told me was spot on.

_"Did you guys get with this bastard just said to me?"_

_"Yep, Lucrecia! I mean! Yes Lucrecia!" _Chio exclaimed. _"Val says it's okay for you to get out of there now!" _Done and fucking done.

"Huh?" I muttered. … What the fuck? I looked down and this guy was rubbing my hands with his hands! What the hell was this? Despite everything telling me to pull his pretty little head away from his pretty little body I kept calm.

"Is something wrong?"

"Um, no! Nothing's wrong at all!" I answered, smiling. "That would keep me out of trouble! I'm just honored that you'd ask me a question like that!" And his other fucking hand was still on my shoulders! "It's a really huge thing for me. I've been trying for so long to get out of this circle of fighting and death to others. If I don't stop Julian, I swear I'll end up going insane!" He grabbed both of my hands and I smirked.

"There is no alternative answer, Lucrecia. Do you want the Shadows or not? I trust you will make the right decision." I grabbed his hands, cradling is fingers.

"There's no way I could decline. When you recreate the world, I want to be standing by you, most definitely. And when that day comes, I want to be the only woman you swing on your shoulders, Julian." … Damn. So there was a flaw in my plan. I couldn't just outright kill him. He looked like he was one of Saivan's top-dogs. The bastard would get suspicious if Julian went missing. "So what of my friends? Or better yet, my comrades in Aysel's guard. Will they be replaced too, you think? Will they be awarded this wonderful miracle? Shadows! What a fitting name."

"There are no promises, I am afraid, Lucrecia," he said, standing up again and releasing my hands. Thank God for that. But that either meant he was planning to kill them... Or something else that I couldn't quite define as of yet. "When the world is recreated, I will let you know." I smirked, looking at him. How conflicting. So basically I just agreed to helping Saivan out in his plans. So now I was a pawn for them. He smiled at me. It was a good thing I had cut off the metal contact with the others when that twerp Chio told me I could stop. So now if I helped him, I'd be going against my country and my friends. But I'd be one step closer to Isaiah and turning him back into Issaru. I'd find a way.

And if I didn't help these bastards, they'd take someone else from my team instead. They had already tried to pull Valerie. They might have even tried to kill me if I refused. Humph. Dumb bastards until the end. Still, I couldn't handle the Shadows that they had now. Not all at once, anyway. Even I knew that. And even though Aysel and Renata were in charge of the guard, Julian here would probably have found some way to get me fired. Very clever... Him and his subordinates. He must have told them that he'd pull me to their side already. So even if I killed him now...

This was a nice hole I had gotten myself into.

"Lucrecia!" The doors flung open and the Nocuous barged in, making me get up out of my seat.

"Yes, Chase?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Val thought you'd like to help her and the other Nocuous out by mixing the cement to seal the wall up in her room. We need some focal energy to keep the tray up sideways and you're the only one that can do it." I looked at him. Was this some kind of fucking save?

"Ah! A hole in the wall you say?" Julian said, sipping his tea. "Any idea how it got there?" Both of us tensed up. Now he was being really careful. He wanted to know everything that he didn't fucking deserve to know!

"It was Val, Sir Julian," Chase said. I nodded my head.

"Of course I'll help," I replied. Julian got up and dusted himself off.

"I want to see how this 'hole' looks. I'll be with you in a second." Shit. Now this guy was coming along? Which meant we couldn't rendezvous. Oh how fun. They boxed me in a trap and I had no way out of it.

* * *

_Welcome to the grand indictment. Blur your skin, you're all invited. Let's go where the aura's blinding. And we all move with liquid timing._

* * *

My attention was directed elsewhere until Lucrecia burst through the doors. We were all happy that she had managed to get so much information out of that Enlightened officer. I chuckled under my breath, even. But she looked angry. Really angry. "You!" she yelled, pointing her mechanical finger at me. "You KILL him!" she swung her other arm around, pointing at the door. She was furious and I could have sworn her footsteps were hard enough to crack the floor.

I nodded my head, swinging her baton around. "Not a problem." This was the day in which I had been waiting for. I was going to make sure I spilled his blood.

"Wait! Lucrecia! Where are you going?" Kokoro shouted. By then she was already down the hall.

"To take a Goddamn shower!" So now I had to break it to Sir Julian that I was the one that had to take him to the hole. I had to admit, that Lucrecia woman did a great job of getting the information out of him. Just what were Shadows, exactly? Why were they going to reshape the country? They could reshape anything they wanted. They weren't going to touch my hall and Austere. Not while I was alive and still breathing. My students were fixing the cement in my room, making sure it was air-bubble free. I was so glad they weren't here to hear him talk his nonsense. Adel stepped in front of the Summoners and Zed, pulling out a map.

"Wait," he said. "Now we have to devise a plan to get the rest of the Enlightened out as quickly as possible."

"Which means us killing them, right Adel?" Zed answered. "How bold of you."

"Killing?" Chio exclaimed. "Why does everything come down to violence...?" She had a point. But violence is what it took to protect my hall, my students, and my friends. I turned towards Julian as he walked out of the room. Foolish Enlightened. He had been looking around for Lucrecia. I stepped in front of him, pointing my baton down the hallway. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. We weren't friends. We were the opposite of friends. We were mortal enemies now. I bowed in front of him. The Summoners and those two had their plans and I had mine.

"My dearest apologies Sir Julian. But Lucrecia had to take care of some things—" I was stopped mid-sentence because she walked back. She gave me a look and that's when I knew that woman was one bad monster. Apparently she didn't want his kill to go unaided. Even if she was crawling in her own skin. "Oh. There she is." Julian smiled, and Lucrecia nodded her head. I couldn't argue with her craving for blood-lust. "At any rate, I'll be coming with you two to my room. Just think as if I'm not here."

"Oh, we will," Lucrecia answered, balling up her fist. It didn't take long for us to get to my room. The walk there was quite tense. It was obvious that Lucrecia wanted to kill him, and he persisted on flirting with her to the point where I thought her head was going to explode. Once we walked into the room there was a tube sliding cement into a square container on the ground. All four of my students were making sure the wet cement was very well-prepared. They each had on hats and boots—the perfect costumes. I didn't want Julian or his men recognizing them. The were pushing the cement with push-brooms.

He and Lucrecia stood in front of the square. I narrowed my eyes at them. "Yes Lucrecia dear. We are the ones that will receive near God-like statuses. And together, we will rule the world." She closed her eye. "You said Isaiah reminded you of someone you knew, correct? My deepest apologizes, but there is nothing we can do about the Shadows and how badly they want to kill their Others. Issaru, was his name?" Now she opened her eye again.

"So you'll make Shadows of everyone, and they'll kill the people that they've originated from?" she snickered. "You weren't kidding about replacing everyone in the world, huh?"

"You make it sound like we're doing a bad thing!" he laughed. "It's merely survival of the fittest." I think that really pissed him off, because now she was glaring at him. "The weak that have Shadows created with their breath will fall. We'll simply step on their backs until we reach the top."

"So … This was planned all along. All of it. This wasn't just a harmless little experiment?"

"Of course it was, Lucrecia... Issaru was destined to be great. But he was too weak. And it is those people that will end up dying first." There was a long moment of silence. I couldn't take what this man was saying anymore. The weak would fall first? What was his definition of weak then? Lucrecia kept drilling him.

"This plan must have been set the moment you all spread around that garbage about Siavan having his first real guard. The antiquity. It must have started with Cecelia, Angeal and I. Right? No, it must have started way before that." She closed her eye.

"... It started with Cecelia, Lucrecia. We tried to make her a super-soldier. With an artificially created mind, she could not disobey us. However, we ran into problems. We couldn't create a robot from scratch, we knew. And she was still human, even under all of that scrap-metal. I cannot believe I lived this long to see the country be recreated. And it is all because of you, Lucrecia. Thank you for being so useful." She glanced at his hand holding her shoulder. He started rubbing her shoulder, much to her dismay. "We will fly high together, just you wait." My baton was ready I was tired of waiting. Lucrecia, still looking at the ground, smirked.

"Oh. I don't need whatever you're trying to sell me. Honestly."

"What?"

I heard a frightening snap. I had to turn away and my students all gasped. Camilla looked like she was going to faint. Julian started to writhe in agony, screaming as he looked at his wrist bones popping out of his skin. She had broken his wrist without even trying. She closed her eye, basking in his cries. "Yes, yes! Did I get the right arm? Surely this is the right one, yes? Your left one. Now we're the same. You're going to have to get Issaru to make you another wrist because I believe this one is shattered to the point of no fucking return. Oh, that's right. He's dead."

"Lucrecia...!" he gasped, his eyes widening. She let go of his hand and I stepped in. He was too shocked to even move.

"Weak we may be," I said, scowling. "But when we band together Sir Julian, we take down the giants. I imagine that before you were corrupted you wanted to fight for the greater good. Now you're just as low as garbage." I lifted my baton in the air, blocks of cement answering my musica. I did it with ease. They weren't that heavy at all. He was still too baffled at what Lucrecia did to notice me.

"Lucrecia! Why...? We were supposed to rule..."

"Shut the fuck up and die, Julian," she spat. "Valerie? Hurry up. I'm tired of his screaming already." He looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Valerie... You could rule the kingdom instead!" He was shaking now. Now he noticed my blocks of terror all around him. "You could save Austere!"

"You know. If I wanted to be higher up... All I would have to do is kill you!" I yelled, swinging my blocks at him. They came at him with high speeds, smacking him in various parts of his body. One block even hit his head, sending him flying backwards into the cement. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he sunk into the concoction. He looked at the both of us as my students backed away. "I can save Austere _without _your help you stupid-ass."

"Valerie... You... Why didn't you..."

I closed my eyes. "You'll help your pathetic country by staying right here," I answered, waving my baton in front of me. "You're going to become the wall that helps me sleep at night. The wall that blocks and incoming noise and the wall that protects me from my enemies." Some of his blood had got on my scarf. I took it off and threw it into the cement. He was already hidden in the grey substance anyway. It overtook him. I sighed, cracking my knuckles. "Akuma, if you would please. Tell the others that we've disposed of him. All the rest of you!" I yelled, being assertive. "Keep with what you were ordered to do! Make sure the concrete is not bumpy. And make sure you make it look nice for when I paint it. And another thing. If this gets out, you all make sure you tell them that I did it. No exceptions."

"Yes Teacher!" they exclaimed. I grunted, leaving the room. People like him didn't deserve to live.

Another one bites the dust.

* * *

**A/N:** There you have it! Val and Lucrecia make a kick-ass team! XD;;

That guy so got owned. Would any one of you want to be encased in cement alive? I thought not. But Val was pretty serious about saving her hall. XD You guys thought she was fooling. She is not fooling. She is very much serious. And that guy didn't get that at all. XD But they own together! XD What more proof do you need? These guys are not playing with Saivan. XD;;

I'm so pumped for this man! XD

... Not so much for the next chapter though. I'm going to cry! XD;;

But I'm pumped none-the-less! And where's Sayuri? Still not here, huh? Gah. Thank you guys for reading and staying with me this long! XD


	43. Daylight Dancer

**A/N:** And I give you the chapter I've been trying to avoid my whole life! XD;;

Wrote 8k... All today. Not bad, not bad. Not as decent as 12k in one day but hey, I'll live. This chapter is 10k, by the way. XD

* * *

"Not bad, kid!" Kohana cooes, smiling at the Celestial Being. He steps back, surprised at her smile. She winks at him, putting her hand on her waist. "You seem to know what you're doing after all! I can tell this isn't the first time you've held a sword in your hands before." She pauses, standing up straight. "However, while I'm sure you could probably kill someone on Spectra with they way your stance is set up..." She smirks, wiping her hand across the sky. "There's _no_ way you could kill me."

The Celestial Being steps back, fear swallowing him whole. She grins again at his body's reaction to her. "Yes, I know. They train you up there to be able to take me out before I transform fully into the Wickedness." She lets out a cruel laughter, looking up at the sky. "Is this all you've got, Shirogane? Really?" She looks back at the brunette, snorting. "No matter how strong you are up there, you're nothing compared to what I can do. I've traveled planet after planet... Fought Extraterrestrial after Extraterrestrial... Sorry buddy, but you're not going to kill me." She walks closer to him, kneeling down so she can make the appropriate eye-contact.

He's so scared he can't even breathe.

"Or are you still going to try and fight me because that's what you've been order to do? To take me out at all costs? Such is the life of a soldier. You fight because you're ordered to." She pauses, looking into the sky. Shaking her head she scoffs. "Here!" she exclaims, pointing at herself. "I'll give you a chance to kill me. I mean it! Scout's honor!" The Celestial Being jumps back—not sure of what he should do. A sane person would never ask someone to hurt them upfront.

His grip tightens on his sword as Kohana extends both of her arms out. "Hit me. Whenever, whatever. And make sure you actually kill me, okay?" Her impish smile stretches from ear-to-ear. "You better not hesitate either. When someone actually makes themselves open like this... You should attack them without even thinking, kid!" Her voice makes him uneasy... His hands start to shake, which makes his sword start to shake. She laughs.

"...Are you being serious...?"

"What? I said hit me," she replies back, bored. "So you're not going to hit me? Bah, that's not fun, you know."

"... I can't do that!" he says back, fear overtaking him. "I can't fight someone who's just going to... Who's just going to..."

"Ask for it?" Kohana finishes, smirking. "Well yeah, why wouldn't you? They asked, you give, and everyone's happy."

"You don't even have a weapon!" he shouts at her. "I can't! It's dishonorable!"

Kohana snorts, looking the other way. "Dishonorable? Ha. What do you know about dishonorable? You know what's dishonorable? Assuming your opponent doesn't have a means of attacking you. Just because I don't have a weapon doesn't mean I can't splatter your brains across the ground." He flinches at her sentence. "This just means you've got a big heart~!" She pinches his cheeks and that confuses him greatly. Once she lets go of him she smiles maliciously. "It means you don't want to hurt anyone! That you're a true warrior. Let me tell you something Celestial Being. I don't give a damn about your heart."

"Wha...?"

"You_ better _attack me," she answers, her eyes dark. "You better _enjoy_ this!"

His grip tightens on his sword, but she gives him the same psychotic look in her eyes. "Ahahah! You don't understand, Celestial Being! I've been waiting years and years to find someone that can beat me! When I kill, I do it for fun and I enjoy it! And when I'm killed I'll find it fun because I'm sure whoever'll kill me will enjoy it! And I'll enjoy dying. All of it... The thrill of spilling blood and having your own blood spilled... This is what it means to be a true soldier! A true hero!"

She throws her hands in the air, her right eye twitching somewhat. "Hit me with everything you've got and maybe you might save the universe! Because if you don't kill me now... I'll kill billions more in your name! Slash my face off—stab me in the eyes—anything! Anything will do! Ahahahah! Hurry now, I'm getting restless!" After five minutes of him staring at her Kohana cracks another devious smile.

"Are you scared now?" she yells in excitement. "Anywhere you want to! Anywhere at all! Because when I draw my sword they'll be no take-backs!" Her fangs reveal themselves to the Celestial Being, making him tense up. "C'mon! You'll never get another chance again!" That's all it takes to set him off. He lifts his sword up and—with all of the strength he can muster—slashes Kohana's right shoulder. Blood sprays on the boy and he starts panting from such a heavy-handed swing. His face is tainted with her blood.

Yet she stares at him in discontentment. Like the slash never happened at all...

His eyes widen, his hands glued to the hilt of his sword.

"Why the long face~?" Kohana says with a smile. "You actually thought that was going to take me out?" She cracks her neck and grabs both of his hands. "Umm, and here I was thinking I was going to have a challenge. I guess I've seemed to have forgot how much garbage Shirogane can produce, yes?" She inches her face closer to his—which causes him to sweat even more so.

"Let me tell you something. Pain is nonexistent. Which is why... I... Win!" Grabbing his index-finger and middle finger with her left hand and his other two with her right, she rips his right hand in half, tearing the bones and flesh apart and drops the pieces on the ground.

He steps back, terrified and screaming. That's when Kohana unsheathes her sword, smiling. "Ah, please oh please... Give my sword something to sing about!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty-Three: Daylight Dancer :-**

_And I won't live to see the sunrise,_  
_It's just a matter of time, only a matter of time_  
_And I won't live to see the sunrise!_

_She says, "I want you to know, before you let me go,_  
_It's your fault, I'm demoralized!"_  
_But I won't let what she says, go to my head!_  
_No, not again._

_You've already done the damage_  
_You are a thing of the past_  
_She's a snake devil!_

— "Snake Devil" — Scary Kids Scaring Kids

I can honestly say that right now I was absolutely disgusted. I had to breathe. I had to get away from all of that war and corruption. People would do so many things for a high position in life. Was anyone satisfied for what they had for long? Listening to that conversation with Lucrecia and Julian made me realize that this was real war. And that the king of Aysel really was trying to get rid of all of us. Instead of going with the others to possibly kill more people, I decided to walk around Austere. I had to get another look at those flowers we saw on the way to going down to lower-Austere. Flowers. Those things played on my mind.

Yes, flowers were meant to bring beauty and things of that nature to the world. But for some odd reason I didn't like the flowers that magically seemed to bloom in front of the entrance to lower-Austere. I stood there, looking down on the suspicious plants. This was strange. Flowers this beautiful... Flowers like that didn't just bloom this quickly. I sighed, blowing some air through my hands. And then Val could be so unforgiving... Basically, she didn't take it all too well that I said I wasn't going to fight. She threatened to kill me, and then called me pathetic.

Val could never understand my reasons... And heh, I think that's why she threatened to kill me if I didn't get out of her way. But she knew more than anyone that I didn't like fighting. Killing... Spilling blood... It's not honorable! I didn't see how my teammates could take such pride in it. They took people's dreams. Their pride. They take and take until there is virtually nothing left of them. I can't... I couldn't do that. It's not right. And that's why I'd always choose to run before ending someone's life. Before taking part in a war. I stood there, looking at the flowers more closely.

But... If a war was necessary for Princess Renata not to be hurt anymore... For her kingdom to know an eternal calm... Why was this so hard for me? Why couldn't I make a choice? Nothing in life was free. Yes, yes I knew that. And sometimes people needed to make hard decisions to get what they wanted. Princess Renata deserved happiness. She had never sinned a day in her life. She wanted her enemies to be happy alongside her friends. She didn't deserve to see all of this madness. She didn't deserve to see death. And honestly, I didn't either. What did I do to deserve all of this? I shook my head. No one ever asks to take part in war. Only people who are monsters.

The others... I really, sincerely hoped that they were enjoying taking those Enlighten's lives away. I couldn't agree with such things. Maybe I was a coward like Val said. But I would run a thousand times if it meant not getting someone else's blood on my hands. I had... Already failed my friends once. If Val was right about our comrades being slaughtered, then I should have been there to stop the bloodshed. It's anger that drives everything into chaos, isn't it? It's always anger. Anger guides the first punch and anger puts that first suicidal thought inside of a person.

I was sorry... Sorry that I didn't fall victim to anger like everyone else did.

And Val hated me for it? I didn't understand her. But I couldn't just stand here doing nothing... What if they got hurt? If they got hurt then I would have been forced to fight. Again! That "forced" word came up in just about all of my thoughts. There wasn't any use trying to hide it anymore. Was I forced to live? Forced to die? Forced to fight? Renata told me that if I joined her guard that I'd be happy. She was just using that as a facade... Because even she knew that I was being forced to join. If I hadn't joined they would have killed me. Just the thought made me hate Aysel. Why didn't she have me killed?

If she would have ordered me to be killed, my pain and suffering would have ended! Instead she had me ordered to live? So I could walk the earth lamenting over what I could have done and what I was incapable of doing? I sighed, unwinding my arms. I plucked an orange flower out of the ground. I hope the soil didn't mind if I borrowed one of its flowers. Sure, the flowers smelt nice but... I couldn't shake that feeling of regret. That something bad was going to happen. It clung on my back and refused to let me go. I sighed again, turning around.

After that, I looked into the sky. I gazed at Aysel's palace. Maybe it was a bad idea to go to war. Summoner Sayuri didn't make the right choice. War only meant that more people died in the name of false glory. Just like Naira and Defina did... They were murdered. They didn't die for the pride of their country. And though they may have fought in Queen Aysel's name... Where had Queen Aysel been when they were fighting for their lives? This was stupid. All of it. And I couldn't believe I let myself be dragged into all of this pointless man-slaughter. I put the flower down on the ground and took a few steps forward. Don't worry. I was going to go back to retrieve it. I just... Needed to find a spot where there were no flowers.

Truthfully, they were making my head spin. I was trying to find out the secret to this war. So Saivan wanted to perfect kingdom. For what? It wasn't like he had the technology the Summoners had. They could go to other worlds. At least, that's what Kokoro told me a long time ago. Miyuki talked about her days on Spectra, too. Saivan wouldn't accomplish anything but death and destruction. There had to be something more to his plan. He was already the king of Aysel. He had money. Power. Glory. Fame. From what I knew he even had an army of people that were loyal to him... Even if he's betrayed the kingdom that he's supposed to rule. I rubbed my chin. No, things weren't right. Julian had let us in on a lot of stuff, but I was suspicious...

Maybe Julian didn't tell us everything.

Or maybe Saivan himself didn't tell Julian everything. It was a wonder he knew so much anyway. Saivan wasn't stupid. A guy like him... Stupid? I let out a playful chuckle. Saivan had been trained to fight as a knight since he was little. He knew the ups and downs of combat and that would indicate that he had a good grasp on what to tell his nooks. If I couldn't help the others by fighting, then I'd help them by cracking the _real_ code to Saivan's plans. I looked at my hands and put my arms to my sides. Still... To be a king and to act like that...

It just didn't make sense!

Was there someone higher up feeding him what to do? Was Aysel in on it too? There were so many possibilities and not enough time. War had started. Austere was in the balance of being able to prosper or falling on its knees. We still had to make it through the badlands. And even then we had to hope Zed knew what he was talking about. About there being a castle where the badlands apparently "clear up". I've never walked through the entire badlands before, and I knew he could never do that either. It's too rough to walk. But now we had more people, so I guess that was good enough.

At any rate, I needed to get back down into Austere. I was unsure, but I wanted to protect my friends. I straightened out my back and cracked my neck. My sword was secured and I looked at all the trees around me. That, in its-self was kind of chilling. Trees weren't common in Austere... In the badlands, sure. But why were they here now? No, I was right. I looked around, holding the hilt of my sword. Trees didn't just grow this fast out of nowhere. Something was happening. Was this the planet's doing? I kept my cool, taking a few steps forward.

This place was getting more and more crazy with each passing day. Or maybe I was just thinking about this too hard. Enlightened did have magical powers... Maybe someone made the trees grow. Or one of the Summoners might have done something... Or an Essence, even. Wicked Spawn? It wasn't a crazy guess. Wicked Spawn could do loads of things... Or how about an Earth Eater? Maybe they had learned a new ability or two. Yeah... I was overrating. I stood up straight, blinking. I clapped both of my hands together, walking towards Austere. "Chase, get your head in the game," I said to myself.

And almost after I had said that I heard a couple of footsteps. The flowers were being crunched under someone's shoes. Someone was definitely here. I guess that was one of the pluses to the flowers being everywhere. Still, why would anyone want to step on flowers? I knew Princess Renata and Aline had a really bad problem with people doing that. Even in the midst of an intruder sneaking up on me I managed to laugh. I knew deep down inside of my heart that Princess Renata and Aline were safe, regardless of what kind of war I was thrown into. Those two were the most important people in my life. Even though I had made such wonderful friends... Those two were the ones that had always stood by me.

I owed them my life. I owed them... I had to stay alive for them. Because they were alive for me. I unsheathed my sword, swinging it next to me. I looked to my left and then to my right. "Listen up. If you're trying to sneak up on an old man like me... I'm afraid I don't have anything that you would want," I said cautiously. "I'm kind of broke right now, you see." I even managed to laugh. "And besides, you wouldn't want to do battle with someone like me, would you? Not with a big sword like this." I didn't get an answer. But someone did start clapping. It wasn't normal clapping either. It was annoying clapping... Something that you would get from a little kid after they've watched their favorite movie thirty times over.

That's when I saw him.

A peculiar man. Not Enlightened. Not with us. And most definitely not a Nocuous. He came out of thin-air, his clapping fast and without any rhythm at all. His eyes were cat-like... A problem for me. He wore a black suit and had some kind of contraption on his arm. He had spiky blonde hair and a smile on his face. Like he was happy to see me. I knew right away that this man meant business. Just the way he stood made me think he wasn't here to just simply talk. "Oh yay!" he exclaimed, childish. It was putting off his initial appearance as a grown man. That really creeped me out. I stepped back a little. "I've found you! After all of this time looking... I've finally found you!" he said in joy. He stopped clapping and stood in front of me.

"That's good," I replied... And I honestly meant it. "So you've found me. Who might you be?" He smirked at me, cracking his knuckles.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! Daddy will be so proud of me when I go back! I'll drag your body back to the castle! Oh, it'll be so easy! And I'll show everyone there that I'm serious about killing everyone that stands in Daddy's way!" Okay, he wasn't making any sense right now. Who was this "Daddy" he kept talking about? He started laughing and I knew that he wouldn't just go away. That was a threat he just gave to me. A _threat. _But I couldn't fight... I—I just couldn't... I sheathed my sword, putting it on my back. I did that just to let him know I would have been happy to talk to him.

"Yes, don't we all want to make our fathers proud?" I said, sauntering around. I had my arms folded to give him the impression that I was nice. "So who's your father?"

"As if I'm going to tell you, Nocuous!" I flinched. Well, there goes that. He grinned at me, getting into a fighting position. "I'm Adair the Rojo. I'm here to get rid of you once and for all! You were annoying! You were very annoying and I voted that you'd be killed! I'm surprised you even got to live this long! But Daddy wouldn't have it and so wouldn't Isaiah and the others." He paused, scowling. He threw his arms in front of him, simpering. "No one listens to me! No one, no one, no one!" He was throwing a tantrum. Right in front of me. He was stomping on the ground and everything.

After he was done he smiled at me again. "Though now that I've got you right here, I can kill you and no one will know! Not even your friends! You idiot, what made you think you could wander off by yourself and get away from trouble? Ahahahaha!" I knew I should have been mad at him. Angry. But anger is what made war worse. I could only smile... I knew how dishonorable that was, but that was just how I acted. Adair flexed his arm... The one with that contraption on it and lighting danced around him. My eyes widened. What was that thing? "This is my taser... Fitted just for my arm!" He smiled and stood up straight.

"You're not going to fight me are you?" I had to ask. I had to confirm it. He didn't give me a body response.

"Ha! You're a real idiot! I'm going to kill you, Nocuous! But I promise when I kill you... You won't feel a thing! I've got to take your body back in one piece! To my Daddy!" Who was his father? This wasn't making any sense! While I was thinking Adair caught me off guard. He was just as fast as lightning, appearing in front of me at the drop of a dime. When I saw him in front of me, preparing his taser-arm to hit me in the stomach... Just that time alone... I didn't have any time to retaliate. And if I did, I didn't want to hurt him. The taser on his arm was impressive. It had retractable claws that rested on his knuckles.

But I wasn't thinking that they were impressive when they impaled my stomach. He had charged the claws with lightning and a sharp pain ran through my stomach. The blood that was at the entrance of my wounds _cooked_, due to the lightning. He had definitely stabbed through something in my stomach, but the lighting shot my body. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move. And my hands kept shaking. When he pulled his arm back I flew through a tree, laying there. Helpless. My sword was still on my back but I wouldn't... I wouldn't use it! I used everything in my body and stood back up, trying to take control of it. The lightning had been...

My jaw dropped and I looked at Adair. He was smirking at me. I tried to walk forward but I lifted up my right arm. "What's... Going on?" I managed to say, trying to walk. Still, I wasn't doing much of anything. He flexed his hand again, smirking.

"The lightning inside of you is rewiring the commands to your brain, Nocuous!" I—I couldn't believe that. He didn't have the power to do something like that did he? I was panicking now. "Yes! Larunda said I could do it! I would have never thought of it if she hadn't said anything! I love her! But not as much as I love my Daddy!" I flinched. I would have to remember that name. Larunda. This was bad. I couldn't move... And I was surprised that I was even able to talk. "So now you're helpless! You won't be able to beat me! Hahahah! This is almost too easy! If I would have known it would be this easy... I would have snuck out and killed you a long time ago!"

I gritted my teeth, trying to get my arm down. I only ended up looking over my shoulder. "Why do you want to fight me?" He laughed some more.

"Because you're annoying! Daddy wasn't expecting a Nocuous to go up against him! The others, yeah! Sure! They were all going to be my play things. But he never promised me a Nocuous! You guys are smelly! I don't want to play with a Nocuous!" What was he talking about? Every word that came out of his mouth was pure nonsense! How did anyone stand being around him? This was unbelievable! "But... You're almost more fun then all of the children in Austere." ... What? Adair came at me again before I could say something. He grabbed my shoulder to make sure I didn't flop around. I had no control over my body anymore, so I couldn't help it. This time his taser wasn't charged, but he started punching me in the stomach with menacing blows.

I didn't think that he was this strong...

He acted like a child but he had all the power of three men. I didn't know how much I could take. How ironic this was... I couldn't control my body but I could definitely feel pain. Blood sprayed out of my mouth and onto his face. His smile only widened and he punched me in the face. I started breathing heavy, falling to my knees. He grabbed my left arm, holding it as he looked at me with dangerous eyes. "You don't understand Nocuous! I've got plenty more play things now. I can do whatever I want with them and they do whatever I say! I'd have them talk to you but you're not worthy! We could have had something together, Nocuous! We could have played together forever!" I didn't understand. I _still_ didn't understand.

I didn't know Adair! Why was he talking to me as if we were supposed to be friends? Was that what he meant? I couldn't decode his childish banter. "But you had to go fight for that stinky Queen Aysel! Why didn't you wait? Daddy would have saved you from your sadness! I know you're in a lot of pain because you're a Nocuous! That's why I'm here!" He tilted his head, putting his foot on the back of my head and increasing the pressure on it. I was practically eating the dirt. Really. Whatever he was making rewire the commands to my brain... I couldn't even explain it. But the lightning was making me chew the dirt. He smiled.

"You could have been safe! We could have been friends! My job... My job is to save everything! You know about the Apathīa, right?" The Apathīa? Of course I did! Was he about to tell me about it? But what good was the Apathīa information if I didn't live to be able to tell the others about it? I needed to do something... But I couldn't fight! I wouldn't fight! He was still a person. He pulled me up by my arm, popping it out of place. Thank God he didn't break it. But after that he grabbed my hair, and gave me the most brutal kick in the chin I've ever received in my life. My body forgot about the lightning surging throughout my body and wanted to retaliate more than anything. But instead of giving a natural retaliation I willed my body to calm down.

I flew backwards in the air, and just when I thought it couldn't get much worse he uppercutted me with his taser... The lightning accompanying his attack. I fell back on the ground, my body twitching from the lighting. The impact was hard enough to knock my sword away from my back. I couldn't move. The lightning was too much. I could only lay on the ground and watch as he possibly took my life away. I refused to fight him. I wouldn't do it... He had to live. I had to live. War only brought violence. Which created more violence... Princess Renata would have been proud of me... That I didn't have to resort to violence to live... My fingers were twitching... But I had been trying to reach a flower. It was the same one I had pulled earlier...

That was, until Adair stepped on it. He pointed at my sword, a mischievous grin on his face. "Hey Nocuous! Why aren't you using your sword?" Was that a real question? I was trying to catch my breath. I couldn't use my sword. He had made it impossible. And I was in too much pain to move. That's when he got angry. His entire face morphed into something demonic. He had actually gotten angry with me... For not replying... "Pick up your sword!" he commanded, kicking it towards me. "You're not making me happy! And I like to be happy!" That was too much... That was too much! First he beat me and then he demanded that I stand up and fight? I couldn't... I had to tell him that I...

It took a while but I had managed to part my lips. "... Adair." He cocked a brow. I thought that was the only word I could get out of my mouth... "I can't fight you." I said that all in one big breath. I needed air. It honestly felt like my lungs were going to explode. And I knew that had something to do with the lightning inside of me. Once false move and Adair could kill me from the inside. He was controlling the current all along. With what? I had no idea. "I need you to... Live." Adair balled up his fists and stomped me again in the stomach. Enraged, he got on his knees and started punching at my face. Over and over again. I couldn't breathe and I couldn't see.

"Graaah!" he yelled, switching to his other hand. The pain was so bad that my face started to numb. But that wasn't until he started to punch me with both of his fists. My lips split open and there were gnashes all over my face. I think I had a black eye. I wasn't too sure. But any second now my face was going to swell up. I didn't... I couldn't move now. "Pick up your sword I said! You're boring me! Daddy promised me that I'd have fun when the war started! I'm bored! Bored! Bored!" He stood up and started stomping me in my ribs. He honestly had no remorse for me. My lungs were already in pain... But did he have to stomp on my left ribcage too? He was not only killing me... He was destroying me.

"I... Said no..."

He gave me once last stomp before he grabbed my hand and forced me to stand up. After that he slammed my head into the nearest tree, making the bark crack. The impact overwhelmed me. I instantly fell back on the ground. It hurt to breathe now. I couldn't go back to the others looking like this... I bet I looked horrible. He stood me up again and grabbed my sword, thrusting it in my arms. I didn't have enough strength to hold it. It fell out of my hands and he simpered, picking it up again and trying to put it into my hands. "Hold it! Why won't you hold it?" When he yelled that his whole body was overtaken by lightning. "I've lived for this day and you're boring! Boring! I don't want to do this anymore, but I have to kill you! Daddy said I _have _to kill you!" How cruel. He had gotten my hopes up... Only to crush them.

He could very well kill me. I couldn't fight back even if I tried.

He grabbed my arm again, obviously upset. He was even crying. He swung me across the air, and when I landed I could have sworn I broke something. It had felt like a couple of my ribs were broken. He ran over to me and started stomping my head. This was it. I wouldn't survive this. And honestly... If I was going to die, at least I would die knowing that I have never killed anyone... I never spilled unnecessary blood. And I died trying to protect the people that I loved. Not myself... But people like Princess Renata and Aline... But he stopped abruptly... Like there was something on his mind.

I thought he was looking at the sky or a bird...

He took two steps away from me, smiling again. "Ha! You know what I should do?" I could barely hear him. I think my ears were swollen. "I should find that woman that I met that one day! She put up a way better fight than you could ever do! Huh, Chase? That is your name right? _Ah_a_ha_ha_ha_!" What? Now we had a problem. Even with the broken ribs that I had I stood up the best way I could.

"What... Are you... Talking about...?"

"Easy! I was fighting this woman and she kept saying something about Chase. It was disgusting! And she was in this patch of flowers! Bleg. I hate the things." He paused, looking around. I glanced around too. They were all tainted with my blood. Or at least, that's what I thought all the red was... I thought my right eye was bleeding too, but I could have been wrong about that. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to dream. Death sounded soothing... I started drifting in and out of conscious but he let out a huff, grabbing at my face and ripping my right eyebrow off.

I can't even begin to explain the pain. A blood vessel underneath it kept pumping out blood... Adair was tainted with my blood. I wanted to black out but the lightning wouldn't let me. It was like he was denying me sleep. "Why are you doing this..." I asked in a whisper. "Please just let me die!" I pleaded, falling to my knees. He snickered at me, grabbing me by my neck.

"In a second! I want to tell you a secret!" he said, unforgiving. It was as if he didn't see my blood or the way my face looked. I was sure he broke my nose too. I didn't know whether to breath out of my nose or out of my mouth. Everything hurt. "Do you know where I can find that woman? I promised Isaiah that I'd bring him back her head!" Lethargically I shook my head. I didn't even know what he was talking about. He shook my body and blood poured out of most of my wounds. "You know her! Because she knows you! And when I find her we can play! Just like last time! Her name was Renatari."

Renatari? Impossible, Renatari was dead. She had been dead for a long time. I collapsed on the ground again and he quirked his nose. It looked like he was done with me. He was going to find Renata's dead sister. As long as he left me alone. As long as I could die alone... Without his presence looming over me... "Fighting her was the most fun I had ever had! You're dull! You're not fun! Daddy told me you were fun! The others didn't want to kill you because they probably knew you sucked!" There he went... Throwing tantrums. "That woman... Renatari! She was going to see Aline, that girl we have back at the castle."

"What...?" I said, not wanting to believe it. "You're lying. She's not at whatever castle you people are hiding at. She's with the Science Department..."

"No, Cecelia went to go get her, idiot! Cecelia is always taking the good missions away from me! I'll make sure she pays someday!" He stomped his foot on the ground and I gritted my teeth. So now they had Aline too?

"You people better not have done anything to hurt her!" I yelled. "I'll... I'll..."

"What can you do?" He laughed and I exhaled. He was right. I was pretty sure I was about to die. "Aline's safe, don't worry. She's helping me turn more Apathīa-infected children over to our side! Soon everyone in Austere... All the children will be my toys! I'll make them fight each other and everything! And we'll do everything together!"

"You all better let her go! Aline didn't do anything to deserve what you're putting her through!"

He turned around, glaring at me. "Do you want me to kill you now?" I was half-tempted to say yes... Intimidating sparks shot through the air. I decided to keep my mouth closed. "Renatari was trying to protect Aline... That was until I came. Aline was saying something about how she never got to see Renatari..." My eyes widened. Maybe I was overrating again. No, he couldn't be talking about Renata, could he? But this would have explained everything... How she was laying in the church... How Aline had those weird powers... Aline had the Apathīa, didn't she? And Renata tried to protect her from him...

And he...

"She almost beat me for a moment there! She was fun to play with..." He turned around again. He wouldn't live this down. He wouldn't... I had to... "I might have to fight her again... And then kill her—" I didn't let him finish his sentence. I held my sword with a firm grip. His head rolled on the ground against the flowers. The only thing that stood was his head-less body. I started panting... Trying to catch my breath. I had... Silenced him. He was never going to hurt anyone else again. Not Aline... And not Princess Renata... I fell on one knee, tears threatening to spill over. But if I would have been more careful... Renata wouldn't have gotten hurt and Aline wouldn't have Apathīa!

This was all my fault!

And look! Look at what I had just done! I had just beheaded him! A human being! I had just taken a life! My eyes widened. Now my body was shaking even more. "Oh please, someone kill me now..." I murmured. But before I could stand back up... Red lightning surrounded Adair's body... And it started to gather at his neck... Where I had chopped his head off. I stepped back and almost fell over. The light had... The head on the ground deteriorated and it appeared right on his shoulders again. He cracked his neck, smirking at me.

"Ouch! That really hurt you know! Daddy won't like you now... You cut my head off!"

"What...!" I fell back on my knees. "What are you?"

"I'm a Shadow," he replied, grinning. My eyes widened. A Shadow? Those were the things Lucrecia and Julian were talking about! So this was what they were! How come his head just came back? He wasn't human. He was a—he was a... "You look so scared! But now you're fighting!" He grinned, walking towards me. He seemed like he was totally healed. "You can't beat me! I'm too strong for you!" He tried to punch me again, but I wouldn't let him... That would have been the finishing blow if I didn't step out of the way, albeit clumsily.

"Why aren't you dead...!"

"Because! I'm one of Daddy's creations!" I couldn't attack him. But I couldn't let him kill me either! I had to save Aline... And I had to protect Princess Renata! If I didn't do that then they both would die! I didn't care if I died... But not them! They couldn't die... I started to run away from him as fast as I could... And he only walked behind me. "There's no point in running, Nocuous. And I think for cutting my head off... I'll cut yours off too! Let's see if you can get it back like I can!" That bastard...! He knew I couldn't do that! I wasn't like him! I wasn't a monster! My thoughts were all over the place. How could I win this match if everything I did was no use?

I turned around, grabbing the hilt of my sword with both of my hands. I wouldn't let this be the end! I ran up to him, grunting. I thrust my sword through his chest, making sure I drove it right through his heart. But as soon as I did it he tilted his head at me, laughing. "Sorry! I don't have one!" And then he grabbed my hands. My eyes dilated again. He didn't _have _one? What was he? I couldn't wrap my head around this... Quickly I pulled my sword out of his chest, watching the red light close his wound. I needed help. I needed...

"This was how that woman wanted to run away from me! She thought she could just take everything and make it better! She even punched me around a few times! Look at you, Nocuous! Running away from me just like that woman!" I gritted my teeth.

"Shut up! You won't talk about Princess Renata like that!"

He stopped, tapping his fingers on his chin. "Princess? She's a princess? That must mean she's in the palace! Yay! I get to go to the palace!"

"No! Stop!" I yelled. Adair jumped in the air but I grabbed his leg. His smile faded and I slammed him into the dirt. Now I was pissed off. Now I was angry.

"Hey! Hey! Stop it stop it stop it! My friend! My play thing is up there I—arugh!" I broke his leg, and quickly after that I stabbed him in his right eye, watching the liquid ooze out of the eye-socket. It popped like a balloon would. Disgusting. "Wait, what are you—!" The healing light he had was all too slow to keep up with me. I slit his throat, making the hole big enough so I could grab his tongue though it. Once I wrapped my hands around the slippery thing I pulled it out of the hole in his neck, causing him extreme agony. And then, with my sword, I cut his tongue out of it, my grip tightening on it. I threw it somewhere... I honestly didn't remember where.

Adair stood back up, panting. The light restored his body back to normal. "I've figured you out," I said, trying to rid my hands of his saliva. "Though that light of yours brings your body back to normal, you can still feel pain... And possibly the pain of the last time you were killed." He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot on the ground.

"Na-uh! Daddy said I was immortal!" Immortal? Now I was panicking. Immortal? How could that be? Still, I stood back up. Strong. Like I knew what I was doing.

"Tell me. How are you making your body return back to normal every time I kill you? I've killed you twice now." He smiled at me, cracking his neck once again.

"Aahaha! You don't know anything about Shadows, do you? For one, you need someone's breath—but you also need a good number of sacrifices." Sacrifices? Oh no. Oh no. The thoughts that were playing in my head. Please don't let him say something that I wouldn't want to hear... "Daddy had to kill a lot of people to bring me life! And what better way to get a lot of people killed... Than going down to Austere and just taking a bunch of people's lives there—_arrugh_—wait! Wait!" I drove my sword through the back of his skull, not particularly worried about the blood splattering on my face. I pushed him on the ground face-first with my sword... Perhaps it was sticking out of his nose.

"So when..." I said, my eyes dark. "So when Saivan told Val she'd be able to meet her friends again... He meant that they were a part of _you?"_ I asked, pulling my sword out of his skull. I kicked him on his back and the light had healed his face. He was fortunate.

"Yes! Yes!" he laughed, grinning psychotically. "They're all a part of me! And every time you kill me I use one of their souls to help me get back on my feet—_raaaah!" _I slammed my sword down his throat, tired of everything he was saying. He gagged a bit, the red light shining out of his mouth. I pulled my sword out and he fell to his knees, coughing up blood. "You bastard, stop that stop that stop that!"

"You don't deserve to live," I said in a low voice. I put my sword up against his shoulder. "No matter what it takes... I will kill you. You. You are a disgrace. You're the one that attacked Princess Renata down in the church? I'll have you know that she tried really hard not to tell anyone your name! That she cared about you... Even when you left her down there to die!" While he was on his knees I swiftly cut one of his arms off, making him fall down, his nose in all of the flowers. He quickly pushed himself off the ground, twisting his nose.

"Gah! Disgusting! It's in my mouth!" His arm came back and I held my sword with both of my hands. At that... I just went crazy. I started slashing at him in anyway I could. His whole body was riddled with slashes and he was screaming as I was administering them. I'd show him no mercy. I'd... I'd...

"What _are_ you?" I asked again, coughing up as much blood as... There was_ so_ much in my throat. My bodily reaction was to just get it out of there. Adair smiled crookedly at me, lightning dancing around his hand. That monster! That fiend! He would go out of his way to attack me because I was a Nocuous? "I refuse to believe you were once human. I refuse to believe you are someone's Shadow." Adair stood back up and I wasn't really expecting him to. I slashed at him carelessly, but this time he grabbed my sword with both of his hands.

"Try... Harder...!"

I let him have it. And I watched him shatter my blade. The blade that I had kept for many, many years. I didn't know what to think anymore after that. I balled up my fist with everything I had, meaning it to be the last fist I would ever have to make again. I punched him in his his jaw, shattering it. He fell down limply on the ground, and this time he didn't say anything. But he kept twitching and the taser he was wearing fell off his arm. I retrieved it fast. But the way it felt in my hand...

Like I was forbidden to hold it...

The light was all around his body now. It looked like that was it. He didn't have anymore souls to leech off. Tears started to rain down my cheeks. "You... You let innocent people... Not be able to rest at your expense... How monstrous of you..."

He turned his head towards me. And something about him looked different. Sure, more than half of his face was punched in... But... I fell on one knee. "Chase? That's your name, right..."

"Yes," I said, shaking my head over and over.

He exhaled, looking up into the clouds. "Thank you." I flinched, punching the ground with my hand.

"How can you say that Adair? I just killed you several times over and you thank me? Dear God what have I done...?" I refused to look at him. The light was eating his body up now... As if it was upset that he had lost like he did. I wasn't a winner either. Whether or not Adair lived or died... I still would die because I had lost too much blood. What kind of warrior was I? He let out a playful chuckle.

"It's Angeal, Chase."

I looked up at him. "Angeal? Are you... Are you..."

"Nah, I'm not the real Angeal... I'm what's left of this Shadow. I'm Angeal's breath... There's no more Adair. There's just me. Don't... Feel so bad. You actually saved me. Now I can go join the rest of my soul, wherever it is. Now I don't have to fight anymore. I've been waiting years and years to stop fighting, Chase. You're a pretty cool guy!" He smiled faintly at me, which made my eyes widen.

"Stop it," I said. "I didn't save anyone I—" I tried to hold back my tears but I ended up choking.

"C'mon now, don't act like that. I'm sorry for giving you trouble back there." He paused. "I've been trying to get away from Saivan for a while now. You have no idea what it's like to be at someone's every whim and command." He looked at the sun, which was strangling my heart. "You did a good thing."

"Killing someone is never good! You can't..." The light started to attack his face now. It looked like he was evaporating into the air. "Stop doing that!" I pleaded. "You'll die just like the others. Just like Naira and Defina... Dying like trash for nothing..."

"Death is the only way to get out, Chase. Anyway, I've gotta go now. I don't know if we'll meet up again, but if you ever need a favor I'm here for you. I owe you big. You have no idea." He was right. I had no idea. I didn't understand. "Hey."

"Yes, Angeal?"

"If you see Lucrecia—since she's an old friend of mine—can you tell her that the code to get inside of the castle is from Cecelia's annoying picture game thing? She'll know what I'm talking about." I nodded my head, and then after that he disappeared. Right into the wind. Like a shadow would when it's dark outside. This wasn't victory for me. This was the opposite of victory. I screamed as loud as I could, attracting the attention of someone... She may have been watching the whole thing... I don't know. I didn't care. I was in too much pain to. She looked like an adult... I wouldn't pay her any attention. My sadness came first.

"What did I just do...?" I screamed, falling back against a tree and looking at my trembling hands. "Did I just...? No. No. Not me! Not me! I'm not like this! Why are my hands so red?" I couldn't believe it. I refused to believe it. I didn't just kill Adair. And the bad part was that I think I may have beheaded him about three times before I stopped... Only to pick up my sword again! Where had my mercy gone? I wouldn't be able to smile again. Not with this weight on my conscious. I was still surprised I had a soul to call my own! I didn't... I shouldn't have been alive!

"I've got his blood... On my hands," I said to myself, my back screaming at me to get it off the tree. That woman looked at me with big, purple eyes... She was a weird one. I didn't sense any sign of her being an Enlightened but she was dressed as such. I slammed my hands into the dirt, trying desperately to wipe the crimson liquid off them. This was my sin now. Whatever Adair lived for... I had to fulfill. How would I tell the people that he worked with... His friends what happened? Whatever the case was... I'd make sure they knew that he died with honor. That in the end he changed for the better. That it was too late.

"I'm Mima..." she said, extending her small hand towards me. I gave her one glance and looked at the ground. Sadly, the ground and the flowers... Everything was coated in our blood. I didn't know where to look so I closed my eyes like a frightened child. I could hear her walking towards me. I wanted her to stay away from me. I didn't deserve to come into contact with other people. But because I didn't want to ignore her I opened my eyes again. She looked at what was left of my cloak. It was laying on the ground too. Along with my pride. "You must be with Aysel's guard, right?"

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" I asked, full of shame. I looked at the dirt and how it meshed with the blood on my hands. She tilted her head, kneeling so she could see my face. I looked the other way once more.

"Oh um... That would be because I'm not exactly human," she said, scratching the back of her head. "You see, I was the one training Sayuri while you all left without her. From the looks of it..." She looked away, whistling at all the damage. "...The birds and Earth Eaters are going to be really happy. I'm glad I kept Sayuri away from this. I like the kid, but I don't think she's ready to see something like this." The Summoners. B—but... They were so used to war. They were in their own personal war right now! This sealed it. I was a monster. "Um, I'm made out of a stream of magic, so emotions don't come easy to me..."

I choked. For no reason. I felt the tears, they were there. They were just refusing to fall out of my eyes.

"Is this... Is this your first time fighting, Mister?" she asked, touching my shoulder. My body was screaming in pain, but not like my soul. I could have sworn that everything inside of me died the moment I killed Adair. A—and I—I didn't just kill him once! I—I was so lost that I ended up killing him over and over again! What was I? Was I a monster just like him? My body was trembling all over—especially to Mima's touch. She noticed my shaking and put both of her petite hands on my shoulders. "Is this... Your first time killing someone?" My eyes widened. The blood was on my hands. His blood.

I was never going to forget this.

...I was never going to live this down!

"... I n—never let it get this far..." I said in a low whisper, unable to make my voice louder for her to hear. I wanted to disappear. I couldn't go back to the others. For them to say that I did a great job? That I took out a Shadow and I would be a hero for it? Was this how the Summoners felt? Winning a war wasn't by killing! What kind of man was I? Who was I to take someone's life? I started to hyperventilate, glaring at my shattered sword a couple of feat away from me. "I never let it escalate to this!" I shrieked.

I wanted to get up. I wanted to run away but my body was too wounded. I had nothing left to my name. And I refused to look at him... At the broken man I had slaughtered... Even though he wasn't there... "He was human once..." I said. "In his last moments... He thanked me Mima!" I looked at her with pleading eyes. "He thanked me for killing him! Over and over again without remorse!" I lowered my head. "Mima. Please. Take what's left of my sword and kill me, please..." I meant it. I couldn't live like this... Knowing I had killed someone... She jerked back, letting me go.

"Chase don't say that! Please don't say that! I hardly even know you but you have a big heart and you care—" Everything around us froze. I felt something hit the wound on my shoulder... It felt like water. For the first time in my life I was a victim to someone having to cry for me. I should have been the one crying. Not Mima. She didn't know human emotions... She wasn't human... So why was she...? I looked up at the girl and she started wiping her eyes. It looked as if that only sped up her tears. She was really struggling to make them stop.

"Mima, why are you crying...?" I asked, hugging my knees. She kept trying to wipe away her tears, as if she expected that to be an instant remedy for them. She put on a confused expression, trying really hard to stop the onslaught of salt-water drops escaping the corners of her eyes.

"I don't understand..."

I was still too shocked to move, but I was concerned for Mima as well. "Is this your first time crying...?" Her eyes widened and she collapsed on her knees. It looked like she was really hurting her eyes now. Despite all of this she got back on her feet, amazingly coming up with the strength to sling my arm over her shoulder and help me walk forward. I lowered my head as we walked past the spot he was laying at. "We're not... Going to have a proper funeral for the man are we...?" I murmured, forlorn. Even during walking Mima continued to cry. Her tears cascaded down her cheeks like a calm rain. Her eyes were bloodshot red. Her cheeks were a crimson color, conflicting with her purple hair and eyes.

With her free hand she pushed her glasses up. "I don't... Understand why I'm crying. I thought I was incapable of it..." My body tensed up. Just like Adair said he was incapable of crying. But in his last moments... In his last moments he unleashed all of his tears. Like he was human for at least a little while.

"Just leave me here," I said. "You won't get anywhere with me like this. I'm going to die anyway..."

"We've got to get you do a doctor," she said. I closed my eyes.

"There aren't a lot of doctors in Austere. No one will take me like this anyway... because they're all—_ackagra_—not really trained." I was exhausted to the point where I couldn't even wipe the blood from my mouth.

"I know where Austere is!" she shouted. "And you're going to stop thinking like this okay? You've got information to pass on! You're going to live! And if you're here, that means Lucrecia is here too! She'll help you, I know it..." Everything got hazy. Mima's voice echoed in my mind, and after that everything faded to darkness.

I really, _sincerely_ wished that I was dead.

* * *

**A/N:** D:

Goodbye, Angeal! I'll see you again in a couple hundred chapters though! *tear* I promise, dude!

Yeesh. This was kinda so bogus... But it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I mean, it was definitely tamer than I expected it to be. And I'd be much more happier if I didn't know Chase'll be out of commission. XD;; Like seriously, that guy is DONE as far as war goes. Or he should be. Or is he even going to make it out of this one? Let's hope so. TT_TT

No matter how much I feel like Chase did the wrong thing all killing Angeal and stuff... Chase is still one of my favorite characters in the Dark Ages, and jeez, I think I hate both of them right now. But then there's that half of me going "Hahaha! Chase you kicked ASS!" XD;; I know, that's really mean of me. But I mean it. Chase did work. XD;;

And he's like the person that you know would never do something like that. Which is why it's awesome. But still. Chase is right about Saivan though. There's a big hole in his plan that no one will prolly uncover. Chase was on to something, but sadly... And even if he figures it out now... He's kinda... Yeah. XD;;

And of course no one cares that Mima straight lost Sayuri. Funny story, that.

I guess we'll have to see what happened next chapter.


	44. Your Devoted Victim

**A/N:** Rarw, guys. Because when I saved this the first time or whatever, I saved it as _Chapter 43 CCFA_. And you know what? I normally don't save it like that. I save my CCFA chapters like "CCFA Chapter Whatever". But then I realized that I couldn't put CCFA Chapter 43 because I had already made one so I just switched it around. And I almost labeled this chapter wrong.

How come no one yelled in my ear "You've got it wrong you fool! D:" or something? I mean, we all know what happened last time I mislabeled a chapter. I was devastated for a really long time, and that was way back in... I dunno. Chapter 18? Lucky me we're in the 40's. Party time?

And I'll have you guys know that I had to write this chapter over. Well, some of it. Chiharu was not a happy camper. In fact, Chiharu was quite the opposite of a happy camper. You'll kindly notice that there's not any death in this chapter. I was surprised too. Basically I changed around my whole perspective on these next few chapters.

But don't be swayed by my pretty, guarantee-you-no-death words! Never trust the author that has enough chapters left to be able to switch the whole entire plot around at the drop of a hat if she so chooses!

*nods*

* * *

"Nina! What did I just tell you?" Sayuri seethes, touching her forehead. "There's a time and a place for you to summon your Aeons. But not when we're in the middle of trying to come up with a plan." Nina looks the other way, her hands behind her back. Every time she looks at Sayuri she's reminded of what she did to her—how she almost killed her over Isleen's death. Nina has told herself over and over again to simply forget it, but the blood that was spilled was _very_ real. She can't make that simply go away. "I can't believe I went along with you. Like you were going to be the perfect teammate for me. Pfft. All the Aeons do is gossip."

"That's not true, Sayuri..." Nina says, tilting her head and forcing a smile. She wants to be her old self, honestly. But it's just so hard when Sayuri chooses to be around her most of the time. As if Sayuri doesn't want her to be hurt, but... Nina blinks at the thought. If that is the case, then why did she try to kill her over another person's death? Shiva folds her arms, tilting her head. Ice crystals fall from her body as she walks around Sayuri. Sayuri follows her with her eyes, frowning.

"You're tense, Summoner Sayuri."

"Why wouldn't I be? Nina keeps summoning you—"

"She has to practice, doesn't she?" Shiva answers, which makes Sayuri scowl. "If she doesn't practice, what good is she when you all march into the final battle?" Shiva turns around, nodding towards Nina. "Go on now. Take everything you learned in the temple of Forsythia. We're going to take this one Aeon at a time." She glances back at Sayuri, nodding her head. Sayuri looks the other way, huffing. In truth, all Sayuri wants to do is protect Nina. But it's so hard... When everyone wants to intrude on the way Sayuri chooses to do things.

Nina steps forward, her staff in her hands. She exhales, looking down at the ground. She opens both of her eyes, crouching down on the ground. From underneath her a bright blue anagram appears. Nina stands back up, waving her staff in front of her. She closes her eyes again, calm, lukewarm water covering the ground. "Irresistible songstress who beguiles eye and ear alike..."

Sayuri lifts her foot up, gritting her teeth at how damp her shoe is now. "I evoke the element of water. In the name of the great goddess! Soft and gentle bounty of nature, bring your blessing to me now, Siren!" In the center of the lake the water begins to twist upwards, revealing a woman with short, neck length blonde hair.

Her eyes are golden, and small, white wings stick out of her hair. The delicate, white feathers covering her breasts extend outward, changing color right before Nina's eyes. They are yellow and tinted red at the ends. Feathers form underneath her breasts and run down the sides of her abdomen until the reach her waist. At the start of them the feathers are red and go from green to yellow. At that point, the feathers seem like they're hanging freely, like skirt. The ends of the feathers are tinted blue.

Siren extends her fingers, blue claws protruding from them. Talons take the place of her toenails. She shakes her head once more, the hair cradling her face now tinted green. In the back of her head, however, her hair is red, yellow dominating the ends. The wings once short sticking out of her head morph into two wings dropping down to her ankles, the feathers tainted purple. She opens both of her hands, a green harp appearing in them. Floating in the air she smiles at Nina, who nods her head. Shiva walks closer to Siren, letting the water hit her feet.

"Ah! Shiva!" Siren says, smiling. "Haven't seen you in a long, long time. How have you been?"

"I'm doing my job. Same as before," Shiva answers back, nodding her head. Siren looks around, curious. She spots Sayuri, who has taken the liberty of siting down in the water. Siren chuckles to herself, amused at her pissed-off expression. "Don't worry about her. That's just Summoner Sayuri. You know, the Summoner that everyone has been talking about in the Land of Summons." Sayuri glares at Shiva.

"You don't have to tell the whole world I exist, you know," she mutters. Nina dances around Sayuri, trying to cheer her up. Sayuri closes her eyes, obviously annoyed.

"Cute girl," Siren mummers, holding up her harp. "Unfortunately, I don't like fighting alongside mopey bums!" Siren winks at Sayuri, which makes her get up.

"Hey! What are you tryna say?" Sayuri points her sword at her. Siren laughs again. "Ungrateful little... Damn it Nina! I _hate _Aeons!"

"I say you fight me right now, Cutie," Siren chuckles, putting her fingers on the strings of her harp. Sayuri grunts, taking a step back. Siren looks at Shiva, throwing her an 'okay' hand sign. "With that much spunk, you should prove yourself to me. And you really need to stop angsting. I don't even know you, Cutie, but already you're proving yourself to be quite the whiner."

"Get ready Nina," Sayuri commands, gritting her teeth. Her grip tightens on her sword. Nina nods her head, swinging her staff to the side. "Stupid bastards! Always wanting me to prove myself! Is my sword not enough for you?"

"—With a mouth like that, Cutie, I might start thinking you are all talk!"

"I'll _show_ you all talk!" Sayuri grits her teeth, looking at Nina. "Ixion. Now. Give this bastard some lightning." Siren starts playing on her harp, the water around them dancing to her tune. The Summoner of Convene thrusts her staff in front of her, closing her eyes.

"Stampeding destrier that tramples foes 'neath thunderous hooves," Nina says, moving her arms. "Howl! I summon you, Ixion!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty-Four: Your Devoted Victim :-**

_Like sugar the sweetest thing I ever tasted  
Like a fine merlot  
And white pills cut on glass and lips of dolls  
I'm told there was beauty in our silence  
So hold me angel, love me angel_

_Kiss the sun and burn our lips dead radio_  
_Candy girl you will never ever, ever make me the_  
_Perfect killer_  
_Outside the rabbit hole is a candy shop of poison_

_Make me the perfect... Killer_  
_Invite me to pray and let the music glow._

— "Killer Likes Candy" — I Am Ghost

"His Most Excellent Majesty! Where are you?"

My eye twitched, but I managed to keep them closed. I was on the highest rock... Overlooking the sunset. It was about to set, wasn't it? The sun. If my guard didn't look harder for me they'd have to go back empty-handed without their prince! I grinned, standing up. They had been looking for me all day... The least I could do was show them that I was okay... But that was too much work, and I wanted to gaze at the stars! I didn't get what was so bad about the badlands... The badlands were beautiful.

There wasn't any other place like it! It had trees and flowers... And it smelled nice. The only problem was... The badlands _did _get bad after a while. And it was very dangerous to walk it alone because the weather liked to change at the drop of a dime. There was some sort of magical barrier around it too. I didn't know if the others could see it, but I could... Not only did the weather change, but the terrain changed too if you got too far into it. Some people called it that thing that happens when you walk a dessert for too long. I tilted my head, tapping my chin with my thumb. Ah! If only I could see if that rumor was true!

I stood up, listening to the sound of the birds flying above me. I rubbed my eyes, and I was about to turn around and meet up with my guard, but I heard the sound of someone... Dying? Screaming? I didn't know... It was weird... So I stood there and tried to figure out what that noise was for a really long time. I tapped my chin and everything. Strange. I heard the sound, but I didn't know where it was coming from... Ah! I took a couple of steps forward and looked down. There was person laying in the middle of a shallow lake, flailing her arms with her eyes closed.

"Somebody! _Grupffpaa_—I can't swim!" There was nothing to swim in! I laughed, jumping off the edge of the hill and walking over towards the lake. She didn't even notice me.

Well, you know what they always say. It's not dead until you poke it with a stick! So that's what I did. I looked everywhere for a stick, but she was really breaking my concentration. Strange. There were trees and flowers around the entrance of Austere. But they were all healthy trees... I didn't feel like breaking a branch, so I did what any regular person would. I took off my shoe and threw it at her. I was so proud of myself! Normally I never hit anything because I don't have the aim! But I hit her right on top of the head!

"Ouch!"

"Score!" I exclaimed, raising my arms in the air. I started prancing around a little before turning back around. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that you're not drowning. You're actually in some kind of puddle-lake." I paused and tilted my head. She was funny-looking. Ignoring the fact that she was all wet from playing in the water, she couldn't have been from Austere. But I already knew that because her blue cloak suggested she was with the other people that came here a few days ago. She wrung her hair out with both of her hands, narrowing her green eyes at me.

"Who the hell are you?" she growled, stomping her foot in the water. Then she picked up my shoe. Eww, why would anyone want to pick up my shoe? I kept smiling, looking back at the sun. I bet she thought I was ignoring her but I wasn't! "Hey you! I deserve an explanation! It's not everyday that stupid, homeless people go around throwing shoes at people's heads! Err, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're trying to start a fight with me! And to think I almost drowned until you threw a shoe at my head!" I turned around and walked closer towards her, stepping in the water with only one shoe on.

I started pulling on the ribbon that was hanging from the back of her corset. She stared at me for a while, but I was trying to see if I had been right about this whole thing. She was with them after all! I looked at the small diamond on her corset and looked back at her face. "Aww. I'm no homeless person," I said, touching my chin. "But you said it yourself! I saved you back there from drowning."

"I was being sarcastic," she spat. "Are you going to keep dodging my questions? Anyway... God I wish Mima didn't lose me. I don't know where to go from here!" She started looking around her like she was a lost puppy looking for its mother. She really was with Chase's friends... But they seemed like they knew where they were going. Maybe she got lost when they were trying to come here? They did say they walked here on foot... I retrieved my shoe and poured the water out of it. So then there was only one explanation to why she was here!

"Are you an alien?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Are you serious? Of course I'm not an alien, I'm Sum—" She paused, looking at me like she was guilty of something. She put her index-finger down, sighing. "I'm Sayuri. See, maybe this might take a while to understand, but I'm trying to find out where Austere is. I had came here with someone. And that someone had transformed into a convenient bird for me. I thought I would have no problem coming here! Her name is Mima, have you seen her?" She sighed and sat down on a nearby rock. I sat down on a rock too. This was more fun than ditching my guard. I got to hear stories from a complete and total stranger that was an alien!

How cool is that? How many people do you know get to tell other people that they've had a real conversation with an alien?

I shook my head. "Nope. I haven't heard about someone named Mima. But then again, I just stepped out here." I nodded my head a couple of more times. "I wanted some fresh air, but it looks like I've just found an alien!"

"I'm _not _an alien!" she shouted, standing up and clenching her fists. "How many times do I have to tell you?" I cocked a brow, folding my arms.

"You were going to say something else, weren't you? You were all 'I'm Sum—' so I just assume you're an alien and you don't want me to know your true identity! Don't worry. Aliens can be in denial too. You're just a special case of alien that can't swim in a puddle." She glared at me but my expression didn't change. Everywhere I went I smiled. No matter what happened I smiled! Smiling made the world go 'round! I was a little hurt because that girl didn't smile when I smiled... My mother told me smiles were contagious... Aww. Sayuri did point at the lake and simper after that, however.

"That's not a puddle. How about I teach you how to swim in that?" I stood up, taking off my suit-coat. She put her arms down to her sides, sighing.

"Okay."

"Sit down." She pulled my arm and I sat back on the rock again. Fine. She told me to go swim, and I did feel like swimming. She gave me another look, blinking. "And why are you so formally dressed? You're not hot out here? Dear Lord you're weird." When I didn't answer her she sighed again. "Anyway, like I was saying. Mima was a big bird, and she was flying towards Austere. Because I have to find a few friends here. They need me. You don't understand how much they need me. I was supposed to be there for them, but obviously they left me." I stood up, looking into the distance with my arms folded.

"They didn't need you after all, Sayuri," I replied. After that I started to pat her on the head. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make someone proud one day." She clenched her fists again, and she even punched me on top of my head! What did I do to deserve that? "Ow ow owieee!" I exclaimed. "You're a really mean person! I just saved you and now you're punching me?" I rubbed my head and she sat back down the the rock. I wiped my tears away and sniffed.

"It's because you're acting stupid," she said, snorting. "You don't know anything and already you're acting like you're better than me. I'm the one that should be insulting you! You look like an idiot out here. By yourself. Don't you know it's dangerous out here? You know there are monsters and stuff down here. You're just a regular civilian it seems." I nodded my head. True, true. I was just a regular civilian. My smile grew wider and she leaned back. "Err, anyway. Mima was flying me here... And she even said it herself." She inhaled, preparing to scream something out. I covered my ears, just encase she blew out my eardrums.

Could she really do that? She was an alien, so I would believe anything...

"Where did all these damn trees come from!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, hyperventilating. "Everywhere I glanced there were trees! Mima hadn't had that kind of flying before... There were _so_ many trees..." She started biting her fingernails, looking in every direction. This alien was definitely more amusing than all the other ones. I approved! I put up a thumbs-up and she glanced at me. "And Mima started complaining and said we had to turn around. But I wasn't going to let her turn around! She owed me a ride! Mima wasn't paying attention and she flew under a branch. And I got hit in the face pretty bad."

I laughed out loud. Hahaha! How classic. She glared at me again. "Stop making fun of me! You're just as bad as all the others!" She sighed again, sitting lethargically on the rock. "Now that I don't know where Mima is... I don't know where to find Austere! I'm going to die out here! Don't you get it homeless guy? I'm going to die a slow death of starvation! Or dehydration! Whichever one kills me first! ...And it doesn't do me any good that I haven't eaten a thing ever since I got out of that training." I stood up, sticking my index-finger in the air. She flinched at my sudden burst of movement.

But everything was so... Spur of the moment, correct? So she had nothing to fear! Truly it was fate that we had the opportunity to meet like this! "Don't worry. I'll feed you!" I said, hunched over and in her face. She glared at me again, pushing away like I was some kind of animal that wanted to eat her. "What? I don't want to eat you..." I poked my cheek. "Why the hostility, Sayuri?"

"You irk me," she growled again. "I thought you were serious."

"... I was serious..." With my pinky I started to dig in my ear. She apparently didn't like that either and kicked me away from her. I almost fell that time. "Why are you hitting me so much?"

"Because you're a homeless disgusting bum. And you're not helping me in the slightest!" She huffed and turned around on her heels, her blue cloak fluttering behind her. I reached out towards her but she didn't pay me any attention! I wasn't helping her? What did she mean by that? I listened to her story and everything! She looked at me but quickly turned back around. She didn't want anything to do with me, wah. I thought I had made a new, alien friend! I was walking behind her too, just not as fast. "Stop following me!"

"But Sayuri, you need foooood!" I said, zombie-like. She gritted her teeth and started to walk faster. She didn't know where she was walking either!

"You're impossible!" she said. Baw. That hurt my feelings. I wasn't impossible. Wait. What was that supposed to even mean? "Like I said, you're not really helping." She paused, seizing her walking. That's when I used most of my energy to catch up with her. She glanced at me again, her frown morphing into a straight line. "You're weird. I don't know. There's something about you that I don't like. I don't know why I don't like you. I just don't." Sayuri shrugged her shoulders and I looked down at the grass. "And I guess you can't exactly be homeless when you're willing to jump into a lake with what you're wearing. But oooh is it getting dark. And damn do I need to get to Austere."

"But what about your friend? Mima?"

"What about her?"

"Aren't you going to look for her?"

"So monsters can tear me apart? Hell no." Ouch. Well, I for one felt bad for her friend! She was probably an alien too, and I wanted more alien friends! More friends that knew how to do magic. More friends that could teach me how to shoot fire out of my fingertips. Yes. I would make it my new mission. I needed to find Sayuri's lost friend! In a split second I was on top of Sayuri's head. _Standing_ on top of her head. I put my hand over my eyes so I could get a better look. She didn't notice where I was... Which was weird... So she kept turning her head.

"Stop doing that please..." I asked, crouching down a bit.

"What the hell!" she exclaimed. She stood still, careful not to make me fall. "Get off!"

"I'm trying to look for your friend!" I insisted. "Because your friend holds the key to helping me achieve world domination! Your friend is the key because the others won't tell me!"

"Why do you think they won't tell you? You wanna know why? Because world domination is a cracky subject and only crazy people want world domination! Now. Get. Off. My. Head!" Hmm. She seemed like she was making sense. And since she was an alien and all, it wouldn't hurt to listen to her wise words of wisdom.

"Okay, fine. You win Sayuri. But I'm going to get my gua—!" I didn't get to finish my sentence because something hit me in the head. It sounded like it was a plate. I couldn't tell what it was because I fell down backwards. And if that wasn't enough I fell back-first on top of a very large bolder. Immediately I stood up, grabbing at my back. "Ouchiieeee! Why? Why, Sayuri? Was that you?" She raised a brow, afraid to turn around. I rubbed my head too. That really hurt!

"No... That wasn't me. But why am I afraid to see what's behind me—Holy Jesus. It's an armada of them!"

"Of what?" I turned around and couldn't see anything... She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me.

"What do you think I'm talking about? It's an armada of them! And armada of _them!"_ Still didn't know what she was talking about. And I think she was pointing at them too with her free hand. She saw the expression on my face and gritted her teeth. "Well if you would just open your damn eyes, you would see what I'm talking about!" B—but my eyes were open! I hated when people thought my eyes were closed!

"My eyes_ are_ open!" I insisted, a tinge of sadness in my voice. Then I heard a flapping sound... "Sounds like bats." Sayuri sighed again, touching her forehead.

"You idiot. They are bats. Or sorta kinda bats. They're Wicked Spawn. With wings. Do you get what I'm saying? Can you understand English? I'm trying to tell you that there are monsters and they right in front of us. And they want to kick our ass!"

"And?"

"Did you hear anything I just said?" I couldn't see what she was talking about... And I couldn't understand what she was saying because she was screaming at me... So I just stood there and smiled! Smiling fixes everything. "Stop smiling! Your smile makes me want to kill myself! There's nothing to smile about." Aww, there were _so_ things to smile about. Sheesh. Women. She took a fighter's stance, extending her right hand. The most amazing thing happened! It made me stand up straight and fold my arms. I called that my thinking stance. A bright purple light flashed right before my eyes and there was something in her hands that she wasn't holding before...

It looked really cool. It was then at that moment that I vowed I would have her.

It looked like a colorful stick if you asked me, but I knew it would help me in my quest of world domination! Hahaha! It had to! And it would be all mine! But I couldn't just steal it now... The bats were watching. I raised a brow, looking at what she was talking about. She was right. There was a swarm of them right above our heads. They wanted to eat me... But why did they want to eat the alien first? Aww. After the sparkle things disappeared into thin air, Sayuri held her stick with both of her hands.

"You things make me sick!" she yelled. "How come you can't ever give me a break? That's why I'm going to take you all out right now—"

"If you're going to do that, can you make it faster?" I asked, waving my hand. She turned around and looked at me, her mouth wide open.

"You're a real jerk." Aww. That hurt too. "Anyway, you just stand back. I know how to get all of these things out of our hair! Just you wait and see homeless bum!" She swung her stick in front of her, closing her eyes. Pointing her stick straight in front of her, something erupted from it. It was so bright that I had to cover up my eyes with my arm. But I felt really hot all of a sudden. When I looked back up, there were flames everywhere. Everything was so... Was so...

"You made everything prettyful, Sayuri!" I exclaimed. Her magic stick disappeared out of her hands and I went back into sad-mode. "B-but I wanted the stick..." However, she did get rid of all of those Wicked Spawn things! She was magic! She was magic and I had called her an alien all this time! I needed to make up for my mistake! I grabbed her hand and she blinked. "I'm sorry Sayuri. Will you forgive me? Your ability to make fire appear whenever you want it to is amazing!" I hunched over again, making the most innocent smile I could. "You should drop all of this stuff and help me achieve world domination!"

I think she was expecting me to say something really important. I shrugged. World domination was important to me, so that should have been more than enough...

"Get off me!" she yelled, pushing me again. This time I tripped over aforementioned bolder and smashed my face into the dirt. But I bounced right back up. I'd get her to tell me how she made all of that fire happen! Whether she wanted to or not! She wasn't my last option, however. There was still her friend, Mima! But that stick... It was such a _pretty _stick. And it sparkled. I wanted it! "Don't you know that wanting world domination is bad? I keep trying to tell you that."

"I know."

"What do you mean you know?" After she said that she seethed.

"I just... Mean I know." I shrugged again. But that was before something bounced right next to Sayuri's leg. It was kind of dark but I could see it! Unfortunately she wasn't able to see it... And when it bounced next to her leg she shrieked in horror, amazingly running a few yards away from me. I waved at her, not sure of what she was doing, and then I walked over to the big, black dot. "Hey, it's just a big black dot, Sayuri! Come back over here!"

"Big black dot? Yep, that's not on my list of things I want to see."

I picked it up and it was scared of me... It had two big, beady yellow eyes. And little hands. And little feet. And bat wings. It looked like one of those things Sayuri burned out of the sky with her amazing fire tricks... I pouted. I wanted amazing fire tricks... "Why are you shaking?" I asked it, tilting its head with my index-finger. Sayuri found her way over to me. I think she noticed that I wasn't dead from picking it up, so she thought it was safe. But she smacked my arm and made me drop it! It was already scared!

"Put that down it's a Wicked Spawn you idiot," she said it one breath, emotionless.

"How could you?" I whined. "You're so mean!"

"I just don't want you dying!" she yelled. "And besides, it's obvious you don't know when something can kill you! You do a lot of reckless stuff. You're going to end up dead one of these days, you know that don't you?" Ah, but we all lived to die. What is life if you don't take any risks? I started poking both of my index-fingers together before I turned around. It was still so dark so I didn't know I was about to step on the Wicked Spawn's head.

"Stoooooop!"

"It talked?" Sayuri said, stepping back. Her sparkly stick appeared in her hands again. I looked at it in awe. Whenever she held it it made her look so much more beautiful and not... Like a terrifying alien! But I loved the stick even more. She kicked the Wicked Spawn and it rolled over.

"What do I look like?" it said, obviously complaining. "Listen Lady, I am not a rock. I am a person and I have feelings." After it said that line (in a cute, squeaky feminine voice, might I add) it burst into a million sad tears. I couldn't help but pick it up again. "No one cares about me! Everyone is always kicking me around! It's not my fault! It's not my fault don't throw me on the ground again!" I blinked and let go of it. Again. The Wicked Spawn just kept crying some more. Sayuri smacked me, and I wasn't expecting it at all. I fell down, but then I got right back up so it didn't really matter anymore.

"Why the hell did you drop it?"

"Because you told me to," I said, digging in my ear with my pinky again. She rolled her eyes, sighing.

"Don't touch me!" the Wicked Spawn wailed. Of course Sayuri picked it back up, staring at it.

"So you're a Wicked Spawn that can talk, huh?" Sayuri asked, tilting her head. "I've fought like a million of these things. Never before have I found one that could talk. Let alone start crying..." She started turning the Wicked Spawn around, trying to see if there was something wrong with it. Why couldn't I hold it? Why did she have to have everything? First the magic stick and now the Wicked Spawn? I quirked my nose. "Yeah, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with—"

"Ha! Now I get to play with it." I started to turn the Wicked Spawn over and over again and it only started to cry harder. Yes! It was mine! Now I could turn it over as many times as I wanted. "Look! When I poke it it just goes back to normal. It's all squishy..."

"How the hell did you take it away from me?" she muttered, snatching in out of my hands. Aww, that wasn't nice. I blinked. "You're really annoying."

"I know," I replied back, tilting my head.

"What do you mean you know?" Sayuri shook her head. "Look, I'm not even worried about you. Wicked Spawn, I need to ask you a question..."

"You need me...?"

"Yeah," Sayuri answered back. "I need you to show me the way back to Austere. You're my only hope and I'm afraid that if I don't get someone to tell me where Austere is, I'll die of starvation or dehydration. Or you know what's worse? I might get eaten by a butt-load of monsters. And being eaten by a butt-load of monsters is no fun! So would you kindly tell me anything you know about Austere?" Silence. I hated silence. But it happened anyway. And then the Wicked Spawn started crying again.

"I—I thought you neeeeded meeeee!" It wailed. Sayuri started shaking it violently.

"Don't start crying again you big baby! I need you to help me live!"

"Here," I said, grabbing it. "I shall call you... Alula!" Sayuri glared at me, bringing her arms to her sides again. What? I wanted to give it a name. And it sounded like a girl, and I thought Alula was a pretty name for a girl. If I had a girl after I was king, I'd name her Alula! After Sayuri was done glaring at me I stood up straight, triumphant. "Alula, you're going to help me achieve world domination!"

"World domination...?" Alula said. "But I don't want that..."

"Of course you do. When you're with me, that's all you'll want!" I said, sitting Alula on the ground. She blinked at me with her glowing eyes. They were so pretty I could just stare at them. Much better than Sayuri's eyes. She was too mean for me to get lost in them. "And besides, I'm going to rule this world. I'm going to be the best king anyone would want to have, Alula. And you'll be one of my great royal subjects. Even if you are something Sayuri doesn't want to eat her. She thinks things want to eat her. When I first met her, she thought_ I_ wanted to eat her, hahaha!"

"Shut up! You say that like you met me a long time ago. We just met. And as a matter of fact, I don't even know your name!" She stomped her foot on the ground. "And furthermore, hey Alula!" She sounded sarcastic when she said her name... But it was a pretty name! Why bash it into the ground? "Yeah, you. Wicked Spawn. I want to know why you can talk. And why you have feelings and all of that jazz. What? Don't give me the pouty look. Hey! _Heey! _You better not start trembling. Hey! You better not start crying! Hey, hey! Are you listening to a word that I'm—"

"Waaah I don't like her!" I picked up Alula and started to pet her. Then I glared at Sayuri.

"You're such a bad parent, Sayuri," I said emotionless, tilting my head.

"What you do you mean I'm a bad parent?" she replied, tilting her head. "That's _not_ my kid! Look, you're not getting what is obviously so wrong about this situation. You're holding a monster. A monster that shouldn't be able to speak. A monster that will go to great lengths to kill you. And you say I'm a bad parent? Where the hell are you getting your logic from?" I glanced at her, rocking Alula back and forward. I looked at her, ticking her with my index-finger.

"Mommy Sayuri doesn't understand, does she Alula? She doesn't understand that just because you're a monster... You do too have feelings! And you care about her because you haven't attacked neither of us..." I glanced at Sayuri. "Isn't that right, Alula? You're a very nice person, and you want a hug, don't you?" Alula sniffed.

"Yes..."

"Good! Now... What _are_ you?"

"I'll explain everything! Honest!" Alula said, jumping out of my hands. Hmph! Never underestimate the power of Klaus! I turned around and looked at Sayuri with a smirk on my face. She looked the other way. Ha. Victory. "I'm a Wicked Spawn... But I just got dragged into all of this. I didn't... Know what I was doing. There was a crowd and they were being lured in by something... And then I saw you people! I wasn't trying to attack anyone..." Sayuri put her hand on her chin. Was she trying to be a good parent now?

"That would make sense!" she said, her mouth forming into an 'o'. "You know why? Because someone told me Wicked Spawn are scales or something like that... It was either Naira or Miyuki. Or maybe it was Lucrecia. Gah, I can't remember but it's not important, is it?" Oh! I knew who those people were. Well, some of them. "You guys are scales that break off the Wickedness... And you fall to worlds... But even if that's true you shouldn't be able to talk..."

"I don't know why I'm like this either, but I can't exactly fly like the others..."

"So how were you dragged into this mess?" Sayuri asked, narrowing her eyes at Alula. Alula jumped back and she started shaking. Poor Alula. "You know, your story isn't making much sense! You can't lie to me. You're just a talking Wicked Spawn. I'll crush you," she said, kicking out her leg. Then she pointed to her boot. "... With my shoe. Got that, Alula? I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."

"Maw. You do care, Sayuri," I said, clapping my hands together. "But isn't Alula your ticket home?"

"Oh. Drat. I forgot about that..." Sayuri looked down at the ground, kicking a rock. "But still Alula. I'm going to take you with me to go see the others! And you too, mystery bum. Because I sincerely think you need help. Well guys, let's go so why all don't get mauled by monst—_aaheaadas!"_ I blinked. I stood up straight, and Alula climbed on my back and jumped on my head.

"Well hello there, Himani," I said, waving at her. She kicked Sayuri in the small of her back and she fell down on the ground. Himani stood up straight, holding both of her hands and bowing before me. Himani was so kind.

"His Most Excellent Majesty!" Himani said, relieved that I was still okay. "You don't know how long we've been looking for you! Please, what were you doing? It's dark outside and the others really need your help back at the hall..."

"I know."

"What... Do you... Mean you know?" Sayuri said, struggling to get up as she talked. Did she know Himani wasn't on top of her anymore? Still I smiled. Himani looked behind her, producing a dagger. I put my hand in the air, standing up straight. Himani glanced at me, bowing her head again.

"Ah, I'm sorry Mi'lord... I thought she was some kind of burglar. Is she a friend of yours?" Alula bounced on top of my head. She didn't really like the alien did she? And by the way Himani was looking at Sayuri, she didn't like her either! Both of them wanted to see her get hurt or die... Sayuri really needed to learn how to treat people better! The tables of life could turn at any moment... And one that you would never think would hold your life might one day! Besides. I needed Sayuri alive. Raylen appeared next to me, ready to help Himani if she needed it. Both of them were great fighters... And great friends of mine.

"Raylen... Himani... Meet your new queen!" I declared. At first, it took Sayuri a while to understand what I was saying. Then she fumbled around with her words again, and then she let out a really loud "Pfffpt." After that she started flailing around.

"Who the hell... Are you people?" she yelled, standing up straight.

"His Most Excellent Majesty, duck your head down," Raylen said. I saw no need! I just stepped back, evading a very shiny bullet that flew straight past me. Raylen didn't need to warn me. I always stood on my toes... With a smile, of course! Raylen and Himani got into a fighting position, looking into the darkness. There, a woman wearing a suit with bright blue hair started walking towards us, her hand transformed into some sort of gun. Her eyes were cloudy... I was surprised I could see them from all the way here. Alula bounced on my head again and started to shiver.

"Ce... Ce... Cecelia!" Sayuri shrieked, stepping back. Obviously the woman didn't want to answer her. She kept walking towards us and Sayuri took out her sparkling stick. I stood up straight with my arms folded behind me. Hmm. I would make the best out of this! Maybe this Cecelia person could help me out as well? I would achieve world domination yet! Cecelia's arm lit up, but this time she was aiming at Sayuri. Instinctively Sayuri dropped down towards the ground, getting herself covered in mud and who knew what else. She didn't mind the mud at all.

She was just glad she was still alive.

"Mi'lord!" Raylen said, bowing in front of me. "Shall we save the queen?"

"You shall," I answered back, delighted. "Oh, and if you could... Make sure you don't kill the bright-haired woman either." Raylen nodded and Himani bowed before me.

"Don't you go getting hurt, His Most Excellent Majesty!" I wouldn't! I knew what I was doing! I'd be okay! I smiled in contentment as Sayuri tilted her head at my guard. She didn't know why they were helping her. She was so cute when she didn't know what was going on around her, I had to admit. I put my hands in my pockets, but then I realized I wanted to know what time it was but my watch was broken. Aww.

"You guys are with the homeless guy? Are you guys his bodyguards or something?" Sayuri asked, blinking.

"Don't talk about His Most Excellent Majesty like that!" Himani said, gritting her teeth. Sayuri put her hands in the air, taking a step back.

"Jeez, forget I said anything then! But seriously, this is all too weird! First that guy... Then Alula... And now you two? Where the heck am I finding you people? Do you all live together or something? This whole thing has to be staged... Because now Cecelia's here! And you two don't know Cecelia like I know Cecelia! Please guys, just step back. I'll handle this. There's no doubt in my mind that she just wants revenge for when I beat her a long time ago!" Instead of listening to Sayuri's words, both of them put their arms out, making her stand behind them.

Sayuri's grip loosened on her magic stick and she blinked. "Huh...?"

"We'll take care of this Your Highness," Himani said. "You don't have to lift a finger."

"Likewise."

"You guys... Are starting to creep me out. All of you," Sayuri said, standing up straight. "Stop trying to be heroes! Cecelia will kill you both, don't you understand? Look, when we up there..." Sayuri pointed up... Right where Aysel's palace was. "When we were up there, Cecelia tried to blow me up with a missile. And you know what? She looks pissed. She will attack anything that gets in her way. People, even! You guys aren't even Summoners! Let me do this!" Summoners? Oh ho ho! I heard that word before!

"Why did... Why did... He's gone isn't he? He's gone isn't he...?" Cecelia muttered, taking clumsy steps forward. "Isaiah said that we would never split apart... We were supposed to be friends... Raaah! We were supposed to be friends!" That woman's eyes lit up, as if she was some kind of machine! Like a washing machine! I hunched over, my arms hanging limply against my sides. Oh. Ah. This would be fun to watch! She raised her arm up again and Sayuri ran in front of both Raylen and Himani. Cecelia started shooting really loud bullets at Sayuri. I would have moved out of the way, but Sayuri just stood there and dropped her magic stick.

"Freeze!" she shouted, throwing her arms in front of her. It was amazing! Time seemed to stop right in front of her and the bullets fell limply to the ground! "Not bad Cecelia. But you still forgot that I can still control time—" Aww, Sayuri never even hard a chance! Cecelia was a really fast person! It was kind of strange, but she appeared in front of Sayuri, and it looked like she was going to grab Sayuri's face and pull it off of her skull. But... My guard was ahead of Cecelia every step of the way. Raylen and Himani grabbed Cecelia's arms, but it looked as if they were struggling to hold her.

"Mi'lady!" Raylen said, grunting. "Move!"

"No! You guys can't fight her!" Sayuri yelled back. "Only I can do this!"

"I can't find him..." Cecelia muttered, in a daze of some kind. "I can't find him and I'm scared..." Raylen let go of her arm, jumping to the side. But little Himani managed to hold her back herself. With one hand, might I add! Quickly she grabbed a grenade, putting the top of it in her mouth and ripping off the pin. She did a front flip over Cecelia's head, planting the grenade on top of her skull. "It's not fair, it's not fair! It's not fair!" Cecelia howled, raining bullets at Sayuri. The alien tried really hard to keep up with her... Stopping time. But that's where she went wrong.

Cecelia exploded, sending Sayuri tumbling backwards.

She didn't even see it coming. Tsk, tsk. I shook my head in disappointment. Sayuri stood back up, dusting herself off. She was holding her head too. "Holy... Did you guys just _kill_ Cecelia? With a _grenade? _If I knew it was that easy, I wouldn't be here right now!" She didn't seem happy that we just saved her life... "What kind of stuff is that? It took me a really long time to bring Cecelia to her knees! I had to _headbutt_ her, and then she got away because someone was acting like they did all the fighting! Now two random people that I've never met before get to final kill? The final blow? Oh come on!" Sayuri stormed over to Cecelia's body, poking at it with her foot. Cecelia wasn't really that much damaged... She was just missing her head.

A grenade would have done much more damage, I was afraid...

"And what's with the weird nickname?" Sayuri asked, looking at Himani and Raylen. "My name's Sayuri. You two call me Sayuri, got it?"

"Of course, Sayuri," Raylen said, bowing down. Himani bowed down as well.

"I am terribly sorry, Sayuri. It won't happen again."

"Good. Because you two really freak me out. ... You guys are Raylen and Himani, riiiight—_woahaa!" _In a flash Raylen grabbed Sayuri around her waist, throwing her over his shoulder. Of course Sayuri protested, but she didn't know how much he had just saved her. It seemed that Cecelia grew another head, and she was more mad now than ever.

"He's gone! He's gone! I can't find him!"

"Put me down I don't need your help!" Sayuri yelled, flailing around. Raylen did just that, bowing to show how sorry he was.

All three of them got into a fighting position at the sound of Cecelia yelling again.

This would be a good match!

* * *

**A/N:** Cecelia _you_ make me so angry! You were/are the bane of my existence you pile of metal. Obviously I stopped this chapter right here because you're an annoying whine-bucket. And you too Nero. You and your brilliant mind couldn't make an off-switch that's visible/and or not on her back, hidden behind her hair? Lies, Nero. Lies. You made the Apathīa. You made the Shadows. Hell, you even made the Earth Eaters... But you couldn't give Cecelia a visible off-switch!

You make me angry too, Nero. I don't care if you're dead.

And Val! You don't know how much I want to eat you. I realized... Like right after last chapter... That if it weren't for you yelling at Chase, he wouldn't be DYING. I hated you because you snaked out. Then I loved you for your display of undying badass in chapter 42 and your willingness to take responsibility for your actions. It REDEEMED you! Now I hate you. A lot._ Again. _And you're going to make me a very sad and angry Chiharu next chapter.

Val, you are_ not _Commander in Chief. Stop it.

And I hate you Klaus. Your narration kicks my ass. No, it's your reaction to the things around you. Stop being so silly! D: Because you're an unsympathetic _bucket-face_. And your naming abilities suck two-fold. And you, Alula. Wicked Spawn Alula. I hate you. Because I don't know why you exist yet.

Okay. ^_^ The hate has been said. There will be more hate tomorrow, however. I mean... Whenever I decide to write the next chapter.

FUUUCC—

ಠ_ಠ Well. I guess my plot just told me that I'm writing an 8k chapter tomorrow...


	45. Destroyers Of The False Hope

**A/N:** So here you guys are! An 11k chapter! That's 11,000 words for all the slow kids here. And I don't like this chapter. Because it's bogus. TT_TT But yeah, just read and everything will make sense. XD;; I swear I can write 11k with my eyes closed... It's just that I didn't like this chapter and didn't want to write it at all. Sorry for taking so long, guys. XD

Also, the chapter title is one big fat lie. I don't even care, man. XD;;;

And yes, Klaus' guard are ninjas. XD;; Both of them. What of it?

Also, this is the longest story in the fandom. Yes. That title belongs to ME. Yours truly. What of it? And soon, I'll have enough chapters to pwn everything in the fandom. Uh-huh. Unless someone's gonna pull out 400+ chapters in thin-air, I think I'm pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. XD;;;

* * *

"Thank you Lady Kaelyn!" Jessica exclaims, clapping her hands together. "You're really doing us a huge favor! Sayuri should be as good as new if she gets to say her last words to Isleen." Sayuri flinches at the sound of her former teammate's name, but she knows nothing but good can come from this arrangement. But they don't understand. They all don't understand. They can't just make her sorrow go away with pretty words and auguries. Lady Kaelyn nods her head, standing up out of her chair.

"Human... I am sorry for your loss," she says, unemotional. "Hopefully you won't revert to your previous self. Remember, Human, the stars determine what eventually happens to all of us. Isleen's death was not your fault. Don't be such a presumptuous idiot. The world does not revolve around you." Sayuri seethes, balling up her fists. She looks the other way, but Nina pushes her towards the fortune-teller. "Now once I start, you have to make this quick, Human."

Sayuri nods her head, standing up straight. Leyiko begins to scratch her chin, cocking a brow. "Excuse me Lady Kaelyn, but are you going to give us another augury?"

"No. Just like I did with the Archfiend... I will channel Isleen's molecular energy and try to reach her from the great beyond. This actually takes more energy than any regular augury. Can we trust that the Human here won't take her time? You all have seen what auguries do to my body." Lady Kaelyn pauses, taking one step forward. Without warning, her eyes and mouth start to glow a bright white... And as the others look up at her in awe, she begins to float in midair.

"So it begins..." Riona says, sighing. "Go on Sayuri. Say something. Get Isleen to say something to you. I don't believe a word of what she just said, but if it's true we're only going to know if you try..." Sayuri looks down at the ground, her fists still clenched. She can't say what she needs to say... Not with all of them around her... Is this another opportunity for the rest of the Summoners to laugh at her? Can she ever escape their constant whining? Sayuri shakes her head.

Exhaling, Sayuri takes a step forward. She knows the extent of Lady Kaelyn's abilities first hand. This is real. And in a moment, she'll be talking to Isleen... Something she's been wanting to do for a while now. So what if the others are in the same room? Sayuri, with dark eyes, looks down at the ground, refusing to look at Kaelyn. "Rain," Sayuri says, glancing back at her. "All I see is rain. And I never thought that rain would be the thing that has crippled me, but..." Sayuri stops, turning back around. "You guys, I can't do this with you all breathing down my neck..."

The Summoner of Love smiles, motioning in her direction. "Oh, come on Sayuri," he says, snickering. "I thought you were stronger than that. What's a few people breathing down your neck, eh? Just imagine all of us in our underwear. Isn't that something you guys do down on Earth?" Sayuri exhales again, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Shut your mouth, Lazarus. You don't even know what happened... I swear you don't..." She looks back at Kaelyn, wishing she never stopped talking in the first place.

"If you are Isleen... If you're inside there... Like I was saying... It's been so long since you've died and I... Replaced you. I didn't really want to, but the whole team was against me. You probably are laughing at me right now, from wherever you are. And you should probably know that even though he's in here—in this room—I don't like the new guy." She pauses, turning around. "His name is Matthew. You were so... So much better..."

"Sayuri!" Riona shouts, pointing a finger at the Summoner of Time. Matthew, on the other hand, just stares at her, his cheeks tinting pink. He knows nothing of the situation either, just like Lazarus. "Shut up. Isleen died, she got a replacement. Of course Matthew isn't going to be up to par with her abilities. You're being an asshole to him, and you know he isn't going to say anything back because that's not in his nature."

"It's okay," Matthew says, shrugging. "I'm used to it."

"Just one more, Isleen. Just one more... One more Summoner! Can you believe it? One more and I'll have the whole team." Sayuri laughs at herself before turning around. "Why do I feel like total garbage then, huh? Because when you died everything lost its color, and I just feel so much like crap that I my face sticks to the ground whenever I walk. I can't pick my head back up. And Matt standing in as a replacement for you really makes me see that my failure was real. Too real. No matter where I go, I only see rain. Rain. I wish I wasn't able to feel it..."

"I cannot feel a lot of things, Sayuri," Leyiko interrupts. "Being an artificially made robot from the Dark Ages, I'll tell you that I have always wanted to feel the rain. Even if it is a symbol of your newly-found sorrow..." Leyiko bows her head. "I still envy you greatly for it."

"The tin-can speaks!" Lazarus cooes. "Oh how fun."

"Shut up!" Nina says, poking the brunette. Lazarus seethes, glaring at her. The Summoner of Time rolls her eyes.

"See, this was exactly what I was talking about," Sayuri says, sighing. "Anyway, without you here Isleen—I feel like you were just cheated out of being able to save the world with me... I don't feel anything anymore... It's worse than Leyiko. At least she was never human before. I don't feel pain, I don't feel any remorse for the things that I've done, and I'm not sorry. I can't see my morality, and my conscious left me a long time ago. Storms roll in and I hope to God lightning hits me. But I don't even get that. All I get is rain. I lead these six Summoners. And yet... All I see is rain."

"Rain, rain, who cares Sayuri? Get to the good part," Lazarus says, putting his arms behind his head.

"You're going to lose your tongue," Sayuri says, a coy smile on her face. "Guys. Get out. I can't finish with you all in here."

"Aww..." Nina sighs, walking towards the door. The other Summoners follow the Summoner of Convene. But Jessica... She decides to take her time... She wants to see what Sayuri will say. Inhaling, Sayuri tries again.

"And when I try and think of being happy, Isleen, all I'm showered with is pain that I simply cannot feel... And I'm not saying I'm going to change. I hope that one day I make you proud of what I've become. The hero of the universe. And the best Summoner I can be... With a smile on my face. When I dream..." Sayuri's voice cracks. Her dreams are difficult canvases to touch on... They're sacred to her... She doesn't talk about them with anyone else. "... You're there. You're always there. Smiling. But there is no color. No sun. You disappear in the bloodbaths that I create."

"Sayuri..." Jessica mutters, putting her hand on Sayuri's shoulder. Lady Kaelyn starts to float back down to earth, her eyes seizing their white glow. Tears start to roll down Sayuri's cheeks and she collapses on her knees.

"And then I realize that you were never there all along... There's no 'you', 'me', or 'I'. There's only... The rain..."

Jessica forces a smile. "There, there. Do you feel better, at least, Sayuri? Don't cry now..."

"There are no hopes. No dreams. No happiness. No light. There's no time. There's only the rain..." Sayuri says, over and over again. "I can't make it stop."

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty-Five: Destroyers Of The False Hope :-**

_To make them drink, tell them that it's only water_  
_No one leaves 'till we figure this out_

_"What made you so scared?"_  
_Maybe you're mistaken for someone who cares._

_Patience,_  
_Both we and our words are over produced by influence._  
_By influence._

— Circa Survive — "Act Appalled"

Me?

Taking any chances with Cecelia?

Hell no.

Himani and Raylen managed to detain Cecelia in no time flat. I tilted my head though, trying to figure out where they had gotten all that wire from to tie her up... It just didn't make sense. Cecelia was a machine and she had superhuman strength. So if she wanted to, I knew she could have busted out of those wires. But why didn't she...? And for the most part, she looked really sad sitting their on the ground with her hands tied behind her back. Still! I didn't trust Cecelia at all. She could wither away and die for all I cared! I looked in the other direction, folding my arms. I was just exhausted... The whole entire time we were fighting Cecelia... I mean the whole entire time! I was just running around because she kept trying to rip my face off!

I was flailing my arms trying to keep all my limbs in tact and Himani and Raylen ran behind her throwing freggin' _grenades!_ All the while I'm praying that I don't get hit with any explosives... I sighed, looking down at the ground. And then there was that guy. That guy that didn't even tell me his name. All I knew was that Himani and Raylen worshiped him. They worshiped the ground he walked on. What made him so special? I scowled. I wished I had bodyguards. Then I wouldn't have to fight at all! He was just a lazy bum that happened to have bodyguards. That much I was sure of! I nodded my head, sure of myself. Now all we needed to do was find out what the hell we were going to do with Cecelia... And that reminded me! Why the hell was she still alive? We needed to kill her!

"Yo," I said, tapping the nameless guy on the shoulder. He turned around, his permanent smile on his face. I cringed on the inside. So... Happy... "I don't understand why Cecelia's still here. Alive. Breathing. She tried to kill us. Why haven't we pulled the plug on this chick? Obviously she wants us to kill her. I mean, look at that over there!" I paused, gesturing my hand towards her. She looked like a sad puppy, I swore it. Like she was about to cry. The moonlight reflected off her bright-blue hair, making her look even more forlorn. I snorted. As if! Come on, we needed to pull the plug on that oversized washing machine! Argh, everything just irritated me. Like the homeless guy's hair. I couldn't make a connection. If he was homeless, then why was his hair so kept up? He just let his soot-black hair fall down his back... But at least it was straight. But his eyes scared me. It was so dark and they just kept glowing...

His eyes were electric-blue, which would explain why they were glowing right now. They didn't have any overtones and were extremely bright, energetic, and striking. I started to wonder if he every got eye-strains walking outside without any sunglasses on. I shook my head. I had to focus! There was a killing machine sitting right behind me, possibly plotting to eat my head. The guy grabbed my hand and started to shake it for whatever reason. Yeah... That threw me off and I almost lost my balance. And he still smiled at me. Bastard! "My name is Klaus, Sayuri. Klaus!" Okay, so his name was Klaus. And? That was _not_ what I asked him. I'm pretty sure I asked him why he was keeping Cecelia alive. "You can't just go around killing anyone you want... That's not nice, Sayuri."

"I'll tell you what's not nice!" I exclaimed, pointing an index-finger in his face. "Almost killing me! Yeah, that's not nice! And besides, she's a danger to everyone. Even herself. Look at her! She looks like she's going to start slitting her wrists any second now." I scowled, standing up straight. "She's not even human. She doesn't have feelings. She's just a machine. I don't know where she came from, but—!" I paused, putting my hand on my chin. You bet I had just gotten a brilliant idea! "Let's interrogate her. See what she knows. Of course Cecelia's working for someone. I don't think she's smart enough to be pulling the strings here..." I don't know whether or not Klaus heard me, but he picked me up—by my shoulders—and placed me next to Raylen. I blinked, truly confused. What was wrong with him?

"Sayuri, you don't understand!" he chimed. He walked towards Cecelia, crouching down on his knees. Apparently, the guy wasn't at all too concerned about how the back of his white trench... Suit... Coat thing would look like. Cecelia, with gunmetal-blue eyes, looked up at him, confusion on her face. Ha, she was just like me! No one could figure Klaus out. I was almost temped to ask Raylen and Himani why they even bothered protecting him. "So you must be Cecelia, huh?" Klaus asked, tilting his head. He was probably scaring her with that idiot smile of his. "I'm Klaus, and those two guys are Himani and Raylen. I think you've already met Sayuri, huh?" She glanced at him and then looked at the sky. There wasn't much Cecelia could do. Raylen and Himani _did _tie her up wherein she could get up and start walking.

"Yes, I know Summoner Sayuri..." Cecelia said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. Oh cry me a robotic river. I didn't have any sympathy for her at all! Klaus continued to make small-talk with the machine while I turned towards Himani and Raylen. Pointing my thumb behind me I gritted my teeth. If they protected the guy, they must have known a whole lot about him. They probably thought for him too. And then Alula... Alula was still sitting contently on Klaus' head. Honestly... I didn't really understand that guy at all. Did he think it was cool to have a monster on top of his head? That it was cool to make friends with the enemy? I sighed.

"So... You guys..." I said, scratching the back of my head. "Are you guys Klaus' bodyguards?" Once they realized I was talking to them they flinched and directed all of their attention to me. My God they were weird! They even bowed their heads, panic-stricken. "That's okay if you don't want to tell me, though!" I insisted, waving my hands out in front of me. "I just want to know if you guys know how to get back to Austere..."

"In a way, I'm sure you could say we are his bodyguards," Himani answered, smiling. "We have protected the Young Lord for quite some time now. We're used to him doing things like this. He can't help but be talkative... He likes making new friends, Sayuri. What can I say? That's His Most Excellent Majesty for you." Great. Now Himani was crazy. Why did she keep calling him that? There was no reason for her to keep calling him that! I sighed once more. Okay, let's face it. I was going to die, wasn't I? Unless Cecelia knew how to get back to Austere! Brilliant Sayuri! Brilliant! I walked over to Cecelia, standing next to Klaus. He glanced at me and then looked back at Cecelia.

"Ah! So you want to apologize to Cecelia for trying to beat her up that first time?" … Wait. What. "She told me everything, Sayuri. You're not really nice you know!" Klaus poked me in the shoulder and I think I just lost it. Who the hell did he think he was? Gah, I was tired of everyone and their whole families thinking they could be me! No one could be me! No one could take my job! I am Summoner Sayuri! There isn't another Summoner Sayuri! Ah, I saw what was happening now! Cecelia was going to play the victim role, wasn't she? She was going to tell Klaus that I was out to get her now, right? Well I wasn't going to let that happen! I scowled, crouching down so I could get the appropriate eye-level to talk to her.

"Cecelia, listen to me. I don't really know why Klaus didn't kill you or ordered you to be killed or whatever... But the fact is that you're still alive. And that's great, because I need to know everything you know about Saivan." Typical! I knew she knew stuff about Saivan because her eyes widened when I said his name. Now I was getting somewhere! … But now she refused to look at me, so then I just shook her shoulders. "Cecelia, I don't think you understand. If you don't tell me where the hell Saivan is, a whole lot of people will die, and it'll be all your fault." I paused, hoping she would tell me something now. Instead, she started flexing her arms until I was almost certain she'd break out of the wires. "Holy crap! Himani, Raylen!" That's when I tip-toed behind Klaus, who was just staring at her.

Once Cecelia broke out of the wires she stood up, every butterfly pin on her suit jangling. Oh how I hated those things. She stood up straight and cracked her neck, gazing at me like she was going to shoot lasers out of her eyes. That's why my jaw dropped completely when she started poking her two index-fingers together, pouting. What the hell was going on? Why didn't I know anything anymore? "B—but Sayuri!" she uttered, her eyes softening. "You'll kill him, won't you?" Tch. What kind of question was that? Not only would I kill Saivan... I'd destroy him. And with all of the competition... All of the people that wanted to kill him... I needed every lead I could get. This wasn't about me... I didn't really care that he had stepped on my face and bruised it pretty bad when he slammed my head into the floor. This was about Naira and Defina. I was going to kill him for killing them.

"No, Sayuri won't kill him!" Klaus practically sung that to her. My eye twitched.

"Don't you lie to her, you!" I shouted, pointing a finger at him. Klaus just pushed it out of the way and put his hands in his pockets.

"As long as Sayuri's with me, she'll learn how to keep her hands to herself, isn't that right, Sayuri?" Um. No. Not at all. He didn't even understand the situation! I kept telling him he didn't understand the situation! I opened my mouth to say something, but somehow the bastard got behind me and covered my mouth with his hand. How the hell did he get behind me? And that was another thing that bothered me. Klaus was so disconcertingly fast. He scared me a lot of times because I just did _not_ see him move. One moment he'd be standing next to me... And then the other? He'd be so far away from me. It sucked. I am the Summoner of Time! If anything, I was supposed to be faster than him! I pouted for a moment.

And then I bit that bastard!

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" He got what he deserved too! Putting his hand over my mouth! He started swinging his hand in the air, doing a crazy little dance. I snicked to myself. Cecelia didn't know what the heck was going on. She just tilted her head. Except... Himani didn't like what I did. She gave me a death glare from Hell. I flinched, turning back around. Jeez. "Okay... Sorry Cecelia. Maybe Sayuri might do what she says..." Klaus smiled again. "But I can assure you that she won't be killing anyone when I'm around. Hey, what's with the long face? You said you were looking for someone, weren't you?" Yeah... That was right.

That was probably the whole reason Cecelia went on that shooting rampage. So if we found who she was looking for she'd take us to Saivan? Ha, sounded like a deal! And I'd leave all the others behind... Just like they left me! Well, I'd be forced to take Klaus and his miniature army with me, but it was better than those guys! I bet they were having a hard time getting along, too. Aysel's guard was about the most... Those guys... All of them are just obnoxious. All they did was argue. And then my team... Bah. I didn't even care anymore. They could do whatever they wanted. I bet they all wished they had waited for me now!

… But how cool would it have been to go to Austere with Cecelia all tied up? Yeah, like I could show everyone that I was capable of beating up anyone I wanted alone! Yeah... I had stars in my eyes just thinking about it and Klaus waved his hand in front of me. I blinked, changing my footing. Cecelia sighed, folding her arms. Damn those butterfly pins! My eyes twitched at the sound of them. What were those things for, anyway? "Aren't you afraid of me?" she asked. "I've never had a Nocuous stranger try to have a conversation with me. Or anyone, for that matter." Didn't Cecelia get it? Klaus wasn't normal. He was an idiot. He talked to everything. Even trees. Or grass. Or other stuff that doesn't talk.

"Why would I be?" Klaus replied, tilting his head and smiling. I wanted to bang my head into a tree. He was always smiling. You guys just don't understand. His smiling was _so_ painful... "You're nice, Cecelia. You haven't killed us yet or have tried to kill us, so that means you're one of us!" Klaus put out his hand, his grin widening. "And when you're one of us, you get treated like one of us. And besides, I know you're heading towards Austere, and I treat everyone that heads towards Austere the same. Just like I treat everyone who lives in Austere the same. You're a person with feelings, otherwise you wouldn't be so sad right now." He paused. I snorted. Ha, what a lovely ass-kissing speech.

"Excuse me," I said, putting my hand in the air. "But this helps us... How?"

"Shush, Sayuri," Klaus replied, bringing his index-finger to his lips. "You don't even know what you want. First you want to find out how to get back to Austere, then you want her to tell you where Saivan is... And then you want to go with her so she can_ show_ you where he is? Just calm down. Let's help Cecelia out and find who she's looking for!" Yep, it was official. I most definitely didn't like Klaus. At all. I was tempted to leave all four of them on their own. I didn't need his advice! But I was getting pretty sleepy. Sleep! Oh how I wanted to just lay down and dream for once... I hadn't had a good night's sleep in forever!

But I wasn't going to sleep on a rock. No sir. Not me. Not the Summoner of Time. I needed a bed or something. Maybe a simple couch might have done the trick. "Bah. Fine," I answered. "But let's make this quick. Now Cecelia, who the hell are you looking for? I don't think you have any friends. Is this someone you've been ordered to kill or something?"

"Silly Summoner," Cecelia said, folding her arms. Whoa. Did she just like... Change her personality? My eyes widened. Her voice definitely lost its childish flare when she said that... "I told you. I do not work for anyone."

"Yeah yeah, chilli in the eye," I shot, folding my arms and seething. "You just kinda sorta asked me if I was going to kill Saivan, which implied that you at least work for him and respect him... If a little bit. And if not that you at least know who Saivan is... And that makes me suspicious of you, Cecelia." Ha. I bet she thought she could outsmart me. Again she flinched, taking a step back. Her expression changed too. "Are you going to tell me who you were looking for or not? Or is this someone... One of your partners?" I was practicing my interrogation skills! Soon I'd be the best. I had a knack for this stuff!

"Fine," Cecelia said, unwinding her arms. "But... Can we start walking?" I turned around and looked at the others. Raylen shrugged at me and Klaus just stood there smiling like an idiot. Himani was still glaring at me. No help. Fah. I turned around on my heels, pointing an index-finger in the air.

"S'okay, but I don't know why you want to—"

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "... My leg hurts." What? Her leg hurts? Well then that was just peachy. I didn't have time for her complaints. Was she going to walk or not? I mean, we could have just stayed where we were. I touched my forehead, closing my eyes and sighing. "But I really just want to get away from here. This place smells of death." … We were outside. Outside doesn't smell like death. It smells like nature. I didn't want anything to do with her in the first place! Why couldn't we just kill the thing? I just felt nervous around her... I took three steps forward with my eyes closed... Trying to at least look like I knew what I was doing.

"Okay, so I don't exactly know where we are walking but—" I turned around and stopped mid-sentence. Well, well. It looked like Klaus took it as an obligation to give Cecelia a piggy-bank ride. I rolled my eyes. I was traveling with a bunch of idiots. Cecelia was a machine! A robot! A thing! She couldn't feel anything! ...Let alone a leg that was just 'hurting'. But whatever. Klaus could do whatever he wanted to do. If he died... That would have been his fault, not mine. But I did remember what Miyuki told me. It's our jobs as Summoners to protect everything and everyone... Because we don't know who's evil and who's good. Bah. "Wait. Where the hell did Hinami and Raylen go?" I asked, looking around for them.

"In the trees," Klaus said, pointing up. I gritted my teeth. What did guys think they were? Ninjas? "My guard usually doesn't like to walk around. It makes it perfect for deciding when to ambush people, don't you think Sayuri?"

"I—err—don't know," I replied. "Now Cecelia, tell us something, please?"

"Okay," she said, sighing. "I was looking for Adair. He's a teammate of mine, and a Shadow." ...No idea what that is. "But then I couldn't feel him anymore. It was almost as if he just suddenly died—which is impossible, because Isaiah said he wouldn't let any of us die and—!"

"Slow down!" I said, glancing behind me. "First off, you're looking for a shadow... That you named Adair? A shadow, Cecelia? No wonder you can't find it. The sun has set already. And it's weird that you're looking for a shadow. And that you named it. Second, who the hell is Isaiah? And shadows can't die and... You're just confusing me..."

"No, no Summoner Sayuri. You're missing what I am trying to say," Cecelia said, shaking her head. "Shadows are artificially created humans from an already living human's breath." Okay, that made a little bit more sense. But I was still confused. So... Shadows are humans created from other humans. Their breath, more precisely. Umm, okay? "I'm not a Shadow... But sometimes I do wish I was one! Because the others are..."

"Sayuri, you're walking the wrong way," Klaus sung.

"Huh?"

"Austere's that way. You're walking a little bit to the west. You're going to miss it like that."

"Hold the phone! You just said _what?"_

"... What phone? I don't have a phone, Sayuri."

"No, I mean, you said 'Austere's that way.' You mean to tell me you knew where Austere was all along? Why didn't you tell me, you idiot!"

"You didn't ask."

I... Didn't ask? I stopped and simpered. What. You mean all of this would have been avoided if Klaus told me he knew where Austere was? "Ahahahah..." I laughed, touching my face. "I'm so going to kick your ass when we get there," I said, folding my arms. I started walking faster. That was it! I didn't want anything to do with those guys. Idiots, all of them! I stomped ahead and that's when I felt my stomach try to jump out of my throat. It was too dark to tell, but I was falling! And it was a long fall! I didn't have much time to scream, because I started to see a bright light.

This was it, wasn't it?

I was going to die and it was all Klaus' fault! But then I just fell on my butt. And it hurt. A lot. The light I saw? They were streetlights, and I remembered this place! At least, I thought I remembered this place. Lucrecia took me down here when we were looking for Renata! So this was Austere then! I stood up, stretching. I couldn't help but smile. I thought I was never going to make it here! "All right!" I exclaimed, jumping up in the air. And then I ran out of the way, because I knew Cecelia and Klaus would be coming down any second now. Ha! I was a second faster than them! I wasn't going to get smashed! I_—"Argh!"—_was talking too much to myself and got smashed anyway.

Or at least, Raylen and Himani fell on top of me.

"Oh, sorry Sayuri," they both said simultaneously, helping me up. Klaus and Cecelia walked towards me as I dusted myself off. Bah. I hated everyone. I turned around towards the city underground. So this was Austere... It was pretty run down. Not your average city on Earth, that was for sure. But it was amazing that they actually _built _all this down here... It must have taken years to dig a huge whole this deep...

I sighed again. I had been doing that a lot, lately. "So, where do we go?" Klaus, in all of his bright, loud, obnoxious glory, pointed at the biggest building I could see. It was like a town square. I nodded my head slowly.

"We're going to go there, Sayuri! To the hall!" he said, triumphant. "That's where all of your friends are. You know, the people that left you." Oh, and he knew where everyone else were at too? Joy. I really hated Klaus. He was lucky this hall thing wasn't that far away. "You know, your friends are made of magic!" ...How long did I have to put up with this guy? I couldn't take the stupid. How did anyone take his stupid?

"Mi'lord, I think we should hurry," Himani said, a serious expression on her face. "The reason Raylen and I were looking for you is because Miss Valerie really needs your assistance. It's really urgent that you get to the hall as fast as possible."

"Well, if Teacher needs me..." Klaus stopped walking and we all stopped too. What the hell was he doing now? From out of nowhere he pulled out these two stick-looking things. After that he jammed them together, and that's when I realized he was holding a flute. "Someone must be really hurt, right Hinami? She needs me to play my music with her..." His smile faded away. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you about this earlier, Himani. But if someone is dying... We need to get there right away, right?" He started smiling again, holding his flute in both of his hands. "Cecelia, can you run really, really, really fast towards that hall over there?"

"Affirmative," Cecelia said, nodding her head. "I will be there in no time flat."

"That's good, because I want you to go there now. And tell them you're with me, okay?" She nodded, and like that she was gone. Woah, did she just_ listen_ to Klaus? Did she already trust him that much? I blinked. What...? "Himani, Raylen? Make sure Cecelia gets into the hall with no problems. I'd be quite sad if something happened to her." He sure didn't look sad. He looked happy. Tch. I folded my arms as Himani and Raylen vanished into thin air. "... Sayuri, do you know how to get there fast?"

"Why does it matter?" I said, snorting. "Of course I don't. Do I look like a robot to you? And besides, I'm walking there. I'm not going to try running to a place because you tell me to. And besides, that's dangerous! I don't know where anything is! And this is Austere! I don't know anything about Austere! If we were still in Aysel... Maybe. But I wouldn't even count on it—_Klauswhatareyoudoing!"_ The guy. Must have. Grabbed my arm. And ran at the speed of _light_. I mean, this was horrible. He was more-or-less dragging me against the ground. And it all happened so fast that when we stopped I stepped two steps forward, spun around twice, and hit my head against the door.

"Wha—what—wha...?" I murmured, trying to stand up. When my vision stopped dancing around, I looked at Klaus... Who was smiling at me. I wanted to kick his ass, but then I wanted to find out how the hell he was able to run that fast. Klaus walked past me and patted me on the head, which threw me off big time. I flinched at every instance his hand touched my head.

"Don't worry, Sayuri," Klaus said. "You can be dizzy as much as you want! We'll just correct it after you've become my queen."

"I'm not your queen!" I shouted, standing up straight. I had instantly got un-dizzied. "Stop saying stuff like that. It's weird." And did I mention it made me think of that one dream I had about Kohana and Suzuki... I almost remembered it like it was yesterday... I shook my head, only to look at him smiling at me.

"Okay then! After you teach me magic!"

"I'm not teaching you anything, and I'm not your queen!" I shouted louder this time. "Now open the freegin' door!"

"If you become my bride, I'll open the door faster, Sayuri!"

"Shut. Up!" I growled.

"Aww. Then teach me magic!"

"I said _no!_ Do you ever take no for an answer? And I can't teach you magic! Magic isn't something that you just do! You have to be a special type of person to know it!" Like jeez, seriously. It was like I was talking to a block of wood that liked to talk back to me.

"But you have to try!" he insisted. I narrowed my eyes. "And if you're not going to marry me, at least save your virginity for me!" Wait. Wait. Wait. _What?_

I honestly can't tell you what happened after that. But I did hear a scream. And it wasn't from me or Klaus. I had kicked him through the door, broke the door off its hinges, and there was a girl standing in front of the door, staring at Klaus' body just laying there. Of course he had a huge boot imprint on his face. Yes, that was from yours truly. I snickered, putting my hands on my waist. That was the first time I had kicked someone through a door! I felt official! "Klaus! Klaus! Are you okay?"

Wait! That sounded like...

"Chio!"

"Sayuri!"

We hugged instantly. I never thought I'd be so happy to see Chio in my life! She was holding her staff in her hands, too. But why was her cheeks all red and puffy...? Like she had been crying? Once we stopped hugging Chio adverted her gaze towards Klaus. "... You_ know_ him?" I asked, kicking him a little bit. He rolled over, rubbing his face.

"Ouch Sayuri! You're really mean..."

"Don't play the victim," I hissed.

"Yes I know Klaus, Sayuri," Chio answered. She tried to force a smile. "I'm so glad you're here right now! We didn't expect you to come and find us, but when that Mima lady came in we knew it wouldn't be long before you came. Like a true hero..." Again with that hero stuff... But I guess I couldn't complain. She did say something about Mima, right? Which meant Mima was here too! I was going to kick her ass when I saw her! Chio knelled next to Klaus, helping him up. And he just kept smiling... Like I hadn't put him through a door!

I don't know... I guess I felt kind of insulted...

"They need you in there. Please, you've got to help the others heal Chase," Chio pleaded, closing her eyes and clapping her hands together. Something... Happened to Chase? _Our_ Chase? The Chase we knew? Silly Chase? This just got serious. So maybe that was why Chio's face was red. She must have been crying for him. Klaus stopped smiling. And his eyes opened up. Once again I saw his electric-blue eyes. He took out his flute again, seeming all about business.

"I'm sorry," he muttered to me. And then he walked down the hallway. Fast. Like, really fast. Like I-couldn't-see-him-fast. What was his problem? Anyway, back to the serious business. I looked at Chio, who was looking down at the ground. Her brown hair was in her face... It was just... She didn't seem like herself.

"What happened to Chase?" I demanded. Chio glanced at me and must have seen how worried I was. Tears just started pouring out of her eyes and I thought that was my fault. I didn't mean to make her cry, but I needed to know. "Chio, I'm sorry if I just yelled at you, but I really need to know what happened to Chase. If this is a joke because I didn't come with you guys, it isn't funny." I didn't really think Chio had it in her to prank me, but you never know... I felt bad accusing her of that...

"I don't know..." she sobbed, wiping her eyes with both of her hands. "...Mima brought him here and she said he really needed help. I didn't get to see him myself, but Lucrecia says he's really bad right now. Lots of broken bones." Broken bones? What the hell was he...? Nothing else mattered anymore. Now I needed to talk to the others. I needed to find Chase. This reminded me of when I found Renata at the church unconscious... And this wouldn't be my fault! I swallowed, tempted to follow Klaus, but I didn't know where he went.

"Chio, can you show me where the others are?" I asked. She nodded her head, wiping her eyes with her arm. A part of me wanted to push this all on myself. What if I would have been here? I would have prevented all of this... But then there was that other part of me that insisted... I mean, what could I have done? We started walking and Chio's staff disappeared within thin-air.

"I think everyone's waiting in the room... The room where Chase is."

Great. I was going to let everyone have it.

Now I was pissed. While I was thinking, Himani and Raylen appeared in front of me. With Cecelia. And Chio started screaming at the sight of her. Desperate to keep Chio silent I slapped my hand against her mouth, arching a brow and gritting my teeth. "Shhh!" Her eyes softened and I nodded my head slightly, pulling my hand away. "_Shhhh!_ Cecelia is with us now, okay? She's not going to destroy you." Chio blinked. She didn't believe it, I could tell. But, you know, since I was Summoner Sayuri... It was automatically okay. But Chio was still unsure.

"But... But Sayuri..." See? She was at a loss for words. And I could sympathize with her. Because this was Cecelia we were talking about. "How did... When did Cecelia... I don't trust her... Sayuri, she tried to kill us all..."

"I know that, but you have to trust her now. Cecelia told Klaus and I a lot of stuff we would have never found out on our own. At first she tried to kill us, but after we calmed her down she was cool. Now... I don't trust her either, but apparently Klaus thinks she's some kind of angel and doesn't want her to get hurt. He ordered his bodyguards to protect her..." I paused, pointing at Raylen and Himani. "So... We should just go with the plan?"

Chio took one look at Cecelia and quickly glanced at me. "But what would the others say? Sayuri... This isn't such a good idea! I don't think... I don't think bringing an enemy in is a good idea!" So what the hell was I supposed to do? I only just got here for Pete's sake! I wasn't a one-man-army! I didn't know what was going on and I just found out Chase was almost dying! I wasn't Superman! I couldn't do everything! I wished everyone would stop putting all of their problems out on me! Honestly, I didn't care what the others thought about Cecelia being here. I didn't care about Klaus being killed... And frankly, I was too pissed with Chio to even give a crap about what she thought.

_They_ left me._ She_ left me behind.

Now they wanted me to act like the leader again? That was a bunch of—

"Mi'lady, is it okay if we bring Cecelia into the room? It's right around the corner," Raylen asked. Honestly. Honestly! Klaus told him what to do. I wasn't going to tell him what to do with Cecelia! What? So everyone could blame me if something bad happened? Hell no! I wasn't stupid! Curse Klaus! I wasn't taking the fall for this, like Lucrecia would say!

"Do whatever Klaus told you to," I answered. "Go! What are you waiting for?" Raylen gave me an unsure look. Like he knew things were about to blow to hell. And you know what? He was probably right. But I wasn't going to stick around and watch it all blow up! I walked passed those three and Chio followed me. As soon as we turned the corner I started hearing the most beautiful melody I've ever heard in my life. It was some sort of sad song... But I could hear a lot of instruments being played. Maracas, a guitar, possibly a violin. And... A flute! Klaus was in there! … I mean... Klaus was in there. The room was large and it was see-through, so I saw everyone.

There was a woman with blonde hair swinging a baton in the air, directing the players... And everyone else stood back and watched silently. There was some kind of energy surrounding a table... I knew Chase was on that table, but I couldn't see his body. I knew if I went inside, however... It was now or never. I wasn't going to spend my whole life waiting anymore. "There's Kokoro, and Miyuki... And Zed and Morta..." I muttered to myself. I pretended to roll up my sleeves. You know... I did that motion. Except in my Summoner form I didn't have sleeves. "Mima too. Everyone's in there. Even Alula..." Alula was on top of Klaus' head as he played. Klaus seemed different when he played. Too different...

"Should we wait until the song is over, Sayuri...?" Chio asked. If I was calm, I would have known she had said that because she didn't want me to rush in there. I was not calm. I was pissed.

"So?" I knew I was hurting her feelings, but I didn't care! And in a fit of anger I burst through the doors. And suddenly, all eyes were on me. Everyone looked at me. Right down to the musicians that I didn't know. I looked around, feeling my face flaring up. Now I was going to come out with everything. I had it all played out in my mind. I was going to tell everyone why they sucked individually... And then I was going to walk out. If they didn't need me... Fine! They didn't have to leave me behind, though! It hurt my feelings, okay? I'd admit that! I was supposed to be the leader... Not the person that got left behind!

And then I saw him.

Chase. Broken. Beaten. Unconscious. Laying on a table with all kinds of sharp things next to it.

And it took all of those nasty thoughts out of my head. I was speechless. I didn't know if I wanted to collapse on the ground, fall forward, or just... Disappear from the face of the earth. I tried to make words come out of my mouth, but...

"Summoner Sa-yu-ri!" Lucrecia said, grinning. "So you finally decided to catch up with us, huh? Well, guess what? You're late! Go the fuck back and stop interrupting us." … What. What. What! I came back... And the first thing she said to me was go back home? Now I was mad! What was going on here?

"Shut up you ass!" I exclaimed, pointing at her. "I've had it with you Lucrecia! Absolutely had it!" I stomped my foot on the ground and the blonde woman narrowed her eyes at me. She swung her conductor's baton to her side and it disappeared.

"So you are Summoner Sayuri?" she said, arching a brow. Then she scowled. "You interrupted us. You are lucky we were just about done!" I was lucky? Me? Who the hell was that chick to tell me that I was lucky?

"Look, I don't even know who you are!" I yelled. "Why don't you tell me why Chase is laid out on a table... Bloody and broken?" I paused, my face red as it'll ever be. "Damn right I'm Summoner Sayuri! I'm the one and only Summoner Sayuri, and I want answers right the heck now!" I summoned my wand, gripping it tightly with both hands. Kokoro took a step forward, reaching out towards me. What? Was he with that blonde-haired woman too? He probably was! And he probably agreed with Lucrecia too! They all had turned their backs on me, so I was going to do this my way!

"Sayuri, I'm glad to have you back, but don't hurt Valerie! She's only trying to help! We all want to know what happened to Chase too!" he yelled, trying to plead with me. I wasn't even paying attention to Kokoro. He knew how I reacted to my friends being hurt! And Valerie was the ultimate culprit! I came in and she was doing magic on my friend! And Klaus was helping her! Everyone was against me!

"Don't give me that Kokoro! You left me too, so I can't even trust you—!"

"Sayuri, put your wand down. Do you listen to anyone anymore?" Morta said, tapping her fingers on her forehead. "Listen. Calm down and let us explain. You're doing everything off one-sided information." I had every right to be angry! Every single right!

"You don't get it Morta! I trained so I could stop stuff like this from happening!" I pointed towards Chase's body. "Because I wasn't here... Because you_ jerks _went without me... He's on that table looking like he's going to die! And I know what you guys want to do! You want to blame it on me not being here, right?" I paused, straightening out my back. "I hate all of you! Every single last one of you! I'm not a tool you guys can just use! I have feelings and emotions! I don't know what's going on right now... But I don't like not knowing! And I'm going to get to the bottom of this my own way!"

"You're a Summoner?" Klaus said all sad. He scratched his head, his trademark grin on his face. "Why didn't you say so? Aww."

"Because you didn't ask," I hissed, my grip tightening on my wand. I pointed it at that Valerie person. "Now step away from Chase."

"Why don't you put your wand down and get away from Teacher!" that silver-haired girl said, throwing her arms out. She put her violin down and tried to look menacing. The truth was that she looked like she would be an easy person to take out. Still, I wasn't all about fighting people. Valerie put that girl's arm down, taking a step forward.

"Hmph. When I met you a couple of years back, Summoner Sayuri, you were calmer than this," she spat, folding her arms. "You're pathetic."

"I don't even_ know_ you! I haven't met you! Err! You're pissing me off, lady!" Where did she get off? Thinking she was so much better than me? "I'm tired of all you jerks claiming you know me, too! I've never seen you in my life!" I shouted. When no one answered me... When the room got silent... I knew something was wrong. I knew something went horribly, horribly wrong. I turned around and I think my stomach wanted to jump out of my mouth again. Cecelia.

… Right in the doorway.

And that was the instant in which everyone lost their Godforsaken minds. She took another step in. Confused. Scared I think. It was horrible. I cursed under my breath... Because just looking at everyone's faces... Kokoro and Morta summoned their weapons too quickly, which made Cecelia flinch. She didn't even do anything! Klaus put his flute up immediately and in a flash he stood in front of her, putting his hands in his pockets. "Don't hurt my friend. Why would you hurt my friend? She didn't do anything!" Klaus said, pouting.

"Your friend? Your friend is a fucking traitor," Lucrecia said, standing up straight. Then she started grinning. "Well! Cecelia! Aren't you a stupid-ass bitch. I can't believe you just walked in here. With all of us in here! You must really want to die today!" She paused, stretching out her arms. "I must say though... You've made my job much easier. Now Nocuous... If you don't want to die, you'll get out of the fucking way!" I stomped my foot on the ground. I didn't have time for this!

"I just want to know why the heck Chase is laying there!" I pointed at everyone in the room. "I don't know what's going on, but I blame you all! How about that?"

The tall girl with the orange her folded her arms. "You know, I normally don't get myself involved in things like this, but if you ask me I think that Mima woman has something to do with Chase returning like this." Mima? What? I looked towards her. Well, everyone did. We were ready to attack her but Mima scowled, pointing at the tall lady that brought her name up. "Isn't it suspicious that she brought Chase back...? Why wasn't she hurt? And I don't believe all of that talk about her not being human."

"So you want to blame me because it's not looking good for you Nocuous?" Mima asked, timidly. "Tammy, I'm not racist at all, but maybe one of you plotted this from the start. You wanted revenged for him working with Aysel. I only wanted to help and you turn even that against me?" Mima paused, pushing up her glasses. "This has all been traumatizing for me! I've seen things that I never want to see again, but you don't see me pointing fingers around."

"You just pointed one at me," Tammy said, narrowing her eyes and shifting a piece of straw in her mouth. "And I don't like that one bit."

"You know what I don't like?" Valerie said, being a bitch. She seemed like a bitch from what I saw. "You Enlightened are quick to blame a person. But you all invaded_ our_ home and tried to destroy it. How can we trust that none of you did this? It wouldn't make sense for one of our own kind to attack another. It's never happened before, so why would it happen now? Idiots, the lot of you."

"I'm not an Enlightened!" Kokoro said, looking down at the ground. "I'm a Summoner and I actually came from Earth! You were the last person that talked to Chase... How do we know_ you _don't have anything to do with this?"

"Kokoro..." Miyuki muttered, trying to tell him to stand down. Wow, that was the first time Kokoro had grown a spine.

"No Miyuki, I'm fine. Where were Klaus' bodyguards?" Kokoro pointed towards him, which made Klaus' smile widen. "He's protecting Cecelia! Doesn't that mean anything to you guys? I think he beat up Chase!"

"Aww! You think I beat up Chase?"

"Why wouldn't I? Sounds like something you would do, Klaus. And plus you went out around the time Chase went out. It doesn't look good for you at all."

"That's utter nonsense. A student of mine?" Valerie asked, flipping her hair. "You must be full of it, Summoner. Klaus is only protecting that woman... Though I fail to see why. That woman is obviously trespassing and must be dealt with." Kokoro gritted his teeth and Chio walked towards the corner, crouching down and putting her hands over her ears. "Instead of pointing fingers at my students and myself, why don't you look at your own teammates?" She quirked her nose, straightening out the collar on her shirt. Who the hell did that lady think she was? She acted like she was the leader!_ I'm_ the leader, dammit!

"Hey, I don't like the tone of your voice!" I shouted. "Stop trying to turn this all on my friends and start making sense, Valerie!"

"Why don't you ask Lucrecia what happened to Chase then?" Valerie said, quirking her nose. "I hate every Enlightened in this room, but not as much as her. That woman escapes me, and I never got the feeling that she liked Chase. Besides, this would all fit in perfectly. Maybe she did make a deal with Julian. I bet she _did_ do something to Chase." Valerie narrowed her eyes at Lucrecia, producing her conductor's baton. Lucrecia just looked amused if anything, unfolding her arms and looking at her with that green eye of hers.

"If I would have attacked him," Lucrecia said, a leer on her face. "He'd be _dead._ So shut your fucking mouth. Unless you want to end up like him too." She shrugged. "And of course I don't fucking care about Chase. What? Am I supposed to instantly give two shits about him? Shut the hell up. He's hurt, not me, end of fucking story. Want a cookie for your perspective skills?"

"Aren't you so sure of yourself," Valerie replied. "But none of you want to talk about the fact that one of your own—a Summoner at that—just walked in the room with an unwanted guest." I was like three seconds away from punching her in the mouth. "Why don't we just ask the blue-haired girl what she knows?" Valerie walked towards Klaus, who twitched an eyebrow at her. Klaus wasn't going to let that chick touch Cecelia. He was intent on protecting her and he looked like he wasn't going to move.

"See! I told you! He's protecting her, so he must be with Cecelia!" Kokoro said, pointing spastically at him. You know, that would only make sense! No one would protect someone that tried to kill them not too long ago!

"Hey, Kokoro's right! I say we beat up Klaus and make him tell us everything he knows!" I shouted, point at him too.

"Tough talk for the fucking nuisance Summoner that just walked in. I say it's your fault, Sa-yu-ri. It's always your fucking fault!" I was absolutely... Positively... Tired of Lucrecia blaming me all the time! I wanted to yell in her face!

"How the_ hell _would I have been able to hurt Chase... And you guys left me in Aysel for a couple of days?" I yelled, stomping a foot on the ground. "Lucrecia, you just blame me for the sake of blaming me and it's starting to get real old! I haven't done anything to you and I haven't done anything to Chase!" I pointed at him, enraged. "I'm not capable of that!"

"But... I know who is..." Cecelia muttered. Everyone stopped and looked at her. It was the first thing she had said since she got in here. "It was Adair, wasn't it...?"

"The person that you were looking for?" Klaus and I asked at the same time, our jaws dropping. We stood in front of her... Because quite frankly... We were probably the only ones capable of getting through to her. Oh, and Cecelia looked like she wanted to shoot up more stuff. We didn't need her trying to shoot up more stuff. We needed Cecelia to act like a normal human being! Everyone already hated her guts... Cecelia took one step back and collapsed on her knees. Klaus and I took a step towards her, offering to help her up.

"Chase tried to—he killed Adair?"

"... What? That's the most fucking hilarious thing I've heard all day!" Lucrecia shouted, laughing out loud. I gritted my teeth. God did I hate her. "You mean to tell me Chase... Defeated a _Shadow?_ Really? By himself? And that's why he looks like this? Stupid fucker should have been left to die on the battlefield, then. I don't even see why Mima brought him back."

"Enough of this," Valerie said, putting up her baton. She closed her eyes. "Chase was an idiot for going out alone. And he'll still be an idiot in this life of the next. I say we let the fool die." Die? How could she say something like that? "Letting him die will eliminate the blame... And let us get rid of this fool. Fighting alone! Hmph. What a stupid thing to do! We may have stabilized him now, but there's a long recovery process ahead for him. One that I don't want to stay and monitor. If we stop healing him, he should be dead in a day or two."

"You're disgusting," Morta spat. "Why kill Chase? What did he ever do? I thought the plan was to help him stay alive?" While everyone was bickering, Klaus and I were just trying to stop Cecelia from trying to get back up again. These guys didn't understand! She was going to really kill Chase if we didn't stop her! Klaus was whispering things to Cecelia that I couldn't quite hear, but he was helping her. My time, however, was dedicated to pushing the machine back on the ground.

"It's none of your business how I treat my own," Valerie said. "So stay out of it."

"We can't exactly do that, Valerie," Morta replied, just as calmly. "We're Summoners. We are supposed to get into your business. Especially if it reeks of being disgusting. Isn't Chase your friend?"

"I'm going to kill him," Cecelia said, flatly. "I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him..." Jeez! Did anyone else besides Klaus and I hear what she was saying? I turned around. I guess not. She kept repeating that same thing over and over again!

And then everyone stopped. Because Zed took two steps forward. And he hadn't said anything yet.

It got silent. Well, aside from Klaus and I still trying to make Cecelia better. Boy, why the hell did I have to come back to all this?

"Aside from the constant bickering," he said, closing his eyes. "I would say that you all have it wrong. Of course, this is not something I would count on the Nocuous to figure out since they were not with us. When we traveled here, do any of you recall when those monsters attacked us?" Well, seeing as how their asses left me, I couldn't take part in the head-nods. So I gritted my teeth. Bastards! "They seemed to attack us like they knew we were coming, which means they had to have gotten information on the inside." He paused, opening his eyes again. "Whatever the case is, Chase is no innocent. I think he was feeding information to the powers that be—the powers that control these monsters and Shadows."

"...What," I uttered. "Chase? No way."

"I don't believe a word that comes out of your mouth," Valerie shot. "Chase isn't at all smart enough to do that. And he wouldn't feed information to our enemies."

"Ah, but you think you know a person, Miss Valerie!" Zed replied. "It makes perfect sense. This was all just a facade for him. Can one really be as dense as Chase is? Did he fight the Shadow because he was ambushed, or did he fight the Shadow because he had done something wrong? That we were not dead yet and that was his punishment?" Oh man. I didn't want to believe it either but... It did really start making sense... Who would have thought Chase would turn on us like that... I looked down at the ground, and the others were feeling this too. Chio looked absolutely miserable. "Chase was with Cecelia. It only makes sense," he cooed.

"Your argument isn't valid," Valerie said, "You think, but you don't know _anything _about Chase."

"He doesn't have to know any-fucking-thing about Chase. It_ makes_ sense. Let's throw his ass on the street curb," Lucrecia spat, folding her arms. "Oh, so now you're going to have a bitch-fit because 'one of your own' basically pulled one over on us?" Lucrecia paused, turning around. "I told that bitch Aysel not to make him a part of us. I _told_ that bitch." Another turn. "I _hate_ that bitch."

"The man is obviously lying to get us to stop arguing," Valerie replied, holding her baton in front of her. "You Enlightened succumb, I will—!"

"Yeah... Sorry. But if you lay a fucking finger on him I'll rip yours off, Va-le-rie." Ouch! Lucrecia... No, this wasn't really happening was it? Everything was spinning out of control! That wasn't the Chase I knew at all! But what did I know? I was gone for a few days... I didn't know anything about the situation. All I could do was... Sit and watch...

That made me so sad. You wouldn't believe how sad I was. … We trusted Chase.

"I don't have to take this," Val said. "Students!" She slammed her baton in the ground and even Klaus looked at her.

"Yes Teacher!" … And they left. But that wasn't even the worst part. They left Chase's body on the table. After that, Lucrecia walked over to me, pushed me out of the way (I fell in a nice pile of boxes, by the way) and grabbed Cecelia's arm.

"You... You're going to come with me." … And she dragged Cecelia away. Joy. Dammit. Now the only doctor in the place just walked out on him too! I had to do something... I had to...

"Look!" I exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Even if Chase betrayed us... He's still a person, right? We can still at least try to save him, right?" No one answered me. Why wasn't anyone answering me? "Right...?" I looked down at the ground. Wrong. I was oh so very wrong.

"Sayuri, I think we should go now," Morta said, shaking her head. She helped me up.

"Summoner, you are right about one thing," Zed said. "But he is a person that deserves to die."

I felt sick to my stomach. A world without Chase was a world without the sun.

We all made mistakes, right?

I glanced at his body before Morta dragged me out the room.

… Wrong. There wasn't any mercy for a traitor.

* * *

**A/N:** ... What. The. Eff. Just happened? D:

There are times like these where I truly wish I had a Summoner that is capable of healing on this team. And right now, I'm just raging ten-fold. Everyone knows Chase is innocent! TT_TT Bah. I just want to get rid of this chapter and stop reading it and write the next one! No one trusts each other anymore and if Chase dies I'm killing everyone! Nuking everyone into the ground I swear I am. Lucrecia better get her ass back into that room! D:

If Chase could just talk... If he could just say one word he'd tell everyone what really happened. TT_TT

You know this is all Zed's fault. The snake! D: He's the snake you guys want to kill. Dammit. No one listens to me anymore. And be easy on Chase in the reviews. XD;;; I know you guys like other people, but I'm so serious. I'll kill everyone. XD;;; There is nothing stopping me from doing so.

I'm super upset about this. XD;; Chase isn't supposed to die, dammit! He's not on my list of people to kill! All he's done is be a great character. I have fun writing Chase, and now everyone thinks he snaked out. Well... Gah. Next chapter should be a little nicer.

Yeah, it'll take my mind off things. o_e


	46. Appassionato

**A/N:** Woo! It took me a little bit to get this chapter out! XD

Okay. So one. I hated this chapter. I abhorred this chapter. I... Hate making Klaus sad. He doesn't deserve to be sad. Making Klaus sad is like shooting down baby birds. ._. It breaks my heart to see him sad. And... I kinda broke Klaus into little tiny fragments. XD;;; And I feel horrible about it.

Second reason why I hated this chapter. _Saivan._

'Nuff said. XD;;

* * *

It's kind of weird, but I figured out how to contact Kohana in my dreams! How about that? I didn't know all it took was some of my nifty lucid dreamer skills to see her. Man, I haven't used those things in forever... But that's because I never get to sleep anymore... Anyway, I am still proud of myself! All I have to do is think of Kohana, and here she is! Doing weird things. With a sword and some goggles. I take one step forward, inhaling and reaching out to her.

"Kohana!" I scream, trying to get her attention over the loud whirr of the weird wheel she has in front of her. She is... Sharpening a blade? And every time she pushes the blade against the wheel, it starts to spark up, making me jump back. I don't want to get hurt! All I want is to talk to Kohana! Finally she notices me... But she's confused beyond all belief and her mouth is wide open.

"Sayuri?" she asks. She just turns back around and examines the sword in her hands. "This is nice~. So you... Came to visit your Mother?" I seethe, balling up my fists. She makes it sound like I need her! I don't need her! I just need to ask her some questions! "Though I can see why... But you came at an awfully bad time, Sayuri~." Oh, so now Kohana has certain times when I can see her? Well, that's Kohana for you. And that's why I hate her! She is lucky I didn't come here to tell her how much I hate her! "But I'm so glad you're here! At least you'll give me something to play around with while I wait~."

"Uh-huh," I reply, nodding my head slowly. "Yeah, so... Kohana..." I scratch the back of my head, looking at the ground. "I wanted to ask you for some advice. You see, I don't know what anything is anymore, and I just found out Chase had been lying to me this whole time. You see, Chase is—" Kohana cuts me off with this huge snort. Like she automatically knows what's been going on! _And_ she rolls her eyes at me! Whoa, whoa! That's grade-A disrespect right there isn't it?

"Ha! You think you know _so_ much, don't you?"

"Um. Yeah," I say, nodding my head. Kohana just stares at me and starts cackling. Like... Really! She starts cackling! Like the bad guys do in those movies! What gives? "So I wanted to ask you what should I do next about him. The others want to get rid of Chase, and at first I was with them! But now I just want to learn everyone's side of the story... But I can't. Since it's late. What do you think I should do, Kohana?"

Silence.

She is ignoring me! I stomp my foot on the ground and that earns me a glance. She lifts her sword in the air, examining it again. Only this time her grip tightens around the blade... The metal part! And she starts cutting into her right hand because she's holding it too hard! "Kohana!" I exclaim, stepping closer to her.

"Jeez kid, what?" Kohana asks, exhaling. Huh? But she is bleeding! Why does she sound pissed at me? "... You're so annoying, Sayuri. I'm trying to get business handled and I don't want to complete my business with a dull blade..." You know? I'm not even going to ask. No. Asking is the worst thing I can do. Kohana's weird. She's been weird. I shrug my shoulders, watching the blood drip from her hand. "So what if I'm bleeding~? Am I hurting? Then it's not a problem."

"What _are _you doing, anyway?" Damn. I kept telling myself I wouldn't ask, but I guess that just slipped out, didn't it? Kohana freezes up, her frown disappearing. Then she gives me one of those fake smiles. Yeah, fake. But it's still a smile. And I miss her smiles. So I frown.

"Nothing~" she sings, sheathing her blade. "Nothing you should get yourself involved in, anyway. It's a grown-up thing, Sayuri. Grown-up thing." She nods her head and pisses me off at the same time. … Her excuses suck! I know she's doing something she shouldn't be doing! But what can she do in my dreams? Nothing, right? Kohana stands up, smirking at me. I'm prepared for the worst now.

"You want my advice?" Kohana asks, cocky as hell. I simper. "...Here's my advice, Sayuri. First, you cure the Apathīa." My heart jumps.

"You know what Apathīa is?" I say, really happy and excited. I didn't expect her to know what Apathīa is! She nods her head... And suddenly I feel glad that I have a mother like her. This is like old times... Like when we used to live in Japan! I'd come to Kohana for help and she'd know just how to cure my problems! The only difference now is that we are talking in a dream.

"Of course I do~" she purrs. "But you need to learn the cure!"

I put my hand on my chin. "Yeah, I know I need to learn the cure. But I don't know how to make a cure. Maybe Lucrecia knows a cure?" If Lucrecia knows a cure to Apathīa, I'm going to be pissed. Kohana laughs out loud again, shaking her head.

"No, Lulu doesn't know the cure." And then Kohana disappears and shows up in front of me. I gasp, falling back on my butt. "But _I _do!" She sticks her index-finger in my face, poking my nose. I start smiling, scrambling off the ground. I can't believe it! I hug Kohana and she quirks her nose, not sure if she should hug me back. But before I give her the chance, I step back.

"Tell me the cure then!"

"... No."

I feel my whole entire world crash down around me. I'm so shocked by her response that I crash down on my knees and grip my head. She gets my hopes up... Only to crush them? She starts laughing at me again and it makes my blood boil. "Ever naive Sayuri... When will you learn that this is your pilgrimage? That you're the Summoner of Time and not me? So what if I know the cure. And let me tell you something else! I could have cured Naira and Defina... But I didn't feel like it."

"You didn't_ feel _like it?" I growl, standing up again. Now I was angry. "How could you! How could you not heal them when you know the cure?"

"I'll give you a hint, kid. You know half the cure already." I exhale. I do? "But you need Valerie to teach you her techniques. Only then will you learn the cure to Apathīa."

"Valerie?" I hissed. "You mean that woman I almost beat up today?"

Kohana nods her head, smirking. She acts like she's looking at a watch on her wrist, when truthfully she doesn't have a watch on! Then she pats my face. So now I have her blood on my_ face._ Why? Why me? "... And it's late too, isn't it? Really late. You better hurry, you don't have much time, Sayuri~!"

"You bastard," I mutter. "So you want me to wake her up?"

"Not necessarily. Knowing Val, she would never teach you after everything you said to her. And her students don't trust you either, so you don't have much help there. But I guess... One of them does respect you to some extent." One? Who is that one person? Wait! Don't tell me—!

"You want me to go wake up _Klaus?_" I exclaim, pointing a finger at her. "You want me to ask _Klaus_ to teach me what he knows? But! But! Kohana!"

"Yes, I know," she replies, narrowing her eyes at me. "You act like I don't know. Yes, yes, I do! I'm the Wickedness. I know everything and everyone. I even know the outcome of things. And I'll have you know that he isn't sleep now. And plus he likes you! Give him a chance!" … My lower eye twitched. How does she know so much stuff? "You asked me for advice and I gave you advice. Oh, and Sayuri? Dear?"

"... Yes?" I answer, flinching.

"You either see him tonight, or not at all. Trust me. You're not going to get another chance at this." She pauses, spinning around. "Weeee~! Nope! Not another chance! All or nothing. That is my advice."

"I know," I answer, impatiently.

"That's my estimate on things."

"I know."

"That's my_ prediction."_ I look up at her with a serious expression this time. Now she was smirking at me. "And they always come true."

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty-Six: Appassionato :-**

_Can we pretend that airplanes  
In the night sky  
Are like shooting stars?  
I could really use a wish right now... _

_Can we pretend that airplanes  
In the night sky  
Are like shooting stars  
I could really use a wish right now._

— B.O.B. — "Airplanes"

She asked me to teach her the musica, so that was exactly what I was going to do!

Except Sayuri was _horrible _at learning how to do things. I told her that to be able to learn the musica, we needed to step outside. And once we got outside she got really paranoid, like something was going to happen. Of course I told her she was silly... Because nothing was going to happen. I scratched my head though, trying to figure out what made her want to learn so fast. I folded my arms, looking at her with a blank expression. I poked her, making her stand up straight again. She glared at me, but it was for the best.

"Really, what's standing here going to do, Klaus?" Didn't she know that you aren't supposed to ask questions while someone is in the middle of teaching you things? She glared at me some more and I poked her again.

"You don't really want to be rooted to the ground again, do you Sayuri?" I asked, standing on my tip-toes. Last time she messed up she started acting really weird! But she was only being rooted to the ground... I pouted a little, looking at her gulp and put her arms to her sides. "Yep! That's the tricky part about learning the musica. But I never got rooted to the ground when I first learned..." I started rubbing my chin and I looked up into the sky. Sayuri just got mad at me again! What did I do this time?

"I don't care about what you did when you learned!" she shot. "The only thing I care about is learning what this musica thing is all about. I..." She paused, looking at the ground. "...Need it for something really important." I think we all knew what I was going to say next! I stopped rubbing my chin and looked at her, making her take a step back.

"Well if you want to stop being rooted to the ground every time you try to learn how to use the musica... I can show you an easier way to learn it!" I exclaimed, running my fingers through my hair. At first she blinked at me, but she calmed down. I would achieve world domination yet! It was right within my reach! I was so close to getting Sayuri's sparkly magic stick! ...Only I needed to do this one step at a time. I was rushing into things! She'd never trust me if I told her flat out that I only wanted to be her friend because of a stick she had. Hmm... Now I was conflicted! I pouted some more. But I really wanted the stick...

"Show me the easier way then," Sayuri replied, scowling. "You're wasting my time, Klaus. And I hope this isn't going to take days to learn, either."

"It'll take weeks... Maybe even months to learn, Sayuri!"

After I said that her eyes widened and she collapsed down on her knees. It was like I had kicked her in the stomach! Except I didn't fight girls. At all. And I'd never kick Sayuri in the stomach because I really wanted that sparkly stick she had. I would rule the entire world with that stick! She looked back up at me, gritting her teeth. What? I was telling the truth. Learning musica was like learning how to play an instrument. You couldn't just learn how to play an instrument in a matter of hours... But I was telling the honest truth right now!

"Klaus. I. Don't. Have. Weeks or months!" she shouted, making me cover my ears. Once I thought it was safe I put my arms down. "You idiot! If you would have told me that in the first place, my feet wouldn't be trying to root to the ground, would they?" But that was only because she was doing it wrong! Aww, Sayuri was so mean to me for no reason! All I did was try to be nice to her! I sighed.

"To call nature is to call the unknown; never does it come out of hiding," I said, trying to remember everything Teacher told me to memorize. Sayuri tilted her head. "Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the fairest harmony..." I paused, glancing around us. After that I noticed her attention was drifting elsewhere so I tilted her chin with my index-finger, forcing her to look at me. "Fragment fifty-four. Couples are wholes and not wholes, what agrees and what disagrees, the concordant is discordant. From all things one and from one all things."

"Klaus, don't make me punch you. In the face," she hissed, putting her hands on my arm. Okay, okay! I'd stop teasing her. I turned around, looking at the sky. It was so cloudy that I couldn't see any stars... "So this nature thing... You want me to just stand here and think about confusing stuff?" No... That's not what I was saying at all! When Teacher made us memorize and recite all that stuff... We got it right off the back. It made us understand the universe more, too. "And stop looking at me like that!" Oh. Oh! … I was thinking so much that I forgot I had been staring at her. I snapped out of it, sighing.

"Sayuri you're making this really difficult," I said, pouting. "You don't learn too well, do you?"

"Only because your teaching sucks. We're not getting anywhere with this. I should just go back to bed..." She slumped her shoulders and started walking back towards Austere but I reached out towards her. No! Not the sparkly magic stick! I needed it! What if she and her friends left? I would never see Sayuri again and it'd be all my fault that I didn't get the stick! Then I couldn't obtain world domination and become king! It'd be all my fault!

"Sayuri!"

She turned around, truly annoyed. "What?"

"Did you know... I'm a prince?" I started tapping my chin with my index-finger. If that didn't work, nothing would. A faint smile cracked on her lips and then it turned into a really big one. After that she started rolling on the ground laughing really hard. She started crying and everything! Was it really that funny? I pouted again. Hopefully her laughter meant that she would let me have the sparkly stick? She stood back up and wiped a tear away from her eye.

"You? A prince? You must be joking! And what would Your Excellency be doing up late at night trying to teach me—a Summoner—how to do something that will take _weeks_ to master? And plus you're Klaus. You're not prince." Aww! She didn't trust me either? Well... I mean... Did I look like a prince? Probably not... I knew what I had to do! This would be easy! Once I pulled my crown out of thin air, her laughing slowed down some and her eyes widened. I flipped my crown one good time, examining it and making sure none of the gemstones had fallen out of it. It was pretty old, you know!

I sat it on my head, standing up straight... But I still smiled! Because I couldn't stop smiling. It's what I did best! "Oh, I didn't tell you?" I cooed, walking up to her. She was so shocked! Why was she shocked? Everyone knew I was a prince... She was late... "I'm a prince of Austere. I've got other siblings, but they stay with my father. He's really sick and stays in his bed all the time..." I paused, nodding my head.

"... I—err—don't know what to say... I thought you were lying just a second ago!" In awe she grabbed my crown, checking it for authenticity. But it was one-hundred percent real! You couldn't fake a crown like mine! "... So then you're! But! I thought you were!" She closed her mouth, handing me my crown. "I thought you were just kidding about all that queen stuff. You really want me to...?" She thought I was lying to her too? No fair! What did I have to do to get her trust? I'd never get her to teach me magic at this rate! She blinked, knitting her fingers together. "And you think you know a person..."

"It's okay. See Sayuri, right now my siblings are trying to kill each other and win over my Father's good side in Austere so they can be the next queen or king... But I didn't want to waste my life like that. So I went to learn the musica." I paused, pointing at myself. "But all of that is boring, and if you teach me magic..." I looked at the ground and then looked back at her. "If you teach me magic then I could show my Father! And I'll become the sole King of Austere." She thought about this for a second and sat down on the grass. She didn't have her hair in those pigtails, so now she was sitting on her hair.

I sat next to her and we looked into the starless sky. "Where's your mom at then, Klaus?" I tilted my head.

"Oh, she got sick a really long time ago... She died." I scratched my head. "And I guess my Father got what she got... None of the doctors in Austere know what he has, and I can't bring him to Aysel... So I guess..." I looked at my hand, sighing. I couldn't pay attention. Not like this. I was supposed to be teaching Sayuri, after all. Not talking about myself... "The main reason I wanted to finish learning musica is because I want to be able to heal my Father of his sickness... But that'll take years, maybe. Teacher is an expert, but she's been studying musica ever since she was little." Sayuri looked at me, balling up her fists.

"Hmm. You don't think he has Apathīa, do you...?" She said that to herself, but I could hear her. I didn't know what Apathīa was so I couldn't say. I just shrugged my shoulders. Oh, and I patted Sayuri on top of her head because she deserved it! And she flinched again. Why did she keep flinching? She glared at me again and I stood up straight, triumphant. I straightened out my coat and smiled at her. "Would you stop being so annoying?"

"I'm not annoying," I replied, pouting some more. "Fine then Sayuri... If you won't be my queen, then I promise to be your knight." I bowed before her and she blinked, standing up and taking a step back.

"—That's not what I said—"

"So you agree to it then?" I exclaimed, my smile widening. She waved both of her hands in front of her, shaking her head.

"I didn't say that either! I just... You don't have to do all that extra stuff for me." She scratched her head again, looking the other way. Aww, but I wanted to do all of that extra stuff for her! "So... The reason why you protected Cecelia wasn't because you were conspiring against all of us... It was because that's just what you do. You protect everyone who comes into your kingdom. Klaus, I'm really sorry for blaming you back there. Now I feel like a jerk." I didn't want her to feel like a jerk. That's the opposite of what I wanted her to feel. She shrugged. "All this time I've just been mean to you... And the only reason I came to see you was because someone told me to."

"Oh! Really? Who was it?"

"Eh," she said, waving her hand. "My Mom. You don't wanna meet her. And she's kind of crazy, but sometimes she knows what I should do..." Now she looked at her hands and I smiled at her.

"I'm sure your mother is okay!" I said, holding both of my hands. "... She sounds really nice. Is she in Austere right now?"

"... Truthfully I don't know where she is. But I want to find her." Now she looked confused. "I talk to her in my dreams. And I'm going to kill her when I talk to her again." What for? I think her mom did her a favor. In all honestly, I could see something twinkling in her leaf-green eyes. I didn't think Sayuri knew just how beautiful she was. I wanted to show her, but... My cheeks tinted pink and I turned around for a second, faking like I was scratching my nose. I didn't really love her, right? I just wanted the sparkly stick! Just the stick and nothing more! "Hey! When are we going to keep practicing with this musica stuff so I can go to bed?" she whined. I snapped out of it.

"Sayuri, I—"

"What? Are you going to tell me something else more complicated?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I just wanted to know when you guys were going to leave for the badlands." She thought about it for a while and shrugged her shoulders.

"Dunno. Why?"

"Because... I'm going to honestly miss you guys." She gave me a surprised look, not sure of how she should have taken that. "All of you guys were really fun to hang out with! But especially you. Even if you can't teach me magic..."

"Well you did say you were going to teach me musica, and it looks like I'm not going to learn it any time soon."

I laughed a little. "Yeah! Remember the agreement we had though? Only if you gave me a kiss—"

"I'm _not _kissing you."

"Aww! But you _promised!"_ I said, standing up. She stood up too, rolling her eyes. "... But Sayuri I—" She grabbed my hand, yanked me down, and then she kissed me on the cheek. Ahahaha! I guess you could say I wasn't expecting that because my face turned really red... A faint smile covered her face and she started walking back towards Austere.

"Okay, you can go to sleep now, Klaus."

"T—that's it? No hug? No French kis—_ouch!" _…And she threw a rock at my head. I guess I knew I was asking for it, but... I don't think she knew how much I loved her.

Once I made sure she was safe in Austere, I started to walk back to Austere myself. I didn't know what made me like Sayuri so much... But at the same time I did want that sparkly stick! I started humming to myself, looking at the dark sky... Then I started to get an uneasy feeling... I scratched the back of my neck and just shrugged it off. Nothing was going to happen. I was just overreacting! Still, I wanted to make sure Sayuri was okay. I didn't want anything happening to her.

So I walked faster back to Austere, and once I was underground I looked around. Something didn't feel right... Something... I still didn't see Sayuri, which was good. Either she had made it back to the hall or... I needed to stop worrying so much about it. I rubbed my eyes and clapped my hands together, making the seal of the tiger. Smoke surrounded me and I found myself in the corridors of the hall. It was pretty late... And in maybe... Two hours? It'd be dawn. I yawned, walking down the hallway. But suddenly I stopped. I heard voices. Voices that belonged to people I didn't know. Now I was on edge... Hmph. I looked behind me and everything was clear.

But that meant that those people were in the main room... The room where I had first met Aysel's guard and the Summoners. And from the feel of things... It felt like there were three of them in that room. Three. Just three. But what were they doing in the hall? This was trespassing. I wouldn't have this. I walked closer to the corner, sticking to the wall. Now I was spying on them.

"His Holiness... Just to make sure we both know what the plan is... You want us to find the Summoners and bring them back to you?" That was a man's voice. I was almost sure of it. I narrowed my eyes. What did they want with the Summoners? I wasn't going to back down from this. I peered over the corner and saw what that man looked like. He was holding some kind of sword over his shoulder, one hand placed in his pocket. He was standing next to a woman who had a suit on that was similar to Cecelia's. So they must have been her friends, then. Even so, if they were looking for Cecelia, then why take the Summoners...?

There was one other person that I couldn't quite see... I'd have to wait. The woman switched her footing, brushing some of her brown hair out of her eyes. "Sounds easier said then done, His Holiness. What if they try to resist?" Resist, huh? So this wasn't a friendly gathering after all. They really were trying to start all kinds of chaos. And it was too early for chaos, wasn't it? "Cecelia's here. We could get her to take the Summoners. She's more than capable of it." Not the Cecelia I knew! She'd never do something like that. I had to say... I had a brilliant way with making people see the errors of their ways. They couldn't count on Cecelia to do dirty work for them.

"We will never know what will happen if we do not try, is that not correct you two?" the third person said. Finally he walked around and I got a glimpse of his face. If I wasn't so groggy... I'd swear that the person standing in front of me was the King himself... King Saivan. So now what did he, of all people, want with the Summoners? But then I remembered that Sayuri had been looking for him. She implied that she wanted to kill him earlier today... But if she wanted to kill him then he must have done something wrong. This was bigger than I had originally thought. "The Summoners are very important to my plans, so I would very much so like it if they were not hurt."

The two of them nodded. "Yes, His Holiness."

That was my cue. I was going to tell them to get out of here politely. I didn't want any trouble being started. So I walked around the corner, hands folded behind my back and a smile on my face. All three of them looked at me... And neither one of their stares were forthcoming. I put my hand up in the air, waving at them. I got the feeling they didn't want me here, but I didn't want them here either. I waved my hand, my smile wide. "So it seems that we have some visitors, huh?" When no one answered me I started to think about Sayuri. Hopefully she was already asleep. Hopefully she had taken another way to her room. "And it's none other than King Saivan. From Aysel's palace, yes? The kingdom in the sky..." I looked at the ceiling, nodding my head. "Such lovely people you have with you too. They from the palace?"

Saivan had a scepter in his hand, but it looked kind of suspicious. The other two looked at me and drew their weapons. The woman had some kind of claw things... Still, no matter. I wasn't afraid of them. I was afraid for the people they wanted to hurt. Saivan walked in front of them, his golden eyes seemingly glowing. "Ah, and is it the Prince of Austere? If I can remember... You are Klaus, correct?"

"That would be correct!" I chimed, glancing behind me. "I've heard the most interesting things about you, Saivan. Seeing as how people in Austere aren't connected with Aysel's palace... It's a wonder I've heard so much about you. You're really strong and powerful, and you've been training in fighting ever since you were born. And, of course, you have a lovely wife and a daughter..." I paused, smirking. "I don't see why Sayuri would want to kill you. Perhaps you can fill me in on this?" Saivan smirked back at me, taking a few more steps forward. Just what was he planning?

"Summoner Sayuri? You have talked to her?"

"She's a friend of mine," I replied. "I've also had the pleasure of meeting Cecelia, too. I'm afraid Cecelia has decided to side with us now. Can say you and your partners haven't left a mark on her, however. But she wants to be with us now. No more of this evil stuff." The woman waved her hand in the air, standing up straight and closing her eyes.

"Cecelia doesn't know what she wants," she said. "But it does make sense. Isaiah was talking about how she would, one day, branch away from us to try to find something that makes her happy." Isaiah! My eyes shot open. Cecelia did say something about an Isaiah. And from the way the man looked at the woman... He must have been who she was talking about. So these were the bad guys. I had to be smart about this... Isaiah put his hand on his forehead, sighing.

"It's a shame Adair died, too, Larunda. But getting her back on our side isn't a problem, Klaus. Nothing a good upgrading won't fix..." Upgrading? I didn't know what that was... And I didn't think I wanted to find out. King Saivan took off his coat, setting it on the ground.

"It was nice talking to another person of 'royalty', but I am afraid I cannot let you live, Klaus."

"His Holiness! You're not going to fight him are you?" Isaiah said in shock. I continued to smile.

"Why not? He is just a Nocuous." Hmm. That, my friend, was where countless people got it wrong. But I didn't mind. "Once I kill him, we will take the Summoners and kill all of the other dross. We will set this city ablaze in flames." Flames? Okay, now he was taking this way too far! Not my country! Not my friends! Not my family! I wouldn't let him do that... "Just think about once we have the Summoners and obtain from them what we need... We can kill them too. And the world will be ours." The world...? But world domination... The world was supposed to be _mine! _Now he was asking for it.

My nostrils flared. He wasn't going to hurt anyone in my kingdom! Anyone in this hall! Who was he to take lives whenever he wanted to? Saivan was still talking, but I wasn't going to wait for him. While he was looking at his coat... I lunged towards him, my hand ready to inflict damage. Except... Isaiah jumped in front of Saivan... And my slap wasn't originally meant for him. But I supposed it was still good. At any rate, Saivan was taken aback and moved out of the way. Isaiah on the other hand... When my hand impacted his cheek, he flew through the wall and through many others behind it. I think he flew out of the hall all together, which was really a feat.

The impacts made a lot of noise, but I wasn't worried about waking up anyone. All the rooms were upstairs. And soundproof. This was a hall, after all. Where the musica was taught. The woman stretched out her fingers, glaring at me. "Oh, so the kid knows how to fight. King Saivan—" Saivan put his hand in the air, silencing the woman. "So you really are going to fight him..."

"As I said," Saivan mutters, glancing at her. "He's just a Nocuous and prince to a broken land. He will be powerless to stop me." Broken land? Now it was war! I was fast... That's what he failed to realize. And at the speed of a finger snap I appeared behind the so-called "king", a dagger held up against his neck. Now I was dressed in my gi, which consisted of an all black uniform. It was similar to the ones my guard wore. My hair was tied in a high ponytail by a white ribbon. No longer would my eyes be closed. Now they were open and I saw everything around me.

"As _I _said," I hissed. "You're not going to hurt my friends!"

I jumped back away from Saivan, hiding my dagger. Isaiah had managed to survive my slap, he and the woman standing next to Saivan. I looked to my sides. "Himani! Raylen!" Like the true friends that they were... They showed up by my side, feeling no fear. I smiled at both of them.

"Yes Young Lord!" they both said, nodding their heads. We didn't need words to communicate. In a flash I ran up towards Saivan, trying to land a hit on him but he blocked it with his elbow. I wasn't a fool! I followed that up with a high kick and he blocked even that! How could he keep up with movements? We both tried to hit each other but ended up pounding fists. We jumped away, the adrenaline telling me to run back towards him but our guards started fighting. Himani was no girl! I had taught her better than that! I had taught both Raylen and Himani that if there ever came a time they'd have to face a woman and a man, they'd switch it up.

And switch it up they did.

Himani, with two daggers in hand, spun her arms around, forcing Isaiah backwards. In all actuality, Raylen had been doing the same thing to Larunda. Larunda had excellent skills, launching off her feet and doing a back flip into the air—escaping all of Raylen's slashes. Once the two had backed Saivan's guard into the wall... Saivan had managed to vanish in front of me and he kicked Himani in the head, sending her tumbling backwards.

"Himani!" I shouted. Saivan was standing right next to Raylen. Raylen didn't like that dirty trick either! He kicked at Saivan but he grabbed his leg. I was still trying to figure out why Saivan was as fast as he was... He shouldn't have been able to predict our movements... Let alone his guard! Raylen did a flip in mid-air, launching off Saivan's wrists. The king was so busy paying attention to Raylen that he never noticed me coming up behind him. With a scowl I tried to kick him in the back of the head but he rolled out of the way. That was it! I wasn't going to let him live after hurting Himani! I know Teacher told me not to use the musica in a bad way... But Saivan was a bad person! So it couldn't hurt!

I brought my arms back, taking a strong stance. Light surrounded me and I directed the light towards the ground, making vines shoot from underneath Saivan's feet. That was the extent of the musica. Musica is nature. Nature is destructive. Saivan somehow managed to run up the wall, not even exhausted. He tried to attack me again, but I seen him coming! Did he think he was faster than I was? Not a chance in hell! I kicked him in the stomach as he was coming down, hoping he would fall into the pit of vines I had just created. I had connected to him, but I didn't want him to fall into the pit. At least not yet! I grabbed his feet, swinging him as hard as I could into the southern wall.

But damn! I had forgotten about Isaiah.

With his blade he slashed me across my chest, making me fall down on my knees. It was a stinging pain... Nothing I couldn't handle, but it still hurt! Himani was right behind me, needles in hand. She threw a couple at Isaiah's feet but he jumped out of the way every time. She was standing right in front of me now, truly focused on taking him out. With her daggers she tried stabbing him in the arms and legs, but he blocked them with his sword. That's when I got back up, paying no attention to my wound. Himani obviously kicked Isaiah towards me. That was my cue. I punched Isaiah in the face, and then I kicked him in the stomach and he was launched backwards.

Raylen was doing some pretty impressive backwards hand-springs, trying to escape Larunda's finger things. Still she came at him sharply, not letting his hand-springs deter her. Raylen was in the company of Himani, so I didn't mind. Saivan however... It was just amazing how he was recovering from all of my attacks. He was standing right in front of me. Again! I hadn't even seen he move! He punched at me again but I grabbed his fist, kicking him with my right leg and then with my left. He had manage to confused me... I don't know how, but maybe it was because he was moving too fast! Either way I kicked him in the face and chased him. When I looked at Himani she was all by herself now, momentarily standing on the wall. She threw a couple of needles at Larunda and that slowed the woman down a bit. She had managed to get Isaiah on the ground... So when she stepped off the wall she _stomped on his back._

Excellent!

After she did that she twirled on her heels and kicked the winded Larunda in the chin, giving her a good taste of her shoe. After that she stood on Larunda's knee... And then stood on her shoulder, holding her hand. Himani twisted her arm around and stomped on her back, turning towards Isaiah (who was getting up for more). She threw two daggers at him, pinning him to the wall. Go Himani! I didn't have much time to think, did I? I was fighting Saivan, of all people. He was good at fist fighting. Almost too good at it. I prepared myself, crouching down to evade his high-kick. I jumped in the air a little because it was higher than I had predicted it to be.

He did manage to send me sliding back, still. Himani had been waiting for him, but before she got a chance to do anything Saivan immediately turned around, his lavender-tipped ponytail swaying as he kicked Himani back. Larunda decided to roll off the ground... At first I thought she was going to hurt Himani, which is why I ran towards her... But they tricked me! Saivan crouched down and Larunda rolled over his back and tripped _me_. Raylen just came back into the fray. I was counting on him! He was amazing! He ran towards Saivan and kicked him in the face. But he wasn't done. Raylen kicked him in the face three more times before launching off it, twirling in the air backwards with his short swords in hand.

That had to hurt.

But when Raylen came back down to the ground Larunda was behind me and she hit him in the back of his neck with her fist... Possibly hitting a pressure point or two. Raylen tumbled forward and I walked up behind her, grabbing her by her neck. Larunda slipped out of my grip thinking she was going to do some damage, but I kicked her in the chin. Then the head. Then the head again. And then I kicked her in the back of her legs. I wasn't done yet! I kicked her in front of her thighs and in the back of them again, watching her writhe in pain. I was going to kick her until I had no more strength left in my body! When you hurt my guard... You hurt me! I kicked her in the neck and then the head, watching her stumble backwards like she was dizzy.

I launched her in the air with another kick to the neck and then jumped up, giving her one last kick to the chest. I looked behind me, my eyes glued to Raylen fighting Saivan now. My friend had his swords ready while Saivan still persisted on fighting with his fists. I'll admit, Saivan did punch Raylen in the face, making him stumble. Saivan followed it up with a kick to his back but it never connected. Himani rolled in the way of both of them, making Saivan grit his teeth in frustration. We were different! We fought like a family! Saivan tried to kick Himani while only looking behind his shoulder... Which was a really dumb move because she was standing behind him...

She did a backwards flip in the air, stood on his back, launched herself up again and gave him a boot to the face, sending him up in the air. Isaiah had been standing from afar and shot a bullet from his blade. ...A bullet from his blade? How cool! Now I wanted his sword! I pouted for a moment and snapped back to reality. Himani managed to avoid the bullet with ease. But she fell on her back. Saivan jumped on top of her... Looking like he was about to claw her eyeballs out but she jabbed a dagger in his shoulder and pushed him off. Isaiah came towards her while she was still on the ground but she did a handspring, moving out of the way and he hit the ground with his sword.

Himani stood on one knee, ready to take on Isaiah again. And get this! Raylen grabbed Himani's shoulder and swung himself towards Isaiah... Kicking him in the head and then kicking him in the air. I ran by their side and all three of us watched Saivan collide into Larunda and Isaiah. "Saivan, you're the king up there?" I hissed, straightening out myself. "You were never a king, because a king has to be for his people! Without his people, the king is nothing. When the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box." And I meant it. How could he turn his back on his own people? How could he kill the Enlightened here?

Saivan retrieved his scepter and it morphed into a sword... Something of a sabre. I knew it wasn't just a scepter. It looked a little off. He held it with his right hand and I scoffed. "Himani, Raylen. I want you two to take Isaiah and Larunda out of here. I don't want them getting in my way. I don't want them hurting innocent people. Transport them out of Austere. Whether it be the badlands or the entrance to Austere... Just do it." Raylen nodded his head, but Himani was concerned for me. It wasn't like her to disobey an order. "Now!" They both nodded their heads.

They'd have to trust me. I wanted a little time alone with Saivan. Himani and Raylen both ran up to Larunda and Isaiah, grabbed them, and then the four of them disappeared. Saivan seemed calm and collected still, holding his sabre like I was supposed to be intimidated by that. "You think you have what it takes to be a king, Klaus?" he said, like he was almighty. Superior.

"Of course I do. How else am I going to run this place?"

"I fail to see why you would want to claim the throne..." he said, staring blankly at me. "Austere is nothing but rocks and boulders. Do not tell me there is something here that is actually of worth to you." Was he kidding? Of course there were things that I held dear! Like the people that lived in Austere... My family, even though they were always trying to get me assassinated. Father... Teacher! Camilla, Tammy and Akuma! All the people that came here, including the Enlightened! But most importantly... I wanted Sayuri to find what she was looking for. She couldn't do that if he was standing in her way!

I'd save her the trouble. I'd kill Saivan myself! "You do realize that I have been killing individuals from Austere before the day you were born, Klaus, right? You cannot save this city now. Everyone that lives here... They are, as you said, pawns. But I will not be sleeping with them. For when a king dies, they get their own palace to forever dream in." I seethed, throwing out my arms.

"You're wrong. All is one who is all. You'll end up in the same predicament. That which always was, and is, and will be everlasting fire. The same for all, the cosmos made neither by God nor man, replenishes in measure as it burns away. Fragment twenty. You know nothing about the world... Or nature. Austere thrives off something Aysel will never have. There's actually love down here... And we all work together, as you've seen during our little fight." I paused. "As for killing people... I believe that you'll get yours, don't worry."

He snickered. "I'll 'get mine.' Whatever that is... Surely it is not going to be you that gives this wondrous gift to me, correct?" He didn't even know the half of it. Now I stood on top of his head, holding my sword down with both of my hands. I was pointing it down... And still he wasn't afraid? I could have killed him right there! And I should have... For taunting me!

"You underestimate me!" I exclaimed, hopping off his head and jumping in front of him. Quickly he unsheathed his sword, parrying my attack. Our swords clashed and we both struggled for dominance. I took my sword back and tried to swing it at him again... But he was just so quick... I could tell he was struggling against me however... But what an odd sword to fight with! Especially against my flame blade. "You realize I'm not going to let you beat me, right?"

The swings continued. We were fairly matched. Again... It just blowed my mind that he was able to keep up with me! "You are an impressive fighter. Tell me, where you were taught to fight like this?"

I grunted, swinging my sword again. He blocked it expertly, holding his sabre in front of him with one hand. "Raylen taught me. And he taught Himani how to fight as well. And as for why..." I took my sword back, hitting him again. I was hoping to push him back but even that didn't work. I smiled. "...It's hard not knowing how to fight when everyday you're being hunted down by people paid by your own siblings." I managed to make him lose his grip on his sword and he stepped back, his golden eyes widening.

I wasn't going to waste this opportunity! I slashed him right across the chest, watching him stumble back. It looked like he only stumbled because he had gotten hit, though. Not because he was in pain or anything... His blood dripped on the ground so I knew he was at least hurt! I walked over by him and grabbed him ponytail, pulling him off the ground. "You're not a king, so I'm definitely not going to fight you like one!" I yelled, running his face against the wall. His guard wasn't here to save him now! I stopped running and let go of his hair, watching him slide on the floor. I dropped my sword on the ground, trying to catch my breath.

That should have slowed him down. But I couldn't assume things.

I picked up my sword again and drove it through his back, blood squirting on my face. Yuck. I stepped back, hoping my guard was okay. ...Maybe if I brought Sayuri Saivan's body she'd show me magic and be my queen now? I sat down with my legs folded, trying to contemplate what to do next. That was a bad move on my part, because Larunda appeared right in front of me with Raylen. Except she had Raylen tied up. "Raylen!" I shouted, about to get up but Isaiah showed up as well, with Himani apprehended.

"Why you bastard...!" I yelled, standing up, but somehow Saivan pushed me back on the ground. With my sword still in his back. But I! I! I could have sworn I had just killed him! "B—but you! W—why are you...?" My eyes dilated and I stared at those three. My friends! They had my friends I had to do something!

"If you move I'll just kill them now, Prince Klaus."

I flinched at King Saivan's voice. Was he mocking me? Was he...? No! I had to make sure my friends were alright. "Don't... Don't hurt my guard..." I got on my knees and shakily bowed my head. I only got one glimpse at Himani, but I could tell she was disappointed in me.

"His Most Excellent Majesty, what are you—"

"Please!" I pleaded, trying to talk over Himani's voice. She didn't say anything after that. "You can do anything you want with me. I know when I'm beaten. Just please don't hurt my guard."

"And why shouldn't we?" Larunda asked, narrowing her eyes at me. "With the problems they gave us just a while ago, I should take the honor of ending their lives now. Which I will. When King Saivan gives me the order." I didn't understand! How did my guard lose to them? We were winning just a second ago! I—I... Saivan pulled the sword out of his back, shrugging his shoulders and dusting himself off. He raised the sword in the air, looking at the blade.

"Such an impressive sword. You fight with such determination and perseverance too." He started to circle me. I wasn't taking my chances. "I will spare your friends if you give me your breath."

I didn't understand. "What the hell is that?" I snarled. "You'd negotiate a life? My friends lives...!"

"He didn't ask you what you thought," Isaiah said, frowning. "Your breath. He wants you to open your mouth." I glared at him, seething. I still didn't know what that was.

"No, I'm not going to—"

Larunda came out of nowhere and pinned me up against the wall. She held me up by my shirt... Her free hand in front of my mouth. "I think you've failed to realize that this is not a negotiation. We're going to take what we want." What kind of people were they, taking things like that? My jaw dropped from the sheer audacity of it all. She started moving her fingers in a weird way and something came out of my mouth... It was misty and blue and... My eyes widened at the sight of it. Like she was stealing my soul. Once it was out she dropped me on the ground and the blue thing vanished. "I've got it, His Holiness."

"Good," Saivan said. Then he looked at me. "I will make a soldier out of you yet."

"I'm not a soldier... I'm a king!" I spat. "And when I do become king, I'll help Austere stand on its own... And I'll be a better king than you are! And if you hurt my guard I'll..." I was surprised they were both saying so silent about this!

"You are so loyal to the people who are supposed to die protecting you," Saivan said, folding his arms. "You want to know why they are not saying anything? It is because they have already chosen to die this way. Nothing will change their minds. As your guard, it is their responsibility to help protect you. Nothing more. Nothing more of this 'friendship' you are so passionate about." I swear I was going to kill him if I ever got my strength back! Whatever Larunda did to me... It really made my body feel weak... My sword wasn't as deep as I thought it was...

"Shut up," I spat. "You've got what you wanted. Leave."

"... Oh? Leave. I do not think I want to leave, Prince Klaus." My heart skipped a beat. I tried desperately to get off the ground but only ended up crawling. "I think I want your so-called friends to die now, so you at least know what it is like to lose a person." Both of my eyes twitched. It was like he told me I was going to lose my soul all together. Raylen and Himani were my only friends. They were the only people that I cared about! He couldn't take them away! He just couldn't! "In order to be a king, you have to know when it is okay to throw away garbage."

"How can you say that?" I mutter, trying to look at him. "How can you say that? So you're saying that you throw away your teammates? Your friends? The people that work for you? You just use them for your own gain and kill them?" It irritated me greatly when he didn't give me a response. He just smirked at me. I looked at my hand and forgot I was bleeding. Isaiah did cut me... Didn't he? Maybe that's why I was losing consciousness...

"People are influenced by fear," he answered. "I do not make them do anything. They merely do what they think will help them live. Like Isaiah and Larunda." What? He didn't make any sense. I looked at them and they looked like they hadn't heard him. But something told me they heard every word he said... That was not how a king acted! Not at all... Not! "You hold fear in your hand and you control an entire nation." Isaiah drew his sword, pointing it at Raylen. My breath was taken away from me. If he killed Raylen I'd make sure he died! I sat up, hyperventilating. "Obviously, you have not been doing this. That, my prince, is the reason your empire has been crumbling. That is the reason people are dying in Austere." He smirked. "And that is the reason why your friends are going to be killed right in front of you—"

"Shut up!"

"—To make you stronger."

"Shut _up!"_

"Isaiah, strike him down with Klaus' blade." My sword? I wouldn't let him... Not Raylen... Not my sword... I stood up, almost falling back down. I walked the best I could towards Saivan because he was holding it... He stared at me, watching my every move. I saw the blood on his clothes... But why wasn't he hurt?

"Don't... Take... My... Sword..." I murmured, reaching out towards Saivan. My hand was shaking, but... But I managed to touch the hilt of it.

"Oh, you want your sword?" he said, lifting a brow and taunting me with it. My eyes were half-lidded... But I could feel them filling up with tears.

"Give me back my... Sword," I whispered, my fingertips barely touching the hilt now. Saivan lifted it up in the air, staring at me. Then he tossed it to Isaiah. The orange-haired man caught it and I... I just started crying. The tears burned my eyes and my cheeks, and they refused to stop falling. I fell down on my knees again, trying to stop from crying in front of these monsters. Especially him. King Saivan. That so called king! I was going to... "P—please don't kill him. Please don't kill Raylen..."

"You are crying?" Saivan asks, retrieving his sabre. With it he puts the blade underneath my chin, tilting my head up. "You will never make an exceptional king crying like a child. If you want to rule a kingdom... Even if it is as damned as this one... You have to learn how to hold in your tears. Instead, watch your comrade be slain by mine." He pointed his sword towards Raylen, but Raylen didn't look like he was afraid to die. But he looked sad... Looking at me. "This will make you stronger. Trust, boy."

"Young Lord, please don't cry," Raylen said. I flinched at the sound of his voice. And I exploded. I started choking on my sobs, barely able to hold myself up.

"Why...? Why? Raylen! We... We... You... And I! And Himani! We were supposed to rule Austere _together!"_ I shouted, trying to fight my way through my tears. "There's not kingdom without my friends! There's no... Being king without you! Don't die..." My voice got quieter. "Please don't die Raylen—!"

"His Most Excellent Majesty!" I turned towards Himani, who was smiling at me. "Don't cry for us. This is a part of our job. And maybe... And maybe they'll spare you after this. But it's our choice. Raylen and I will be just fine—"

"No you won't! You won't be okay!" I turned towards Saivan. "Make them stop!" I crawled towards him and started to pull on his cape, tears clouding my vision. "Make them stop!"

"Isaiah, please."

My eyes dilated as Isaiah cut Raylen in half. From the top of his head. In one quick vertical swing. My jaw dropped and I fell back on my hands. My body just started shaking as Raylen fell to the ground with a loud _plop!_ This wasn't real was it? No... Just earlier today Raylen was smiling at me! Waving at me! Watching my back and looking out for me! This wasn't real... I brought my shaking fingers to on my face, my tears stopping for a moment. But then before I knew it I started coughing wildly again, banging my hands on the floor.

My own sword! He killed my best friend with my own sword!

I couldn't form words. How would I tell his family...?

"Yes Prince Klaus... You get it now. If one's mental capabilities are broadened, one can grow to be a fine leader. One more and you will see what it is like to be me." I bet he never... Had one of his friends killed in front of him! My tears started coming again and I couldn't see. Larunda smirked at me before walking towards Himani.

"I've got this one."

I was so winded that I couldn't think of anything to say. My vision was so blurred that I could only see figures... "Klaus?" Himani uttered. It was the first time she had said my name.

"W—what?" I sobbed, rubbing my eyes with both of my hands. But I refused to look at her.

"Don't get yourself hurt now, okay?"

I nodded my head. I could—_argh_—take care of myself...

Himani gasped and it sounded like someone had ripped into her flesh. When I looked up Larunda was holding Himani's heart in her hands, clutching it while it was still pretty much beating. My ribbon had failed on me, causing my hair to fall into my eyes. I stood up on my feet, almost falling on the ground. "We were supposed to do this together!" I yelled, blinking away tears. "I—I..." Saivan put his bloodied hand on my shoulder, gazing at me with his evil eyes.

"Klaus, if you want me to end your life, you should just ask..."

I honestly... Considered him for a moment. I—I...

"If you want to be with your guard, ask. I can give you the Apathīa right now... And it will be a quick and painless death."

"I—I..." I was going to say yes... I was going to agree. A life without my guard was a life without the sun. I couldn't stop crying. I was never going to get those images out of my head. But then I realized that I had made more friends. That I had a kingdom to run. My guard wouldn't have wanted me to die on them. And neither would Sayuri... But I just didn't have it in me to decline. I crashed on my knees, crying. Larunda threw Himani's heart across the room, frowning at me. She pointed at me with one of her clawed fingers.

"You should realize by now this isn't a negotiation." I closed my eyes. If she was going to make me sick, I was ready for it. Except... A huge wind started blowing our way, overtaking Larunda and sending her flying into the wall. I looked up, amazed by the sudden rush of air. Someone had actually woken up? Someone was actually here to save me? It was one of the Summoners. She held her scythe across her shoulders looking very mad and irritated.

"Look, I don't know who you people are," she started, readying her scythe. "But I do remember Saivan when I see him. And you look a little bit like Lucrecia if I tilt my head a little bit. You related to her?" The way she spoke... She was so sure of herself. She wasn't intimidated by the dead bodies around her. Actually, she quirked her nose as if she was appalled by the smell. Her dark brown hair hung past her shoulders, increasing the determination in her eyes. Larunda actually regained her composure, standing up straight. "You people really made a mess here. While it is true that the rooms are soundproof... I can smell a dead body miles and miles away."

"I'm not Lucrecia, for the last time!" Larunda hissed. "I'm Larunda! Big difference, Summone—"

Morta didn't let her finish her sentence. She swung her scythe again, the wind much more vicious. It actually felt like it was about to snow... The wind was unrelenting and started cutting Larunda's skin, blood dripping out of her fresh wounds like paper-cuts. She grunted again and swung her scythe a second time, hitting her dead on. Larunda slid back even though she was trying to hold her stance. Once Larunda was up against the wall Morta swung at her three more times, slicing Larunda up until she was almost_ unrecognizable. _

Large portions of her hair had been sliced away and she was leaking blood everywhere. "Midnight Wind!" The last swing was the most deadliest, miniature scythes flying in Larunda's direction, putting her through the wall. Morta swung her scythe next to her, a frown still plastered on her face. Larunda was laid out in the hole, barely even breathing. Her fingers and her neck were twisted, and her leg looked like it was broken. Morta twitched her nose. "...And even still you aren't dead... There's something different about you..."

"Saivan," Isaiah muttered, looking towards him. King Saivan sighed.

"Well, it would appear as if a Summoner has stopped us from making you a king fit to rule a kingdom," he said, stepping next to Isaiah. "We will finish this later." Morta tried to swing at the two of them but they disappeared before the wind could really do any damage. Larunda's body disappeared too. After a few seconds Morta sighed, her scythe disappearing. She walked over to me and glanced behind her shoulder, frowning.

"...You... You okay?" she asked, holding a hand out for me.

My eyes widened.

I stared at her.

And then I wailed. Really loud. And I wailed and I wailed. I slammed my hands into the ground and cried like a spoiled brat does when they don't get what they want. Except I was crying because I would never see my friends again. "Bring them back!" I cried. I covered my eyes with my right air, rubbing them. "...Bring them back please—_graaaauh!" _She helped me up and I almost fell over again. She grabbed my hand, dragging me away from the puddle of tears I was sitting in.

"They're... Gone now, Klaus. But you have to tell us everything once everyone is awake, say?"

I knew that was her way of trying to make me feel better, but I... I started sobbing again. It was the only way I could rid myself of this pain. I started crying against her shoulder as she walked me upstairs. I didn't want to tell anyone about this, but...

A king didn't cry.

I wasn't a king. And I was damn proud of it, because I wasn't going to stop crying for them.

* * *

**A/N:** Baw. TT_TT

... Ho jeez. These chapters just keep getting worse and worse! D: I'm almost done with this arc, but it's totally breaking my heart to mess with all of my characters like this. XD;; How can I say that with that with a smiley? Because I'm Chiharu. I smile at everything. Some guy blew his hands off with fireworks today. I laughed. Hard. Hey. It's just who am I, don't go holding it against me. XD

So we can all assume Klaus isn't going to be the same now, right? XD;;

Yes.

Just like Kohana said in the flashback.

This is all the more reason for someone to kick Saivan's ass! Let's hope Kohana stays true to her vendetta, right? Seriously, Kohana better kick Saivan's ASS! XD;; But! But! Did you guys see that smooth fist fighting? XD;;; I seriously hate fist fighting... And three-on-three... But that was smooth. XD *nods*

Next chapter is _worse,_ dun worry. *nods* XD;;;


	47. Even The Heavens Cried

**A/N:** Thiiis chapter. Aww man guys. So apparently I had to change some stuff around. To accommodate some death in a few more chapters. I guess that was my fault entirely, since I had already figured out how to kill everyone else and not said person I had made plans to kill yet. But I mean! I've had almost two freaking years to figure that out. XD;; I don't know what's wrong with me, but I screwed up!

This chapter is no longer that sad chapter it was supposed to originally be. And I apologize for it tenfold. XD;;

Thanks to Lucrecia TALKING for a good 5000 words, I found this rather boring to write. XD;;

And for everyone that does know what Suzuki's world means. Royaume Rêveur means _United Dreamer. _In French. XD;;

And I realize that all of these chapters have been 10k at least. ._. I can't write short deaths. XD;;

* * *

Full of energy? Check.

Katana placed where it needs to be? Check.

Hair up and out of the way? Triple check.

Kohana plays with the flowers in her hair, making sure they're secured. She doesn't want them falling out of her hair, after all. Flowers are precious to her, and she doesn't know when or if she'll be back. Ultimately, that means that she may never see the flowers here again—the beautiful, beautiful flowers of Royaume Rêveur... Of Suzuki's world. She stretches, closing her eyes and letting a faint smile crawl on her face. She takes one step back, trying to look at herself in the mirror placed on the wall. "I think I'm ready..." She exhales, playing with the large, curly tendrils falling around her face. The rest of her hair is in a messy up-do... Convenient, considering the fact that her hair drapes down to her calfs.

However, she's too lazy to cut it. Cutting her hair would mean throwing away memories that she desperately wants to keep. _The hair must stay, _she declares to herself, pointing an index-finger in the air. She scratches her forehead, pouting as Suzuki stares at her, slightly amused by her offsetting behavior. "You certainly do not look like you are ready to go, Kohana," he says, tapping his pen on the desk. "You look nervous, if anything..." She opens her mouth to say something, but quickly closes it. Ah, he's right. She has every reason to be nervous. But does he know what she's so nervous about? Because she hasn't the slightest idea...

She takes a few seconds to try and search for the reason, but quickly gives up and rushes towards his side, latching onto his leg. With her eyes closed, she frowns. "Bah! I don't want to go... You can't make me!" He chuckles to himself, narrowing his eyes as he kicks her away from him. "Earth is so far away and I'd much rather stay here with you. Jerks, all of them. And there's nothing to do on Earth either. It's all so... Boring. With flowers I've seen thousands and thousands of times already." She gets up off the ground, sighing. "But I guess if Sayuri's down there..." Sayuri. The only reason Kohana hasn't killed a good twenty-five percent of Japan yet. They'd better thank that girl for prolonging their lives. She grits her teeth, exhaling.

"Well, yes, Love, where do you think you are going to go?" he says, standing up. "And besides, aren't you the one who said you didn't want Sayuri to grow up here?" A tinge of pain surges through Kohana's body. He is right... But it was obviously for the best! "Sure Kohana, change your plans right in the middle of several audiences I'm supposed to have today. How troublesome you are." She takes a step back, surprised that he would say something like that. She narrows her eyes, leaning on one knee.

"...And how short you are, Suzuki," she hisses. He glances at her, tapping his pen on the table.

"I'm not the one crying about going to a world I grew up on, am I?"

"I'm not crying, do you see tears?"

"No. I'm imagining them. And I'm imagining them staining my floor," he replies, pointing to the tiles.

She snorts, folding her arms. "Please, your tiles aren't worthy of my tears." She quirks her nose, lifting her head high into the air.

And he stares at her.

And stares.

And stares.

And then his trademark smirk plays on his lips and she can't take it anymore so she looks back at him, exasperated. "Fine! Fine! You win! You adorable little sneak."

"And that's why you married me, of course," he says, smiling at her. She scowls.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly why," she mutters, sarcasm dripping off her words. She stands up straight, looking out the window. This may be the last time she ever gets to look out of a window in Royaume Rêveur. But she likes it here. There's no other world like Suzuki's world. But he's a king, so he stays busy all the time... So even if she stays he won't be able to see her all the time. And taking care of a two-year-old Sayuri in a castle such as this one isn't something on her to-do list.

Thank God for babysitters. Else Sayuri would be dead by now.

Kohana scratches her forehead, staring at Suzuki again. "You know, I should make you go down there and take care of her." She pouts, playing with her hair. "It's tough work. And you forget that I'm not good with children. And people in general. And... Parenting." She shrugs her shoulders, collapsing into the couch behind her. He quirks a brow, his purple, hyacinth-colored eyes gazing towards her. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? It's true. Watch. Sayuri's going to get older. And she's going to realize what a horrible mother figure she has. … She's not even going to know me. Because I won't let her."

"—But Kohana, you're good with our child, yes? And don't worry about being good with other people. I've seen you hold yourself back plenty of times." He smiles. "And don't worry about the Wickedness issue at all. Yes, it's an issue... But a small one. We'll work our way around it."

"A small one, huh?" she murmurs. "Heh, how small can it be? This'll probably be my last time talking to you and it's a small one?" She stands up, looking the other way. Yes, this troubles her. He is perhaps the only one in the whole entire universe that's worthy of her attention and general kindness. The only person in the universe that is above her. And she might not be able to see him again? This is just part of her punishment, she figures. An eternity enshrouded in darkness... Without the one that she loves. She turns back around, smirking.

If that's her punishment, she's going to make the best out of it.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I swear I'll find some way out of this and be back before dinner!" she declares, pointing at the ceiling. He laughs at her antics. "Yep. I'm the freggin' Wickedness now. Might as well destroy a bunch of stuff. But I promise you Suzuki. Before I leave Earth, I'll make it my mission to blow Japan sky high! Do you know how many people tailgate me when I'm out driving? Or the lines I have to wait in? Customer service? … It's so bad down there. Just let me blow it up once..."

"Kohana, be nice to people..."

She grins. "Only if they give me a _reason_ to be nice. Last night I found out after that I'm going to the Dark Ages. Oh what fun." She pauses, grabbing the back of Suzuki's chair. "Hey! Hey! Are you going to be there when I get there? In the Dark Ages, I mean... It'll be no fun going there and not knowing anyone... Stupid dreams are always leaving out important details... But I guess I'll find out why I'm there in sixteen more years, maybe."

"Maybe..." Suzuki answers. "I might be there."

"Aww. You're lying, aren't you?"

"You know me so well."

Her grin morphs into a smirk and she walks towards the threshold of the room. "Ah, I knew I was asking too much. So, um, yeah. Bye, Suzuki. I'll promise that I'll at least... Try to see you before I die, okay?" She makes sure that her voice is tinged with sarcasm... But for some reason she sounds more sad than sarcastic. Before she hears his voice again she walks out of the room, leaving behind her former life.

She's "the hero" no longer.

She stares at her hand, watching it illuminate a green light.

She's the Wickedness now, and has to get off his planet. For she fears what may happen if she stays.

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty-Seven: Even The Heavens Cried :-**

_The age of man is over  
The darkness comes and all  
These lessons that we've learned here  
Have only just begun_

_We were the kings and queens of promise  
We were the victims of ourselves  
Maybe the children of a lesser god  
Between heaven and hell._

— "Kings and Queens" — 30 Seconds To Mars

This... This was all my fault, wasn't it?

I didn't know how to take everything around me. My sensors weren't built for these emotions. It looked as if everyone had a different opinion about what happened last night. They were in the other room, trying to talk to Klaus but he had been babbling and crying ever since they brought him in there. I verified that he had been crying nonstop for almost four hours now. I looked back in front of me... Where Lucrecia was. She was sitting on top of a table, one leg over the other... And she was staring at me. I blinked once before tilting my head. She looked a mess. Her wavy, brown hair was all over the place and she had been gripping her knees. Her expression was blank... But I could sense a certain bitterness about her.

"So talk," she said flatly. I squirmed in my chair a little, continuing to look at her. What was I supposed to say, exactly? I felt too horrible to talk... I wanted to find out what was wrong with Klaus... I looked behind my shoulder and Lucrecia turned me back around. "I'm too tired for this shit, Cecelia. I'm not in the mood to play with you today. I got no sleep last night. And not because some bastards beat that stupid-ass Nocuous' guard up. If you don't talk, you know I'll just take out your memory card." I shook my head slowly. Yes, I understood that. But Lucrecia was smarter than she came off to be... I was sure she knew more about the situation than I did...

"Lucrecia... How have you been?" I asked, honestly. It had been so long since I had a conversation with her. A few years, to be precise. She tilted her head a little to the left, running her fingers through her hair. Did she want to talk to me too? We were friends before all of this stuff happened... And before we got split up. She left me all alone... All alone in the Science Department... For _these _people. For the people that work for Aysel. I lowered my head. But I guess she liked it here. She pushed her glasses up with her index-finger.

"That's not a serious question, is it?"

"...Well I..."

"It better not be a fucking serious question. You see, I asked you to talk. Not talk about me."

"But you're my friend." I meant it. Lucrecia was my friend from a long time ago and we were still friends now. But she scowled when I said that, stretching her fingers out.

"No, Cecelia. I'm your _friend?_ Do you get how fucking stupid you sound right now? You can't keep friends, don't you realize that? I thought you'd see that by now. All friends are... They're people that hold you the fuck down and refuse to let go of you when you tell them to." She paused, folding her arms. "Friends are nice. That they are. Friends are also bitches. Bitches that die when you don't tell them to." She pointed towards the room the others were in and I flinched. After that she stood up and jumped off the table, looking at her lab-coat. "They die. And you cry for them. Like that fucking idiot brat is doing right now. This is why you don't attach yourself to people."

"You don't feel sorry for him?" I ask, blinking. "I do... And I don't even know what happened."

"That's the fucking point. I don't think anyone knows what happened. But as soon as they see some tears they all want to jump on his back and ask. You ask me... That boy needs time alone. Now I've got people asking me where I was. You know damn well where I was. In my room. Trying to sleep. With you in it." She pauses again, shrugging her shoulders. "It was just my Shadow. Big-fucking-deal. I don't think people should try to fight Shadows by themselves anyway. But just the fact that the brat lived to tell about it is pretty impressive."

"It is, isn't it..." I trailed, thinking of Adair again. Why did he have to die...? Especially at the hands of that Nocuous! If only Isaiah would have killed him when we all agreed to it! My face turned red and I started to growl. I stood up, but the sound of my pins jangling calmed me down... So I sat back down again. "Klaus must be a very skilled fighter."

"Unfortunately he wasn't skilled enough," Lucrecia cackled, putting her hands on her waist. "Hahaha! Dumb bitch. Thinking he could thwart _my _Shadow, of all things. He deserves everything that happens to him." How could she have been so cruel...? Even I had feelings... "This has Saivan written all over it, though. I'm surprised he hasn't came and got you yet..." I gasped. Yes, that was something I had been thinking about. Why didn't His Holiness come and get me if he knew I was here...?

"You think he'll come back?"

"Tch. Not on my fucking life he's not. We're leaving as soon as we get this whole predicament over with. I'm surprised we even stayed this long in Austere. Fucking idiots... We're going out today. And you're coming with us." I closed my eyes. That sounded like more of a command than a question... "You're way more trouble than you're worth, but I think if I can program you the right way... You'll be a walking offsetting beacon to mess with the magical grid around the badlands. If anything, I can probably get the climate to change every couple of seconds or some shit like that. I can handle it, but I don't know if all of these other pansy-ass bitches can. Especially the Summoners."

But the Summoners knew what they were doing. And they were strong willed and refused to give up. Where was Lucrecia getting her knowledge from? ... For the most part I... I hated the Summoners. But I respected them too. They kept fighting... It had been a few years since I had seen Summoner Sayuri... And looking at her now... It was just amazing to see how much she had grown. I could tell that she had changed. I didn't know if that change had been for the better or not, but she still wanted to protect her friends. All of them. Including me. I looked down at the ground, knitting my fingers together. Lucrecia would never understand the Summoners and their resolve. That is why I wanted to work with them. I wanted to have that resolve too. I wanted to be just like them. Not like Lucrecia.

The years had changed her too, and this I knew wasn't for the better. She was reckless in her decisions and only did things when they played out in her favor. I failed to see why she even continued to work for Queen Aysel. Obviously she hated Queen Aysel and everything she stood for. But who was I to talk? While Lucrecia was busy working for Queen Aysel, I was working for King Saivan, who wasn't any better than her. Maybe we both had gotten swept into this mess... But I really wanted to change my ways. Sincerely... Honestly... I didn't want to work for King Saivan anymore. There was hope with the Summoners, and right now I needed to do everything in my power to save them. I swallowed, looking back up at Lucrecia. She was intimidating now... It puzzled me... Why did she need glasses when she couldn't see out of one of her eyes?

"I think the Summoners can handle anything, Lucrecia." She snorted at me, cracking her knuckles and pushing more hair out of her eye. "They can adapt to any situation, surprisingly. My scanners have long since picked up on that fact. Once they transform, their bodies are changed to endure the worst of situations. This means that they can possibly survive the climate changes without your modifying my internal system. However, that would make it lighter on the rest of us if you did so." I was hoping she would have a change of heart, but she snorted again and folded her arms. That mechanical arm of hers still scared me. She would never tell me how she got it even if I asked. It was scary; knowing her as well as I did and we hadn't talked in years. I didn't deserve her as my friend...

"Yeah, so? Truth be told, I've already trained in this fucking kind of weather." That was right... When we were at the Science Department together, we all had to go through badlands simulations. "My body can handle anything. Come what fucking may. Snow storms, thunderstorms, fire storms..." She was counting the storms off on her fingers. "It's all the fucking same. I'll be the last man standing for sure, you can bet your ass on that." She stopped and stepped closer to me... Leering at me. I blinked, leaning back. "But if you think your Summoner friends can survive that, then be my guest. That's still not going to stop me from playing with your insides, Ce-ce-lia." Yes, I knew that... I nodded my head. "Besides, when this is all over, I'm going to kill them all any-fucking-way!" She laughed out loud, looking at the ceiling. "Summoner Sa-yu-ri thought I forgot what she did to me, didn't she?" When I didn't answer her, she stomped on my foot, which made me yelp. I wasn't expecting that at all.

"Didn't-fucking-she?"

"It appears so, Lucrecia..."

She picked up her foot and I sighed. She knew more about Summoner Sayuri than I did. All I did was fight her a couple of times, but Lucrecia had _real_ conversations with her... I was jealous. Lucrecia didn't deserve to have any friends at all! She wasn't that kind of person. I felt more emotions than her... So why was I the one being treated like a robot? Like I didn't have any feelings? It was puzzling, but I kept my mouth closed. She paced around the room, her lab-coat fluttering behind her. "You know, it's been a while since I've actually preformed work on something like yourself..." She paused, staring at me with her green eye. "So if I get something wrong, too fucking bad. This isn't about how you feel. This is about fucking slaying that bullshit-ass excuse for a king. You got that, Cecelia? I don't want any misconceptions. You're not a part of this team. You're a hostage."

Hostage? Why didn't that sound too good? But Klaus said I was his friend. That I was a person with real feelings. And now I was a hostage? I couldn't say anything back I assumed... Lucrecia had a lot of power over me and I couldn't object to whatever she wanted to happen. I wish she wouldn't hold the fact that I wasn't a human against me... Whether she knew it or not... It really mad me sad when she disregarded my feelings. I could feel pain and misery... And fear. I was feeling a lot of that now. I knew I shouldn't have came here... I was messing with friendships... And maybe nothing would have happened to Klaus' guard if I hadn't have came... "Cat got your tongue?" I flinched and looked up to meet Lucrecia's stagnant gaze.

"No..."

"Good!" Lucrecia said, tilting her head and still leering at me. "I'll let you know something right now. The way I interrogate... I do it much differently. Something entirely different from anything you could ever imagine. You're fucking lucky I'm too tired to thrash you around, Cecelia, because that's what I'd be doing right now. Fear makes people spill out everything." She stepped back, grinning madly at me. "_Everything._ Everything inside of them. But since we go way back, I'll make this easier on you." She stopped talking... And it was so abrupt that I blinked and tilted my head. She sat on the table again, crossing her legs and sighing. Her frown turned into an unsure look... It was the first time I had seen her looking something other than menacing.

"So how was it? Working for Saivan?"

It was a question that wasn't forced. It was a question that actually... Could have been asked in a normal conversation. "...I... Um..."

"Enough with your fucking babbling, Cecelia. I asked you a straight question. Shit, you were trying to talk to me just a second ago about my life, so I thought I'd hear about yours. Don't fucking think this changes anything, either. I just want to know, okay?" I nodded my head. She was being at least a little bit nicer... But I still missed the old Lucrecia that I used to laugh with... And hang out with. With Angeal by our sides. Those were the old days. We were on the same side and everything... And then things just started to fall apart... I wanted desperately to catch all of the pieces. I tilted my head. So what was it like in her head while all of that stuff was going on? What was she thinking when our friendship started to explode in front of the three of us?

Working with Saivan was like any other job. I simply just did the things that I was told... "It was like working with the Department, Lucrecia. Except we all had fun. Adair, Larunda, and Isaiah. All four of us. We were family." She snorted again, rolling her eye.

"Yeah, sure. A bunch of Shadows were your family. Cry me a fucking river, Cecelia. You don't have a family. And you can't make one with a bunch of Shadows." That hurt and I felt a tinge of pain. Why was she so mean? "But I guess since you're a fucking robot... Just, just keep going. You know... The only reason you, Angeal and I were even friends was because we wanted to work for Saivan one day. But I guess you were the only one who made it that far, huh? Lucky fucking bastard." She was right. I was lucky. Because I was working and living with people that honestly cared about me! I could never get them back now. Adair was dead and... I shook my head, my hair hitting me in the face.

"But they were my family, Lucrecia!" I exclaimed. "We used to do everything together. Adair and I used to go out and pick on Earth Eaters for fun. Larunda used to sing for me and we'd practice stretching and spinning together. And then Isaiah would tell me stories about what it was like to be a fleshy person... And we'd do different things everyday..." I looked into the empty space in front of me, closing my eyes. "... It was like old times."

"Old times don't amount to shit," she responded. "I can't believe you thought you were actually having the time of your life with Shadows. _Our _Shadows, at that." Now I sensed a hint of jealously in her voice. She folded her arms... I couldn't exactly read Lucrecia very well. She'd say one thing and it would be mixed up within her body language... Or it would be the other way around. She was obviously very heavily guarded, but... I remembered a time where all she wanted was for us three to be the best of friends. She was nicer than this, what could I say?

"Yes, I guess you're right..."

She stood back up, stretching and yawning. "Well, I guess I better go into this room and see what the fuck the others are doing. They all should know by now that they're never going to be able to get any-fucking-thing out of that Nocuous brat. The least they could do is give him some air—" Lucrecia tried to walk towards the room but I grabbed her coat sleeve. She looked at me... Her expression crossed between being angry and being confused.

"Wait," I said, breathing through my mouth. "There's something I want to tell you."

"You couldn't say that while I was sitting down and actually... I don't know... Paying fucking attention to you?" I closed my eyes, getting the sleep out of them. If I wasn't working with Saivan, I might as well have told her everything I knew about him. It wasn't fair for me to hold things back... I swore to myself that I'd never do that again. That if I was committed to a cause I'd put everything I had into it. So no more holding back. No more keeping secrets. I had to help the Summoners and I... Had to help my friends. And I considered Lucrecia to be a great friend of mine.

"I am truly sorry, but I wanted to talk about Saivan some more." She jerked her arm back, standing in front of me with a scowl on her face. "As you know, he is quite cunning, and has been thinking of this operation for quite some time."

"I heard. I heard that all from his little bitch friend Julian. And? What of it? Is Saivan going to jump out of nowhere and attempt to strangle me? If not, I think I should fucking go into that room and resume what I was doing." Oh, so she already knew what he was planning? My eyes widened. Lucrecia was indeed smarter than she let on... But even I didn't know what he was truly going for here. He kept us all in the dark about it. ... Isaiah said he had a hunch about it, but he couldn't assume things... Especially when Saivan himself had something to do with it. "Yes, he's all 'only the fittest can survive' and all of that bullshit, right? Hmph. Yeah. I got it already, Cecelia. But thanks for your help. Or not. That was something I already fucking knew, you know."

"Yes, and you knew that Julian was a part of Aysel's army, correct?"

"... Yes, I knew that. I knew that he was a part of that shitty-ass thing. And? When are you going to start making sense here? What is it that you fucking want to tell me? Spit it out if you're so scared of telling me." She paused, looking at her mechanical fingernails. Then she leered at me. "Or, of course... I'll find it out on my own. And when I do, I might come for you and beat the shit out of your for not telling me now. It's only a matter of time." I shifted in my seat, looking at the ground. She was right. She was controlling me by fear and I didn't know how to make her stop... I stood up, feeling my confidence rising. I looked her in her eye, cracking my knuckles.

"Lucrecia, you fail to realize what I am trying to say and that fact is upsetting me," I said, fixing my suit. She quirked a brow, amused at my sentence.

"Ha. So they still weren't able to fix your damn personality spasms, huh?"

"That is irrelevant to what I have been trying to tell you. Please, do not get off topic if you actually want to learn what I want you to know." I paused, running my fingers through my hair. Now she was alert and attentive to me... She should have been paying attention to me a couple of minutes ago. This was blasphemous, but I would continue. "Saivan, being the very smart person that he is, did not hesitate on backing up his plans. He has spies scattered throughout all of Aysel and is constantly trying to pick up more people to obtain information for him."

"That would make sense. Didn't he try to do the same thing to that Val bitch here? Or at least, that's what she says. But I don't believe all of that bullshit. She could have used that as an excuse. But Julian was trying to bribe me into working with Saivan as well. And for a moment I almost accepted it. But since I'm almost one-hundred percent certain this place is going to blow straight to hell after all of this is over... I decided to stay here." That may have been the best choice for her. I looked the other way, quirking my nose. King Saivan was a crafty person indeed. He knew how to exploit others and their weaknesses. That made me angry. I could not believe I choose to work with him. And I could not believe I actually had fun working with him. That I had fun killing the people that stood in his way and attacking the Summoners on his say-so.

That would never be me again. I would leave that path behind me. Lucrecia sat back down, touching her chin with her fleshy hand. "Ah! And while Julian was trying to sway me, I knew there was a pretty big fucking possibility that if he hadn't gotten me on his side, he would have went to someone else. Not everyone in this place is smart like I am. So right now I don't know what to fucking think. He could have converted a Summoner... Or one of these Nocuous bastards... Anyone. And I'm well prepared to handle whatever bullshit Saivan decides to concoct." She paused and smirked. "Even if Julian was a retarded fuckwad, he was a smart retarded fuckwad. You don't make an idiot a spy. You don't give an idiot power."

Ah, so she was finally starting to understand the extremity of the situation? I stood and watched as she figured this out on her own. "If that's the case..." she said, trailing off. "Chase couldn't have done all of that stuff. Heh, looks like that bitch was right. But then, anyone else could be thinking against us, huh? As much as I want to point a finger at Summoner Sa-yu-ri... She's not smart enough either. And I can't think of anything he'd wager to give her either..." I closed my eyes. She had a way with taking her time about things. But that was what Lucrecia did. She brought everything up and looked at both the pros and cons of the situation. She was a scientist—that is what she did. Frequently. There were times where she didn't want to believe her conclusions, but she always ignored her feelings.

"Having fun talking to Cecelia, Doctor?" I turned around. It was only a matter of time until Zed showed up. I closed my eyes, nodding my head. At first Lucrecia stared at him, and then removed her hand from her chin. Grinning mischievously at her, he walked closer to us, most likely waiting for an answer. She rubbed her eye, trying to get all of the sleep out of it. After that she pushed her glasses up with her index-finger, showing off a similar smile. "I wonder if she has told you yet, Doctor." The superiority in his voice was almost overwhelming—as if he was so sure nothing would happen to him even if his 'secret' somehow managed to get out.

"So it was you then?" She looked more amused than anything. "And it looks like you're going to brag about it too. Very ballsy," she said with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. But there was no getting around how amused she looked. "I've got to admit, you almost had me fooled."

"Doctor, I'm afraid bland comparisons are not going to do you any good. You will have to specify what it is that you are accusing me of first," he replied, switching his footing. I looked over my shoulder, glancing at everyone still standing in the room. They were trying really hard to get Klaus to say something, but I was afraid words were beyond him. He was still crying, and it made me feel sad for him. And now this was going on in front of me. … I just wanted to help. I didn't want anyone else to end up hurt anymore. Lucrecia scowled, looking at her fingernails.

"Don't play fucking dumb," she shot. "Of course I'm talking about everything you pinned on Chase. That was _you_, like I said." She paused, looking at me. I took a step back. I wasn't expecting her to look at me like that... "...Cecelia didn't tell me anything. I just assumed. So what? I'm sure you think you're so fucking clever, right?" I sat back down because my legs were starting to hurt. Or maybe it was the weight of all this commotion on my shoulders. "Clever you might be, everyone else is going to rip you a new asshole when they find out you've been lying to them." She sat down and shrugged, closing her eye. "Can't say I never thought of it. Just didn't care enough to do anything fucking about it."

Now there was something in her voice... I couldn't pinpoint what it was, but it was scary. She opened her eye and glared at him. "So don't think your clever. You're a damn traitor."

"You do not care, Doctor?" He sounded over dramatic and attention seeking, but still managed to come off as cool and collected, something that made Lucrecia grit her teeth. "If you did not care, Doctor, you would not be so flustered right now. I would have expected you, of all people, to immediately blow up upon hearing such unfortunate news." She twitched, then she stood back up, obviously annoyed by such an accusation.

"You're missing the point. What good would it be to tell someone about your real intentions? One, we're not in fucking Aysel. Don't be stupid. There's nothing I can do about whatever the fuck you've been doing all this time. Two, I don't actually care that you've been working with Saivan. If you have... That's good-for-fucking-you. Just the fact that you waited until we came down here is..."

"Clever, Doctor?"

"Shut the fuck up. Of course not." She paused, folding her arms. "Anyway, I've only got a few things to say to you. You can do whatever the fuck you want," she said, throwing her arms out. "But if you get in my way, I _will _kill you." She stood up straight, quirking her nose. I was simply waiting for the others to come out of the room. I wanted to spend some time with the Summoners and tell them how sorry I was. "I don't care what you do with everyone else. That's their fucking problems. But if you get in my way—" I was taken aback by her actions as well. It was is if she was displaying some sort of minimal denial... This was high treason, in a way, wasn't it? Why was she treating this as if it was some kind of simple transaction?

"You are angry, right?" Zed pressed, which made her simper. "Then act like it, Doctor. But I am almost quite certain that you will not kill me, even if that should happen. Even if I should 'get in your way'." She pointed her mechanical index finger in his face and he didn't even flinch.

"You're challenging me, aren't you?"

"If that is what you want to call it, Doctor," he replied, tilting his head playfully. Abruptly, she glanced at me again, snarling. I took a step back again, flinching.

"Fine. Then it's a bet," she said, turning around. "And I wouldn't play with my fucking emotions, either. I'll take anything as a sign of getting in my way. Cecelia?" I looked up, attentive. "I don't think I need you today. Go do whatever the fuck you want." She waved her hand, disappearing around the corner. I lowered my head, scratching the back of my neck. It was going to be a long day today, wasn't it? Just when I thought it couldn't get any better everyone came storming out of the room. Everyone except for Klaus, of course. Summoner Sayuri had her arms behind her head, her eyes closed. She did, however, have her wand held in her right hand. Summoner Kokoro and Summoner Morta were walking next to her, both of them seemingly lost in thought.

The Summoners were out! Now was my chance to tell them how sorry I was! I walked in front of Sayuri and she glanced at me with one eye open. "Cecelia. It's you..." She didn't sound very happy to see me, but I was anticipating a frown or a scowl. It looked as if Klaus' state of mind was really bothering her and the other Summoners as well. Even Guardian Miyuki seemed to be bothered by what took place a couple of hours prior to us meeting here. "You look happy to see us..."

"Summoner Sayuri... There's something I've always wanted to tell you!" I said, clapping my hands together. My butterfly pins chimed. I always felt free when I could hear them banging against each other. I needed them... I needed to be reminded of my freedom... Everyone walked out from behind the Summoners and their Guardian, including Mima and Valerie's students. They were all such eccentric people... Kokoro waved at me, forcing a smile. It was a great attempt, but I knew he was bothered by all of this too.

"Hi, Cecelia. What is it that you want to say?" he asked. Miyuki glanced at me before looking into the empty space of the hallway.

"... Are you sure you all don't want to go out and train before we head out to the badlands?" Miyuki asked. "As you all know, I've been informed recently that there's a magic barrier that forces the climate and the terrain to change every five minutes when someone comes close to the badlands. One minute we'll be under a hail storm and the next minute we'll be the victims of a very serious drought." Her cat ears twitched at the thought of it. "It may not be much, but I know what each of you are capable of. That being said, Kokoro, I'm highly aware that being in any kind of cold environment drains you. I could at least prepare you..."

"Miyuki, does this mean I need to train too?" Chio said. She nodded her head, holding her staff with both of her hands. She looked determined, but you could sense the underlying sadness in her voice. Her eyes were sparkling... Like she had just gotten done crying. Miyuki looked at her and put one hand on her waist.

"Well Chio, you really should..."

"Then Chio and I will train with you, Miyuki," Morta said, nodding her head. "We could use it, and it looks like Sayuri wants to have a conversation with Cecelia. … And just to be safe... Kokoro should stay with her. We don't want another incident, right?" Even with two other people Klaus was beaten, so I didn't see why making Kokoro and Sayuri stay with me would have been such a good idea. Miyuki thought about it for a moment before opening her pink eyes.

"Okay, that sounds great to me. You guys heard that?"

"Um. Yeah! Roger that, Miyuki!" Kokoro replied, saluting to his Guardian. Sayuri nodded her head, holding her wand.

"I want you two to be back here, however. We're supposed to be leaving Austere today, but no one really has told us when. Sayuri, you can tell time, right? Well I want you two back here in three hours. And there are no excuses." I chuckled to myself. Summoner Sayuri was a walking clock, after all. When Sayuri nodded again, Miyuki, Morta, and Chio walked into the western hallway. Sayuri and Kokoro adverted all of their attention towards me and I started to walk in the eastern hallway. They followed behind me... Leaving all feelings of sadness behind them.

"You guys, I want to help you," I said, skipping down the hallway. "I don't want to work for Saivan ever again!" They didn't have to tilt their heads to understand what I was saying. They both gave me such warm facial expressions that I... I felt like I was being treated like a normal human being! That really made me feel good inside. Kokoro patted my head and his smile widened.

"Don't worry Cecelia! You helped us a whole lot already! Lucrecia said you'd be able to get us through the badlands easier. We couldn't do anything if it weren't for you!" Yes but... Lucrecia didn't preform the modifications necessary for that... Still, I loved being treated like I had a heart. It felt nice to be patted. Obviously he thought I could feel the warmth of his hand, and for a second... I wished his hand would never go away.

But the hallway started twisting and turning... And then after that we were in a room. I didn't recognize the room either. But all three of us recognized Saivan. King Saivan. He was standing a couple of yards away from us.

"It is about time, Summoner Sayuri. Summoner Kokoro," Saivan said with his arms crossed. The two of them kept their mouths closed, frowning at the king. Saivan stood his ground, unfazed by the two. Sayuri and Kokoro were unarmed, and detransformed at that. What were they thinking? They needed to fight him! The would get nowhere trying to talk to him. Saivan had already made up his mind. There was no bringing him back. There was no talking sense into him. Sayuri and Kokoro stood a good distance away from Saivan... And I could tell they were ready to break out in anger.

Perhaps for Klaus?

The silence was almost impossible to break. The three of them exchanged looks. That's all they did. Sayuri balled up her fist, and then she looked back up at him, her purple eyes saturated in determination. "You...!" she said swiping her arm across the air. "You...! No more! I'm not going to miss another fight! I'm not going to stand by or sleep or get lost... Knowing that you're still out here! I've been wanting to get back at you ever since you introduced yourself in Aysel's castle! You hear that Saivan? It's not your castle! It's _Aysel_'s!"

"And we don't appreciate what you did to our friend either..." Kokoro said with darkened eyes. "He's really hurt, you know! He can't stop crying because of you and he can't even form real sentences. You stole his ability to talk away from him. How could you do that?" he demanded, stomping his foot on the ground. Wild, red flames shot from underneath is foot but he didn't transform. "That's just... Why did you kill his guard? Did they do anything to you?" That was what I wanted to know also. King Saivan had a strange way with going about things.

It wasn't my place to ask him. Kokoro would have to find that out on his own. "I know you're not the only one," Kokoro said, glancing at the ground. "You have your Shadows, or whatever they're called. But right now you're the only one here!" Instinctively he stomped on the ground again, and this time more flames shot out from underneath his foot. Saivan looked at him with a smirk on his face, refusing to answer them and refusing to move. "You're not going to say anything? Well then, I think we just have to beat it out of you!"

"That's the spirit!" Sayuri said, putting her hand in the air. "For once you're thinking like a Summoner!"

Kokoro let off a faint smile. "Don't be silly Sayuri, I've always been a Summoner."

"Time Metaphase!"

"Fire Metaphase!"

Because the two of them transformed at the same time, their transformations produced a red-violet color that flashed right before my eyes. Once they were ready, Kokoro ran towards Saivan, his hand covered in blood-lusting flames. My eyes widened, and for some reason my wings sprang from out of my back. The jets underneath my shoes turned on and I found myself jumping in front of King Saivan. My Savior. Kokoro's eyes widened and the flames on his hand disappeared. However, he still attempted to punch King Saivan. Maybe that was because he was too startled by my presence? I caught his punch with ease, holding it with both of my hands. Something inside of me turned on and I couldn't stop myself.

Inside, I was screaming at my body to stop what it was doing.

But almost as quick as I pleaded, my eyes turned a dark red and I looked up towards Kokoro. "Eradicating target." Kokoro jumped back and Sayuri's jaw dropped. My razor-blade wings were still spinning and my eyes were half-lidded.

"Wha—what?" Sayuri babbled. "... This isn't good. Cecelia! Cecelia can you hear me? Can you hear me at all?" Who was this Cecelia she kept talking about? I put my arms out in front of me and they morphed into chainsaws. Taking a step back I adjusted my footing. Now I was in a fighter's stance. No one would hurt Lord Saivan. Not even Summoner trash! Like the wind I was instantly in front of Kokoro and aimed for his head. I had almost beheaded him, but he bent his body backwards, barely missing the steel of my saws.

He did a backhand spring and landed on his feet, which amazed Summoner Sayuri. … Must... Protect... King Saivan... I didn't give Kokoro time to breathe. The jets underneath my feet lit up and I glided towards him, my saws ready. He rolled out of the way, dust getting everywhere. Sayuri gritted her teeth, glaring at King Saivan. She couldn't fight hand-to-hand, I assumed. Perfect. I would just take advantage of her. Kokoro rolled quite a few more times before he came to a stop, face down on the ground. I turned around swiftly, watching him get up. He wiped his mouth, knowing full well that Saivan was standing right behind him. King Saivan... My precious King Saivan...

Sayuri appeared next to him, glaring at Saivan. They glanced at each other, figuring out that they simply couldn't fight both of us at the same time. They were under-skilled and did not know the extent of our powers. Were they both going to attack me then? They turned towards me, Kokoro's fingers glowing bright red again. "You... Cecelia! You really don't remember who I am?" Kokoro asked. Who was Cecelia? I tilted my head, smiling at him. "Cecelia! Are you in there?" he yelled, looking at Sayuri and then looking back at me.

I slightly nodded my head, stretching out my fingers. I had put my chainsaws away. "You are the enemy," I said with a grin, tilting my head. "Eradicating."

"Damn!" he muttered to himself.

I waved both of my arms into the air, my butterfly pins floating. They transformed into my lovely friends... My comrades... My family! My butterflies fluttered all around us... Hundreds of them. Sayuri took three steps back, her grip tightening on her wand. "Aww jeez. Something tells me the butterflies aren't friendly. So this is what the pins on your suit are for, Cecelia? Dammit Kokoro she can't hear us!" Sayuri turned around towards Saivan, who was really intent on not saying anything to them. However, King Saivan just couldn't resist talking to them.

"They are man-eating butterflies, Summoners."

Sayuri's eyebrow twitched. "Oh you've gotta be... Kokoro, are you sure we can handle this... Because right now I'm three seconds away from running out of this place...!" Summoner Sayuri was truly a coward on the inside, wasn't she? "Just kidding, old man. We're Summoners. We're not going to run away from a few man-eating butterflies!" She waved her wand to her side. "Kokoro, I'll take care of the bug population we've got going on around here. You... Save Cecelia!"

"Right."

Sayuri's wand disappeared from in-between her hands and she took a deep breath. "Freeze!" she yelled, thrusting both of her arms out. Some sort of... It was a weird feeling, but somehow she had made all of my loyal butterflies stop in mid-air. I didn't let that worry me, no matter how much I wanted to stop and see if my friends were all right. My pretty little butterflies...

"I didn't say I was going to waste all of my time taking care of these things," Sayuri said, smirking. Her wand came back. "Now let's handle Cecelia."

"Woah, Sayuri, you can keep them stopped like that?" Kokoro asked, awestruck. "You don't have to stand in one place anymore or concentrate really hard?" Sayuri narrowed her eyes, flicking him on his forehead.

"No! Duh. Now come on!"

Kokoro stood his ground, charging his hands with fire. He thought I was slow. I was created to protect King Saivan. I couldn't be slow. I grabbed his shoulders and hopped behind him, kicking him in his back and sending him flying into the air. Summoner Sayuri shot balls of water at me, and I expertly dodged each one. Water could severely damage my internal system, after all. Kokoro came back down, stomping on the ground and unleashing ripples of fire from underneath his feet. I jumped four times to avoid the flames and Sayuri rolled out of the way.

"There has to be a way to get through to her...!" Sayuri muttered. She looked as if she had gotten a bright idea. "Kokoro! Distract her!"

"... Okay, Sayuri!"

Kokoro launched towards me again, his hands searing my gloves every time I deflected one of his attacks. No matter what, I would never let him hurt King Saivan! I managed to kick Kokoro in the chin, and that sent him staggering backwards. He tried to grab my arm but he was too slow... A slow human! How sad! My fingers turned to blades and I slashed his stomach, not granting him permission to back away from me like he had been doing for a while now. He grabbed my hand... And with that same hand he launched a ball of fire at my stomach, propelling me backwards.

My stomach was scorched, but I paid it no mind. However, I was still human. Some wounds I simply could not ignore, but... I'd do anything to protect Lord Saivan. Even if it meant ignoring my human qualities... The qualities that I still had now. I could regenerate cuts and the like... But... I had never been programed to withstand burns. No one that I had ever fought used fire against me. Except for that Summoner. Summoner Leyiko. But that was a long time ago, and Summoner Kokoro was a much greater opponent! One that was trying to end my Lord's life!

"Okay, maybe this spell is taking a bit longer than I anticipated it would..." Sayuri muttered. "Dammit! I knew the ying Essence was stupid and slow, but I kind of need you to work right now!" she said, shaking her wand. Kokoro glanced at her.

"...That's okay Sayuri, take your time! I'm not going to kill Cece—"

My hand transformed into a gun and I started shooting at him. He didn't know what to do, and I suspected his life flashed before his eyes. Sayuri, being the Summoner of Time, took the initiative and stopped all of my bullets with her freehand, holding her wand with the other. All the while she was charging her wand. "Tough luck Cecelia," she muttered as my bullets hit the floor. "Just you wait until this spell is done! I'm going to wipe the floor with you! ... Well, Kokoro is, but still! You've messed with the wrong Summoner!"

"Sayuri, we're not trying to beat up Cecelia!" Kokoro grunted, trying to dodge my next attack. His flames were burning my body. Burning it. But I didn't care. Did he even realize he was destroying my body? Maybe he did, but maybe he knew that if he stopped, I would kill him. In front of Summoner Sayuri. And that would utterly destroy her. No matter! The objective was to exterminate the enemy! Kokoro grabbed my arm, searing it once again. Since I could turn my pain sensors off I felt nothing. I swiped my fingers across his chin, barely slicing skin. Still, seeing blood trickle from that newly fresh wound...

"The blood! It makes you _so _beautiful!" I shouted, which made his eyes widened. I used that opportunity to trip him and Sayuri's jaw dropped.

"Holy crap!" Sayuri said. "Essence of truth, kindness, you are a goddess. Lend me your joviality, the power to help thee... Show my teammate under the blackened sky that she's happy—I call upon thee, ying Essence!" She lifted her wand into the air and a bright, white light escaped from it. It warped around my body and it was messing with my insides and I... White light illuminated from my eyes and they started flickering. I stopped for a second. Finally I could get through to—

"Conflagration Orb!"

"What—"

"Hurry up Kokoro you idiot quit hesitating and hit her!"

"Solar Flare!" My body erupted in millions of flames and I flew back on the ground... I was sure that if my pain sensors were working I couldn't... I wouldn't want to live anymore. Kokoro retrieved his orb and I... I was in such a bad shape, I...

What was... Wrong with me? I couldn't move... I couldn't... I only wanted to help... I stared into the sky, hoping the Summoners wouldn't stay mad at me for what I had done. Kokoro knelled next to me, worry written all over his face. Sayuri was standing behind him, her eyes tearing up somewhat. Was it the fact that she couldn't bare seeing me laid out on the ground? I frowned. It hurt to look at Kokoro. It hurt to turn my neck. My right hand was laying on top of my stomach. I—I...

I clutched my hand, my eyes wandering around. I couldn't find the words. I wanted to tell them sorry a million times over. This... Wasn't what I wanted. "You win." I said, my eyes still glued to the sky. I took another breath. "I'm simply no match for you." I tilted my head towards Kokoro, a smile creeping on my face. "I did not want to fight you... But I was created to protect King Saivan..." I found myself frowning and I looked back at the sky. "I could not disobey." I closed my eyes, and then I opened them again.

"Traveling... With you... Was wonderful." My smile was slipping away. I could feel it slipping away and I tried so hard to hold on to it. "I... Just wish... It had lasted longer..." I breathed, trying to reach out towards him. I only ended up clutching my hand. "Even in my short time being here... You treated me like a real person. It was... Nice..." I opened my hand towards him, hoping he would shake it or touch it... Anything... But he just stared at it with eyes filled with sorrow. Eventually he brought his right hand up to take mine, but my body had lost all power.

"Full system shutdown."

My life was slipping away, right from my under my fingertips. Kokoro stood up and Saivan grinned at both of them.

"Good riddance."

"... You bastard!" Sayuri shouted. "Say that again—!"

"—I said good riddance to a worthless piece of junk, Summoner Sayuri." I could faintly see her. She was fuming with rage, gripping her wand... Suffocating it. Kokoro wasn't taking this all too well either. Saivan took a few steps forward, scoffing at the two. "What? Don't tell me you two actually befriended _it_..."

Kokoro glanced up at Saivan, walking closer to him. "She's gone. Because she tried to protect _you_."

"Of course she did," Saivan snorted. "She was designed to. I just thought she would get better at it."

"We're taking you down!" Sayuri shouted, standing next to Kokoro. "I don't care what happens now! If I don't take you out... I... I... Cecelia... I..." She couldn't form words. I couldn't tell what was happening next because my sight and hearing disappeared. I would give anything to thank the Summoners for freeing me. I—I... Didn't want them to fight him... Just to lose and end up like me. But I couldn't say anything.

A few seconds later and my body fully shut down.

I would never fight for Saivan again.

* * *

**A/N:** Noooo. Nooooo. Nooooo! D:

Lucrecia's gonna get kicked in the mouth next time she shames Klaus' name! That was the hardest part of this chapter. Do you see how much of a condescending bitch she is? All of that bitchassness she just displayed up there! C'mon, show me at least a little emotion! Other than being a condescending bitch! Clearly I wasn't prepared for the level of bitch she was going to show. Clearly. And no, she's not being fair. I killed off all her friends and the bitch had a_ mental breakdown. *_scowl* No, it's not the same as what's happening to Klaus. That's the whole reason she acts like this now! And Klaus kicked your Shadow's ass. So I'm pretty sure he could whoop you. At least feel sorry, dammit. *shakes fists*

You're like 11 years older than him. Act like it! ¬_¬

Okay. XD;;; I think I'm done with that. But now I get to talk about Cecelia. She died too fast for me. ._. I would have liked her to go to the badlands and fight on the Summoner's side... But... Saivan's a bitch too. *sigh* I liked Cecelia as a character. I mean she was annoying, but there are some people that are alive right now that I find insuperable to deal with. Like Aysel. Kill her, guys. I don't care if we haven't seen her in like 15 chapters. She's there. And she's there. XD;; And needs to be _dealt _with.

*strike* No lie I kind of miss Aysel. */strike*

All of that aside, I have a surprise for you all next chapter!

You know that Trance Mode I've been raving about. Yes! If you miss next chapter, you're missing out on life because it's gonna be so AWESOME! XD;;;;


	48. He Who Rideth In Rage

**A/N:** Look who it is, look who it is...

I would like to start this update off by saying... Guys. We have NINE more chapters before the end of this arc comes. NINE! D: And you know what else? After this chapter, we have THREE more chapters until the climax of the arc. Yes, three. Do you guys know how long I've been waiting for this climax? Hahah, laugh all you want Addy. ._. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But still! It's finally here! I've been writing the Dark Ages for two years now. And I'm about to be done with the arc. TT_TT It's sooo sad. But I wouldn't want to stay with it either since... You know... People are dying and whatnot. XD;

Honestly, I'm going to miss all of these guys. XD;;

This chapter is... For the most part... It starts out slow and gets fast _really_ quick. And I assure you there's a good Trance Mode in here.

Dude, this is chapter 30/50. If you remember, my New Year's Resolution was to write 50 chapters. Since I'm gonna be doing NaNoWriMo in November, I kinda sorta have to write 5 more chapters this month. XD;;

So yes! If you see and update after update, don't sweat it. ._. I'd hate for you to rush things. I'm trying to get caught up, is all. XD

* * *

"The whole entire room is heavily guarded," Sayuri says, touching the wall with her slightly bruised fingers. Silently she winces, but for the most part she just shrugs the pain off. "If we stay in this place for much longer we'll die, Jessica." Sayuri carelessly sits back down, closing her eyes. "Can't say I didn't see this coming earlier. In fact, I'd be lying if I told you that, given my ability to tell future sometimes. Even so, I'm not going to blame us getting into this mess on me... She got us good. She got us really good."

Jessica pushes up her glasses with her index-finger, her eyes saturated in fear. Her wings twitch, but she doesn't have enough energy to stand. "The gas in here... Is making me sleepy, Sayuri..."

"I know." Sayuri quirks her nose, looking at the ceiling. "We just underestimated Blithe. But like hell I'm going to die here on this third-world planet." She pauses, glancing at Jessica. "You know, there's a way that I can get us out of here."

"What is it, Sayuri? If you can free us from here, it would be quite delightful!" Sayuri stands up, a bit happy with Jessica's reply.

"I need your blood."

Jessica tenses up immediately after Sayuri's sentence. She's at a loss for words. After a few minutes of throwing thoughts around in her head, Jessica raises her hand in the air. "B—but Sayuri... There has to be another way..."

"Oh please," Sayuri replies, rolling her eyes. "Spare me the dramatics, Jessica. Like I said, I need your blood." Her grip tightens on her sword. "Whether you let me or I have to literally hold you to do it. I'm... Right now I'm too weak to actually do a Warp spell, so I'm going to need something that'll help balance out the power that I don't have and what I'm capable of doing right now." Sayuri unsheathes her sword and there's nothing Jessica can do about it.

She can barely move.

Sayuri, with no emotion, grabs Jessica's arm. Even if Jessica knows that this may be the only way the two can escape their hell, something about this entire ordeal isn't right... Is Sayuri lying to her? There used to be a time in which Jessica could read Sayuri's actions and motives, but now... With her grip tight around the Featherfolk's arm, Sayuri yanks her closer, holding her blade against Jessica's arm. "Now, this won't hurt," she says with a straight face. "I'm going to need a lot of it, however, so I'm just going to run my blade up your arm. Do you understand?"

"I guess I do..."

"Good." Doing just what she promised, Jessica bites her lip. Her eyes water at both the pain and the sight of her blood dripping on the ground. Sayuri shakes her head, running an index-finger and middle-finger down the fresh wound. With the blood, Sayuri starts drawing an anagram on the wall. Whenever she feels she doesn't have enough blood, she walks back to Jessica's arm and simply extracts more. Feeling like she's done all she can, Sayuri steps back, closing one of her eyes and putting up a thumb. "Ah. So I think that's about right. You hear me Jessica? You can get up now. … Jessica?"

"I don't know if I'm your... Jessica—"

Sayuri turns around and her expression changes. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"—But I make a_ good_ Jessica, don't I?"

Standing in front of her now is a completely different person. What she once thought was the Summoner of Water is her _opponent._ Her foe. The face that she can never forget. Sayuri doesn't know what to think of this. She knows the person standing in front of her isn't really her mother, but this isn't funny. This isn't funny in the slightest. "Suminaaaar Sayuri!" her opponent exclaims. "I hadn't had a chance to talk to you properly. How are you?"

"You... Are about to die Blithe," Sayuri replies, her frown cracking into a smile. "You know, you almost had me fooled for a second. I thought there really was gas in here. And after I cut your arm up, I was going to say something along the lines of 'Oh, sorry, I didn't get enough. Now I have to cut you open.' Just to see what you would do." Sayuri shrugs, dragging her sword across the floor. "He got in my way."

Blithe throws her arms out in a psychotic frenzy, her purple eyes dilating. "I don't understand you, Suminaaaar! Clearly you've lost your mind! You entered My Lady's Garden of Madness... And yet you hurt the innocent!"

"If you get in my way you die," Sayuri says, rolling her eyes and laying her sword against her shoulder. "So why are you dressed in my mother's get-up? You're asking for a quick death..." Sayuri smiles, switching her footing. "Transforming into a family member? How cliché..."

"I only did it because I heard your friends talking about her!" Blithe yells back. Sayuri's lower eye starts to twitch. "Yes, your friends! They said you talked about her a lot so I scanned your memories, Suminaaar! And now _I'm_ your mother. You won't be able to fight me, and I'll avenge my husband! My Lady cannot have you... No... Such a sweet prize should go straight to me!"

"It's_ Summoner_," Sayuri corrects. Blithe doesn't pay her any attention.

"The others? No! I care not of them. I want revenge! _You_ hurt me—"

"... That was after you started running after me." Sayuri walks closer to the ginger-haired woman, smiling impishly. "Listen you. Trying to kill me is one thing but doing it with the wrong information is another. I bet you didn't hear the part when they raved about my extreme dislike towards my mother, right?" Sayuri stares at the tip of her blade, and with her freehand she tilts Blithe's head towards her. "If you want to kill me, you have to try harder."

"But I—"

Sayuri gives her no time to talk. With Blithe already backed up against the wall she throws her sword into her right arm, pinning her to it. Blithe cries out, but on death ears. "What? I didn't quite hear you Blithe!" Sayuri yells, forming a carbon copy of her katana and throwing it at Blithe's other arm. "You should talk louder if you want to double as my mother! … Maybe even a motherly line would suffice!" She impales both of her legs this time, effectively rendering Blithe useless to retaliate.

"You're never going to get away with this...!" Blithe breathes, glancing at the pool of blood underneath her. "You're no hero. You kill the innocents..."

"On the contrary!" Sayuri shouts, cackling. After she's done maliciously laughing, she straightens out herself. "_Kohana_ is no innocent. You should have picked a better person to change into." Her wand appears in her left hand and starts to glow a brown light. Afterwords, some sort of dark liquid covers Blithe... And as the liquid continues to leak out of Sayuri's wand, she walks in the opposite direction.

"You'll get yours Suminaaaar! You'll get yours!"

Sayuri chuckles under her breath. "Yeah, yeah. Have you ever exploded from the inside?" And upon asking that question, Blithe's chest flares up and a huge explosion of flesh and blood hits the ceiling _and _Sayuri. The Summoner of Time doesn't even blink, despite having pieces of Blithe's body stuck against her face. Subsequently, Sayuri's wand starts to spark. She bends down on her knees, lighting the trail gasoline she's left behind.

As Blithe's body burns, Sayuri walks over to it and kicks it out of her way, retrieving her sword. She walks to the wall and touches the anagram she's created out of her blood.

And like a flash she's gone.

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty-Eight: He Who Rideth In Rage... :-**

_Please forgive me_  
_I don't know what I'm doing_  
_Someone help me_  
_Start begging for your mercy._

_Can you feel the pain?_  
_Can you feel your pain?_  
_The smell of fear's around you._  
_Do you want to scream?_  
_Let it out 'cause no one can hear you_

— "Start Begging For Your Mercy" — Bullet For My Valentine

Never in my life had I had the urge to smash pumpkins.

Yes, pumpkins. I just couldn't believe what had happened to Cecelia... But now I was so miserable! Why did we have to go to the badlands now? I didn't know about everyone else, but I felt a good rush of déjà vu. When I was on Earth with Tariku... I remembered that time when the fire Essence first showed up and everything got really hot. ... Now, I didn't know what Lucrecia did, but I couldn't walk through this scorching heat! I was sure of that! Fuu, I just wanted everything back to the way it was! I felt like crying and collapsing on my knees. The climate changed every freaking couple of seconds and...

"I'm cold!" I carped, my shoulders slumped over. I didn't think anyone payed any attention to me. Bastards! I was the Summoner of Time... Didn't I get any respect? Suddenly the temperature changed on me and it just got really, _really _hot and sticky and... Why couldn't I kill myself? Miyuki wouldn't have minded...

"I'm hot..." Chio murmured, slumping her shoulders over too. And you know what? We were just walking on grass! What was this place? I stopped for a second, analyzing the sand that was now on my boots. I probably had some sand_ inside_ of my boots. I was going to check, but then the sand turned to ice and just... Holy fail. I slipped and fell right on my butt, seething. Everyone turned around and I rubbed my head, looking up into the sky. Stupid clouds! Stupid mother nature! Stupid ice! I flailed my arms around, frowning.

"Go on without me," I pleaded, shaking my head. "I can't do this for much longer and I just wasn't built for this kind of thing!" I was telling the truth! Why didn't they leave me in Austere? I could have been sleeping right now without a care in the world! Chase got to stay in Austere, but that was only because he was still trying to recover from his injuries. ... That made me think of Cecelia... I was so angry with myself when we challenged Saivan up front and he disappeared on us. Maybe if I would have tried to stop time I would have... We would have frozen him in his tracts. His magic couldn't have been better than mine, after all...

After Saivan left that trippy room that had no roof, apparently, the walls started to do all sorts of crazy things and the next thing Kokoro and I knew... We were standing in the hallway again like nothing happened. Cecelia was broken and burned... Laying right in the middle of the floor. That's when we knew we had gotten pulled into some serious trouble. For a moment there, we had almost doubted that we had battled Cecelia at all... But she was really dead. Gone. And she was laying on the floor... Just like he left her.

You know, that made me angry! She died protecting him... And she didn't even want to protect him at that! And all he could say was "Good riddance?" I wanted to...

That's why I left the hallway so angry. Cecelia was way too heavy for Kokoro to pick up, and I wasn't going to try because if he couldn't pick her up I couldn't either. Everyone else just kind of anticipated Cecelia's death. It was no big deal. Especially Lucrecia.

I looked up at everyone, and the only one who didn't stop to pay me any attention was Lucrecia. She just kept walking, not even concerned with what happened to me. At this point I was done with Lucrecia. She didn't like me and I tried to make what ever I did go away. But she held grudges like nothing else I've ever seen! I didn't even know what I did.

But fine, she could hate me.

I didn't care what she thought of me, but she could have at least felt sorry for Cecelia! That was all I was asking! How could someone just turn their shoulder on something like that? Did she not understand that Cecelia was murdered? Basically. Well, okay, maybe she was programed to protect Saivan, but she obviously didn't want to do that. I balled my fist up against the grass. Yes, I was sitting on grass now. With the climate and terrain changing every few seconds... The badlands were kind of an eye kill if you thought about it. First everything would get really dull... Then really bright... And then forest-y...

I didn't care about the scenery! The heat was unbearable! And the cold! It sickened me how Kokoro would be all smiley-happy when it got really hot too. I'd die a little bit on the inside. "This is stupid!" I exclaimed, banging my fist on the ground. Well... Banging my fist in a rain puddle. Yay for rain, I guess. "We shouldn't have to walk through this place! This is torture! What happened to you guys' nifty ability to teleport everywhere? Yeah, I'm talking to you guys! Aysel's guard and whatnot. You too, Lucrecia!" I pointed my index-finger at her and she turned around, snarling at me. "If there's a magical barrier around this place, than someone please take it down! Sheesh, Miyuki, can't you do that?"

... By the time I ended my sentence, I had a huge lump of snow on my head.

... And by the time I realized I had ended my sentence, the heat melted all of the snow away. My hair. Was stuck. To my face. And I was drenched in water. Joy. You know, this was just great. "Listen Summoner Sa-yu-ri," Lucrecia said, walking towards me. Quite frankly I wasn't afraid of Lucrecia anymore. She could do whatever she wanted now! I wouldn't back down from her. I had had it with her shtick. That's right! I was going to stand up for myself. ...It wasn't like I hadn't been doing that for a while, though. She ignored me every time, was all. "You can't teleport somewhere you haven't been before. You fucking idiot, don't complain about our capabilities if you don't know the laws of them."

She paused, turning around. She must have gave Zed the most menacing look I had ever seen. "You can't break that law. If you don't have a picture in your head about the place you're teleporting to, your dumb-ass is going to end up somewhere in space. Can you fucking breath in space, Sayuri?" ... What the heck did she think. Now she was starting to piss me off! I didn't need her mouth! "Unless you know where Saivan's fucking castle is, you have no say in anything. Isn't that right, Zed?" Why was she being so mean today? I looked the other way and Kokoro helped me up. But as soon as I had gotten up off my butt my legs felt all wobbly. Gah.

"You would be correct, Doctor," he answered back, smugly grinning at her.

I didn't even care anymore. I just wanted to get out of this... This... "This is like Hell!" I exclaimed, yelling out into the sky. And then I fell down again. "Oh, what! What is it this time?" I rubbed my head and looked all around me. It felt like something hit me on top of my head but I could—

I stood back up.

What...

Miyuki was the only one who bothered to stop and see what was wrong. "Sayuri, that would be stone rain," she said, pointing up into the sky. Of course the sky had changed but... Did she say _stone rain? _My whole body froze up and I just... I just couldn't take this anymore. So she was telling me that if Lucrecia didn't have that device she built to make the climate and terrain change every few seconds... That if it changed every five minutes like it was supposed to we'd be dead right now? My whole face just went white.

"Ahehehe," I laughed, chuckling to myself in a daze. "That's... Wonderful, Miyuki."

"I think you hit your head too hard," she replied, matter-of-factly. Trust Miyuki to make me feel worse than I was already feeling. Why couldn't I just catch one good break? Mima was so far ahead of me. She was walking with the Enlightened, and I guess she was justified in doing so. She herself was an Enlightened One in a sense, I guess. She at least came from Aysel's castle, I mean... But back to Miyuki. Dammit. I just wanted Miyuki to disappear forever. I didn't need a Guardian! And half of the time Miyuki didn't do anything! I ended up doing all the fighting! ... I always did all the fighting...

And I never saved anyone. If I could...

"You asked about the magical barrier around the badlands, didn't you Sayuri?"

"Yeah," I replied, weakly nodding my head. Chio looked like she was just getting the worse of all this stuff. She kept closing her eyes, like her head was hurting. Maybe she should have asked Adel to carry her or something. He'd be more than happy to... "Hey Chio." She turned around towards me, like nothing was wrong. Her eyes shot open and she smiled at me. I remembered her smile. Everyone had different smiles, but it was like... Chio's smile was the best thing ever. It just made you feel all right. She didn't need words to tell me everything was going to be okay. Her smile took care of all that for her.

"Hmm, Sayuri? Did you call me?"

Okay. The sun. Was so hot. I could barely come up with something to say back to her. But I was going to talk, dammit! I was going to reply! I needed to reply to her! ... She was taking the badlands much better than I was... But I could see her wanting to give up, even though she was trying to hide that fact really well. She wanted to lay down and just go to sleep. You wouldn't have suspected that if you saw how wide her smile was, but I had been around Chio long enough to know when she was really upset.

She was the only one of us that actually got attacked by Saivan. He thought she was the weakest Summoner out of all of us and even found her weakness. True, he did step on my face, but that was nothing compared to slicing her arms up. Even though her wounds healed... "I'm worried about you is all," I muttered. "Are you okay? If you don't want to walk, you can always piggy-bank on Adel up there. He's not doing anything important. And if he tells you he has to hold the map, that's not the map to the badlands. That's the map to _Austere_." I narrowed my eyes. "Cheater."

"No, it's okay Sayuri. I'm fine," she replied, bowing her head. I didn't understand... How did Chio find the strength to just... Be so happy all the time? Let's face it... She shouldn't have been happy. For one she was catapulted out of her world and she somehow ended up in this one. If that happened to me I'd be in so much despair right now. So much despair. She must have missed her family too, right? They probably didn't have any clue as to what happened to her... Two, she found out she was a Summoner and has to travel with us for a good period of time.

Okay, when I found out I was a Summoner, I was more than pissed. They need to make a word that is an upgrade of pissed. I was ragedissed. That's "rage" and "pissed" in one word. Epic, if I do say so myself, right? But no, really, Miyuki was a pain and I just... Being a Summoner didn't sit with me well. I had to grow into it, and I've been a Summoner for a couple of months now. It's not something that you just accept. I was half expecting her to start crying. Imagine my surprise when she said she wanted to fight with us... To help us. She wasn't making any sense.

"Are you sure?" I asked, tilting my head. "Because if you're—" Okay. How can I explain what happened next? No, I didn't get hit in the head with rocks. No, I didn't get hit in the head with a snow ball from the sky. No... I didn't slip on ice. I bet that's what you were thinking, right? Stop laughing at me, jerk. All of the above.

I stepped in quicksand! And I just started sinking. Now in Japan we don't have quicksand. I've seen cartoons where people step in quicksand and just sink, but... I was so petrified I couldn't even move. I sweatdropped for a good ten seconds.

And then I proceeded to scream like the little girl I was.

"Argh somebody help me I'm in quicksand get me out of here please I'm begging you anyone can you hear me get me out of here I don't want to die I—" The sand. Disappeared. Now... While I was in the quicksand I was kicking my legs around because I was trying to get out, but... Apparently the climate and terrain changed on me again. I forgot it could do that. Which is why Morta proceeded to laugh at me. I was surprised she wasn't pointing a finger at me. Apparently I had launched myself off the ground and faceplanted really hard in the snow. "C-c-cold!" I shuddered, standing up.

And then it got hot again!

"It's so hot!" I complained, slumping over.

"Wow kid, you really are having a hard time back there, huh?" Mima asked, adjusting her glasses. Mima didn't have the right to criticize me! She just needed to stand still and look like an idiot! I had forced her to come to Austere with me, after all! If it weren't for me she wouldn't even be here! I was getting really sick and tired of people taking all my credit and then not giving any back! How dare she! How dare Mima!

"Yes!" I moaned, grabbing the back of her shoulders. Mima was pretty short. "Are you going to turn your body into something special so the heat can be blocked off? Oh, I know! Make yourself taller. And more bulkier. And just... Stand in front of me. That way the sun can't hurt mee—_aaaaiii_ my hair is on fire!" Holy crap my hair was on fire! Now I had everyone's attention. It wasn't my fault that my hair was so long but... Why.. How... I started running around in a complete circle. I didn't want all of my hair to burn away! I was just picturing Kohana's face... She would kill me if my hair disappeared from my head!

She said she liked my long hair. She'd... She'd...

"Someone put it _out!"_

"Use your water Essence," Morta said flatly, amused at my running. I stopped, noticing the snow coming back. Immediately I laid down in the snow, rolling in it. Yeah, she laughed at that too and I got up, moist grass crunching under my boots. I balled up my fists, scowling.

"Why don't I set your hair on fire?" I hissed, narrowing my eyes at her. "That's it! I'm calling foul on this place! So far, I'm the only one who has gotten hurt by this place! The badlands are cursed I tell you! It's cursed! Fine, if you guys won't take the magic barrier down, then I'm going to try!" Miyuki tapped my shoulder with her tail, glaring at me with her pink eyes. Yeesh, I never got used to her pink eyes. It wasn't like I wanted to get used to her eyes either. They were pink. Of course they were going to be scary...

"You didn't let me finish what I was trying to tell you before, Sayuri," Miyuki said. "When you are dealing with a magical barrier, rules are different. If your magic isn't strong enough to counteract the barrier, you hit yourself. Your magic backfires. Not only that, but the barrier attacks you as well. As you can see, you're not doing so well with the badlands now. Would you want this to happen to you... Only ten times worse?" Ten times worse? I'd be as good as dead then! I shook my head, real quick. I understood. I understood really well. "Saivan created this barrier, and we don't have anyone on our side that's a prominent magic user."

"Yeah, I knew I should have taken Renata with me..." I muttered. Lucrecia looked at me, snorting.

"Renata's a princess you dipshit. Princesses can't leave their lands. It's just how things like that fucking go."

"I don't think I was talking to you, Lucrecia!" I shouted. She looked at me again, scowling.

"Bullshit, Sayuri, you were talking to everyone. Now pay attention and keep fucking walking. We don't need your stupid-ass excuses. You're just one walking problem, aren't you?" Lies! I was not a walking problem! She was the one starting everything, wasn't she? Yeah! No one would side with Lucrecia, because she was just... Argh. Lucrecia was just so irritating it wasn't even funny! I hated her so much.

"I am paying attention! Fuuu, do you even know where we're going?"

"Stop asking stupid fucking questions!"

"Ahaha! You don't know where we're going! What the hell!"

"I told you... Stop fucking asking me questions!"

"Oh, maybe this is the part where you walk us to our deaths. Hey, I haven't seen any hurricanes yet, Lucrecia. Wanna make the badlands send one of those down on us too? I bet you're controlling all of this stuff! You're lying about this five second rule crap and you're really trying to kill me! You've got motive—_oww!"_ I touched my head, trying nurse it back to heath. Morta hit me. She really hit me! Tears started to fall from my eyes. The stinging hurt! And the rain hitting the bruise on my head was too much for me to handle!

"Why did you hit me?" I asked, taking a step back. Stupid Summoner of Death! Stupid... Physical strength she had! How come my powers didn't give me awesome physical strength? I was so jealous of Morta and Kokoro. They had badass abilities. I had my wand. And I could stop time. What kind of power was time, anyway? I pouted, walking again. Chio's powers weren't that bad either. I'd give anything to be able to call Shiva next to me. Chio didn't even have to fight! But I guess... Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses...

"Hey, kid." I turned around and Mima was behind me. "If you want to know where we're going..."

"Yes, I know," I muttered, my hands sticking to my face. It was all of that heat, I tell you! "We're going to Saivan's castle, big whoop. I don't think I'm going to survive this whole walk." How did my hair catch on fire before my cloak did? The world may never know. But then, Chio and Renata made our cloaks... So maybe they had some kind of special stuff sowed in them or something... "You don't know how much I want to kick Saivan's ass right now. I've seen him _twice._ And he's killed five of my friends! Five of them, Mima! I'm not letting him take another life! Not when I'm still living."

... That number hit me just then. I let Saivan kill Naira, Defina, Himani, Raylen, and now Cecelia... I wasn't there for four of the deaths... But I was always close. The more we walked, the more I felt kind of useless. I am the Summoner of Time. Everyone looked up to me. I was supposed to be a goddess... A savior. I was supposed to pull people out of their misery. Their sorrow. Tch, yeah, right. I wasn't doing any of that stuff, so why did people still kiss the very ground that I walked on? Were we Summoners really that great? All we did was watch people die... If I couldn't protect my friends... What made those people think I could protect them? People that I hardly even knew?

I sighed. "No Sayuri! Kid, no living person is going to last the walk. We're going to stop." My face instantly lit up. We were going to stop! Really! We were going to take a break? Mima noticed the excitement I was feeling and she smiled a bit at me. But oh no. We were going to stop. In the badlands? Really? That was even worse! Then I'd get hit without all kinds of stuff! My smile instantly faded and I frowned again.

"Noooo," I said, zombie-like. I started biting on my nails. Hmm. I never bit my nails... "If we're going to stop in the badlands we might as well kiss life goodbye, right? We should just give up now..."

"Nope, kid!" Mima pointed at herself with her thumb. "I know someone very important that has a house here in the middle of the badlands. You know how my garden was blocked off?" Kinda think of it, she was right. I had never seen that hallway before in Aysel's castle. It just came out of nowhere. And Mima's garden was another dimension, wasn't it? I started smiling again. All right! We were going to stay in another dimension! "All we have to do is pinpoint her location. Adel has the key." The key, huh? I wished I had the key. But wait, we had to find this hidden place? That'd take forever, wouldn't it?

"Noooo," I said again, zombie-like.

"Pick your face up, kid! It's not that bad. I can sense where she's at. Me and her go way back. She's a good friend of mine. I just hope that she'll take you all." Yeah, me too. I could use a little rest. As a Summoner, believe you me when I say that I got no sleep whatsoever. I'd go to sleep and wake up to just... Bad news. I didn't sleep too well now anymore. You don't want to have a perfect dream and then wake up to bad news. I try to stay up most of the time but that only makes me even more tired! Then I start snoozing on different random objects. Yep, being a Summoner isn't easy.

I wonder how Kokoro and Morta and Chio slept at night...

"So what is your friend like?" I asked, trying to keep myself occupied. Mima tapped her chin, looking up at the sky.

"Oh, she's quite the package all right. I think you'll find that she's extraordinary when you meet her, Summoner Sayuri. But she means well. I haven't seen her in a few years but... There was a reason why she was put down here and I stayed in Aysel. I would have never noticed it before, but... It's all starting to make sense." What was all starting to make sense? "Sayuri, thank you for taking me with you. Really kid, I've done things that I wouldn't have thought about in the Garden of Truth..."

"Um. Thanks?"

"No, I mean it. I saved Chase... I got into a heated argument... I'm walking the badlands..." Mima. She needed to shut up. Nothing about war was funny. Nothing about war was fun. This was not supposed to be a great experience! Dammit, no! Why was she thanking me? I was being horrible to her and she knew that. But I guess... If that was what she really wanted... I shook my head.

I would never understand anyone in the Dark Ages.

This world. Was crazy.

Everyone in it was crazy.

Mima stopped. Aside from the wind making my hair hit me in the face, I was content. Mima put on an unsure look, pointing at something. Except I saw nothing. Pretty clever? I thought not. "It's right here!" Mima declared. The wind sure was relentless, wasn't it? Adel folded his scroll and put it in his pocket. He stood right next to Mima and she put her hands on her hips. He was so much taller than she was. They looked ridiculous standing next to each other.

"What are we looking at, guys?" Kokoro said, scratching his head. Cool. I wasn't an idiot. If Kokoro couldn't get it—no wait. Never mind! I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know what we were looking at either. Mima just stopped and I stopped too. Adel opened his hand and a key appeared. Kinda like the one he had when he was introducing me to Mima that first time.

"A door," Adel said, sticking the key in the air. … Then like magic a door formed around it. And he unlocked it!

"The light!" I said, covering my eyes. "It burns!"

"Don't be such a baby," Morta muttered. Hey! I was only kidding! … Morta couldn't take sarcasm very well, could she? Bah! I didn't even care. I huffed. Yeah, I would be the first person to walk through the door! Me! Not anyone else! I pushed her out of the way and walked into the door, disappearing in its light. On the other side... It was like... It looked just like the badlands. Land for days. There was no sign of a city or a town... I thought we were going to end up in a garden like Mima's place was. But apparently...

The good part about all of this was that it wasn't storming anymore! And I was... We were in front of a house. Mima patted me on the back and took two steps in front of me. "Yep, this is her place." Strange... My sense of time was all confused and whatnot... So we really were in another dimension, weren't we? So what kind of place was this...? The others were behind me, looking around as well. I was going to say something, but stuff started sparkling in front of the house... Then I heard some kind of warp sound.

And then I saw Mima's friend.

She had big, round, hazel eyes and blonde hair that was put in two pigtails. They sat against her shoulders. Her hair wasn't that long. I mean, not longer than mine. Her pigtails stopped maybe... Slightly below her shoulders. She did have pretty black ribbons around them, though! She wore this black dress and it had a zipper that... I didn't know where the rest of it led, because on top of her black dress she wore a confusing blue thing. And her dress had long sleeves, too. She had black and blue shoes on and black leggings. She smiled at us, holding something behind her back.

It looked like a freakishly long finger-pointer thing. It looked like one of those cartoonish glove things was on the end of a metal pole. Was she going to introduce herself, or...? I tilted my head, waiting for an answer. Obviously she was just like Mima, which meant she was made out of magic. She wasn't human, that was just the form she chose to walk around in. "My name is Misa. It's nice to meet all of you."

"Misa?" I said, tilting my head. "Are you two... Related?" They couldn't have been related. For one... Wait... Okay, so they both liked to wear dresses. Mima, however, had purple hair. Not deep purple like mine... It was probably a lavender color or something. She had her hair up in a ponytail and had a big purple ribbon holding it in place. And she had hair falling around her face as well. But other than that... Mima's dress was purple and she wore purple gloves and purple shoes with purple socks.

But her leggings were orange.

She also had weird purple headphones on. But they weren't related, right?

"Actually..." Mima said, poking her index-fingers together. Oh, and I couldn't forget the fact that Mima had really big glasses. "Kid, this is the Garden of Transgression." That didn't sound good. At all. "Misa's... Well, you know how I'm The Truth? Misa's The Lie. This is her garden. This is what she protects." That sounded really bad. Really, really, really bad. I didn't want to be dependent on a stupid lie! Lucrecia folded her arms, tilting her head.

"Ah, so Saivan made you then?"

"Yes, he did."

So wait. If Aysel made Mima, then Saivan really did make Misa! But how...? Wait a second. How did I know she wasn't lying, since she was The Lie and stuff like that? Nothing made sense anymore. I rubbed my temples, closing my eyes. "Can we just... Can we just..."

"No, we can't go in just yet," Misa said abruptly. Then she brought her gaze back at Mima. "Do you have your sticky hand?"

Mima shook her head. "Nope, I left all of that stuff back at the castle." Misa held her pointer out in front of her, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Misa. I just... I thought it would be a good idea for these guys to rest before we set out for Saivan's castle... You're not mad at me, are you?" This was strange. I didn't like this place... I started knitting my fingers together and Miyuki noticed that.

"Stay still, Sayuri."

"_You_ stay still!" I shot back.

"I'm so glad you came, Mima," Misa said. "I've been... Waiting for you."

"You don't say?" Mima answered back. "Well, what would you need me for?" Everything just got silent. Like... Really silent. Misa looked at Adel and nodded her head at him. He didn't know what she was doing. He looked really confused. She dropped her pointer-stick and extended her hand. Something looked really off. Really off. Oh hell no. I felt really bad, and I was going to let everyone know.

"Guys. I don't think this is such a good idea..." I muttered. We Summoners as a whole didn't think this was a good idea, but the Enlightened over there didn't care about what we thought. See! We weren't a team. We were just a group of people forced to work together. Mima shrugged what I said off. Apparently she trusted her. I think people just wanted to sit down and rest. But I didn't trust Misa. Call it Summoner instincts, but something really bad was about to happen, I could feel it.

"There's nothing wrong here, Sayuri," Mima said, reassuring me. "If anything Misa just wants me to learn everything she knows. It'll be quick." Mima grabbed on to Misa's hand and Misa just... Her expression went totally blank. "Uh. Hey. Misa? What's going on with you? Are you okay?" I knew it! Mima tried to pull her hand away, but Misa wasn't going to let her do that. All of us... The Summoners anyway... Took a fighter's stance. What made the others think that this was normal? They weren't worrying. Oh sure, they were_ so _confident!

I take that back. Adel did find something wrong with the way Misa was acting.

"This world is traveling on a path of destruction," Misa murmured. "Don't you feel that, Mima? Even in another dimension I can feel the weight of the world slowly changing underneath my feet. The Dark Ages has been damned for quite some time. Have you felt that?" Mima was far too winded to actually give her a reply. "...The only way to save this world is if we become one. Be happy with me, Mima..."

"Nonsense!" I shouted. "You step away from her—!"

"Miyuki!" Chio shouted, in complete distress. Miyuki wasn't liking this at all. Mima looked back at us, trying desperately to pull her hand back.

"Misa! You're not going to do this are you? You know if we do that then..."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Misa answered. All of a sudden, their hands started sparking and Mima started writhing in pain. She was having trouble breathing, and... This was bad! Kokoro ran up to them and grabbed Mima's shoulder. Only he was propelled backwards and tumbled next to Chio. Chio shrieked at the sight of that and I gritted my teeth. Dammit, did we really just get ambushed? Adel was ready to fight, but Lucrecia...

"So what?" she spat. "Looks like we're going to fight now. Good. Let's steal this place from Misa and take what we fucking want—"

"Everything isn't a battle!" Woah! Hold the phone, way to go Chio. She just yelled at Lucrecia. She had tears flying off her eyelashes but she was really angry. "We have to save Mima! Stop thinking like that, it isn't fair!" … I was going to back up Chio, but Mima and Misa disappeared into a bright light. The house disappeared... And I looked up into the sky. My eyes widened and... This was unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. It was a huge bird thing. Its wings were black and it had sharp talons and—it was just horrible. Mima just got sucked up with Misa and...

I mean this bird was huge. I didn't know what we were going to...

"We fight!" Morta yelled, summoning her scythe. That sounded like an idea, but how were we supposed to fight that? It was so high in the air and...

"It is a Stratoavis," Zed said. "This is what happens when those two merge together." Okay. Sure! Now how the heck were we going to be able to take it down? Its feathers looked like they were disappearing into flames! It looked so strong... Chio grabbed her head, closing her eyes. Her headache was really getting to her now, wasn't it?

"Chio, I—"

"_Don't_ touch me!" she hissed, making me step back. "This isn't what I wanted to fight with you all for! This is all wrong!" What? I didn't exactly promise her that this would all be rainbows and butterflies! Kokoro was trying throw his orb at the thing, but the wind from its wings was pushing it back down to the ground. And then, of course, the wind from Morta's scythe couldn't do anything to it either.

"If we don't figure something out that thing is going to kill us!" I yelled. "...I told you all I had a bad feeling about this! No one listens, do they? Not to me, anyway! As soon as we get out of here, I'm calling the shots!" Yeah, I wouldn't die right here!

"I can't let you get in Saivan's way, kid."

"Mima!" I shouted, looking up. Her voice was all meshed with Misa's, but I could hear her. … But then her wings started to glow a bright, purple light. Everything happened too fast and no one was prepared for what was going to happen. The Stratoavis thing or whatever started to wave its wings and everyone got hit with this thing. Everyone. First thing I felt was a stinging pain through my whole body. I looked at my arms and all I saw was blood. My Summoner outfit was all cut up and my hair... Thank God my hair was still intact.

But my legs were...

I collapsed on the ground.

What happened after that? My whole body was covered in a black light. I couldn't move and I just got really gloomy... I looked at the others and Kokoro and Morta actually got tore up by that attack the same way that I did. Except... Chio... She had summoned Shiva and she had taken most of the wind for her. And of course, Miyuki had gotten hit too. "The Stratoavis has the ability to inflict Darkness, too?" Miyuki muttered, barely able to stand. Oh great. Now my Guardian was out of commission too? So... I glanced towards Aysel's so-called guard and they all looked fine. Stupid mind-shields or whatever!

Those guys weren't Renata, so they couldn't put a shield around us. Oh joy!

I wanted to get up, but I was hurting everywhere and I...

"She's going to do it again," Shiva said, intensively. Chio's eyes widened and she ran in front of everyone, throwing her hands out. She looked so different...

"Stop it!" she yelled, which made the Stratoavis slow down a little in flapping its wings. "If you're going to hit anyone, hit me! … Just don't hurt them. I'm tired of seeing my friends get hurt. I'm tired..." Chio sat down on the ground, her eyes blank. Wait. What was she thinking? Mima was really actually going to do that! I couldn't move because that Darkness stuff was messing with my body! Mima had already charged her wings up and...

"Chio, don't—!" I cried, but I was too late. My eyes dilated and I put my hand back down. She was pummeled with the wind and I had to look away. I didn't want my eyeballs to be sliced because of the wind... I stood up because I really wanted to see what was going on. Chio was safe, wasn't she? Yeah... Shiva protected her. She had to of! I stood up... And then I couldn't move. I looked to my left and Miyuki had been turned to _stone!_

I started touching Miyuki... Poking her... Anything. "Miyuki! Miyuki!" Why couldn't she hear me? That bird... Mima! "Mima I'm going to kill you if you've hurt anyone else!" I couldn't see, and I was too weak to actually do something against that bird. But that was when I saw Lucrecia running towards me, her sling in her hands.

"Okay Summoner Sayuri, looks like we're fighting again," she said, sounding excited. I rolled my eyes. I was going to _leave_ her, actually. I started limping closer to where I remembered seeing the bird and the smoke started to disappear. She was sitting on the ground, but she was digging into the dirt, like something was paining her. Skip Lucrecia, Chio was my _friend _before she was my teammate! I ran towards Chio and she glanced at me...

Next thing I knew, I couldn't move. Which meant... I looked down at my legs and she... Chio had turned them to stone? I looked back up at her and my jaw dropped. "Chio, what's happening to you?" Miyuki met up with Lucrecia and they both stood behind me, cautious.

"This isn't good, and I have no idea how to stop this," Miyuki muttered. "Sayuri! What's happening to Chio is that she's entering Trance Mode." … What the heck is that? Did Miyuki just expect me to know things? "Each of you have one, and you take the form of an animal... Or a beast... But I don't know how to reverse it." The only part I heard was that last part. Damn! I couldn't stop Chio, could I? I looked back at her, hoping she would remember me or something... Morta and Kokoro burst through a smoke cloud and joined Lucrecia and Miyuki. Wait, how did Miyuki get all un-stoned? … Probably Lucrecia.

She tapped both of my legs with her glowing fingers of doom and I gained control over them again.

"We just got done talking to Adel," Morta said, trying to catch her breath. "He says that if we can't handle Mima he'll kill her. So we have to do something. He says that she's a threat that he doesn't think we can take down."

"That's _not_ what we need!" I yelled. "And Adel knows this!"

"But he said if he fought he'd possibly destroy this whole entire dimension, so we need to have everything organized," Morta replied. I shrugged. Oh yeah, right. Adel had horrible powers that no one wanted to see. I kept forgetting that. A light blue mist started to surround Chio... It was all swirling and stuff and her eyes... I stood my ground.

"Guys, when I tell you to jump back, you jump back," I said.

"What? Why the fuck should we—?"

"If you want to live, Lucrecia, you'd listen to what I say now jump!" Everyone listened to me that time. The ground folded and cracked in front of us and Chio erupted in a blue light. The wind was horrible. It was just... Unbearable. Plus, it was putting sand in my wounds. Miyuki held her arm over her eyes, trying to get a better look at the Summoner of Convene.

"When a Summoner enters Trance Mode, they lose all their senses. They lose their morality, and they won't change back until they've taken out their opponent," Miyuki said. "Trance Mode is activated when one is in a dire situation, or when one's emotions are too overwhelming for them to handle." I felt like absolute crap. Chio was taking all of those deaths pretty hard. And at the thought of losing us and Mima, she must have finally cracked... "Whatever she changed into, it's not going to be pretty. It's going to be menacing, and I want everyone to stay out of her way. Trance Mode is exactly what it sounds like. You take on the traits of the thing you've turned into and you forget who your allies are." I gulped. Yep, I was staying away.

Chio let out bloodcurdling screams and I felt so bad for her. We all did, save Lucrecia, who didn't feel bad for anyone. Chio was saying a bunch of stuff but I couldn't understand her. It all came out in really loud screaming... The blue light disappeared, and for the first time we saw her.

She had... A big snake tail! A long, snake tail!

… Wait, no, she resembled a naga... But she was a decent size. She still wasn't huge enough to take on that bird thing! Either way, I couldn't help but tilt my head. Chio looked so different... She kept her torso, but she now had a long, slender, blue anaconda's tail from the stomach down. She also had three vertical blue dots underneath her eyes. She was still wearing the blue long sleeves of her Summoner outfit. Her sleeves extended well past her fingers, hiding her hands. Her brown hair was now long and flowing, and she had longer eyelashes.

She glanced at us and my soul must have jumped out of my body.

She hissed... I don't know who she was hissing out, but I had the unfortunate chance of seeing all four of her tongues. Mima and Misa must have been waiting for Chio to do something... That was a bad move, because Chio slithered across the ground, which made me fall on my butt. It wasn't because she was a snake! Of course not! Even though that was throwing me for a loop too. Every time she... Moved, I guess? The ground beneath us just... Like there was something...

Chio lifted up her arm, and thousands and thousands of snakes just came up out of the ground. How the heck did she—! Oh hell yeah, I was about to scream so loud... But Miyuki smacked me with her tail. "You make a sound and she turns and starts attacking us, you hear?" I nodded, but waaaaah! Snakes! Right next to me in real time! Okay, I wouldn't say anything. I wouldn't say anything. I wouldn't look. Yes, there weren't any snakes slithering around my feet, were there?

I closed my eyes really hard.

And then Lucrecia pushed me. And I fell face first into the snakes.

Okay, I had just about had all the mental scares I could handle.

Luckily, I think Chio hadn't noticed my screaming and wailing and pointed her hand towards the bird. All of those snakes shot up from the ground and constricted Mima, making the bird thing fall on the ground. You know... If I didn't know any better, I would have said Mima was about to fall on top of us. Except Lucrecia teleported us all out of the way! Finally. Finally she did something right for once! The bird thing fell down on the ground and I almost fell over.

… And then Chio wrapped her tail around its neck and snapped it in half...

She couldn't... She couldn't let her live at all...?

"S-she just killed Mima!" I exclaimed. "Guys, she just killed Mima!" Mima's body turned to dust and Chio waved her hand in the air. She hissed some more and all of the snakes got sucked into her sleeve. After they were all gone, Chio turned towards us.

"Get ready, Summoners," Miyuki muttered, her cards in her hands.

"No way! We aren't really going to fight her, are we?" Kokoro asked. Chio charged at us before she could answer, and then she stopped in front of us. Her tail slowly disappeared and the dots on her face vanished. She fell down on the ground and all of us crowded around her. Shiva came back, too. I was wondering where she had gone off to. Turns out... I guess she can't help Chio while she's in Trance Mode...

Shiva picked her up and nodded at us. "She'll be okay. She's with me now."

I could believe Shiva. But Mima... I looked up and the house reappeared. I guess there was no more Mima now, huh? I wanted to cry, really I did, but... I didn't have anymore tears left in me. If this was war... Lucrecia started walking towards the house and I looked up at her. "Well, you said you wanted to rest, right Sumoner Sa-yu-ri?"

… Did she care about anyone at all...?

* * *

**A/N:** Mima and Misa's weapons. The finger-pointing things? Yes. Those are their weapons. XD;;

Hmm. My head kind of hurts. I'm sure when it gets better I'll squee like a little girl at the sight of that Trance Mode. Look at that Trance Mode... XD;; But yep. They're both dead. So... Well... Add those two to my death pile, will you? Sometimes writing a lot of death really takes its toll on you... XD;; I wish I didn't have to kill any more people! But alas! XD;;

... I do. Woe is me.

Who else can I kill, you ask?

... The possibilities. Are endless.

Next chapter may be hard for me. XD;; But I will do it. Gah. I hate the badlands. I hate it so.


	49. Some Deaths Take Forever

**A/N:** Phew! Chapter title lives up to its name. Most definitely. This took me ages to write. ._.

You guys don't even know. I could have been finito with this chapter. I mean it's just a chapter so why did it take me so long to write? Well, if you would kindly get to reading, you'll figure out why. XD One more boring chapter guys. One more boring chapter and we'll reach the climax! Hey! *steps on empty glass bottle* ... What's that thing you're supposed to yell out when you do that? I have no idea, but yeah, do that. XD;

And to Chiharu, a boring chapter for her is one that has lotsa talking in it/and or no fight scene. Baaaw this chapter had BOTH in it. TT_TT

I wasn't feeling this narration either. Something was off. Very, very off. But I kinda sorta figured out why it was off. I still dun like it though. Lucrecia shouldn't be allowed to feel. XD;; So I thought I was doing something very, very wrong for the longest.

At least it's better than that horrid chapter 34! XD;;;

And yes this story now has 400,000 words! XD;;;

* * *

"Atropa, why would you want to see me practice my fighting style?" Kohana asks, stepping across several stones. The rocks are slippery under her feet but she manages to keep her balance, holding the hilt of her sword. Her purple hair falls down her back as she spins in one place. Her black kimono sleeves flutter in the wind as she lifts her arm up, admiring the pink toned flower design on it. Kohana shrugs her shoulders, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Don't get me wrong, Wickedness. I only want to know more about your peculiar means of fighting," Kohana answers, amusement in her voice. The purple-haired woman takes a moment to assess Atropa's answer. It's a shame that she can't talk to her up close and personal. Atropa is, after all, bonded to her soul, so this is the only means of communication they have. Kohana unties her katana from around her waste and starts to admire the cherry blossom trees around her. Holding the blade with her petite fingers, she takes several steps forward, closing her eyes to the sound of the water around her.

"Where do I start then?" Kohana inquires. She glances at her blade, a slight smile on her face. "My sword is called a Praying Mantis Katana!" she declares, raising the sheathed sword in the air. "Hanakotoba is the language of Japanese flowers. I call my sword Amaririsu. It means "shy"... But my sword isn't shy in the act of killing, now is it Atropa~?" When Kohana doesn't get an answer, she smiles and continues talking. It was Atropa's funeral if she actually wanted to listen to what Kohana had to say.

"You and your flowers," Kohana utters. And right after that she starts to grin.

"You didn't let me finish, Atropa~! Anyway, this katana is a symbol of strength and power. That of which I have, by the way. The green silk on the hilt of the sword goes well with the purple of the sheath, doesn't it? I've had this sword for as long as I can remember... It belonged to my grandma! Her name was Akahana. You see, flowers really run in the family..." Kohana unsheathes her blade, examining it. "Akahana was a samurai... And she trained almost everyday with Amaririsu. I'm surprised this blade is still in pretty good shape..."

"You amuse me, Wickedness," Kohana says, laughing. "Why would your blade ever dream of dulling on you? You can always sharpen it with your magic! You are silly. You never do things the way they are supposed to be done. But that is what sets you apart from other hosts that I've had. Never before have I laughed this much. I am actually having fun being cooped up inside of your body."

"Aww, but that's no fun Atropa. Sometimes things are better when you do it the long way~." Kohana jumps across three more stones before standing still on one foot. "Besides, they say our family was put under a curse by flowers. So if I show my appreciation to the flowers... Maybe they'll save me. Ever thought about that? Flowers are so pretty aren't they~?"

"I care not of them. There isn't a reason to. I only see them as decorations."

"We've got to get you out more then, Atropa."

"Perhaps when we reach the Dark Ages?"

"Ah! Yeah! That! Forgot all about that... Um, of course Atropa!" Kohana exclaims, straightening her kimono. She leaps on the tallest rock she can find and gazes at the waterfall. "... I like to think of myself as a samurai... But sometimes all of that form stuff gets boring after a while. And I can't be bothered to equip myself with two swords. Amaririsu is a long-sword katana... Let's say she's longer than twenty-four inches. I'd have to have a short sword too if I want to be an excellent samurai. That's not happening. Too much of a hassle. And I'm too lazy."

"What are you planning to do to the Dark Ages?"

Kohana sits down on the rock, lost in thought. "I don't really know... I don't want to hurt all of the precious flowers that I worked so hard on putting there, but I guess I don't really have much of a choice, do I? And no, you can't steal my thunder. When we get there, you stay quiet! I don't want you stealing any of my kills. You'll make me really angry if you steal my kills."

"Just make sure you don't spend too much time away from me, Wickedness."

"I'm just going to run a few errands, Atropa," Kohana says, grinning. The rocks disappear from underneath her feet and her kimono melts away, revealing her normal attire. She fixes the collar of her white, button-up shirt and makes sure and boots aren't scuffed up. "I kill who I want, then I'll let you have your way with your world." She closes her eyes, slumping over. "And don't eat the world. Sayuri's on that world. Don't you eat it!"

"I can eat whatever I want."

"You eat Sayuri and I personally kill myself," Kohana snorts. "I've told you that before."

A pause, then a smirk. "You think you have me in a box, Kohana? You amuse me even further."

"I _know _I have you in a box, Atropa. We may share my body, but you forget that I control this vessel. It's mine. Like I said. Play with anything you want. You can't eat the Dark Ages. You can eat some other planet, but not the Dark Ages."

"If you really cared about the Dark Ages, you would have saved it by now." Kohana flinches. After that, she rolls her eyes at such an accusation.

"Hey. Don't get all hot and bothered," she replies, shrugging her shoulders. "How much more lenient can I get with the planet? I made sure I warned them... You were there when I warned them. Besides! Asking me to save another world is like asking me to take five-hundred steps backwards. I don't save worlds anymore. I destroy them."

She pauses, snickering to herself. "But watching them kill each other is way more enjoyable then actually doing the killing myself~."

* * *

**-: Chapter Forty-Nine: Some Deaths Take Forever :-**

_So stay awake and I'll stay  
I try and go, but your game  
It waits for me and you, love_

_'Cause I can't breathe  
With these words on my tongue  
But San Francisco still sounds lovely  
'Cause he swears he still loves you  
He still loves you  
He called, lonely_

_The rain  
You see in way too much safety  
'Cause I don't stand a chance  
Any longer than you do my friend  
But you're still keeping me sane_

— "Stay Awake" — Lydia

Annoying Summoner Sayuri brat.

Always getting in my Goddamned way.

Now she wanted to be even more of an annoying bitch and lay in front of me, holding her stupid fucking pillow underneath her belly. I don't know why the fuck she was staring at me, but she was starting to piss me off. I crossed one leg over the other and continued to stare at the whiny bitch, hoping she would burst into a million flames and fucking die. I could always make that happen! This bitch didn't know how good she had it! I should have fucked her up a long time ago, but I had patience.

And I could wait just a little bit longer. I'd get my revenge yet! "Don't look at me like that," she muttered, turning on her back. What did she just say to me? I snarled, glaring at her. Who the hell did she think she was, ordering me around? Stupid fucking kid was lucky she was still alive! I folded my arms. Quite frankly, the badlands did tire me out somewhat, so I wasn't feeling up to yelling at the stupid bitch. "Lucrecia, what's wrong with you? You look like you've eaten a bunch of fish paste."

Now this bitch was just on another level of stupid and irritating! Now she thought she could ask what was wrong with me? Nothing was fucking wrong with me and it wasn't any of her damn business if there was something wrong with me! I thought I had put that bitch in her place the moment she had stepped foot in our world. I told that bitch... I made sure she knew that we were not friends. I had no fucking friends and I didn't waste my time trying to make friends! Especially with a bunch of punk-ass Summoners and their useless pet Guardian! So why did Summoner Sa-yu-ri think that we were on good terms? She must have thought that was the case if she was asking me if I was okay. I glared at her again, standing up. "Shut the fuck up. Why are you asking me if I'm okay? Does it matter?"

"Yes it matters," she murmured, hugging the pillow closer to her. "Lucrecia don't get angry with me! I told you... I told you when we were fighting Cecelia that one day... You're the only one I know that can help me fight. This isn't about me. You're supposed to be helping me protect my friends, and you don't look up to fighting, which is weird for you. Something on your mind?" I looked out the window. Fucking idiot, always trying to get in my business. If it weren't for the fact that the house we were in was so small, I would have smeared Sayuri's head all over the fucking wall. But her Summoner friends might not of liked that. Hmph. Some fucking hero she was, huh? Had to get her friends to help her whenever things got wrong.

I started to leer at her, sitting back down again. "What Sa-yu-ri? Are you going to try and make everything better?" The bitch did exactly what I knew she was going to. She sat up, hugging the pillow even tighter. She looked at me with widened eyes and I could sense the fear radiating from her body. She was _still_ scared of me. Ha, the bitch was always scared of me. Everyone was scared of me. That wasn't anything new, but it was amusing to see that bitch recoil. She thought she had gotten used to me. Apparently-fucking-not. I tilted my head. "You're not a fucking miracle worker. I don't believe in all of that crap. The only thing you should be focused on doing is heading to Saivan's castle. Once we get there you can work all the miracles you want."

"Not if you keep acting like this, Lucrecia!" Eh? So she thought she had guts now? A slight smile danced across my lips as she stood up, balling up her fists. "Like I said, you're not yourself! Even in that fight against Mima I could see it... Normally you would have been all over Mima! You thought I forgot that you could explode stuff up at will? No, I remember that you can still do that. So why didn't you? All you did was prance around and start healing people. What, do you think that's all you're capable of doing? Standing by the sidelines and watching your friends to all the work?" How dare that brat say something like that to me! Why wouldn't she get this through her fucking head? They were not my friends! When you go to war, you fight with random fucking people you don't even know. I didn't know any of them on a personal level... Not even my damn father! We were not a family. I had no fucking family. So why did she keep comparing herself to... Stupid bitch! Only stupid people actually counted on their "friends" to help them.

"I healed you all because you damn well needed it," I said, sitting back down.

"See, there we go again!" she yelled, pointing a finger at me. "You're doing it again, Lucrecia! You just gave up without even trying!" She paused, wiping her forehead. "...If this was the old you, you would have gotten up and flung me across the room..." Did she want me to get up and throw her across the room? It could be arranged! Sure, I could fucking throw her across the room, especially if she asked for it. She didn't know a damn thing about me. I was obviously too tired to get up and do anything. Why did she think I spent the past five hours sitting on the couch all day? Summoner Sayuri was one to talk, too. She was wearing Misa's pajamas, which in itself was absolutely vile and disgusting. I would never put on someone else's fucking clothes.

Whether they are human or not.

It's still fucking disgusting.

"I don't feel like it," I said, seething. "If I don't feel like it then obviously I'm not going to get up and over exert myself."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not fucking kidding."

"Since when do you care about your health?"

I had to stop and think about that for a moment. When I couldn't think of anything else to say Sayuri sat back down and blew strands of her hair out of her face. She thought she knew everything, didn't she? I balled up my mechanical hand, examining my fingers. All of the animosity I was feeling quickly vanished and I looked back at her with a confused expression. Was she trying to help me, or was she trying to make me feel like shit? Because the latter was definitely more apparent than the former. I fucking hated Sayuri, but if she was trying to get through to me. ...She had a point. I knew when I was wrong, and for once, she was right. I didn't care about my health. Hell, it was the reason I had so much work done to my body now.

"Don't blame it on the walk through the badlands, or just getting done fighting Misa and Mima..." Sayuri said, sighing. "There's something wrong with you. I don't want to become the shoulder you start crying on, either, Lucrecia. All I'm saying is that you better shape up. Because when we get to Saivan's castle and you're not fighting like you were doing that crazy stuff to Natalie when we first met, I'm going to be more than pissed at you. I've seen you fight better than you did today. And now that we're so close... Now that I know my friends are taking the fall for you all's mistakes—!"

"_Our _fucking mistakes?" I shouted, balling up my fists. "That's tough talk, Summoner. Tell me, how many more balls are you going to magically grow today?"

"I'm being serious! I was thinking earlier today... Five of my friends died on the way here. And you know what else? Aysel's guard. There used to be _more than just three of you!" _My heart actually stopped for a second when she said that. So what if the bitch was right? It wasn't my fault they were too incompetent to live and died. It wasn't my responsibility to help them live, was it? Fuck no. So why was she yelling at me because they had foolishly died? I rolled my eye, scoffing. "Yep, Chase is still in Austere, and Naira and Defina died before war even started." She paused, looking down at the ground. "Don't you care? Don't you care that your teammates are being killed off and hurt?"

"Tch. No. Why? You've asked me this before, Sa-yu-ri. I don't fucking care. If they die or get severely injured, that's not my fucking fault—"

"It's your _duty _to make sure it never happens again, Lucrecia!"

I gritted my teeth. I was just about done with her petty preaching! "You act like they were never your partners to begin with! In war, you don't know anyone's name. You don't know their background. You just protect that person's back. What if we all died, huh? I'm not asking you to feel sorry if it does happen—even though you really should—but what would you do? You'd be the only person alive and the enemy would then eat you alive. So think before we go back out there and before you laugh at someone for going into Trance Mode because they cared about _your_ life." Ha, so her little Summoner feelings were hurt because I laughed at Chio? This is what this was all about. Oh well. That bitch needed tougher skin. I found it funny. And? If I found it funny I was going to laugh at it.

"If I'm the last one standing, then so be it," I snorted. "It's not like I need your help anyway." I looked away from her for a second, gazing through the window. "I don't need anyone's fucking help."

"You're an idiot, you know that? You're not a one man army, Lucrecia—" I was an idiot? She was lucky that I didn't really care what the hell she was talking about right now. I was thinking about other things. I was going to say something to that dumb bitch but another one of her Summoner friends walked into the room. It was Kokoro, naturally. Sayuri turned towards him and sighed again. She was doing a lot of that, wasn't she? Aww, was the bitch stressed out? It served her right. She wasn't doing any fucking thing anyway, which was why she was pissing me off. Oh, it's the holy Summoner of Time! Piss off. The person sitting in front of me was no messiah. Fucking joke was what she was.

"Oh, hi, Kokoro," Sayuri said, stretching across the floor. "What do you want?"

"... I came to check up on you guys. You're being really loud, you know..." You know what? I couldn't sit here with a straight and honestly face. It was unbearable, being in the same place as the fucking Summoners. This whole journey to Saivan's castle had been nothing but fucking stress. If you asked me, this stuff about reshaping the country may have been for the best. I already had a damn Shadow so I didn't have much to lose on that aspect. The country was going straight to hell anyway. I should have never left Aysel to begin with. I'd have a silent castle to myself and I wouldn't know some of the stuff I knew now. I'd be... Content. Normal. Everything would be back to the way things were. But no. I had to tag along with the damn Summoners and the rest of Aysel's guard.

They all made me fucking sick.

I grabbed for my canteen, needing a quick drink. That bitch must have saw me reaching for it while she was talking to Kokoro and narrowed her eyes at me. "No, Lucrecia. Not when we're about to take out a whole castle in a second. You've got some really bad habits that you need to kill." What the fuck was she talking about? I always had a little swig. And we weren't about to fight damn Saivan today! We probably wouldn't even bump into him any time soon either! If anything it'd take a couple of days! Didn't that bitch know that? Or was she still playing in her own fantasy land? Everything wasn't all fucking rainbows and butterflies and she knew that.

"Calm your ass down," I said, taking a drink. I sighed and tilted my head back. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"You don't listen to anyone! Jeez, you're so annoying..." If anyone was being fucking annoying it was her. Honestly, I didn't get her. First she assaulted me and took my damn arm off... And then she came back and decided to be my fucking friend? I never would have guessed that I'd be in a war. No less with her, of course. And she was still the shitty fighter she was all of those years ago. She stood up and sighed. I guess she had gotten done telling him whatever she was telling him, so he walked upstairs. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep. Was sleep too much to ask for these days?

"So what now. You're going to bitch about me drinking?"

"Do whatever you want," she muttered. "You know what I need you to do. I need you to be the horrible person that you are tomorrow. Because you're not being horrible enough to me and that makes me a little bit worried. Oh, and Lucrecia? When this is all over... When we finally show Saivan what for and save this world from all of the clones and Shadows and Apathīa and all of that bad stuff, I'm going to take you to go get some pie!" She was serious. That bitch was serious. She smiled and threw her arm up in the air. Serious. I blinked, somewhat amused by what she just did. "I want to apologize for everything you think I did, even though I didn't do it. Trust me, if I took your arm... No. I'm not even capable of it. Someone else must have taken it... But I'm sorry for your arm being missing anyway. I just want to be your friend."

She wanted... To be my friend? After all of this time I spent trying to kill her? No wonder the bitch was stupid. I snorted and rolled my eyes. She looked towards the kitchen and then looked back at me. Did she really think curing Apathīa would be that fast? Did she really think beating Saivan would be that fast? All of that stuff would take maybe weeks to do. But she was the supposed Summoner of Time. ...And she didn't do a Goddamn thing about anything. What a hypocrite. "Anyway, you think about that." Sayuri yawned and then stretched. "It's time for me to hit the sack. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. If anything Saivan's probably got a lovely gift waiting for us, you know? And I don't want to find out what those gifts are... But he's not stupid! Saivan was never stupid. So be ready, okay, Lucrecia?"

She should have been taking her own damn advice. I took another drink of the vodka in my canteen.

She took that annoying pillow with her too and walked up what twelve steps there were. Now it was just me. And I was glad to be alone.

What was I going to do now? If we really got inside of Saivan's castle, there would be... We would have ran into those Shadows eventually. And there's no telling what's inside of that bastard's castle. I leaned back and sighed. If I would have known all of this was going to be so stressful, I would have never agreed to come anyway. But that Summoner brat probably would have forced me to go. But still, I didn't listen to anyone so why was I acting so strange...?

I think it was because of Cecelia. I wasn't expecting to see her until we got to Saivan's castle, but there was something different about the dumb bitch. I snorted at the thought. It wasn't like she had real, actual feelings, but there was something in her that did signal her wanting to change. She knew more than anyone that she couldn't change. She did whatever the fuck she was programed to do. Why was she trying to fight her programing? True, she was human once, but she had been through years of experimentation. And in a way... So did I. So how did we turn out so different?

I don't care who she thought had gotten lucky... I didn't get lucky. I didn't... I wasn't able to escape any-fucking-thing. Shit just started happening and I couldn't stop stuff from breaking in front of me. I'm no Goddamn hero, but sometimes I wish I was... I shook my head. Okay, now I was just being fucking stupid. Shit happened for a reason. All of that wasn't my fault. And what if... I stood up, banging my hand softly against the wall. The things that I did now... They'd influence things to come. They'd determine whether we would make it to Saivan's castle... They determined whether we would get there in one piece or not...

Life was a bitch. Why it put me in charge of everything I'd never know. I wasn't built for this shit. That thing I made to control the climate and terrain of the badlands... No one else was capable of making something like it. It basically tampered with the magical barrier Saivan put around the place. That's all it did. But that little device was the reason we all were alive now. So if the device was responsible for keeping us all alive, then that ultimately meant I was the reason why we were still alive. I didn't like that stupid shit. I didn't want to be the reason for anything anymore. I had no right to say I saved people. All I did was get them killed. All I did was...

Because I'm a coward, I let stupid fucking shit happen all the time and I don't do anything about it. It's all because of these silly feelings and emotions I have. Summoner Sayuri was too much of a dumb idiot to realize this, but... I had actually grown to have a little bit of respect for her. Sure she was a dumb bitch, but she fought things I wouldn't have the guts to battle. If I had to fight Cecelia... Really fight her like that in front of Saivan, I'd probably be too chickenshit to do it and that fucking pissed me off. It wasn't that I didn't care about everyone around me... I was just jealous of everything they were capable of doing. Down to that Nocuous bastard Chase. He had enough guts to go up against a Shadow _alone. _And it looked like he actually won. Save being beaten to death. Ha, I still thought that crap was reckless and funny, but I'd never do something so stupid!

I wouldn't put my life on the line for my friends, bottom line. Not anymore. There was a time where I used to be able to do that, but now? I wasn't going to do that ever again. Every time I honestly, genuinely tried to protect someone with my life I'd always, always, always find someway to fuck it all up. It's probably some sort of new defense mechanism I've learned, but... I'd rather sit back and laugh at how stupid people are being than to end up failing trying to save them. It's not that fucking hard to see, so I didn't get why Summoner Sayuri wasn't getting that. I'm not all about teamwork. Each and every person has one life to live. Just because we're on the same fucking team doesn't amount to shit. The only person I honestly have to look out for is me, isn't it?

It was eating at the back of my mind. A part of me didn't want anything to do with Saivan's castle, and there was no turning back now. If I didn't want to come in the first place I should have just stayed in Austere, but I knew these guys were nothing without me. Even Adel knew that. I knew more things about Saivan and his henchmen than anyone else did. As such, I kind of had an obligation to stay with all of these bastards. They wouldn't last a chance without me. Although I desperately dreaded coming here. I closed my eye, sitting back down. I wouldn't dare think of leaving all of them in this dimension—but it didn't sound like a bad idea. I don't know what was wrong with me; I wasn't one to run away from my problems, but I didn't want to face my _past _problems.

Sayuri wanted me to fight? I was damn tired of fighting. I wanted to rest. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to... If she heard me talking like this she would kick my ass. Or at least try to. Even if she was afraid of me she still wanted to get my ass back in gear. It was funny... Before I started going to the Science Department, I was so afraid of fighting and war. I didn't like it at all, and I was really upset when I found out I'd be fighting for the rest of my life. And I agreed to it before hand so I couldn't get out of it. How could something that happened a couple of years ago... Still affect me now? I thought those memories had died a long time ago, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe all I needed was some sleep.

Sleeping.

In this hell hole.

Oh joy. Because that's what would really stop me from worrying. I wasn't supposed to end up in this fucked up dimension. I was suppose to be something great. Saivan and Aysel both fucked me sideways on this one. My life wasn't supposed to turn out like this I was still supposed to have my arm and... Issaru was supposed to still be alive and... I took the rubber band out of my hair and ran my fingers through it. It wouldn't hurt if I just rested my head for a little while. And who knows? I might have felt better in the morning and up to fighting. I should have went up stairs, since there were more than enough rooms for everyone, but I was too tired to get my ass up those stairs.

I couldn't wait until I got back into my room... Into my laboratory.

I kept having to tell myself that I wasn't sleeping. That I was merely taking a nap. Even my body could tell that I was lying to myself. I took off my glasses and tried to concentrate hard on sleeping. I bet everyone else was sound asleep. Everything was just fucking frustrating, wasn't it? Now not only could I not stop worrying, but I couldn't go to sleep either? I put my hands over my eyes, recognizing the cold steel of my mechanical hand. The only reason I had that Goddamned arm was because I had fucked up. I wasn't going to mess up again. I couldn't afford any mess ups, but... Was I actually capable of not fucking up everything when I had already fucked up so much stuff already?

I turned around on my side, knitting my fingers. "Fuck I give up!" I exclaimed, sitting up again. I rubbed my eye and put back on my glasses. I didn't mind staying up all night thinking about all my problems. I did that anyway. I closed my eye and sighed to myself, noticing that fucktard of a tactician walking down the steps. Great. More stress, right? I was getting too fucking old for this shit. It was partially his fucking fault I was so flustered anyway. Just what the fuck was he planning? I didn't need any confirmation; I knew that bastard was planning something and a part of me didn't really want to know what that was either. I honestly... Didn't want him dying now.

"Ah Doctor! You look like you have not slept in ages." No shit. I turned my head and glared at him, but then I realized he wasn't worth my time. "Have you been getting any sleep lately?" What a fucking stupid question to ask me. Of course not. I'm sure he noticed the bags under my eyes. It wasn't like I got much sleep anyway. But right now I wanted so desperately to just forget everything for just _one_ second... For just _one _minute... I wanted to just be able to sleep. But I couldn't even have that! All because of this bastard standing a few feat away from me. Stupid fucktard. Messing up my sleeping patterns. But I wasn't worried about him. Me? Worried? Ha. Don't make me fucking laugh. I wanted him to get the fuck out of my face, if anything.

"No. How'd you guess?" I said, opening my eye and sighing again. The guy was obviously sure of himself. I wanted to wipe that smug look off his face. He was obviously fucking around with me. Why was I even tolerating his bullshit anymore? Why was I tolerating anyone's bullshit anymore... Summoner Sayuri was right, something was bothering me. I looked the other way for a quick second, irritated. But I wasn't giving up! No, that wasn't the sign of giving up! Only failures gave up, and I immediately looked back at him. There was something glinting in his turquoise-colored eyes... I couldn't tell what it was, but obviously it was something demented. Fucking bastard.

He folded his arms, amused at my reply. "Of course the bags under your eyes would indicate you are tired, Doctor." I had said that before! He acted like I was dense. I wasn't fucking stupid! "Poor you. You should not try to stay up so late, yes?" I didn't try. It was something that just happened! I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists. I wanted him to just... Dammit. I wasn't going to be turned into an helpless pile of ash. Obviously I was too tired to sit here and argue with him. It was late, didn't he fucking know that?

"It's not like I stay up on purpose," I muttered. "What the hell are you doing up anyway?" As if he knew I was going to ask him that he titled his head, putting on a coy smile. I rolled my eyes, looking at the ceiling. Heaven fucking help me. If he said something that I didn't like... I would get up and smash his head against the floor. "I have a reason for still being up. I can withstand the badlands' fucked up way of greeting a person. You? Not so much." He didn't give me an answer... But pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a key. What the fuck would he have a key for? Unless it was the key to the... _Dimension?_ How the hell did he get that? I stood up immediately, prodding his chest. "Where the hell did that come from!"

He smiled at my reaction, swinging the key around his index-finger, almost daring me to take it. And I would have if I wasn't so damn surprised. That was _Adel's _key. There was no way he took that thing off Adel, and Adel wouldn't just give it to him either. I ran my fleshy fingers through my hair, looking at the ceiling again. "You have not noticed it by now, Doctor?" Noticed what? What the fuck was there to notice now? Was he going to tell me that he was Aysel's great, great aunt? I didn't have it in me to listen to anymore secrets from _anyone._ Not Summoner Sayuri, not her friends, not Saivan, not my Shadow, and definitely not Zed. "All the Wicked Spawn you see... I control them."

That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it still upset me. I scowled, tapping my fingers on my arm. "Really. Oh, that's nice. Now tell me why the hell you have that key." I didn't care about the little monsters he had following him. But then again that would have answered a lot of things. So the ones at the entrance of Austere... That was him as well. I seethed, looking the other way. I wasn't this stupid, and I—I did see that. Or maybe I didn't. Maybe people were pulling the wool over my eyes. They were always doing that to me and it made me fucking angry. By now I was almost sure he thought he was smarter than me. I'd take that defeat. For now.

"Well Doctor, if you must be so impatient with me..."

"Stop beating around the bush."

"I was going to finish what I started—"

"Don't do that," I murmured, pressing my fingertips against his chest. I was trying to push the idiot away from me, but something was definitely wrong. I didn't like this... This made me feel uncomfortable. Was I really actually begging that bastard not to do something extremely stupid and foolish? If he ended up dying that would be his fucking fault, right? Right? I looked at the ground and then looked back at him, an unsure look on my face. He grinned slightly at me, stepping back.

"And why not, Doctor?" he answered, shrugging his shoulders. I didn't know what the fuck he wanted me to say to him; he was obviously waiting for me to say something to his deluded ass. But what the hell did he want me to say? That everything was going to be all right when all of this was said and done? "No one ever got anything done waiting around. You of all people should know that." I gritted my teeth, but only slightly. The bastard was fucking with me after all.

"I—I don't know," I replied. I shook my head, closing my eye. I wasn't thinking at all, which was strange. I was always thinking... Normally I thought about things before I said them, but now I was just coming off as fucking desperate. I didn't need him here, but he saw through my lame-ass facade. How the hell was he doing that? It frustrated me to no end. But he knew I needed him here... And in the back of my mind I knew that as well. But for fuck's sake, what was wrong with me? I didn't break to stupid things like this so why was I tripping over my words?

"Actually Doctor, I have never seen you so scared!" My eye widened at that cheap-ass accusation. I didn't look scared. … I was almost sure I looked more confused than anything, but maybe he saw through that too? I refused to believe that this less-than-important bitch was pulling one over on me, of all people! "And I have never seen you so tired. Something on your mind?" He knew damn well what was bothering me. He had made that apparent just a few seconds ago! I wasn't going to stand there looking like a babbling fool!

"It's nothing," I shot, quirking my nose. "You're going to do something that's going to get you killed." In the back of my mind I was cursing myself out. Why was I fucking caring so much about whatever the fuck he did with his life! This went against everything I was initially talking about before! "So... You got some Wicked Spawn to steal the key away from Adel. What are you planning to use it for? If you went through all of that fucking trouble to get a measly key, you must be planning something." I guess he also figured out that Adel was a heavy sleeper, too. Hell, he might have had less problems just going in there and stealing it himself. I rolled my eye. Adel needed to be more cautious of his surroundings. Now I was going to end up paying for his mistakes.

Something broke, and I knew I didn't break anything. Zed, apparently, didn't know what it was either, but when we turned around, Sayuri was standing there with her eyes closed... The bitch was sleepwalking, and she tried to walk upstairs with a glass of milk. How annoying. She smacked her lips and shook her head... Silently telling the milk that she didn't need it anymore and continued to walk up the stairs with a slight smile on her face, which indicated she had taken a drink before she dropped it. How wonderful. She had better of been prepared for tomorrow, fucking walking around when she should have been sleeping! … I wasn't any better. Here I was looking like a fool and not doing anything about it.

"If you want to know, Doctor, I suggest you follow me." I was late. I was tired. I had the mind to throw up my middle finger and sit back on the couch but I decided to go along with it. I knew something was going to go bad any second now, and it might have been all his fault. If he had the guts to steal something from Adel, he most definitely had the guts to screw something up big time. He was working for Saivan, after all. The ground felt weird under my heels... I guess I was finally starting to pay more attention to the things around me. It was just dirt. Why was I paying attention to it so much? I started going over possible scenarios in my head, but frankly, I couldn't focus on one thing so I stopped that. Finally, the bastard turned around and smirked at me, superiority damn near falling off him. I folded my arms, leaning my head against my left hand.

"So," I said, tilting my head and lifting a brow. It was cold. I didn't like the cold. I didn't like standing here and being jumbled up in my emotions, either. He put the key back in his pocket, closing his eyes and then looking back at me.

"Doctor, I am going to lock this place with the Summoners inside of it." Wait. What. I zoned out completely on that. I clapped both of my hands together and licked my lips, trying to replay that sentance inside of my head. And each time it replayed in my head I still didn't get what he was trying to say. I switched my footing, thinking I'd get the the gist of what he said if I shifted my stance. Still, nothing. I opened my eye again, staring at him.

"You're going to do _what?" _I asked. "That's... You're not really going to lock them in this dimension—!"

"I know you have seemed to form an alliance with them," he said, snorting. "But yes, that is what I plan to do. I was going to do it now but you wholeheartedly interrupted me, Doctor." Damn right I did. When the hell was that fucktard going to tell me he was going to lock them in this hell hole of a dimension? Now I was pissed. If he was going to do that, he was going to lock me up right along with them! It was irritating me, yes, but I managed to keep a somewhat straight face. I couldn't let him know that he was bothering me... Even though he probably already could tell.

"It's _not _an alliance," I spat. "And you know that. At least I'm not being a big bitch over you working with Saivan. That's why you're doing this, right? To stop them from getting into his castle? When the fuck were you going to tell me and Adel that you were going to close this damn dimension up?" I was expecting a bitchass reply, something that was shattered-jaw worthy, but I guess he was still thinking of something to say. That, or he was too amused with how I was reacting to everything he was doing. And I'd agree, I wasn't in my right mind today. … And then he started laughing. At _me._ I took a step back, glancing at the ground. Why was I so skittish today?

"Doctor, don't be so silly," he said, waving his hand in the air carelessly. I gritted my teeth at the sound of his voice. "This has nothing to do with Saivan. You sure do not live up to your name. I thought you were observant." I was observant. That bastard was going to get enough of insulting me! "The Summoners must be detained because they will simply get in my way. And if I had to lock both of you in here with them, what harm would it bring? Obviously, you and your father would be in this dimension, and I would be in Aysel." So that bastard wasn't going to tell me after all? Well then, it was a good idea I decided not to go to sleep, huh?

I clenched my fists, grinning at him and tilting my head. "So what? Did I put a flaw in your plans—" I didn't even get to finish my sentence. I felt something breathe up on me... And when I turned around I was surrounded with all kinds of monsters. Earth Eaters to Wicked Spawn... They were all there. They had came out of nowhere, too, and that's when I started sneering at the bastard. But I'd keep my cool. Forget it, I was up for some after midnight pre-hurt fest time! I looked at my mechanical hand, watching it glow a bright blue. Small fry I could handle. This wouldn't be a problem.

"Doctor, you are the only one who has the ability to make the badlands not so bad, correct?" He glanced at me and I thought about it. He was right... So he had no choice but to tell me. Either way, I smirked.

"And you're not getting it because it's built into my arm," I shot back, simpering. "You're going to fuck around and I'm going to kill your ass." I paused, standing up straight and relaxed. "You do realize that all of these things are easy for me to take out. Maybe not for the Summoners, but I've been fighting these ridiculous-ass monsters for quite some time. You need to think of a better plan you miserable fuck."

"Still holding on to our little bet, Doctor?" I gasped, but only on the inside. Okay, so maybe he knew he'd got me with that. Technically, he was in my damn way _now,_ but I wasn't in my right mind... There was no way I could kill him because something was forbidding me to actually do that. It was starting to irritate the hell out of me! "Do not look so surprised! If you wanted me to stop, you would have said so a long time ago!" The sureness in his tone was throwing me for a loop. What else did he fucking want from me? I told him to stop ages ago! I wasn't going to beg and plead him to stop.

"I mean it too," I spat. "You can't lock the Summoners in here. Who the hell is going to get them out afterward? Saivan didn't make that key, Aysel did, and it's one of a kind. If both Mima and Misa are dead, the only way to get into this dimensions is with _that _key. They'd be stuck here forever, but that's the plan isn't it?" I paused, grinning. "You must be really loyal to Saivan, then. You've been working with the Summoners just like I have. They're deserving people."

"How many times must I reiterate it, Doctor?" he said, dangling the key in front of me. I was going to fling him across the air! He took another step back away from me, a playful smile dancing on his lips. "This is not for Saivan, nor the Mistress. I have not been in an alliance with them... Merely using them!" Bullshit! I wasn't going to believe that! So this bastard was basically saying he was fooling _everyone?_ "Why the long face? How else would I know both of their weaknesses? The Mistress is a fool all on her own; I am not worried about her. But Saivan does pose a threat to me, which is why I have been studying his mannerisms for the longest. I know him better than he knows himself."

Maybe... I underestimated what he was capable of doing.

I slumped my shoulders, tilting my head. "You've seen a flaw in his stance. And now you're planning to—"

"Kill him? How frank, Doctor!" Something told me that the mocking tone of his voice was actually serious. He had been planning this for ages, hadn't he? I blinked at the thought, feeling somewhat inadequate. "I am fully capable of it. I have control of all the beasts that he has had created, right? And I know all his weaknesses... That is not to say I am ignoring his strengths, of course!" He was talking about this like it was something you could go over in a normal conversation. This wasn't a normal conversation. I never realized how fucking insane he was. I knew he had a problem, but this just went... And he had this all planed. He had gotten so far in this and didn't lose _anything._ Why couldn't I...

"Queen Aysel is going to do something that will wipe her very existence off the face of the planet," he said, wiping some of his hair out of his eyes. "And when she does that I will simply take Saivan out of the equation."

"And then become the new king," I murmured to myself, putting two and two together. It would only make sense. "And you need the Summoners out of the way so you can achieve this goal? So you were anticipating all of this. In a way you needed Aysel's guard to vanish." I stood up straight, balling up my fists. "If everyone died... Naira, Adel, Chase... There would be no one eligible to take the throne, increasing your chances of taking it." I paused, my eye darkening. "This was all just a chess game to you. As much as I want to say this is all impressive, I still hold true in my bet," I said, leering at him. "Whatever Aysel's going to do is bound to kill Renata, which leads me to believe that the whole kingdom might be tampered with. What if the monarchy falls?"

"And become a republic?" he said, tilting his head. "The people are not ready for that. Don't make me laugh, Doctor!" This is why I didn't like being involved in things! Fuck, I didn't know what to do now. I was almost tempted to give up. I was done trying. He stopped laughing and looked at me, extending his hand. I looked at him, dumbfounded. "Are you done wasting my time or are you going to come with me? You have realized that I know where Saivan's castle is, therefore I can get us there in no time. I just need the help of your device to make sure I get there safely."

I gave up just then. My body just didn't want to fight off the mixed emotions I was feeling, and I didn't want to be a failure any longer. I didn't want anything to do his fucking ass. I was done with the conspiracy and all of that shit. I just wanted to live like a normal person. When I took his hand, my whole body suddenly _melted._ I didn't want to let his hand go. He was the only one that bothered to listen to me when I needed to talk, and the only other person that knew what happened to my arm. Surely he wasn't as batshit as he was coming off to be. I leaned against him and swept into his mouth, trying to forget everything I was feeling. I smiled, being absorbed in the way he caressed my lips with his.

The kiss was calm and, dare I say it, sweet. Nothing could go wrong, I thought for a second.

Then I realized what I had done.

And freaked the fuck out. But you know what? It was worth every damn tear. I had finally come to terms with my feelings, and I wasn't going to fuck this up by being stupid. Too bad he really was getting in my way. "Zed," I murmured. "I didn't tell you because I was scared you'd disappear like everyone else. I was really, really fucking scared. So I acted like I didn't care and I pretended. But really I—" I paused again. This shit would really come back to bite me in a few minutes. "—I loved you all along."

"And I have known that all along, Doctor," he replies, sure of himself. "That is the reason you will never kill me, after all!" I didn't know whether I should have been offended by that, or relieved. Either way he pulled out the key and unlocked the door into the badlands. I knew just how to handle this, even though I knew it was going to hurt. I knitted my fingers together, watching my body glow a transparent blue. That would at least help me for a few minutes against the climate. When we stepped through the door, it was scorching hot. I glanced at my fleshy arm and notice my sweat glands doing their jobs.

It may have been hot, but I could withstand it. I didn't turn the device on yet and made him stand in the heat for a couple of minutes. He... Most likely knew I was hesitating... But it was all for a good reason. "Thank you Doctor. I appreciate it."

I scoffed.

Couldn't he call me by my name? At least once? "I feel sorry for you too, Zed," I said, tilting my head and lifting up my mechanical arm. He wouldn't know what hit him. I didn't want to do this, but it had to be done. "But I told you what would happen if you got in my way. And killing the Summoners means killing my hope." I clutched my hand and the climate abruptly changed. Everything was ice cold and it was snow-storming. The coat of focal energy protected me—more specifically my heart—but he wasn't so lucky.

I tilted my head, scowling as I watched him fall backwards. When you put someone in a hot environment, and then suddenly make it really cold... Their heart tries to adapt and ends up pumping faster. Too much of a quick change and it _explodes._ I grinned, retrieving the key from his hand. "The Earth Eaters around here should take care of your body before we walk back out. You should have been more careful," I snorted. "I always keep my word."

I opened the door again and walked back into the alternate dimension.

I wasn't going to let any fool live that thought that had the upper-hand on my emotions.

What did I look like? A fucking fool?

* * *

**A/N:** Sayonara and good riddance. Hahaha. XD;;;

I have no regrets. You know I felt sorry for him.

... And then I_ wrote_ the chapter.

And got pissed. So. *shrugs*

I'm upset Lucrecia just killed the object of her affection though~ D: *shot*

Ooooh Sayuri's gonna be so pissed next chapter it's not even gonna be funny. Remember that thing she was talking about last chapter about not wanting to sleep because every time she woke up someone would have died the same night of her sleeping? XD;;; I'm expecting Lucrecia to get yelled at now about camaraderie and crap. She deserves it, she really does. Because I'm tired of writing her bitchassness all the time, and now that we're getting close to the wire, _something_ needs to happen, che. Care about your teammates, dammit! D:

CARE. ABOUT. THEM.

But no! Really! XD Tears of joy people, I just freed myself of that snake and I'm so happpyyyyy. The only thing that could make my happiness more... Epic is if Aysel somehow combusted into a million flames. But after chapter 50, there's nothing but smooth sailing. Smooth sailing until the last chapter of the arc.

But baaah I miss Chase! D:


	50. White Coats And Their Medicine

**A/N:** Okay man. I don't care who hears. XD;; I'm the shit right now. 50 chapters. Now what? Ain't nobody got nothing on these 50 chapters, man! Nobody! :D

This chapter made me SO proud of Sayuri, guys. I mean, just read the first half. I don't even care about everything else. XD;;;; Sayuri's my lovely protagonist. *pets* Yeah, yeah. This flashback. bah. Just go to the chapter! D: And now that I've written 50 chapters, I'm going to just have to write 50 more chapters, right? And then 50 more chapters after that! I'm not stopping until I've finished this story! Nothing is going to make me stop, and no one's going to tell me otherwise!

Anyway, we all should know what happened in the last chapter.

And as such, this chapter title is a call-out to Lucrecia! XD;;;

Yes, because white-coats SO means doctors. D:

Ffff, get with my slang. XD;;;;

* * *

"Flower, where in the world did you go?" Suzuki calls, narrowing his eyes, trying to navigate his way through the forest. He starts to twirl the pencil in his right hand, mentally sighing. He hates humans—but more importantly—he hates the planet Earth. For one, they have untamed forests. Like the one he's in now. Maybe if they work a little harder to make sure stray branches don't hit people in the face while they're looking for a friend... He shakes his head, scowling. Right now, he just needs to find his friend.

She was just standing next to him a second ago. Where could she have gone? He abruptly stops, touching his forehead and cursing under his breath. Next time he's just going to send someone after the little annoyance. Next time he's not going to accompany Flower. This is absolutely nerve-wracking... Not to mention it's severely hot outside. He should have waited. He should have found the brat in the nighttime. At least that would have been easier for him. He takes a few more, lazy steps forward and something catches his eye. There's a human child. In the middle of this forest. … Doing what appears to be trying to resurrect something.

She keeps lifting her arms up in the air. And she's chanting. Wait. She isn't just doing that for no reason. It looks as if she's actually trying to make a flower grow. Through what appears to be... Suzuki squints his eyes even more. _Why am I paying so much attention to a disgusting human,_ he chides, gasping haughtily. But the little human girl in front of him is showing so much talent... She shouldn't know how to make a flower grow in only a matter of seconds. Why is she...? That's when it hits the King of Essences. "Flower...!" he suddenly exclaims, looking to his left. There he finds the volunteer Essence standing right next to him, she, too, admiring the little girl's work.

The flower Essence tilts her head, letting her luscious red hair bounce behind her. She examines the rose tattoo on her right arm before gazing back at Suzuki. With her mouth ajar she runs her red-painted fingernails up her arm, a little nervous. "Is it that she can sense that I am near, or is she just doing this all on her own, Your Majesty?" Suzuki continues to stare at the little girl. She is truly an oddity. Then it occurs to him that that is the girl he's been looking for all along. She matches the description... But why is she trying to make sunflowers grow? His attention shifts towards the giant sunflower that resides in her hair. "Oh! So this is the dreamer of planet Earth..." Flower mummers, letting the moist grass get in-between her freshly painted red toes. "She's much younger than I imagined her to be."

"Dreamers come in all shapes and sizes," Suzuki mutters. "I can't believe I'm going to talk to an eleven-year-old brat." He pauses, glancing at the red-headed Essence. "I'm not doing this again. I've decided I'm going to stop coming to worlds all together and just contact these people in their dreams. This is just too much of a hassle. And now we've got to explain ourselves to a mere _human."_ Flower tilts her head, daring to walk closer to the girl. Suzuki mutters under his breath. He has a mind to tell the Essence to stop walking, but he keeps his mouth closed. The little girl, dressed in a traditional pink kimono, turns around and stares at the woman.

Her sunflower instantaneously falls down, and to that the girl groans loudly, looking at her hands. "These hands!" she murmurs, dramatically falling on her knees in front of the voluptuous Essence. "These hands! They kill! All I wanted was a freaking flower and I can't even get that! This forest sucks! Sucks!" The girl stomps around huffing. She then turns around, putting her hand out towards the flower Essence. "Hi, I'm Sayuri! Who are you, Lady? You kind of snuck up on me and you ruined my concentration there!" Flower blinks at the girl's friendliness. Doesn't she know that she's not suppose to talk to strangers? Even still, Flower is intrigued.

"You... You know how to use magic?"

"Yep!" Sayuri exclaims, pointing at herself. She smiles, revealing that she's missing a front tooth. Her big, emerald eyes sparkle. "I only know how ta do them with flowers, though! I love flowers. My mom hates flowers. But I love flowers! I dream of them, and I sleep with them, and I hide them from her!" Sayuri pauses, glancing at the dirt. "Ta only reason why I'm out here in this stupid forest is because I can't grow a biiiig flower in our backyard. I mean Mommy really hates flowers... I don't see why..." Flower touches the sunflower in Sayuri's hair, her mouth forming into an 'o'.

"Such dedication!" she says in awe. "No, no! This mustn't do. You need better hair decorations! Mere sunflowers simply won't do for a human such as yourself." Suzuki, who's been ignoring Flower's interaction with Sayuri so far, steps out of the bushes and dusts himself off, quirking his nose.

"Must you interact with the vile vermin, Flower?"

"Hey Mister!" Sayuri shouts. "I dunno what you called me but I don't like it!"

"I'm sure you don't," Suzuki replies, closing his eyes and fixing the cuffs on his shirt. "And I'm sure you don't know what you're doing out here either. At any rate, I need you for something, Sayuri Outtaike. That is your name, correct?" Sayuri nods her head, glaring at him. Flower glances at her king, and then she glances back at Sayuri.

"Ah, well then. My Lord doesn't want me to speak to you, Sayuri. So I'm afraid we can't discuss this issue. But if you want to make a bright, vibrant flower, you have to inhale and feel it within you. Let the beauty that is in you manifest into the most vibrant of vibrant flowers! I see potential in you—"

"Flower, you're doing it again. Stop talking to this garbage. It's a human. It's not worthy of your time."

"Says you, old man!" Sayuri hisses, pointing at him. She tries to punch Suzuki, albeit clumsily, but he grabs her arm, lifting her in the air. He rolls his eyes, sighing.

"Oh, I'm so glad I have to spend time with an eleven-year-old brat..." he murmurs.

"I'm not eleven! I'll be twelve in a month! What about you? You look like you're two-hundred!"

"Ouch. You hurt my feelings," he replies, sarcastically. He lifts Sayuri up so he can get the appropriate eye-contact. "I _don't _age." At a loss for words, and not knowing what else to do, Sayuri sinks her sharp teeth into Suzuki's arm, making him cry out in pain as he drops her. He turns away from her, examining the bite marks she's left on his skin.

"Argh, the thing bit me!" he carps, glaring at Flower, who is now trying to see his wound. He stands up straight, looming over the purple-haired girl. "I'll let you know one thing, Sayuri Outtaike! From now on you and I are going to be pretty close friends. And if you bite me again, I'll make sure you have nightmares for the rest of your life!"

She glares at the taller man, frowning.

A challenge?

She'd see about that.

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty: White Coats And Their Medicine :-**

_Disenchanting and contagious when we think that we're in love  
Superfluous, disengaging when we think we are in love  
Pointless words when it comes to push and shove  
We're just kids in grown up bodies, right?  
I am right aren't I?  
We thought we were in love_

_We can fall, just one time  
It still hurts in rewind  
You can heal broken hearts  
And replace with spare parts_

— "Cupid Missed His Mark" — Burden Of A Day

Okay. Stop everything.

Today. At this point in time? I couldn't tell you how angry I was with Lucrecia. I was boiling in rage. I couldn't even breathe I was so angry. Chio was all right and was standing next to me, thank God. Thank God she was okay. Miyuki had done some kind of binding spell on her—locking her Trance Mode away. Chio had an anagram etched into the palm of her hand, but for the most part she was okay. I glanced at Chio and smiled. I couldn't be any happier, knowing that she was going to be okay now. No more Trance Mode. No more flipping out. Her friends weren't going to die anymore. And there would be no more snakes.

Both metaphorical and real.

I was going to make sure we didn't lose anyone else. And the best part about all of this? Chio was smiling back at me, even though I felt like exploding. My insides—I swore—were cooking from the hatred I was letting take over me. Adel? He was still half asleep, trying really hard to grasp the situation. I wish I was still somewhat sleep like he was! Then I wouldn't have to put up with Lucrecia's crap. Because here Lucrecia was, standing in front of all of us... Smiling! Grinning creepily at us like she just did everything right in the world.

Like she was just a holy angel.

That didn't even bother me.

No... She could think she was the world's greatest angel, for all I cared! It was the fact that she was just... Robotic. Unfeeling. Unable to feel. Proud! She was proud of what she had just done! I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists. She wouldn't get away with this! Lucrecia wouldn't get away with this! Kokoro could feel my anger, which was why he kept glancing at me, like I was next in line to go into Trance Mode. Lucrecia? Being the reason _I'd_ Trance? No. Never. I seethed, tilting my head,_ hoping _Kokoro would get the message. He understood exactly what I was trying to say. I closed my eyes and opened them again.

Morta... She was behind me every step of the way. Even if I would, probably, always remember her as that crazy-psycho-bitch, I could still trust her. I was thankful that I had a friends like her. If something went wrong today, I was almost certain she'd take care of things for me. Yeah, Morta didn't exactly get me, and I didn't really get her either. We didn't get each other, but right now we'd put all of that behind us. Miyuki was trying to keep me in check, glaring at me, but that wasn't going to happen! Lucrecia smiled in my direction, which made me erupt in a silent rage. How dare she look in my direction!

"Something wrong, Sa-yu-ri?" I lost it. I completely, utterly, without a doubt lost it. Taunting me... She was taunting me... Her smile... Her creepy smile was tormenting me! I told her not to say my name like that again! What part of that didn't she understand? Why couldn't she say my name like everyone else? I just... Argh! "You're still a fucking child. A fucking joke. I just told you all what happened. Is it that hard to understand. Zed was going to lock you all in this damned dimension. I saved you all, what part don't you fucking understand, Sayuri?" I didn't say a word. I just stared at her. She wasn't serious... She couldn't be serious. My head started whirling and I—I tried to understand what she was saying... But then her disconcerting leer...

"Don't believe me, Summoner? Ha! You're a real dumb fuck aren't you?" Now she had already told us Zed had gotten a hold of Adel's dimension key, but now she pulled it out of her lab-coat pocket. Yeah, I glanced at it. So? It... Was just... A key... Honestly, my eyebrow twitched. Lucrecia started gliding her fingers down the golden item... Almost as if she was treasuring it. I rolled my eyes and she must have had a conniption. She snarled, stuffing her precious key in her pocket. "Brat, don't roll your eyes at me!" she yelled, stomping her foot on the ground. Okay, now that was it. That! Was! It! Lucrecia obviously didn't understand what the hell she had done wrong. And if no one else was going to say it—if no one else knew what she did wrong, I was going to tell everyone here and now!

"You don't understand what we came here for in the first place Lucrecia!" I yelled just as loud, making Chio flinch. No one seen that coming, not even Lucrecia. She didn't take my screaming too well, but I didn't care what she thought about me at this point. Even Miyuki was surprised. "You know... When we decided to leave Aysel, it was under an agreement that we would only be killing one person. One person only. We were supposed to kill Saivan! That's all we were supposed to do! I don't know how all of these people started dying—I don't know what's wrong with you and neither do I care, but if you don't go in this castle and kill people like you've killed and slaughtered everyone else, so God help me, I will ask Kohana to _smite _your ass!" Now she had done it and I wasn't going to stop right there! And for once Miyuki decided to keep her nose out of all of this. Lucrecia jerked back, probably thinking about what to say next.

I shook my head, clapping my hands together and looking at the ground. "You... You must be miserable. You must be!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "What do you want me to say to you, Lucrecia? That you did a good job? That, okay, you saved us from being locked inside of a _dimension? _I can't help but laugh at you. You actually think you did us all a favor? That you saved us? Really now?" I snarled, balling up my fists. "You didn't save a Goddamn person. Not one! You didn't do anything, so stop acting like you're top dog around here!" Now she was about ready to bite my head off, and it looked like she was ready to reply to everything I said. She better have had some kind of argument that could stand up against mine. I was ready to tear everything she said down, and I hope she knew that.

"What the fuck are you talking about!" she asked, pausing. "Do you not fucking get it, Sayuri? You wouldn't have been able to get out, had I not done something. You wouldn't of been able to continue on the rest of your damned pilgrimage and you would have been stuck here until your body decayed and disappeared. Who the fuck do you think you are talking to me like that! If I didn't save you all you'd all be in here and I'd be out there. Stupid bitch, you better shut your lying mouth!" Oh, so now I was a liar? I'd tell her who was a liar! I'd tell her all right!

"_You're _the liar, Lucrecia! _You_ are! I haven't lied to you about a damn thing yet! I poured my heart on the table for you and I swore that one day we'd become friends! You're the one that hates me, not the other way around! You think the whole world is out to get you! Like you're the only one that has problems! You want to talk about a liar? Huh? So, what about all of your friends? Were they really your friends at all? I'm sure you thought of Naira and Defina as your friends! No, you're too much of coward to actually admit they were your friends, right? You? Friends? What is that, right Lucrecia?" I paused, looking at my fingers. "Everyone on that team was your friend. Everyone. Everyone in Austere are your friends too, whether you want to admit it or not!"

Now she decided to point her mechanical index-finger at me. I wasn't afraid of that thing anymore! At least... For now. "How the hell do you know who my friends are? Friends? That's children shit! Obviously I'm arguing with a fucking child. Why should I listen to anything you say, Sayuri? Just stop spewing your bullshit and lets get over to Saivan's castle. We don't have time to think about everything that happened today, or yesterday, or the day before that! Shows what you fucking know. You're the one clinging to the past." I know she didn't just say that. Oh, now I was going to get her good.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" I shouted. "I'm clinging to the past, you say? Lucrecia, you've been living every day of your life clinging to the past! In fact, you're doing it right now, aren't you? As much of a monster that you are, you at least feel... No. It's buried deep, deep, deep inside you... And I don't think anyone can find it, but you at least feel somewhat sorry about what you did to Zed. And don't even try to deny it!" Yeah, I had got her with that because she flinched at my accusation. And then after that she gritted her teeth. And scowled at me. Did she not know that all of that stuff wouldn't work on me anymore? "It's all in the way you hold that key." I rolled my eyes. "You're a liar, like I said. If he was your friend, you wouldn't have done that."

"Oh, okay then, almighty Summoner Sa-yu-ri!" There goes that stupid name again! "What would you have done?" Lucrecia ran her fingers through her hair, frustration getting the best of her. I was glad to know that she was at least getting the butt-end of all of this. She was in no right to feel good about what she had done. "There was an opportunity and I took it!" This just kept getting better and better! What happened to the almighty Lucrecia! The one that was the greatest warrior in all of the land! The one that was feared by millions? Now she had to wait for opportunities to come (which I thought was complete and utter nonsense anyway)? She was making up excuse after excuse and it was just getting tiring.

"You forgot to add in the standard 'It was the only thing I could do!' phrase, Lucrecia," I said, seething. "You see, I don't believe you at all. I'm sure that if you tried... Tried at least a little, he wouldn't have done that. You didn't try to save anyone, and you sure as hell didn't try to stop him, did you?" I paused, waiting for an answer and she just kind of stared at me. I snorted, folding my arms. "You took the coward's way out, didn't you? That's _all _you did! You... You make me sick to my stomach! To think that something like you_ exists! _And you've got a carbon-copy of yourself walking around as we speak too? Double the idiot, right?" I couldn't believe this. "You actually... You weren't supposed to kill him Lucrecia! You acted way out of your boundaries! I don't care if he was working for Saivan or whoever, you clearly didn't know what the hell you were doing and now you're proud of it?"

Just to get my mind off the anger I clapped my hands together.

"You just make me absolutely... I just can't believe you... And I know you're smarter than this Lucrecia! I know you're smarter than this!"

"I can't believe you're being such a dumb-ass about this. Are you still not fucking getting this? You'd be dead! What, you don't know what that means too?"

"I think I've already told you that that wouldn't of happened if you would have done something!" I retorted. "You can't use the same argument against me! Or are you running out of things to falsely accuse me of? You blame everyone for your problems! No one made you go out and no one told you to lose your arm, right? _You _did it! _You _lost your arm! No one was controlling your body or your thoughts! No one told you to do anything!" I paused, breathing. I was starting to run out of breath. "You don't understand the concept of friendship, emotions, thoughts, thinking... You're just one big mess, aren't you?"

Now I had gotten her quiet. Now I had gotten her thinking. "You confuse all of those things up, don't you Lucrecia? You don't know how to distinguish anything. I see. That's your problem. You let greed get in the way of friendship... When your little pride gets tampered with you confuse all of those things for power. You're just as bad as Zed was, when you think about it. You know what? I think you _are _our problem. You don't give moral support to anyone else, and you don't try. You're like... Like..." I waved my arms in the air, trying to find the right words. "You're like... Dead weight. I guess that's what I'm trying to say. You don't do anything, and you sit here and angst. You bring everyone down."

I balled my fists up. "You let people die."

"That's not true!" Lucrecia yelled, looking at me. This time she wasn't looking at me with the intent to kill. She tried to say something else, but was too tangled up in her words. I looked the other way. She wasn't getting any pity from me, if that was what she was trying to get! I had no sympathy for her. My eyebrow twitched again and I folded my arms.

"I hope this eats you alive. I hope you never live with yourself again and I hope you cry every night! I hope you finally realized that you're the reason your team is now only composed of two able bodies, and I hope you just..." I wasn't going to say I wanted her to die, even though she deserved death. No, in fact, she deserved something far worse than death. But... Walking around here, miserable every second of the day... She was probably already living through something far worse than death. "I don't want you to die, Lucrecia. But I'm so disappointed in your right now." I wasn't done scolding her. At least, not yet. And when I thought about it more, I just got so angry, I...

"It's sad, isn't it? That you'd kill a friend over a complete stranger." I closed my eyes. Now I was getting hit with that realization too. "That's disgusting, Lucrecia. Killing isn't the only way you solve things.

"You're supposed to be Summoner Sayuri, but you're no messiah. Who the hell have you saved?" she snapped. Okay, now she wanted to get loud with me again?

"More people than you will ever _dream_ of! I'm Summoner-freggin'-Sayuri to you! You have no right to talk to me like that! You're_ beneath _me! I'm tired of you thinking you're better than me!" She was just making me even more madder! Now I was going to let her have it! "You, Lucrecia, are a simple Enlightened One on the Dark Ages! _I'm a Goddamn Summoner!_ That automatically makes me smarter and stronger than you! I go around fighting things you wouldn't even dream of! Not that you dream, right? Because you're almighty and powerful. You don't need sleep. You don't have a conscience. Hell, that'd just mess you up, right? I don't care how many people you might have killed—a body count is nothing compared to being a straight, flat out hero! You may have killed a lot of people, but you haven't saved anyone! Anyone!"

I wanted to stop.

I wanted to truly, honestly stop ragging on Lucrecia.

But you know what?

I wasn't going to give her anymore chances!

She was just a flat out disappointment. Now she was just being silent—shutting up and whatnot. I didn't like that at all. I glared at her, pointing an index-finger at her. "And you give up. You give up too easily. When something is downright impossible to fight, you keep fighting, no matter what! You don't back down! No matter how much it hurts to keep going! And maybe... And maybe you might lose. So what? You're not supposed to let the thought of losing slow you down!" I licked my lips and looked the other way. That was how it always happened. I don't think I had ever given up hope. Not even once! "I've been a Summoner for so long, I've forgotten what it was like to just... Not have to fight."

I exhaled, sighing. "Yeah, I had it easy back then. It was just Kohana and I. Some of my friends and choir and my teachers and..." I paused, getting even more angry at Lucrecia. "And I hated them! I... Honest to God hated all of them! Except for Tariku and Kohana, at that time. But everyone else? Itasca? Miyuki? I wanted them to get away from me. But I still_ fight_ for them!" I turned back around at Lucrecia, big eyes and all. Tears flew from my eyelashes, but I didn't care. They were angry tears. "I still fight for them, regardless of how futile it is! Tariku's dead—but am I sitting here crying over how I did nothing? About how I failed saving her? No! I'm thinking about coming up with another way to bring her back! To restore her honor!" I kicked at the ground several times, watching the dirt fly in the air. "I'm. Not. Angsting about it!"

"Though... You miss her..." Lucrecia muttered. "That's just as bad."

I had it with her!

I was up to here!

I took another step closer to Lucrecia, grabbing her lab-coat and lifting her in the air. Where I got the strength to do that from, I'll never know. She just continued to glare and me and my eyes kept watering. I was so oblivious to my surroundings that nothing else even mattered. This right here? This was between me and her. The others could watch if they wanted to. "Of course I miss her!" I shouted. "How can I not miss her! She was my friend! And I'm not afraid of messing up again! Because if I do, I can only learn from that mistake! You're still alive, aren't you? _Aren't you?" _I wanted all my friends back so desperately. I wanted things to go back to the way that they were! It wasn't fair, but I didn't need it to be fair! All I needed to do was find the courage to stand back on my two feet.

Lucrecia titled her head at me, scoffing. I shook her a little bit, throwing out my free hand. "You're alive! So that means I've done _something_ right so far! That means I've learned! Though... Though..." I let her go, turning around and looking at the ground. "Though I might not have saved everyone... I've saved mostly everyone. Just you standing here means that this world hasn't gone to total and utter crap. It means that there's still hope. There's still time. There's always been hope and time." My voice was reduced to a mere whisper. "I'm still standing here, aren't I?" I cracked a smile, turning back around. I looked at her face and she was just... Still so stubborn. Still refusing to listen to me. "I don't know what you think of me Lucrecia, but you're my friend! And for the time being, you're my family. It just hurts! This hurts!"

I guess going all out and exploding on Lucrecia wasn't a good thing to do, because now I was on the ground, on my knees, gripping my head and trying to clear my thoughts.

"Do you know what it's like to lose a friend? Do you understand why I don't want to you die? Do you understand why you were completely wrong in killing him? Completely wrong! Miyuki said... Miyuki said as Summoners, we protect everyone. Because we don't really know who's good or bad. Are you getting this now? A world is nothing without its people, but the people without a world is just as bad. Vengeance begets vengeance, Lucrecia. Sometimes... Sometimes it's best not to seek for any at all." I glanced at the sky, looking at the dirt in my hands. So was Saivan really worth all of this? All of this pain?

"Shadows," she murmured, leaning up against the door. "That is all they're called. It was supposed to be a project to show people who they really are inside. 'All you have to do is breathe,' they told me. They made it seem like it was so damn easy. It was the four us all, all happy and shit—thinking we would make something that would make us wealthy and make the world a... Nicer to place to live. Well. At that time, I knew fairly well what I was inside. Confused? Sadistic? Angry? Maybe. But nothing could prepare me for what our breaths would actually create. Well, at least one thing went right. Our inner selves did come through. And that was just the problem. And slowly, one by one, the Shadows picked their original owners off. But then they'd wait. So just when you thought you'd feel safe, they'd kill your ass in cold blood."

I looked down at the ground, still salty about everything.

What she was saying wasn't going to bring Naira and Defina back.

It wasn't going to bring Renata's sister back and it damn sure wasn't going to take what Lucrecia just did back.

"And now that they've got the upper-hand, I think I'm going to have to tolerate you." What? This. Was. Nonsense. She was still acting like she was the better person here! But at least she was starting to understand that the world doesn't revolve around her. And it never will. She sighed. "The old days are gone. Who cares about the past. 'It's good to confide in friends,' he said. Oh sure, like it was so damn simple! But then, I let my only friends die. I let him die, trying to protect him from the very experiment that crippled me. The past—we did what he thought was right. But nothing ever goes right. I just want to be the hero, for once Sayuri," she said, looking at me with a straight face.

I wanted to ignore her. What she had done was too outrageous. But I wasn't that type of person. I had to at least acknowledge her... I looked at her, even though I was tired of hearing her talk. "I want to do something good. Playing the bad guy never really made me feel right anyway." Obviously not. Liar. But if she really wanted to change and be sorry... Then... I glanced in the other direction, not really wanting to do this, but I... It was my duty as a Summoner not to back down and run away from my problems. This was Lucrecia I was talking about. She still scared me. I exhaled, balling up my fists.

"Okay Lucrecia. So yeah, I'll see what I can do about this then. Though it's going to be hard. And Lucrecia, people make mistakes all the time. You've just been making them mistake after mistake. That's... I think... Part of being human. I guess you didn't know that weird experiment would blow up in your face. But don't beat yourself up for it! If I really tore your arm off—which I know I didn't, I'm going to keep saying this—I'm sorry. You're a good person, I think. You really, truly are. And I don't say this to a lot of people..." I paused, being reduced to a mere whisper. Man, this was starting to turn into a soap opera. "I'm... You... I'm sorry for what happened to Issaru. That's his name, right? I'm sorry. But you know what? I'm ready to forgive you for all of the hell you put me through. You've gotta forget about all of that stuff now." I waved my hand around before reaching out to her.

I wanted that... _Argh! _I wanted her to shake it! She just glanced at my hand and flipped me off.

"You want me to forget?" she growled. "You know how easier said than fucking done that sounds? I'm taking it to my grave!" I must have turned around so fast, my wand in both of my hands... She kept walking away from all of us, her lab-coat floating behind her. I pointed my wand at her, seething.

"I warned you, Lucrecia!" I shouted, the snake Essence shooting from underneath her. "Snakey!" I roared, moving my hands towards me. He had coiled his tail around her and brought her back. I didn't care how mad she was at me right now. I stared at her, my hands behind my back. "Whether you like it or not Lucrecia, you're _going_ to forget. Because you're going to fight today. And you're going to kick some past ass, got that? And if you don't fight, _I'll kill you myself!" _Snakey let her go and she seethed at me, shaking in anger. I walked in front of her, my body trembling from what I had done. Did I just tell her I was going to kill her myself? … Um. Yeah. Who jumped into my body and said that? I lifted my hand, calling everyone to follow me. "Now come on guys. We're going into Saivan's castle. And we're going to do this the right way. If someone else even dares to kill someone else on this team, I will make sure they end up with them, got it?"

I stopped and turned around on the heels of my boots. "Oh, and Lucrecia? I suggest you don't sit back there and sulk the whole way. You've still got to get us to Saivan's castle." Damn. She still had to get us to Saivan's castle. Which means she had that device thingy. Noooo! She could kill us all if she wanted to, right? It didn't even matter. We needed this. While everyone else was walking towards the door, I slowed down to catch up with her.

She gave me one glance, and I panicked hard on the inside. "What the fuck do you want now, Sayuri?"

I mentally nodded my head, locking my arm with her mechanical one. "Now come on. Let's go get some icecream."

* * *

_Honestly, honestly... Would you say those things to me?_

* * *

I looked up at the sky, glaring at that fucking bullshit-ass castle.

So we had finally made it to Saivan's castle, huh?

The thing looked way different from Aysel's castle, that was for sure. There was a lake stationed right next to it too. That had me thinking about a lot of stupid shit, and I was still angry at that _stupid _fucking Summoner Sayuri. She took her arm away from mine, taking a few steps forward before turning around towards all of us. She nodded her head, as if she was fucking happy that we made it. We made it to the castle? And? What now? I sighed, hunching over a bit.

Everything she had said to me in the Garden of Transgression... It was still echoing in the back of my head and, dammit, why the fuck was the Summoner so damn annoying? She seemed to have killed her inner-demons or some odd shit like that. She was happy with herself. Content with herself. As if she had actually achieved something by yelling at me. In no way was she justified in doing that outrageous crap! But if it kept that bitch quit, I was all for it. I couldn't lie to myself, she did make me feel a little bit better. It was nice to get all of that stuff off my chest, but at the same time she tore me down.

The Summoner might have been successful in making me feel worse than shit, but I wasn't going to let that show so I tried to be my regular self while the others were talking about a bunch of fucking nonsense. Didn't they realize that this wasn't a vacation? Why were they all smiling like something was funny? Were they laughing at me? I snarled at the thought and Sayuri Summoner held wand, tapping it against the huge doors of Saivan's castle. I wonder who made that bullshit. Maybe he had our Shadows create it. But then again, most of Aysel's army did work for Saivan even if they knew he was a traitor... They probably had something to do with that. Sayuri played in her hair, tilting her head at the doors. What, did the little bitch think they were going to open for her? I scoffed, looking the other way.

"Morta!" she declared, waving her arm across the air. "If you would, please."

"Only if you get out of the way," the Summoner of Death replied, which made that other Summoner brat narrow her eyes. Morta propped her scythe in her hands and walked past Sayuri. Once she was directly in front of the doors, she took several steps back. Sayuri stood next to me with her arms crossed, staring at Morta. Oh joy. First the bitch yells at me, and now she acts like she's my best friend. This was the same bitch that stole my arm! Just what the fuck was her problem? What was she planning to do now? I didn't get Summoner Sayuri. The bitch escaped me. She really did. So she would have her enemies around her too? That didn't make a bit of fucking sense.

Morta swung her scythe to her side and then swung it upward, cutting a deep, vertical line in the door. She did this four more times until a huge chuck of wood fell right in front of her. She sighed, turning around and shrugging her shoulders. All of us peered inside of the castle, and for the most part it looked pretty fucking sane. I was imagining that there would have been poisonous flowers in there, or traps or some shit. This was Saivan we were talking about. I didn't know anything about the poor bastard but he obviously wasn't someone I wanted to fuck with anytime soon. "Okay Sayuri, I've opened the door. What do we do now?" I glanced at the purple-haired freak and she stepped forward and turned around again.

"Okay, judging by how big this castle is and how much we fear it..." Fear? Ha! Who the hell was afraid of whatever was in that fucking castle? I sure as hell wasn't. I didn't even fucking care about this war anymore. I just wanted to go the fuck home. The only reason I was still going to fight was because Summoner Sayuri and the others insisted they needed me. Ha. Bullshit. I rolled my eye at that too. "We're going to split up, okay? To make sure nothing happens, I'm going to be taking Lucrecia." What? Oh joy. I rolled my eye again and she stared at me. "So yeah. There's obviously going to be one person left, so that last person can come with us if they want to..."

"I don't think so Sayuri," Miyuki said, folding her arms. "I'm taking Kokoro, Chio, and Morta with me. I'm the Guardian, after all. If you want to go with Lucrecia, that's fine. I trust that she doesn't get you both killed." Was that fucking Celestial Being taunting me? Now everyone thought that they could say whatever the fuck they wanted to me, huh? I spat on the ground, glaring at the pitiful excuse of an Extraterrestrial Phenomenon.

"I will wait here," Adel said, folding his arms. Heh, he was always trying to take the easy way out of things. He was a fucking slacker if I ever saw one. "I can deal with people if they decide to come into the castle. I am stronger than I look." Sayuri nodded towards him and Miyuki walked into the castle with her Goddamned Summoners. I was so tired now I could hardly stand up straight. I hoped that Summoner bitch didn't expect a whole lot from me. I dragged my feet across the ground as we made our way through the castle. It most certainly didn't smell like Aysel's castle. Everything had a smell, and Saivan's castle smelled so fruity...

Something of peaches.

I hope he didn't have any of that shit just laying around rotting in this hell hole. I stopped walking and Sayuri turned around, glancing at me. I looked up at the chandelier, watching it twinkle as the light reflected off it. The castle was white—everything about it was so... White. It was kept up too. And clean. Did Saivan clean this place himself, or did he have his lovely fucking Shadows to do it for him? Or maybe he had Cecelia clean all of this shit. Either way, his castle was very well kept. I wiped my face with my mechanical hand and sighed, shaking my head.

"What's wrong, Lucrecia?" Sayuri asked, tilting her head. "You've got heatstroke or something? I mean, tell me when you're going to pass out. I know the badlands were kind of more vicious than it was yesterday, so... If you want to stay here for a second and rest on the steps or something..." No, that wasn't why I fucking stopped in the first place! I just started thinking about everything... So this was the place where Angeal, Issaru and I's Shadows stayed. What if... What if there was a laboratory in here? That would be where my Shadow would be, naturally. I was almost sure of it. But would that Summoner brat understand if I told her? She'd probably just think I was trying to run away from my problems again.

I took three steps forward, my coat trailing behind me. "We need to find out where he has his damn laboratory at. Even if no one is in there, I can still look into some things. It probably has a cure to Apathīa or something of that nature in there." I paused, looking back at Sayuri. "Unless, of course, you're not game to find the damn cure for it. Unless you want to go and try to find Saivan. If that's what you want to do, fine then. But I'm going to go find this lab." Sayuri gave me a look... A confused look, no less. So what the fuck was the bitch trying to do? Could she talk anymore?

"Going to the lab sounds like a pretty decent idea," she said, rubbing her chin. "And plus, the others went that way, so we'll go this way, huh?" She was pointing west. I shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head, but only slightly. I knew I should have went to fucking sleep yesterday. I was so tired that my perception skills were off and my brain was sleeping on my ass. The little petty bitch argument I had with Sayuri wasn't doing much for my condition either. I just couldn't wait until I found Saivan. I'd kill that bastard with everything I fucking had! He ruined everything! Everything! Every-fucking-thing was his fault.

I grunted, following the Summoner's every command. For now, I would have to trust that she knew where the fuck she was going. And by the look on her face... She didn't know where the fuck she was going. I tapped my finger on my chin, annoyed with her. "Let's see here... If I had a laboratory, where would I put it...?" I spat, glaring at the little purple-haired child. She looked at me, confused again.

"Um, I have no idea, Lucrecia."

"Damn right you have no fucking idea!" I yelled, pointing at the ceiling. "You just don't put a mother fucking laboratory on a bottom floor!" I could tell she still didn't get what I was talking about. Why did I even bother trying to explain anything to her idiotic ass? "You don't put a laboratory on the first floor of a castle because that's stupid and dumb. Someone could come in and raid your shit. Two, it's convenient for it to be on an upper-floor." I paused, kneeling down so I could get the appropriate eye-contact. She stared at me; the bitch obviously didn't know what I was doing. I leered at her and tilted my head. "Boo!"

_"Argh!"_ she screamed, backing up into the staircase. I laughed haughty under my breath, folding my arms. Same old idiotic Summoner brat. "S—stop doing that Lucrecia! Jeez!" She threw her hands in the air and we walked the staircase that led to the first floor. That was right... This castle did have a lot of floors. I didn't want to look through all of those fucking floors! I was too tired for that bullshit and I could tell Sayuri didn't want to do that crap either. I looked up, feeling like I was going to collapse out of sheer sleep deprivation. Now Sayuri was starting to piss me the fuck off. Just what was she doing?

"Hey, brat," I said, pointing up. "We've got probably like eighteen more floors to cover, so it's best that we just look around quick. If we don't see shit, we should get up to the next floor. Lest you forget your friends are on the other side of the castle doing who knows what. You wouldn't want them to get hurt now, would you?" Yeah, since she was oh-so protective of her fucking teammates and all. She turned around and put her hand on her hip, smirking at me. I rolled my eye.

I was too tired for her shit.

"Of course I know where I'm going!" she said, skipping down the corridor. "I'm the Summoner of Time! I'm a walking compass!"

"That's a bunch of bullshit. Being the Summoner of Time has nothing to do with knowing which way we should be fucking going." She waved her index-finger in the air and touched a door. When I finally caught up to her, I closed my eye, extremely exhausted.

"Sure it is! I know where to go all the time, Lucrecia! You just have to believe in me!" Ha. No. I threw my arms behind my head and followed her. I mean, it sounded like she had opened the door. "Yes siree! Here's the place! There's the sink, and some mirrors, and a... Toilet..." I grunted, opening my eyes.

"You damn idiot! This is a fucking bathroom! This isn't a laboratory!" I yelled, making her flinch. "Do you know what a laboratory looks like! I'm sure you have some idea of what one looks like, yes? You fucking trashed mine back in Aysel, so...? What the hell are you doing?" She straightened herself out and walked in the other direction, laughing like she didn't do anything wrong. Annoying Summoner brat! I growled under my breath, stretching out my fingers.

"Nah, see, I just wanted to see what Saivan's bathrooms look like! Aheheheh..."

I pushed that bitch out of the way and grumbled to myself. But it looked like she wasn't too far off. Out of all the floors to put a laboratory on... It turns out the bitch was on the other side of the hall. You could tell because of how different the door was compared to the others. That was how my laboratory door looked too. However, before I could walk over to the door, a woman opened the laboratory door for me, as if she was expecting me.

That woman looked just like me.

Almost.

Instantly I froze up and Sayuri titled her head in awe. So that was my Shadow standing right in front of me? The way she opened the door... How it was so forthcoming... I was surprised she didn't try to attack us yet. I didn't know what to say. I opened my mouth, but it was just mind-boggling how close she looked to me. But... She had her arm. I balled up my fists, gritting my teeth. She had her arm, and she could open her right eye. And it looked like she still wore those damned claws on her right hand. Yep, that was my Shadow all right. Nothing wrong about the freak show in front of me. Sayuri clutched her wand, unsure of what to do.

"So you're her..." She breathed, switching her footing. "Aren't you going to attack us or something?" In the midst of her sentence Sayuri's facial expression changed, which startled my Shadow. The way that she moved... The way that she looked at Sayuri and studied her wand like it was some foreign object... That was really my Shadow. That was really my past self. I don't think I was even worried about that bitch being my Shadow. This was my first time actually seeing the experiment up close and personal. That was... This was amazing. And I know, that's fucking sad. I'm supposed to be paying attention to what this bitch does but I'm swooning over science.

"No," she replies, exhaling. "You must be Sayuri, right?"

"_Summoner _Sayuri," the brat replies, slowly standing up straight. "So, this is Saivan's castle! Why aren't you attacking us? Why aren't there any guard dogs? Why aren't there any monsters as far as the eye can see? I wanna know... And why do you look so much like Lucrecia...?" I took a step back, gritting my teeth. I didn't want to listen to my Shadow talk about my ass. I didn't want her to talk about my past, either. If anything, I just wanted to get the fuck out of there. Dammit. My Shadow walked into the laboratory and Sayuri glanced at me, nodding her head. She trusted my Shadow.

I sighed.

Then I could do the same.

I wasn't going to let Summoner Sayuri out-do me, right?

My Shadow looked over her shoulder and pointed at a few chairs against the wall. "I'll tell you everything you two need to know. In the meantime, take a seat. This might take a while." I exhaled. This was going to be extremely painful if she brought this in an unnecessary direction. I sat down next to Sayuri and we both stared at my Shadow. Not only was I in awe, but Sayuri was too. "My name is Larunda. And I know who you are, Lucrecia." She paused, swallowing. So she was still the coward I was today...

I nodded my head. I didn't think I was in any position to talk to her. "I don't really have a lot to say to the two of you, other than I don't have any attention of fighting either of you. In fact—"

"Wait a minute!" Sayuri said, getting up out of her seat. Stupid brat! I hope she didn't do anything to set Larunda off! She pointed an index-finger at Larunda, scowling. "You're the one who helped Saivan kill Klaus' guard, aren't you?" Oh fuck no. Was she really going to do this now? Just when we were about to learn some Goddamn answers? "You... You... How could you?" she shouted, closing her eyes. Larunda only blinked in response to her accusation. "You're a monster! You really hurt Klaus and I... Even if I wanted to get revenge on you... I don't know what happened. And you're not attacking me now... So you must be good..." She looked at the ground and plopped back into her seat.

"How dramatic, Sayuri," I murmured. Larunda started sauntering around, her hands visible. That made me feel at least somewhat safe.

"I don't think I have much time, but listen, Summoner Sayuri. It's a job. I do what I'm told. I do what I am asked of. Klaus, is it? Is that the name of your friend?" Her tone was uncaring... flat. I was amazed at how apathetic she was. Speaking of that... No, I wouldn't ask now. She said she didn't have much time and obviously had somethings to say.

"You know his name," Sayuri spat. "Couldn't you at least... Disobey your orders or something? Jeez, Lucrecia does it all the time..." She turned around and glared at me. You know what I did? I fucking _growled _at that bitch and she flinched.

"Your... Lucrecia has probably grown, hasn't she?" My eye widened at her accusation and I directed all of my attention at her. "We are... Not the same. I may be a part of her, but we're nothing alike, Summoner Sayuri. She... You're lucky to have a friend such as Lucrecia. She is the real Lucrecia, after all. I am but a mere duplication... A duplication without a heart. I'm not permitted to feel. She used to be the person that I am now, but that isn't the case."

"Stop it," I said, looking down at my hands.

"It's true," she replied, nodding her head. "I envy you so much, Lucrecia. You got to live your life. You got to be with amazing people. You got your own room in your own castle—fighting with your friends. You met Summoner after Summoner, and you live by no one's rules. Do you know how much I... Envy you for being the_ real_ Lucrecia?" I shook my head, closing my eyes. She was just saying all of that stuff to make me feel better.

Had I been... Had I been taking all of this stuff for granted...?

I shifted in my seat, unsure of what to do now. All of that stuff I used to call stupid... She wanted what I had? She wanted to be bothered by Naira every day of the week? She wanted to... I inhaled, my eye widening at the realization. "Day in and day out I've been here, wasting my time and doing nothing. While you got to live your life and have conversations with real people. I didn't get to experience that joy. You have feelings, I—" I had feelings. She was right. I did have feelings. "I've only dreamed of those same feelings."

"I'm sorry Larunda," I murmured, nodding my head. "I didn't know you even existed. I was skeptical at first—"

"You say that as if you could have saved me. You have nothing to be sorry about, Lucrecia." I looked down at my hands. "I wanted to take your life so I could live it, but I realized I had no right to do that. You're the superior person. I don't know what kind of life you've been living, but I would give anything... Anything to have it..."

"I don't know what to say," I croaked, looking up at her.

"I do!" Sayuri exclaimed. "Is that all you wanted to say to us, Larunda? Because we've really got to get going. I'm happy you shared all of this with us—"

"Saivan's not here." Okay, that's all we needed to hear! Ha! I wanted to get out of this fucked up excuse for a castle anyway! I stood up, fixing the cuffs on my lab-coat. "He's not here, and this isn't his castle. Just a mere illusion of it. His castle is still a couple of miles off, but if you can leave now..." Fuck that, we were not leaving back into the badlands again.

"You can teleport us," I muttered. I was in no position to make demands. "You've been to his castle before." She looked at me, startled by my outburst.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Lucrecia. There's a way I can become one with you again. If you just hold my hand..." That thought absolutely terrified me. I wasn't going to do that shit! No way! "If you hold my hand I'll return to you. Don't worry, I can't hurt you. Once I'm inside of you I will seize to exist. Then you'll gain my knowledge of Saivan's castle." I glanced at Sayuri and she nodded her head, telling me that she wanted me to do this. "Please, it's much better than a pointless battle."

"I hear that," Sayuri muttered.

"Once this illusion fades, you and your friends will appear in front of where this fake castle stood. There's nothing to worry about. I wanted to stay here because I wanted to meet you Lucrecia." She wanted to meet me? Except I was a bad fucking person. Sayuri was right. If only I would have seen what I had. I snorted and extended my hand. "Thank you." She smiled at me—something that threw me off completely. I haven't smiled like that...

Not even once.

I took her hand and her body started to fade. When she disappeared fully, I cracked my neck and flexed my mechanical arm.

No longer was I sleepy. I was full of energy. The castle disappeared and Adel was shocked that we all just showed up in front of him. Chio smiled and waved at us. "Woohoo! Sayuri! Lucrecia! What just happened to the castle?"

"It looks like it wasn't real," Miyuki muttered, folding her arms. I smirked. I stood my ground, the device in my arm halting the badlands' climate and terrain changes.

"I know where to go," I said, smirking. "Leave it to me."

* * *

**A/N:** This could just be the last chapter I have to focus on Lucrecia ever.

But daaaamn did you see how hard Sayuri ripped into her? XD;; I was laughing the whole way writing this. I mean I do love Lucrecia. I do. But I'm no biased author, you see. If I think you deserve getting ripped into, I'mma laugh. And Lucrecia deserved everything that Sayuri said to her. I showed no remorse. Damn straight. She can't win me over. XD;; Sayuri made me so PROUD, guys. XD;;

And I hope she made you all proud too.

But yep, like I said, this may be the last chapter I really focus on Lucrecia. That being said... You guys know she's the main protagonist of the Dark Ages, right? ._.

I'm just letting you guys know. XD;;; Main _main_ Protagonist. Yes, that's Lucrecia. D:

Of course they're other protagonists, but the arc kinda revolves around her. XD;; She's the reason for many things. At any rate, Lucrecia's surely changed since that first time I wrote her ever. I can't remember what chapter it was, but she was so hard to me that I had to ask my beta for help. *nods* Now look at her. ^_^ *tear*

I still think she's a bitch though, don't get me wrong. But yeah.


	51. Mother Of All Gods, Mother Of Mine

**A/N:** And this is the chapter that I've been waiting for! XD

This, my friend, is the climax of the arc! The chapter of all chapters! The turning point! The JUICE! This chapter right here? Well, if you ignore this chapter you will be mindraped, let's just say that. So for the sake of your mind and the sake of my time, pay attention to this chapter, will you? XD The flashback is written kind of weird. But you should be able to get it. ._.

I mean it's not that hard. XD;;;

You should know who I'm talking about and everything. I just didn't want to be as open with the flashback this time.

* * *

Princess, may I take this dance?

So we may enlighten you of the others.

Oh, fair Princess, the world is your stage.

You are the master of its fate but your people know so little about how your world turns. And even if this life has forsaken you, you still embrace it with everything you have. You hurt for this world; bleed for it. You walk around aimlessly, smiling when there is nothing to smile about. But he has always been there for you, and like the Princess that you are you fall. And you care not for how you fall—because you know he will always be there to catch you. Sweet Princess, there is a such thing as never coming back after you take a journey to the depths.

But you never pay that any mind. His arms are more than enough for you. He has swept you off your feet in an instant, protecting you, dare I say. He wrapped his arms around your small frame and promised you he would never let go. So delicately—as if he could break you in an instant. But where is he now, young Princess? Do you even know if he is still okay? The reality of the world hits you and blinds you. Your knight in shining armor is doing the best he can to protect your kingdom. Fair Princess, is that not your job? You push your responsibilities on your lone knight.

Your knight in shining armor riding to your rescue—here to save you from the responsibilities of your land. Just like in the storybooks your father used to read to you right before you went to bed. Your knight, he waits there, no matter how dangerous it may be. All you want to do is talk to him—to have a civil conversation with your savior—but your world will have none of that. He kneels at your feet and kisses your hand so tenderly. He has given his soul to you without your consent; you did not even ask. He has pledged to you—he_ will _fight for you.

But if he does that, surely your knight will wither away in your hands and fall. Fall, fall, fall, without arms to catch him in.

But Pretty Princess, you love your knight. And he has sworn that he will fight for you. Darling Princess, you are still so young—too young to make decisions for both you and your world. You are the lone knight to your dying world... Your world once so wondrous, so adventurous. There is so much to do and so little time, Princess. You cannot push your responsibilities on your knight, but there is plenty of time for you to tell him that. Your world is unfair, and always makes you decide for the greater good of your people. Of your planet.

There is plenty of time for you to make important decisions.

You're still a child, Princess. Perhaps this would be better to deal with when you are older.

Pretty, pretty Princess, how the years have watched you grow.

You are older and wiser now, and still your knight fights by your side as if nothing has transpired. He opens doors for you—doors to new worlds you never thought existed. He waits for you every night and shows you new types of stars—ones the glow so bright you are absolutely mesmerized by them. He has brought you a new world of beauty. He has brought you love and compassion. Promises, too. Yes, he promises that he will always be there, and you know that you can trust him. But... Pretty Princess, in the back of your mind you know there is a thing called a liar.

Why would a liar spend so much time with you...?

Young Princess, you need to tell him that you have a duty to your people; an obligation to your land. It is time now—but you still have not thought of the words you want to say. The people of your kingdom are waiting on your very answer, but you do not have one. Remember when all this used to be was fun? All you had to do was stand still and look pretty, pretty Princess. He will never tell you upfront, but he is getting tired, restless. He knows something is upsetting you, dear Princess.

When will you choose?

You do not have much time left, but you have been enjoying these years. Your kingdom will never have your knight, for he is not like them. And your knight would never stoop so low; he would never work for a queen that has forsaken him and his people. You try to talk to them both, but they will not listen to you. See Princess, you have power, but over what, exactly? Certainly not the people you love. Certainly not over the people you treasure. Your knight would never badmouth your mother, but she surely would do that to him. They quarrel with each other, thinking you will never see them. She uses her magic to make him disappear and he curses her name.

Fair Princess, you know so little.

But you are not ignorant, nor are you stupid. You are not silly or oblivious to your surroundings. You are not helpless. You are strong. You can fight. But you cannot have them both. It has been so long since you have pondered telling everyone your choice. People are getting anxious, restless. Your kingdom loves you—he loves you—your mother loves you... You simply cannot make this choice alone. But you have to. Your kingdom, or your knight? You watch and gaze at how they treat you and neither one of them falters. He holds you, bringing you down to your world, but your mother is always there, sending her guard after you to make sure you stay afloat.

You love them both—how can they make you decide?

He is a rebel with a smile—older, but strong. Wiser, but handsome. Any other girl would fall for his antics at the drop of a dime. He protects you with his life and makes sure that you never fall, unless it is with him. He is driven and focused, so focused that nothing else matters to him anymore. He knows everything about you, sweet Princess. More than you know about yourself entirely. He knows when you are angry, when you are upset. You are content with him—he saves you from the responsibilities of being the royal heir. And his smile...

His smile so wide... It just takes your breath away. It is filled with so much happiness that you wish you could have. As if he is smiling for the both of you. He is laid-back and thinks that nothing can go wrong. So carefree... You are jealous of him for being able to live without meaning. But when he smiles you forget that envy and find yourself gazing at the stars, telling him how much of a great person he is. How much he cares for your world and how much he does not want to break it. How wonderful he makes you feel. Your name falls away from his tongue so delicately that you find yourself almost falling in a trance.

And he tells you he knows, and that whatever you chose can only be better for your well-being. And you stop breathing, Princess. Why, Princess? Because everyone knows now. Everyone knows of your tough choice and they want you to decide. He wants you to decide. But he understands. He tells you in that sweet, sweet voice that he knows. The kingdom knows, and they respect what you choose. Unable to speak are you, Princess? It is tough, but still you say nothing. You want to stay like this forever... Just admiring him for everything he has done. But the way that he looks at you... You can tell that he is just as hurt by all of this.

Your world is collapsing around you and you do not know where to go. You close your eyes and think of what it was like before all of this happened. You imagine yourself wearing your adored, beautiful gown. Your crown sits delicately on top of your head, its gemstones gleaming in the moonlight. And you are dancing without a care in the world. But most importantly you are happy. He is everything you want and need. The only think you want and and need. And he loves you so much, Princess.

You do not deserve his happiness if you make him so sad...

You open your eyes and he comes to your rescue, wiping your tears away. His hands stay glued to your cheeks, caressing them gently... Murmuring that everything will be okay. You want to be with him, you truly want to—and this time you forget about your other obligations and, for the first time in several years, you fall just to know what it will feel like. And you love it. He holds you, showers you with affection from the gods and lets his kisses splash over you like lukewarm raindrops splattering against your cheeks, your forehead, and your lips. He takes the pain away from you, his arms wrapped around your waist as he whispers how much he loves you.

And not just once, several times.

Your head rests against his chin and you want to answer his soothing calls, so you finally build the courage to tell him. _"I love you too."_

You smile. But your problems have only just begun. He is a lonely knight, and as such fights for the kingdom now. He disappears and you cannot help but wonder if you have made the right choice.

Princess, this battle cannot be won.

Look at your hands, Princess, what have you done?

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-One: Mother Of All Gods, Mother Of Mine :-**

_I don't remember asking you about your imperfections  
You might win _one_ battle  
But know this, I'll win the fucking war!_

_You want it, you got it  
Everything you needed and more  
You said it, I heard it  
Careful what you wish for  
Deleted, defeated everything you've ever been  
No mercy, it's the way of the fist_

— "Way of the Fist" — Five Finger Death Punch

The castle had gotten quiet ever since my guard and the Summoners went out to war many, many weeks ago.

Mother did not miss any of them. She insisted that she did not but she was, quite frankly, lost without Adel instructing her where to go. She missed Naira's loyalty and even said it herself that the others needed to come back soon. I missed the Summoners and our guard as well. Nothing was the same without them. Everyday used to be something new to look forward to. Because of all the different, colorful people we had living in the castle, nothing was monotonous. I could wake up to a new day and smile because I knew I could find Lucrecia in her laboratory, or see Sayuri and her Guardian bickering at each other.

They had been gone for so long... I had to admit that I was getting a bit worried about them. I clapped my hands together, closing my eyes. They were all such wonderful people, no matter what circumstances had led me to believe. They were all my friends and I would love them, no matter what they chose to fight for. I was sitting at the table, looking miserable. I could not stop worrying about them. What if something happened to them? What if I could never see them again? I wanted to talk to them... To hear their voices! That made me perk up and I loosened the grip I had on my dress. Mother glanced at me and then back at the two doors.

Still they had not came.

"Is something wrong, dearest Renata?" Aysel said, tilting her head. "You have nothing to worry about, for you are in the company of I, Queen Aysel! Remember that always, Renata. Nothing will ever dare to hurt you when I am around." That was not what I was worried about, but she made me feel at least somewhat better. I knew my mother cared about me but... I did not want otherworldly blood split on this world. The Summoners were so kind... They were valiant. They would risk their lives for a planet that did not even belong to them. I did not want them to do that, but they insisted... I glanced up at the the ceiling, trying to smile. The Summoners, though young they may have been, were true heroes. I could trust in their abilities to bring my guard back home safe and sound.

I sighed, glancing down at the floor.

Truthfully, I had been thinking of them all ever since they left. I thought I had Summoner Sayuri all to myself as well! While she was being taught by Mima, I thought about all the fun things we could do while we waited for the others to return. Imagine my surprise when I found out she and Mima wanted to go to Austere to look for them. I felt left out when they went without me, but ever since they left... The kingdom had been in complete and total chaos. More people were being infected with this newly found sickness, crowding the streets. It was dangerous to go outside now, I had noticed. Yet Aysel still did nothing about it. She shruged the whole ordeal off.

If she had looked into Apathīa when Aline was first found, maybe there would be a cure! And still she decides to do nothing about the illness. Sometimes Mother was truly stubborn. I would not say I hated her for it. That was just one of her many flaws, and everyone had flaws. I even had flaws. No one was perfect. The Summoners were no exception either, but they were something close to perfect. Mother was blind of that fact. I sighed, looking at the hands on the clock. Of course the clock reminded me of Summoner Sayuri. She was the... Best friend I had ever had in a while. I laid my head on the desk, toying with the amulet around my neck. I still had power... I could still fight, could I not? I was not at all useless... So why did everyone treat me like I was useless?

I sat back up and shook my head. My nerves were eating my alive. My conscious was denying me of any and all sleep. I could not rest nor think straight until I knew the truth... Until all of my friends came back. In a way, I could not help but think that this war was all my fault. If I would have told the others who attacked me back at the church, maybe this ordeal would never had escalated to this. If only I was more courageous. Bold. I could have stopped Saivan from pursuing his outlandish achievements. Even still, he is my Father, so I cannot go against his word. I was stuck in-between a world of honor—what I should have been doing—and a world of morals.

Sitting here and waiting for some kind of miracle to save my kingdom?

It just did not sit right with me. Sayuri and the others would not stay and sit in a chair like this, and neither would I. I needed to let Mother know that she was leading this kingdom into oblivion! This was not the proper way to rule; ignoring the things that were giving this kingdom trouble. I might not have been ready to rule, but I knew trouble when I saw it... I leaned back in my chair while Mother proceeded to drink her wine. I put my fingers in my hair, twirling strands. I was just so nervous and I did not have anyone to talk to!

This was beginning to become almost unbearable! I wanted to shout but Mother would have none of that. At least when my guard was here I could talk to them about my problems. Naira would always listen to me and try to give me her advice. No, she was not always right all the time, but at least she was a shoulder to lean on. Defina was understanding and she understood my pain more than anyone else. Adel was like my second father. Saivan was gone, but Adel was usually the person I turned to for advice about the kingdom. The best part about Adel was the fact that he was always there. At every turn, every step of the way. And he did not judge me for my views or my actions.

Lucrecia might not have always wanted to see me, but when she thought I was being too much of a crybaby she would tell me off. She was... At least honest with me. And no matter how I was feeling, how flustered I was, Zed would always tell me what I should do—what would be the best choice for me to take—and nine times out of ten he would be exactly right. Where were they all now? Where did they go? And why did I not have communication with them? Next time I would learn from this dire mistake. Though I might have had two missing people in my guard—I could always talk to the others. I simply could not wait until they came back with victory—_Chase!_ How could I have forgotten about Chase? I stood up, completely mortified.

I was such a bad person!

Mother glanced at me, quirking her nose in disgust. Her wine glass almost tipped over. "What in the name of—!" I turned around quickly, my hair fluttering behind me. Today I had it down. I wiped a few strands of it out of my eyes so I could see Mother. "Renata, must you continue to mess things up in the presence of I, Queen Aysel? What if you would have spilled my precious wine on my precious dress? You would have caused I, Queen Aysel, much pain and suffering, correct?" I glanced at her, feeling really sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was cause her pain... "It is a glorious day when you are in the presence of Queen Aysel, is it not? Though I must agree with you Renata, those scientists are late."

I glanced at the clock, sitting back down in my seat. "Actually mother, they have still got a solid ten minutes before their audience starts." I pointed towards the clock for emphasis. She gave it one look before she quirked her nose.

"Nonsense, Renata! I, Queen Aysel, know what I am talking about! They are late! I have been sitting here for quite a while! I am getting restless, and I should not be getting restless! I am too wonderful to wait for anyone! Why, people are supposed to wait for me, not the other way around!" I nodded my head, shuffling my feet and knitting my fingers together. Maybe they were, perhaps, having a hard time finding the castle? No, that did not make any sense. "They need to hurry up! I do not have much patience waiting for simpletons like themselves! For I am Queen Aysel!"

Mother thought she had been waiting a long time? I had been waiting for the others to come back for so long... How was it that she was so impatient? I wanted to yell at her but I was in no position to do so. I chewed my bottom lip and looked at the doors, tapping my foot on the ground. I did not care about this audience. Sure it would have been good for something later on, but... But I just wanted to see all my friends again. I was worried... Oh so worried about Chase. Never had I forgotten him before like that! Something must have been wrong...

Subsequently, both of the doors flung open and someone wearing a white lab-coat rolled in. She had blonde hair that was feathered and highlighted. It was about... Upper-back length. She stopped, crouched down with one leg extended out and the other one folded underneath her. I chuckled under my breath. She looked ridiculous! I touched my mouth with my fingers, just incase I needed to stifle my laughter. Mother jumped out of her chair, her wine successfully being split all over her dress. At least she was wearing a black dress. I wore a white, ruffled empire waist gown that had a slit in the front and a rhinestone accent on the belt around my waist.

I stood up straight as the mystery woman quickly stood back on her feet, looking around with silver-grey eyes. She did not even once look in our direction. Another woman walked from behind the first one, her black lab-coat trailing behind her. She held two... Guns, it looked like, but there were really long needles sticking out of them. I twitched at the mere sight of them. I did not like needles all too much. She walked in one step at a time, her bangs sitting right above her eyes. I could not see her eyebrows. She cracked her neck and pointed her guns in every direction, scanning the room we were in. When she thought the area was secured, she twirled her guns in her hands and abruptly stopped, blowing them off.

The woman's cold, gunmetal-blue eyes were glued to my Mother. She put her guns in their holsters and the shorter woman in front of her took two steps forward, glancing at me. Mother was fuming with rage at her dress, absolutely angry! "How_ dare _you two come into I, Queen Aysel's castle and spill wine on my fine clothes! This dress was once worth millions because I wore it! Now look at it! Look at this stain!" Mother pointed at the stain but... I could not see it because she was wearing a black dress... "Now look at this! This is no longer something that I, Queen Aysel, can bare to wear! How do you plan on reimbursing me, simpletons? Now I will smell of wine!" Mother huffed, folding her arms.

The blonde-haired, short woman extended her hand out towards her—it was apparent her lab-coat sleeves were too big on her as they hung over her hands. The rest of her coat was fitted. "Well, hiyah Queen Aysel!" she exclaimed with a big, bold smile. She radiated confidence and joy. She made me feel somewhat happy. What was this woman's name? Her silver-grey eyes twinkled as she scanned Mother. Mother was blotting out the stain with a cloth. "We have got to talk about some things—_holy_... You've really gained a lot of weight since we last met!" she declared, putting her hand on her waist. All of us flinched at her accusation. Even the woman that she came into the room with. "I thought you were a soldier for a second!"

"Professor Ever, you have done it again..." the black-haired woman said, touching her forehead with her hand. My Mother quirked her nose, closing her eyes and tilting her head in the air. She sat down in her throne, glaring at this so-called Professor Ever.

"You know nothing!" Mother spat, raising her arms in the air. Professor Ever was still chuckling to herself with a wide smile on her face. She was so cheery and eccentric, was she not? Watching her was like watching a play take place in front of my very own eyes. She was such a character! It had been so long since I had laughed like this! I would have to give the Professor my thanks later own. "Look at you! You know nothing of I, Queen Aysel's beauty!" Mother threw her hand out, laughing to herself. "You look ridiculous! No, someone like you could never understand my high sense of fashion! Who are you, at any rate? You do not look like someone who was approved for an audience with I, Queen Aysel! You are not worthy!"

The Professor kept laughing and she looked at all of us in the room. When no one would laugh with her, her chuckling slowed down and she wiped her face with her coat sleeve. "Ahahaha! Well, I'll be Queen Aysel! You don't remember me, huh?" She paused, throwing her arms out. "I am Professor Ever, head scientist of the..." She paused, making a nudging motion with her elbow. She did this towards Mother, of course. "...Science Department! Yes I am the one in charge of making sure your kingdom is in tip-top shape! That being said I know a lot there is to know about this place, and since I am head of the Science Department I have quite a rank in the kingdom, if I do say so myself!" She pointed her thumb at herself and I laughed under my breath.

The Professor turned towards me and bowed her head.

"And I see you are still as beautiful as ever, Princess Renata!" Aww, that was such a sweet thing for her to say. I nodded my head at her, blushing a bit. It was an unexpected compliment. "You know Princess Renata, ever since my friend had all the digits amputated from his feet, I find him very annoying. I think I might be..." She paused again, dramatically. "Lack-toes intolerant! Get it? Lack-toes intolerant!" She laughed like something was so funny... And I guess I laughed simply because she was laughing. Mother and the woman standing behind her did not get that at all, and neither did I. I was just having fun. Professor Ever looked up and glanced at everyone else. "What, you guys... Don't think it is funny?" she said between pants. She had to catch her breath. She stood up straight, waving her hand in the air. "Tough crowd."

Queen Aysel quirked her nose again, tapping her fingers on the rests of her chair. I sighed, sitting back down in my seat. That was when the Professor abruptly turned towards her brunette friend and put her hand on her shoulder. The woman was not expecting that and tipped over a bit. It was hilarious, considering how short the Professor was compared to her. "This gal right here? This is my assistant and my lieutenant! Please welcome Honovi! She's the second in command at the Science Department, but I can swear she is almost as good as I am with the science and the mixing and the experimenting and whatnot..." The Professor went on and on, unaware that Honovi had walked towards Queen Aysel and bowed.

"It is nice meeting you two," she said under her breath. I tilted my head, piqued by her actions. She was really quiet compared to Professor Ever. How in the world did the two of them get stuck together? They made an odd team, but they were hilarious so it did not matter! "We came because we scheduled an audience with you—"

"P'sh yeah," Professor Ever said, leaning against the wall. "Well, we scheduled an audience with you two weeks ago! You guys hadn't even gotten back to us." She paused, scratching her head. Oh, I was sorry that we had made them wait so long, but we had been busy ourselves. I frowned a bit, looking down at the table. "Um, anyway! We came here to talk about something really important. Normally we would have just called you all via mind-call, but since all of your people were out..."

She started walking around in a circle. How peculiar.

"Hey!" Professor Ever exclaimed, smiling a little. "I know how to start this off. Queen Aysel, Princess Renata? It's _hell _out there! Complete and utter hell! We had to fight our way to the castle!"

* * *

_Zip your lip, you've run out of time._

* * *

The hunt.

It starts now.

Honovi stands still, right in front of the doors of the Science Department. With both of her eyes closed, she takes her twin tranquilizer guns out of their holsters, spinning them around. Her black lab-coat flutters behind her in the wind as she takes two, blind steps forward. She licks her lips, making sure she tastes the apprehension in the air. All the pandemonium. The sound of her boots rubbing against the dirt makes her eye twitch a bit. Professor Ever walks out of the Science Department, staying close to her blue-eyed assistant.

Hovoni tastes the fear on the tip of her tongue, taking a few more steps before stopping. She can feel spiders crawling on her skin, but that doesn't stop her. She can't see any light—only pure darkness. She smirks, but only slightly. A challenge? Bring all challengers. They'll only fall to the might of her firearms. Pointing her guns in the air she walks forward without stopping this time. Even if she can't see, she knows that in too much darkness... Monsters hide. Fear threatens to eat at her, but she stands tall, Professor Ever slowly following behind her.

"Y—you go, Honovi!" Ever exclaims, jumping up in the air. She's trembling, obviously, but Honovi doesn't mind that her superior is scared and, most likely, doesn't believe she has the power to stop all the monsters from attacking them. Honovi pays Professor Ever no mind, keeping her regular pace. The shadows are crowding Honovi now, but she's not paying attention to them. They're threatening to crush her very body, and they deny her of any air. Air? Heh. Honovi can breathe without air. With all the speed of a jaguar Honovi moves her right arm, pulling the trigger to her tranquilizer gun. She hits her target dead on, watching the Enlightened citizen crash face-first into the ground.

Professor Ever lets out a yelp, grabbing on Honovi's shoulders. She can feel it... Yes, the walls are definitely closing around on her. Time to break them down, huh? Honovi turns around, knocking the Professor on the ground. She shoots again from her right hand, putting a tranquilizer right in a woman's forehead. Ever scrambles to her feet, dusting off what would have otherwise been her pristine white lab-coat.

On the side!

Honovi switches her footing, shooting a child in the leg.

From the front!

Honovi dashes forward, stepping on the man's face and launching off him, shooting him in the belly with one of her darts.

No where else to go? Ha! Honovi will see about that! Hands grab her body but she tilts her head. Her eyes are still glued closed. Not once has she opened them yet. Honovi does flinch for a second, yes, but she remembers that she is the one with the guns in her hands. Not the darkness. She'll escape with ease! "W—what! Wait Honovi!" Professor Ever cries, trying to desperately keep up with her assistant. Professor Ever sees Honovi's lab-coat within arms reach... And as she tries to grab it she ends up falling face-first into the ground. It is then that Honovi hears them... Yes, them. The voices. They're coming out of nowhere.

Her eyebrow twitches. Did Professor Ever hear those cries? The same ones that fed off this madness? They were trying to make her think that she was afraid of being alive. No. Never that! Ever picks herself off the ground and runs towards her assistant at full-blown speeds, only to run into her back when Honovi abruptly stops again. "Is that the best you can do?" Honovi mutters, shooting two civilians in front of her. For someone with her eyes closed, she has impervious aim. Professor Ever decides that it'll be better for her if she just hides behind something.

And hides she does!

Behind a rock.

"Try something else!" Honovi challenges, her voice cold. She feels them coming in from all over. Six of them from every direction. She still doesn't need to open her eyes. She can hear them, sense them, _taste _them on her lips! She points her duel tranquilizer guns in front of her, hitting a man dead-square in his chest. Quickly, she extends her hands out to her sides, hitting both zombiefied Enlightened coming from the east and west of her. "I will still be here when you are old and gray!" she bellows, kicking off the air and doing a back-flip. While in mid-flip she turns around, successfully shooting all three civilians in their chests. They all plop to the ground like lifeless meat.

"Is it safe yet—_holeee!" _Professor Ever's sentence is cut short when Honovi kicks a woman her way. The woman collides into the professor, sending them both spiraling into a building. For a second, the Professor doesn't get up, but when she realizes Honovi is leaving her, she pushes the knocked-out woman off her and runs after her assistant. Honovi can still feel them... They're saying that she's terrified of speaking. She'd show them! It's itching under her skin... The fear. But she won't let it catch up with her!

"You can't hurt me! Your strikes only make me stronger. Every foul word, every foul play you make against me only serves to make me better!" Honovi declares, jumping backwards and over Ever's head, much to the Professor's dismay. Her jaw drops at the four people standing in front of her—possibly wanting to _eat _her. Her whole body pales as Honovi turns around on her heels, shoving the Professor into the people. Ever lets out a shrill scream of absolute fear—she never thought she could scream like that! Fortunately, all four of the people fall and Professor Ever falls with them. "You will never stand in my way _ever_ again!" Hovoni yells, aiming her tranquilizers at every fallen Enlightened One's head. "I don't have to move around you. I can walk straight through your heart and come out _clean _on the other side!"

Oh no. Professor Ever is not going to fall for another trick like that again! No sir. Not her! She gets up and decides to walk in front of her assistant. Again, Honovi pays no mind to Ever. In her world, the Professor doesn't even exist. Nothing else exists. Only she and her guns. "Y—yeah!" Ever says, trembling. "I'm a fighter!" With every word she says she grows more and more confident. "I'm a scientist! I will make it out of this hell!" Now she has a sure look on her face, pointing an index-finger in the air. ...That is, until, she bumps into something mean. And green. And... Scales...? Somehow her skin manages to go straight white at the sight of the monster in front of her.

But she has to do something!

She can't let Honovi pass her up! She is the head scientist, after all! She pokes her two index-fingers together before scratching the back of her head. The thing in front of her is growling. Really _growling_ at her. "Uh! Hi!" The Professor says, chuckling lightly. "So... Uh, a policeman pulls over my car and walks over to me. 'Do you realize you've got two snakes attached to the front of your car?' he asks. And I go 'It's all right, they're just my windshield vipers.' Get it! Um... Err..." her voice is reduced to a mere whisper. "Get it? W-w-windshield vipers...?" Professor Ever honestly, truly tries to wait for a response, but all she gets is managed words.

If she can even call them words! She has to get out of there! "Neeyaaaaah!" she shouts, throwing her hands in the air and running into Honovi. She looks up at her assistant with tear-filled eyes. "Oh it's you! It's you! Please save me!" Honovi does just what she asks. The Professor gives her assistant a tight squeeze before hiding behind her. The wind picks up, blowing Honovi's coat behind her. This is it. Honovi breathes through her mouth, opening her eyes and gazing at the monstrosity in front of her. The air is tense—she's never seen anything like what is in front of her. The green sea-like... Enlightened hybrid thing will never scare her!

She props her guns in front of her, listening to the fiend's screams. It wants to be introduced to her tranquilizers, right? "You are weak. You are small. You cannot handle me!" she bellows, sidestepping around the monster and blasting its body with tranquilizers. She's far too engrossed in what she's doing and, perhaps, loads the monster with too many of them. "Want to try my best on for size? You will not handle a minute of my force of will!" In an instant she puts her guns in their holsters after spinning them around in her hands. Before the monster gets a chance to fall on the ground, Hovoni punches it in the face.

And the both of them watch as the once green monstrosity reverts back to a recognizable, human form. Honovi quirks her noise, standing over the sleeping Enlightened One. Professor Ever comes out of her hiding place and makes a face at the person. "Ha! Yeah! All right! I told you what would happen if you mess with me!" The black-haired woman pays it no mind.

"Professor," she utters, pointing one of her guns forward. Ever quickly looks in the direction. "We are here. Aysel's castle is this way. Watch your step. And please, do not touch anything."

* * *

_Round one, I swear to God I do it for fun..._

* * *

"And then that's when we came into the castle and stuff! I was absolutely exhausted from all of the butt I kicked out there!" Professor Ever exclaimed, jumping high into the air. Oh! How horrible! I hope the two of them were not hurt! They could have always teleported in front of the castle! I knitted my fingers, feeling downright horrible. The Professor decided to stand on top of the table, which really startled me. Mother did not like that at all. "And those guns that Honovi uses? State of the art! Ain't nothing else like 'em! I made them myself!" She clapped her hands together, admiring the tranquilizers in Honovi's holsters.

She jumped off the table and put her hands behind her back. "Yep! A tranquilizer gun is usually a gun used for capturing people. We plan to get our people to get everyone that we have sedated so we can run tests on them. Queen Aysel, Princess Renata? What we are facing here is a state of emergency. Apathīa is not a joke. I've got my top scientists in the Department right now running around like crazy. We are all trying to find a cure for this. What I am trying to say is that we need more funding. More people keep being brought into the Department, and, quite frankly, we just don't have any room to situate them all." This would have all been avoided if Mother would have looked into Aline's case when she was first brought there.

A part of me wanted to blame my Mother for all of this. Surely she was not taking this situation seriously. She was smirking at both Professor Ever and Honovi, drinking more of her silly wine. If she did not want to smell of wine she should have just stopped drinking it all together, right? "You think that I, Queen Aysel, will fund such an outlandish illness?" How could she say that? Did she not hear what Professor Ever was saying?

"Mother...!"

"Renata! Hush while I am speaking!" I sat back in my chair, looking at my hands. "No one shall interrupt I, Queen Aysel, while I am speaking! It goes against all rules! As I was saying. This Apathīa thing will pass! Nothing can cripple my kingdom!" The only thing crippling her kingdom would be her herself. Mother was not all that smart. What if she eventually caught the Apathīa? That was a thought that I just could not handle. I had all ready lost so much of my family. I could not even fathom life without Mother, no matter how irritating she could get. "What do you all even know about this Apathīa? Surely you do not know more than it than I, Queen Aysel!"

Professor Ever frowned a bit, touching her lips with her index-finger. "Well, of course we know more about Apathīa than you do, Queen Aysel. We're scientists, didn't I tell you that before?" She titled her head, absolutely confused. "At any rate, we are doing the best we can with this illness. You two know of that girl Lucrecia sent in to use a couple of months ago? Aline?" Yes! I knew about Aline! Was she okay? I hoped she was okay. She did not deserve all of this pain and suffering. "She was the only one who could handle the parasitic creature. And she was so skilled with it that she could control the powers that came with it. While researching her condition, my assistant and I came up with a shocking discovery—"

"Is she okay now?" I blurted out. Once I realized what I had done, I blushed a little and relaxed in my chair. "Sorry, I just want to know. She is a really close friend of mine." I nodded my head, showing my appreciation. Professor Ever smiled at me, which made me feel as if everything was going to be right. I liked those two. They were trying to help the world get better, were they not? They were trying really hard! Why did Aysel not see that the kingdom needed this? If she would not approve of the funding, surely I would have to! Even if my mother did not consent to it! Too many people were dying. The Professor scratched the back of her head, a cheery look on her face.

"Yes Aline's okay! In fact, she came back a couple of weeks ago. Honovi told her she had to come back alive and I guess she listened to her." Oh, that was wonderful news! Honovi's eyebrow twitched, but only slightly. I see. She did not take acknowledgments very well. She deserved every ounce of praise! "Cecelia came and snatched her up from us, but now she is in our hands and in our care, and we will do everything it takes to make sure she's safe and sound." She paused, standing still. "I wanted to discuss these matters with Lucrecia. …Is she here now, by any chance?"

I shook my head, but Mother decided to answer for me. "No! Of course not! Lucrecia is a part of I, Queen Aysel's guard! What would she be doing still in the castle! Lucrecia is doing the honorable thing to do! She is fighting for I, Queen Aysel's safety!" Professor Ever punched at the wind, saying some things under her breath.

"That is unfortunate," she said, looking at the ground. "Lucrecia's a really great scientist. Darn it, we needed her mind! If she is not here, I don't think Hovoni and I can wait for her. I was sure that if the three of us worked on a cure, we would find it in no time. Me, head scientist, my assistant, and Lucrecia? We could cure anything. Okay, let me get down to the good part. There are two different, distinguished types of Apathīa. You have your carriers..." Professor Ever said, counting off on her fingers. "And you have your spreaders."

"The carriers are the ones that have Apathīa, but they do not spread it. Instead, they wait to die," Honovi said, putting her hands in her pockets. "Naira and Defina, it looks like, were carriers. Those are two examples of such a thing. I think it is sad that they wait to be consumed. Carriers only kill others of their kind. We put two carriers in the same room and watched in horror. Yes, it is truly not a beautiful sight. The people changed into monsters and tore each other apart." My stomach squirmed. That was just so... Horrible. So is that what happened to Naira and Defina...?

"And then your spreaders!" Professor Ever exclaimed. "Queen Aysel, your freaking castle... The walk here was blockaded by spreaders! They go out and try to give Apathīa to others. We've seen the process; it ain't pretty. They impale you with their fingers and a symbol appears on the spot where they've attacked you. And just like that you're a walking Apathīa-inflicted person." She paused, banging her hands on the table. I jumped. "Queen Aysel, you aren't grasping the situation! As we speak now, _hundreds _of your people are dying!" I... I did not think the Professor could get so serious... "It is even worse down in Austere, but I know you pay no attention there either. We need to stop this Apathīa right in its tracks! If you don't fund for it, your kingdom will surely fall! This palace will burn to the ground!"

"Nonsense!" Aysel uttered... Professor Ever's words were getting to her. She put her wine glass on the table and her eyes widened.

"No, I'm being quite serious. Apathīa is a start all end all. If we focus on killing the carriers, the spreaders will multiply. And then even at that! We don't even know who's a carrier or a spreader! It's not something that we can just be able to tell. Queen Aysel, I suggest you shape up and start doing what is best for your kingdom. Without King Saivan here, you have no one to lean on. You have to stand up and do what is right." She paused, stomping her foot on the ground. "Give us the funding so we can save your kingdom! Because right now, it is going to be kicked to _oblivion!"_

There was a cold silence, and no one dared to move. Aysel still looked shocked... Poor Mother. She really loved her kingdom and did not want it to fall. All she had to say was that she was going to fund the program... It saddened me how she handled things. All she had to do was say yes... Mother stood up, straightening out her dress. What was she planning now? I wanted to burst out and say something, but Mother looked at me with her golden eyes. "I shall decide when I talk to my daughter about the matter! I, Queen Aysel, need some time to think about this! It is a delicate situation, is it not? And I do not want my kingdom to fall!"

Professor Ever sighed in defeat, blowing her hair out of her eyes. "Okay, but get back to to us quick, you hear?" I did not know what Mother wanted from me, but I had to obey her command. She stepped out into the hallway and we kept walking and walking... It was strange. All we had to do was stand in the hallway and talk about things for a little while, right?

"Mother, you are going to give them the funding they need, right?" I asked, a little timidly. Mother quirked her nose at me, as if the idea disgusted her. I knew she was going to do that! "But how else will we save the kingdom, Mother! We do not have many options! You—I—do not—"

"Please, Renata!" she shouted, throwing her hand up. "Do you think I need scientists to help me take care of I, Queen Aysel's kingdom?" I flinched. I even stopped breathing for a second. So she was not going to fund it?

"Mother you cannot do that!" I commanded. "You are Queen of Aysel! You have to take responsibility! Just like... Just like I have to take responsibilities as Princess Renata..." My voice was brought down to a mere whisper. I wished my sister was still here. Renatari would have known just what to do. She was so much stronger than I was and I... She should have been here with me. Maybe not in this current state of emergency, but...

"Silence Renata!" I flinched again, feeling sorry for myself. "I know I have to protect my kingdom, and only I can protect it! No one else!" What was mother talking about? We stopped in front of a room I was not familiar with. She was going to kill us all acting like this! I had to do something! "I will be the hero of my own land! Starting with the power of the Wickedness, of course!" I took a few steps back, my mouth wide open. It was then that I realized that my Mother was going to do something dire... Something not within the best interest of her kingdom. _Our _kingdom!

I balled my fists and gritted my teeth. "The Wickedness? Are you still talking about that verboten power, Mother? You cannot save anything with that kind of power! It only causes destruction! Nothing else!" Still my mother did not understand. She opened the door and walked inside of it, laughing to herself. I looked the other way, but I had no choice but to follow her. The room that we were in reeked of death. And there I saw it. The Mammoth Machine. The bane of my very existence... My words were caught in my throat and my eyes dilated in fear. It was a slender tube... Connected to the ground. It had every Wicked Spawn that our guard captured over the years... Squished together inside of it.

Wires were connected to the ceiling and to the floor. Truly, the Mammoth Machine was a very evil thing. "Behold! The very machine that I, Queen Aysel, have spent years creating! In this machine... This very machine will be the root of my power! Once charged, I will be able to call the Wickedness down itself! I will then draw its power and use it as I see fit! No longer will my kingdom be plagued by such an illness, and I will be able to keep my money! Sad scientists cannot cure the incurable! Only I can!" Without any warning Aysel shot a blast of focal energy towards the machine. It did not move. It did not activate. Mother's eyebrow twitched and she looked towards me.

I shook my head. "No! No! I will not forsake my kingdom—!"

"Do you want to save your people?" I inhaled and kept my breath for what seemed like forever. "Dearest Renata, you knew this day would come! I, Queen Aysel, foresaw it myself!" She did say I would have to protect the kingdom some day, but I never wanted this! My people never wanted this! "The Wickedness is the only way we will prosper, dearest Renata! When I obtain its power, we shall never have to work again! Do you not see? I can end the war this way and your friends will come back to you!" I looked up at her with pleading eyes. She would bring them back? "Yes, even those wretched Summoners!" But I... I had hope! I was not going to let her talk a hole into my head.

"Mother, stop this now!" I yelled, trying to get through to her. Instead, she grabbed my arm, making me yelp. She... She would never hurt me, would she?

"Renata, charge the Machine! Charge the Mammoth Machine and the world... The kingdom shall know no more pain and suffering! Can you not see? You are the reason why people are dying now! You keep hesitating!" That was not true! That was not true! She could not... She would not... With my free hand I grabbed my amulet. "Yes, now you are seeing what I, Queen Aysel see! Now you know that this world needs the Wickedness!"

"But... I do not want to..."

"Stop your blathering and charge the machine! The faster you charge it, the faster I, Queen Aysel, can get the power!" I had already messed up so much that I... I did not want anymore destruction. I did not want to lose any friends. If I did this... I would still have everyone, right? It could not hurt, right? And I would see Chase again... My amulet started to glow, but Professor Ever and Honovi bust through the doors.

"What's wrong! I heard screaming!" Ever exclaimed, moving her arms in the air. Once she caught sight of the Mammoth Machine, she took a step back. "What in God's name is that thing?" she exclaimed. "It looks like the root of all evil! Aysel! Queen Aysel!" Mother laughed at the Professor, turning around and staring at her.

"What? Pretty, is it not?" she asked. "This machine will bring the Wickedness here! Any moment now! Right after Renata charges the machine. With it, I do not need your help! I will be able to banish the evils that surround my kingdom by myself!"

"With more evil?" Honovi replied, folding her arms. "That is ridiculous."

"That may be the case to your inferior eyes, but not to I, Queen Aysel's eyes! Renata, please. Hurry and charge the machine!"

"Don't do that kid!" Professor Ever exclaimed. "Queen Aysel, you are one crazy chick! Don't listen to her Renata! If you charge that thing... I don't know, but it won't be pretty!" Pretty... Pretty Princess Renata... That word rung in my ears. The only way I would be able to smile again is if I saw my friends all safe and sound... I... My hands started to glow and blue energy surged throughout the machine. The Mammoth Machine sounded like it was malfunctioning, the room that we were in glowing red. Mother started cackling and the wind picked up all around us.

The southern wall broke down completely and the wind knocked us all off our feet. All except my mother, anyway. I could see the kingdom. What had I done? Was the Wickedness really going to come now? I could not hear anything over the sound of the Mammoth Machine overworking itself.

"You summoned _the Wickedness?"_ Professor Ever shouted. Her body paled and she was as white as her pristine lab-coat. She fell back on her hands, staring at the sky. "A—are we all going to die?" She looked as if any more words... She looked as if she was not capable of anymore words. She could not speak. Time seemed to slow down in front of us.

When the roof flew off the room, I directed my eyes towards the sky.

The wind was ferocious! Was Professor Ever right? Were we all really about to die here? I wanted to faint because I knew all of this was my fault. I had called the Wickedness down. I had! No one else! I fell back on my arms too, my world spinning around me. I just could not make a right choice. "I have forsaken you all!" I cried in a fit of confusion and fear. I continued to look at the sky and I saw the monstrosity... I saw the Wickedness for the first time in my life and tears started flowing from my eyes.

I could not stop the rain. Memories began to return to me. I could see the damp tissues and the eyes... The rivers of salt water like floods and the vision that I could not so much as to clear! Echoes of old songs and horrible, horrible voices! The Wickedness was something that I simply could not un-see. It floated in mid-air, huge, brown, and full of scales. It had millions of beady eyes and its mouth was terrifying in size. It had some kind of fins, but it had been flapping them... I stared at the beast and saw my image over and over again. I broke out into a cold sweat, waving my arms in front of me.

There were thousands of glass shards and I walked across all of them barefoot, not minding that they were piercing my skin. And the window... I jumped out of it... The air shimmered and smelled of death now... Mother was more than happy to see the whale-like monster. She was laughing to herself, throwing her hands in the air. "All hail the Wickedness!" she declared. "All hail my newly found power!"

I could not take this. I stood up and grabbed Mother's shoulder, turning her around but she lifted her hand up, blasting me with her focal energy. I was sent tumbling backwards and crashed into the wall. If I was not so used to being tossed around... I would not have the energy to get back up... "That is not the Wickedness, Mother!" I said, gasping for air. I sat up, clutching my amulet. "That is... Mother Nature! Growing ever more fierce and angry at what we have done. We are shamed—you have shamed our very kingdom! I cannot bare to look at her with my traitorous eyes. Do you not see Mother? We have turned on her!"

I stood up, clenching my fists.

"Her young are dying around us but yet we stand apart doing nothing as species diverse and far-flung! Disappear! Vanish! They are gone forever!" I waved my arm in the air at each and every word. "She glares down angrily, her rage throwing sparks of power... Igniting, flooding..." I glanced at the sky, looking at the millions of Wicked Spawn branching off the beast... Or what I could see of it. They were starting to fly around, fall towards the ground... Killing people. "Destroying," I whispered. I pointed into the air. "Her stare penetrates the sky like an arrow through paper! Our Heavenly Armor rips and recedes letting in her flaming anger."

Mother was not even paying attention to me! I growled. "What can we do to appease Her!" I yelled in frustration. "Before her gaze burns all to dust, we must ease her temper..." I collapsed on my knees as the sky turned an ominous shade of pink. I did not understand what was happening now, but I was prepared for death. "Rise up to protect her remaining children..." My hair fluttered in the wind. "For even if we may not meet her gaze, may she look upon us with gentler light."

A high pitched nose filled all of our ears, making even Aysel finch. I cannot even begin to fathom what happened next. A bright, purple ray shot across the sky, killing all of the birds and Wicked Spawn in its path. The sky turned red and as soon as the ray hit something... The castle shook violently and the Mammoth Machine tipped over. There was a huge explosion cloud that could have went up past the _atmosphere._ Professor Ever took one look at this and promptly fainted. I stepped closer towards the edge of the room and looked down. Wait, did that ray hit _Austere? _My breath caught and my amulet started to glow. Directing all of my focal energy to my eyes, I enhanced my vision.

What I saw was absolutely...

The earth. The land. _Obliterated_ by a single blast. The trees were gone. The flowers were gone. Things were on _fire. _The kingdom was in total and utter madness. I inhaled and started crying. Chase and the others were down in Austere! The Summoners were down in Austere! What would I do now! What would I do?

Just then, I thought I saw a woman jumping past the room... She had purple hair, but it was all a blur to me. She was holding a sword and she smirked at me, somewhat. "Strapped with rage, I've got no patience for victims!" she yelled out loud in glory. "Sick and tired of this whole damn world~!" She continued her decent downwards, running on the side of the castle with speed that... She was running so fast she looked like a purple dot in my vision. It was odd that I could still hear her voice so clearly... Who was she? "Deserve it and you earned it, you've got yourself a war!"

War...?

"Why should I show you mercy and why should I care? One by one, disease by disease! I will get back at you for doing this to me~! You don't deserve one ounce of shade! In return, I'll give you a fate worse than death!"

Now I collapsed back on the floor to the sound of buildings falling. I blinked, my vision failing me. And Mother just stood there...

"I find myself grinning at the sight of you, taking pleasure in watching you die! Pale as porcelain, your face as white as a ghost... Bloodshot eyes looking straight at me—this is what I crave~! May this be a warning to all you Enlightened—all of you who think that this is the end! You are quite right!"

My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I... My world disappeared before my very eyes.

"Sighing, I look up at you and give you one last glance. Such beauty only achieved in death! With a smile, I bid you my last farewell... And let time take its toll on your perfection!"

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys! XD;;;

Look! Look it's _Kohana! _And she just came and crapped all over the Dark Ages in like two seconds! XD;;; How awesome is that? Tell me who can fight Kohana now? She's just too awesome to be taken down, and what is it that she's planning? Well, guys, this is the climax you've all been waiting for. Austere's now blown to hell... I mean it's bad down there. I don't think anything on the actual land is in good shape anymore.

So noo that means Klaus and the others are all dead! D:

And Renata's right. What about Sayuri and Kokoro and Lucrecia and Saivan and his castle and things? D:

Did Kohana really just come and kill everyone? We'll have to see next chapter, won't we? XD

I'm expecting bitches and moans now. XD;;;

So yes. Feel free to give me your bitches and moans.


	52. You'd Be Cuter If I Shot You In The Face

**A/N:** This short flashback is short. Fah. Who cares about it. XD;;;

This is PART ONE of what's was REALLY supposed to happen this chapter. If I'm feeling lucky I'll expand on it. D:

So anyway, last time I left you guys, I destroyed most of the Dark Ages. Well, Kohana did. But she doesn't write the story. I do. XD;;; So if you wanna know if your people are still alive! I guess you should read the chapter, che.

And wah! New narrators KILL MY SOUL. D:

I don't care who they are. So if it's iffy, you BRACE it. XD;;;

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This isn't how the others thought they would be seeing their queen.

This sight both startles them and mystifies them.

Here there queen stands, panting systematically as if she's been planning them over the course of the battle. Her sweaty, purple hair hangs in her face as her grip loosens on her katana. She notices this and almost immediately tightens her grip. No, these people have never_ seen_ a queen fight like her before. Sweat begins to drip off her brow; she knows she's lost too much blood, but the thought never occurs to her to stop fighting. After all, she isn't doing this for her kingdom, and...

The man standing in front of her she... She was blindsided, yes. She didn't expect the enemy to come to Royaume Rêveur. Much less for her king. And if she can't protect Suzuki from some otherworldly being then... Then maybe she doesn't deserve the right to call herself his queen. Maybe she isn't deserving of his love. This thought makes her flinch and now she's nervous. What if she can't work up the strength to keep on fighting? But she's the Wickedness. Things aren't supposed to be like this, are they? What happened to her being the Supreme Being? The Strongest in the Universe? She doesn't know why she feels like this... She just does.

Oh, perhaps it is because Suzuki's standing right behind her. Speechless because he has been watching the whole thing transpire. She won't _dare_ spill any blood in front of him. She won't dare to kill someone in front of him. Her everything. Her all. Her breath catches. It's not like she has the strength to speak at all. So many cuts... There are so many cuts on her body that she doesn't think she can bare to move at all. Even the slightest twitch sends waves of pure agony through her.

It's true, she can kill the person standing in front of her in an instant. But if Suzuki wasn't standing behind her... She tries to move and only ends up coughing up blood. Puddles of it hit the ground, which startles the other Essences, for they have never seen real, human blood before. As she tries to will herself to stop, she ends up coughing even more blood. The dark-red liquid comes out like waterfall. Her eyes widen. She sees it—but can't actually believe the blood is coming from _her. _Did he really hurt her enough to the point where—

"So are you going to give up, Kohana?" the man says, waving his hand across the air. "Or are you going to fall? What, can't answer me? It's a shame you won't fight me because your precious beloved is watching you!"

She cringes, but that makes her angry more than anything.

Animal-like traits take over her—and she screams.

**

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**

**-: Chapter Fifty-Two: You'd Be Cuter If I Shot You In The Face :-**

_You cannot yet imagine,  
How you will dance for me  
But you will dance forever  
To the tune that I decree.  
The kingdom of the worm  
Is all things to us all  
But I will teach you many things  
Before I let you fall.  
_

— "Serial Killer" — Motorhead

Torture, I complain, is devoid of guilt—

And sometimes imagination! Aren't I right? Because see, you apparently can't have imagination with your torture. It's always the same, dreadful thing over and over again. Who says torture has to take place because you want an answer? The blood in my veins is there only to be split, correct? Thus, this art form that I proclaim has no form should have a creative license! I threw my hands in the air, closing my eyes and enjoying the gentle breeze as it swayed the tendrils of my hair. I couldn't believe it! After all this time of waiting...

And the flowers were so prettyful~

"I am finally here! Finally here to have real conversations with my flowers—_ooff!"_

I took one, glorious step forward and suddenly gravity turned its back on me. "Ouch..." I muttered, trying to pick myself off the ground. I looked at the sky wearily and turned around. Something tripped me! I'd make whatever tripped me pay dearly with its life! I moved my foot and found out the culprit was a rock. I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists. The rock had made me angry. I was going to make sure it never saw another day! Just like the Enlightened in Aysel's palace! I was going to end its life!

Looking at the rock through the corner of my eyes, a strong lightning bolt smashed it into smithereens. Ha. I smirked, dusting my hands off. That would teach that rock to mess with me. Who did it think it was, tripping me out of the blue? I had helped to make the land it sat on beautiful!

Delicately I bent over, letting the fresh scent the bouvardia fill my nose. The bouvardia were so beautiful! I just couldn't help put pluck one out of the ground! I touched the petals of the flowers, closing my eyes and listening to the sound of nature around me. The pink, star-like flowers grew in clusters on thin, branching stems like small flower bouquets in soft shades of pink, white, salmon and red. With their feminine appearance, in the lovely language of flowers, bouvardia represents enthusiasm.

I held the flowers closer to me, taking a few steps forward.

"But oh, you're the most prettiest, dying flower I've ever seen~" I whispered, gazing at the sky and marveling at how pretty it was. Why would Saivan ever want to hide land as pretty as this? Just with me standing there the barrier he had on the badlands broke into a million pieces. I didn't even have to try hard! I let out a small cackle, but I tried at least showed my appreciation, right? I let off a toothy grin, fluttering my eyes and gazing at the multicolored flowers around me. The badlands were so pretty now! Look at all the hard work I had done to it! My grip loosened around the flowers as I opened my eyes again. "You're dying beautifully, you lucky bastard you~"

Yes! Lord Saivan didn't know how lucky he had it! I started to skip around, dropping the bouvardia on the moist grass. "Hello friend, I want you dead!" I exclaimed, twirling around. I extended both of my arms out. I liked the feel of the wind carrying me! It had been so long since I had gotten to walk on actual land, huh? I had been cooped up inside of that whale thing for so long! I had to remember to thank Aysel, right~? "I'll rip off your heads to feed the flowers!" I declared, stopping and throwing my arm in the air. "And make a pretty garden~ They'll feast on the dead and gnaw on their bones! And life will be paradise! I'll set all of it on_ fire!"_

I paused, my fingertips sparking up. I quirked my nose, taking more steps forward. "The flowers will burn! It will heal them! Flowers are evil, you know..." I stood still, glancing at the multicolored plants. They were so pretty~! So very pretty! "I rest my eyes and watch the smoke and flames against my will! And I move towards the consuming fire as my foot catches!" I shook my head, looking at my fingernails. I didn't want to do this. All of this... All of this work. But someone had to tell Saivan how beautiful he was. Okay, now it was time to stop toying around. I shook my head, letting strands of my hair hit me in the face.

I was here in the Dark Ages, so now I had to get to business.

I couldn't stand there and waste my time either. I needed to do things and move on to the next. Atropa said I didn't have a lot of time and I couldn't mess this up. I smirked, my fingers dancing against the hilt of my sword. But whoever said I couldn't make enough time for me~? I straightened myself out, being careful not to step on the flowers. On the glorious flowers... It was going to be a long walk towards Saivan's castle, wasn't it? I sighed, slumping over. If only things were easier than this...

I could have ran there, but that was no fun~!

And if I wasn't going to having fun, then why would I do it in the first place? I didn't want that. I continued walking the lush, green terrain. It wouldn't change anymore. Heh. Saivan and his weak magical barrier. I couldn't understand why the Summoners couldn't break it. Anyone could break his magic! But I would admit, it was a nice attempt at putting up something powerful. I should have left his barrier up. At least then I would have had something that amused me... It wasn't my fault though! I couldn't help but break it! Honest!

I smiled a toothy grin, looking in front of me. Aww, this was going to be such a long walk! And not only that but... I was starving! I frowned, listening to the sound of my stomach. It was talking to me. Poor belly... I rubbed it in a circular motion, closing my eyes. Would it have been bad if I went to sleep for... Just a few seconds? I had to resist the temptation, because I knew Sayuri was on this planet. I was only here because of her. No one else was going to kill Sayuri. That was _my_ pleasure! No one else's! And if the rest of the world had to pay, so be it! I gritted my teeth, staring at the ground.

Yes... Yes the rest of the world would pay dearly.

That's why King Saivan made me sick to my stomach. He knew damn well that the Summoners weren't in his league. How could he, the bastard? Try to kill my daughter! My Sayuri! She was destined to fight _me,_ not him! That was why... That was why I had to take him out myself. No one else on this pathetic world was going to do it. No one else would touch my prey. I didn't like to share my food with others, and Saivan was no exception! No, that bastard had been playing with my emotions since day one. Sayuri was just starting out as a Summoner—didn't he know that? I snarled, cracking my knuckles. He would pay for making me come down here.

I was cleaning up her mess now! How nice~

Still! This was outrageous!

But it was nice to get some fresh air and see the flowers~

Gah! I hated this place! I hated this damn world!

And Saivan knew I hated walking around. He knew I hated fighting! He knew I hated walking around out in the open while it was hot and sticky! I waved my hands in the air, sighing. Yes, it felt nice outside but I didn't want to do this. How troublesome. Maybe I should have just came to his castle. But noooo, I had to stop and see the flowers... My gaze trailed off towards a hill and I saw the most wonderful, green flowers. They were absolutely stunning~ I wanted to go over and pick some, but I remembered I had a job to do.

But the flowers...

I reached out towards them, my mouth slightly open. When this was all over, I would have to tell Suzuki about those flowers. Maybe he would have gotten me some? It was strange. I knew the Dark Ages didn't have special worldly flowers, so what were those? I'd have to come back and see for myself, wouldn't I? Not a problem! I could easily kill Saivan if I wanted to! But I was so hungry. I stopped and drew my sword. Gracefully, of course! I stabbed it into the ground and leaned on the hilt of it. When I was inside of that beast of a creature, I didn't need food. I fed off the energy of planets...

Because I literally just jumped out of that disgrace of a body guard, my body hadn't had time to... Adapt.

It's sad that my body didn't remember how to be independent on its own. I could survive without food and water for days, but now I was so hungry... I was tired of being hungry and I didn't want to feed myself! I shouldn't have came here in the first place! Maybe I should have been a good citizen and let the Dark Ages have their pathetic little world all to themselves! Or maybe I should have eaten it! Yep, eating it sounded good right now, but my car was all the way up in the sky and I didn't feel like jumping in it. Besides, I promised Saivan I would do him the honor of killing him, right~? I closed my eyes, tilting my head.

Dammit.

I didn't have time for my body to return back to its senses. I needed to... I needed to be able to do this. I came to this world to help Sayuri out, and that was exactly what I was going to do. I didn't need anyone's help! I didn't need anyone's pity! I was going to do this alone!

Considering everything I ever did for Saivan... I shook my head, standing up straight.

I pulled my sword out of the ground and resumed walking. How the hell did I let all of this escalate to this...? Yeah, I'd admit it! It made me feel like a fool! This world wasn't supposed to blow to oblivion—oh, wait. That was my fault. I mean, this world wasn't supposed to end up like it was _before_ I came here!

The others lied to me. The Dark Ages was still one piece of hot, stinky, moldy old hamburger sandwiches—_dammit!_ I was making myself even more hungry! I'd kill Saivan for doing this to me! I'd stay true to my words! And... My hunger wasn't the only thing bothering me. I was still so tired. Again, I didn't have to sleep—but I did anyway as Atropa and I were passing worlds. Now my body just wanted to relax... This walking was taking its toll on me. I didn't want to walk! I didn't want to run! Why was Saivan's castle so far away? I hated walking, I hated being tired and I hated being alone. An eternity in darkness was right. Even in the sunlight I felt so out of touch with the rest of the world...

Maybe that was because I was destroying it. Oh yeah.

This place deserved to be smashed into the ground. Seriously, what was that crack-pot Aysel thinking when she called me down here? Did she think I was going to automatically help her? I grinned maliciously, speeding up my pace a bit. If anything, I was amused that she would even think something like that! I hoped she choked on her big ego and died. In fact, I would see to it that her death wouldn't be a fast one!

Or maybe it would have been... I didn't know. Right now I needed to focus, but it was so hard to do that when I was hungry! What I wouldn't give for one hot sandwich or two. Maybe I would have went to Saivan's kitchen and raided his stuff before I destroyed it all, huh? Yes, that's what I would do before I killed him! He was a king, right! So maybe he had lots of food in his kitchen! My eyes sparkled at the thought. Yes, ham and cheese and sandwiches and... It didn't matter what he exactly had in his kitchen! All I knew was that I was hungry and—

I looked up and the first thing I saw were flowers. It was really hard to concentrate on killing when I was around so many flowers! They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes and there were even some I hadn't remembered planting down here before! I clapped my hands together, tilting my head and smiling brightly. Oh how the flowers tickled me so much inside. You know, I wouldn't mind being a flower myself, if I could! They were so lucky... All they had to do was stay still and stick out of the ground... Oh... The life of a lovely, wonderful flower! I looked ahead and shook my head... But my body wanted to walk over to those precious flowers.

Oh! Oh! Maybe I should have taken some to Suzuki—

My face fell, but I picked myself back up. That was a stupid thing of me to think. I wouldn't see him again. I was condemned to wandering around in absolute darkness. I growled under my breath, my grip tightening on my katana. Damn fate. I didn't need it anymore. I wanted to scream that into the sky, but no one would hear me. I kept walking, looking up at the clouds. There used to be a time when I looked at these otherworldly clouds and smiled, but now... I smirked. This was just how it was supposed to always go. I should have came and destroyed this planet years ago, just like it was written in the book.

But because I defied the book—denied these people of their happy ending, I got punished for it!

How sick and insane is that? Hmph. I didn't need an answer. I'd make them all pay. They should have run and hid while they had the chance. It wasn't my fault that all of these people had Apathīa. If they would have sat down and talked about a cure, maybe they would have found one in time! Ahahahaha!

So what if I knew the cure?

I'm a damn weapon.

People fear me.

And if they fear me, that most definitely doesn't mean I go around healing people! I laughed at the thought.

The people on this world were so silly. So stupid. Such idiots! I had never laughed so much in my entire life! Okay, maybe that was a little white lie—but everyone on this planet was living in a little white lie. People wanted to say that they were generally happy. That they could never hurt anyone else. Like Princess Renata! So then why were there millions dying in Austere? Oh, and I mean before I came here. We weren't going to count the people that were dying now thanks to my Apocalypse Doom Ray™. Everyone on this world were hypocrites in their own fashion. Even right down to that dumb Professor Ever. She wanted to help people, yet she's using innocent bystanders as experiments. I've gotta say though, that was more saner than her buddy Professor Nero~

I remembered him. That creepy scientist.

I was glad he was dead.

But apparently even that wasn't enough to save the Dark Ages! This place was damned the moment I left it. I knew that. The others knew that. People from other worlds knew that.

But I was just one person! I couldn't save everyone. I couldn't even save myself. I was a disappointment to us all. A sorry excuse for a person that came from Earth. With the way I represented Earthlings... And no, that isn't to say that I actually _liked_ Earth. I hated Earth. Heh! I'd rather spend the rest of my life in eternal darkness than go back to Earth. Earthlings are no different from Enlightened, Nocuous, Celestial Beings or everything else out in the universe! And I should know. I've conquered everything in the universe.

I've saved more words than some of these guys can actually count!

So what does that say about how our galaxy looks? Nothing much, because none of these guys can criticize each other. As far as I'm concerned I_ am_ God! Eh, I couldn't be bothered putting on a straight smile. I did this. I did all of this. I didn't need anyone's help to send this world down into the absolute pits of oblivion! I knew some people would hate more for this.

But what did I care about what they thought of me! Right now, on this planet and on many others I was the Supreme Being. I was past everything in the universe. Even that so called God! Let them pray! Just know that while the ones waiting to die pray, they'll be praying to me!

I walked down a steep hill, touching the hilt of my sword. I could smell it now, Saivan's castle. Saivan's soldiers, as a matter of fact. That made me giddy inside! So he still had soldiers that were willing to fight for him? I hope they knew they were fighting for a dead man! That's right, a dead man. You don't follow around a dead man unless you want to die yourself.

I was impressed, though. Aysel's castle wasn't nearly as guarded as Saivan's castle was. I couldn't see the soldiers, but oh I could smell them~ I looked all around me, trying to figure out how I would handle this. Did I want to fight the guards, or did I want to leave them in my dust and make them hear Saivan's cries of agony when I killed him? I grinned wickedly, touching my mouth. Of course I wanted to play with his guards! And I could kill two birds with one stone! I'd kill them all! I'd bomb out his castle! There'd be no survivors from my attack! None at all! I'd make sure they all payed.

The wind started to caress my hair, making it brush against my face. I was so glad I had it pinned up. There was no way I was going to be able to fight with it down. I used to do that back when I was young and naive. Stupid! No wonder I would always get beat... But now I understood. I understood all too well.

I threw my arms behind me, closing my eyes. I needed to concentrate. No more flowers... No more thoughts of hunger... This was it! I crouched down, and as soon as I did I launched myself across the grassland, running as fast as I could. I was in front of the castle within mere seconds. Ha! I was _still _fast! I still had it, even after being trapped in that thing of a car! I put one hand on my waist, cackling out loud. And I guess that was my mistake, because the guards in front of the old castle saw me. Why they didn't see me before, I'd never know.

I looked towards them, my cackling still going on strong. And at first the stared at me. Truly stared at me. They were afraid of my cackle—my laughter! Oh, silly guards! Silly soldiers! They were supposed to be ready for anything, correct? The sun's rays reflected off the steel of my blade. Oh yes, the killing was going to start now, right at this moment! If they didn't move or at least acknowledge me, I was going to take all of this the wrong way... Of course I spotted the guards on the top of the castle too, but they seemed to be slacking off. I'd go for them later. Every step I took was amplified from the stone underneath my heels. And still they stared at me, the fools! I let out another terrifying cackle, one that made them flinch.

I tilted my head, walking up to the closest guard. He immediately dropped his gun. "Aww, you aren't going to even put up a fight~?" I cooed, a little upset. I held my sword in my right hand, standing behind him with my free hand placed on his shoulder. My head rested in the space between his neck and his shoulder. He wouldn't get away from me, and his friend? Poor friend.

He fell back and dropped his weapon as well. Could it have been because I simply frightened him? "Gruesome and eccentric, my ways are unconventional..." I whispered in his ear. "Make me believe that this place is heaven." And in one quick, gracefully move of my wrist I lopped his head off, watching it tumble on the brick of the ground! And, miraculously, his body fell before his neck got a chance to sputter his unworthy blood on me! I grined wildly, turning around on my heels. It was strange how people froze when they saw someone die in front of them!

Before I was able to actually swing my sword at him, he propped his gun and shot at my head. That did throw me off a bit! But not too much, darling~! I moved my head slightly, the bullet grazing my cheek. I cracked my neck continuing to grin at the solider. Why would I even stop grinning? This was hilarious! Still these people thought they stood a chance up against me! Why was that? It tickled me!

I didn't spare the guard any words; I simply drove my blade through his stomach and kicked that stupid thing of a gun out of his hands. I watched him writhe and choke on his blood, trying to get words out of his throat. Oh, he was so pretty, struggling to talk to me~! I ripped the sword up his torso and stopped at his throat, figuring I cut through a lot of his organs. I pulled my sword out of him, the sweet smell of thick, red, rich blood filling my nostrils.

One thing about jumping from world to world!

At least the blood smells all the same!

Apparently the screams of the guard got to the ones that were supposed to be looking out for intruders on top of the castle! They all propped their guns towards me, but didn't they know bullets couldn't touch me? I saw them—all of the metal things raining towards me—fists wrapped in pathetic tinfoil! I dodged each and every bullet with grace!

Hey! I found all of this kind of fun, actually! It almost looked like I was dancing and that was frustrating the guards! They wanted to shoot me so bad, but they were so slow! Both them and their bullets! Tired of running around and dancing for them, I ran up the castle walls, defying gravity. No, _I _was gravity's master! Anagrams appeared under my feet which scared everyone on top of the castle to no apparent end! The look on their faces! What, a simple mother like me couldn't know how to use space magic? Yes, this was the way to make to make my grand entrance!

The front door would never do!

I would never have fun going through the front door! And for that, I thanked the guards! Had it not been for them trying to shoot me down, I would have never found the fun in doing this the long way, as Atropa lightly puts it. Hmm. I hope she was having fun making a mockery of Aysel's palace! I licked my lips, tasting the fear of the soldiers as I jumped high over their heads.

I was hungry, I was tired, I wanted to see my husband... If I was going to return to the darkness after this and not ease all of those pains, then I was going to have fun with Saivan's soldiers! And then I would have fun with _him!_ I laughed out loud again and they all did the smart thing and backed up. Okay, so they ran away from me, but still! That was smarter than just watching me. I came back down from the air, my katana held tightly in my right hand.

Smiling, I cut the nearest one in half, the upper half of him sliding horizontally off his body and landing on the ground with a loud_ plop! _That sound excited me and I grinned, glinting my sharp teeth at the rest of them. Words? They were so petrified they didn't even think of trying to talk me down! Idiots! They should have begged for their lives! His blood leaked on the floor, making it sticky, but I could walk on anything. The rest of the soldiers just couldn't look away from their dear friend.

One moment he was standing there with them, and the next? Dead. Just like they were about to end up! I stood up, my grip tightening on my katana as I turn around slowly, being as creepy as I could be. A distorted smile danced on my lips, my eyes half-lidded, deadly, full of malicious intent. I giggled sinisterly.

They lost it!

They really, really lost it and tried their hardest to get away from me! "Your fear excites me!" I exclaimed, waving my katana across the air, but being careful to keep all of the blood on it. "Your hearts beat a little faster with each glance I throw at you. I am the master of your fates!" They failed in their attempts to run away from me. There was no running away from the one that holds your fate! There was no running away from me! I jumped on one of their backs, waving my arms in the air with my legs firmly wrapped around his neck.

"Look at the beautiful flood! The wonderful crimson blood!" I exclaimed, sighing. I cracked his neck with my thighs and jumped off his back before he had enough time to fall.

The sound of his neck crackling was beautiful, enough to make his friend stop running and twitch with fear. I smirked, readying my leg. He wasn't going to get away from me! I kicked him dead in his back from the air, sending him through the very _castle! _He crashed through all the floors, creating nice holes for me to fall down in too. Once we reached the bottom of the castle, his body splattered on the ground and I merely used his remains as something to land on. I looked all around me and then looked behind me, gazing at the guards that I had just killed a couple of seconds ago.

"Ha. Front doors. Who needs those anymore~!" I cackled, trying to cover my mouth. But honestly! This was all too funny!

I was deep into the castle too, until I saw a funny looking Wicked Spawn. Hnn. I didn't think it was one of mine, but then...? I smirked once more, waving my hand in front of me. Usually they listened to me, but this one looked like... Looked like it was modified. I gasped, taking a step back! _Wrrry! _Saivan experimented on my children! How cruel! Well, it looked like I had no choice but to fight it, right? It was going to defy me and attack me anyhow, so I should have...

I should have summoned my own Wicked Spawn!

But that was too much work!

I should have killed it _myself! _

I grinned, my eyes lightning up with adrenaline. I took the thing by its neck and wrapped my legs around what appeared to be its torso. After that I slammed it into the ground. I got up and drove my katana through its head, watching it stop moving.

I stood up and another modified Wicked Spawn jumped in front of me. Oh, why was Sai~van so cruel to my children? Did he really have to experiment on them too? Aww, that made me sad! I would have a good talking to him when I finally reached where he was! Ack! He even gave it an eye! One big, bulging eye! And it stood on two sharp legs, gazing at me like it wanted to eat my soul. Poor baby! I reached out to it, frowning somewhat, but then another one that looked just like it jumped in front of that one. And then next thing I knew, there was an army of them.

Behind me, in front of me...

They were all ravenous to kill me. And after everything I had done for them, too! I smiled impishly, staying in the same spot. They all danced around me as if I was their fire... You know, those stupid ritual fires crazy people put up and worship and whatnot. This would be too easy! Saivan needed to learn how to secure his castle! His magical barriers were weak, his soldiers were weak, and his _modified Wicked Spawn_ were weak! Fine, he could have them! I pouted before throwing the Wicked Spawn I had killed. After that I did a back hand spring, launching it with force in front of me and into the other monsters.

I did several back-flips, effectively dodging the other Wicked Spawns' arm-blades they had. Ha! They thought they were going to slice me in half? What part of I was the fastest being in the entire universe didn't they understand? I kept flipping, thinking I was going to dodge them all, but one of them was smart. He ran up to me and looked like he was going to slam him blade-arm into me half-flip. I was going to have none of that! I couldn't go back home in two pieces! I spread my legs out as far as I could make them go, standing on my arms.

Aye! Would you look at that? A split upside down~!

After that I clamped my feet around his sword, still upside down and standing on my arms. I launched my self upwards, slamming the Wicked Spawn face-first into the ground. I had just about had it with these guys! I unsheathed my sword, spinning it around in my right hand. One of those guys jumped at me... Which I thought was unfair! I was still on the ground! But I wasn't going to let the one I had slammed down get away. I thrust my sword backwards, cutting into him, and then I swung my sword in front of me, cutting three of them dead-square in the chest.

I watched the green, sticky liquid squirt all over me, but I paid it no mind! I did another spring off the ground, twisting my body and kicking any and all Wicked Spawn a good distance away from me. Hey? Didn't they know that my heels had retractable blades in them? Oh? I had forgotten to remind them?

Silly me.

I giggled to myself, watching their insides leak on the ground.

While in mid-air, I twisted my body and came down to the ground, lifting my right leg high into the air and bringing it down just as quickly, taking a huge portion of a Wicked Spawn's head right off. I turned to the side and drove my blade down, liquifying the monster.

"Wow!" I exclaimed like an amused child. "How'd I do that, huh!" I shouted, hearing a lot of them crowd behind me. I waved my arms out to my sides, strong winds sending them tumbling backwards. Now they were making me angry! They thought they could actually sneak up on me? I would hear them! With my sword in hand I looked at the one on the right, jumping in the air and preparing both of my legs to kick its head off sideways. I was going to connect, but one of them was going to swing their blade at me. I couldn't have that! I kicked the one on the right with my right foot, and the one on the left with my left foot.

I looked up in the air, gazing at how many Wicked Spawn jumped up. I was in such an awkward position anyway! I never knew I would be doing all of this moving fighting a bunch of Wicked Spawn! I narrowed my eyes, both of my arms high in the air. I kicked off one of their faces and stood on my hands again, twisting my body around at frightening speeds.

Again. The wind was my friend and sent all of them flying!

I jumped in the air, came back down, and stood on one of their faces. I rubbed my heel in it, too. Bastard! Thought he was going to get me from the back, eh? I cracked its neck, holding my sword again.

There was one from the side...

I was tired of them thinking they had the upper hand on me! This one was fast. My eyes narrowed as I leaned backwards, evading a blade ripping through my chest. I did it gracefully, my arms flowing in the air. I bent all the way backwards, marveling at the blade. It was so prettyful~ It wasn't as pretty as my flowers, however! My mouth was wide open as I studied the thing. I must admit, Saivan had lovely designs for their sword-arm things. I threw my sword high in the air and caught it. That was just for show, though, because I chopped straight through that thing's chest, watching its green blood spray across the hallway.

Oh, and who said Wicked Spawn didn't bleed?

Oh yes, that was right. These were modified.

I followed that up with another slash, watching it deflate right before my eyes and explode. I stood in that position, smirking. But then I heard the cry of one more. There was still one more alive? I snorted, looking over my shoulder. I was going to cut the thing in half, but someone shot it. The Wicked Spawn flew backwards, exploding in that green mist. I still looked ahead of me, not taking my eyes off the soldier that helped me. So he shot that guy for me. Hmph. I stood up straight, smirking. My arms dangled to my sides, eying the poor guy.

He still had smoke coming from his guns. But he looked like he regretted helping me out. Hmm.

"I owe you my thanks," I declared, putting on hand on my waist. He put his gun down and I walked over to him! I thought he would have been afraid of me, but he actually stood down. And he didn't look all that frightened, sadly.

"You are from Aysel's guard?" he said, wiping his nose with him arm. Ah! That one made me giggle. "I have never seen you before."

Once I had reached him, I put my hand out. "I'm new." I breathed, winking at him. "Kohana." So he didn't shake my hand... Did he not think I would kill him too? Ha! Who was this guy? I got in his face, staring at him up close. He didn't like that and took a step back. "So... You're in Saivan's … Well you protect his silly excuse for a castle, correct?" I still held my katana in my right hand. I didn't trust this guy. I tilted my head, walking back towards the bodies of the mutated Wicked Spawn. "I don't get it. I'm an intruder. I_ intrude. _So why'd you help me?"

"What is going on here?" he said. "Where are all these things coming from? I do not like these one bit. It sickens me that Saivan would even let these things run rampart in the castle while we are still inside of it."

"It's strange," I said, tapping my chin. "No matter the number you kill, more will come." I sheathed my sword, glancing back at him. "Then I'll leave that chore to you. I've got some personal slaying to take care of." I stepped back, driving the heel of my boot in one of the Wicked Spawn's back. What can I say? It was moving. He started to walk the way I came. "You go join the others. I trust you all will take care of these things."

"Others?"

"Yes. Um, let's see." I paused, touching my chin. "You're looking for a girl about yaaay tall, purple long hair like mine, green eyes—oh, and she has a cat-like thing following her. You're also looking for a really funny looking girl with gorilla eyebrows who always has a permanent deadpanned look on her face. And then you're looking for a guy who has this silly blonde streak in his hair." I paused, smirking. "You seem nice. So I'm going let you live." He took offense to that, but I clapped my hands together, hordes of my Wicked Spawn bowing to him. "Ciao~."

Of course he was startled by my children~ I flashed a toothy grin. "Wait! How did you—"

"Oh. I'm the Wickedness. I thought you could tell," I said, waving at him. His jaw dropped. Aww, so easily flustered~! "Anyway, I'm on my way. It's particularly bad out there too, just letting you know. When you find the others, tell them Kohana sent you." So I walked on down the pretty hallway without giving that guy a glance. I hadn't seen him before, and he had to be good. He wasn't Isaiah, I was sure, because—well!—who did you think I was aiming my Apocalypse Doom Ray at? Hahahaha! I don't believe in monsters of sin being allowed to walk all over...

I had made it to Saivan's throne room in less than a second. Now this was it. This was the moment I had been waiting for. Every fiber in my body started to twitch and ache—yes! I would finally have my fun with him! Did he know how long I had been waiting for a chance to fight him? To keep my promise to him? I was a woman of my word! I couldn't wait to clash swords with him~! I couldn't hold in my excitement any longer and I burst through the doors. I extended my arms, skipping towards him. Ahaha! Just like I had left him!

"Sai~van!" I exclaimed, my eyes sparkling like a happy child. He turned his head around and looked at me, and I must say, he looked utterly confused. I glomped him, wrapping my arms around him and refusing to let him go. "Aren't you glad to see me? I kept my promise to you, see?" He did the smart thing and didn't move, though his precious sabre was within arm's reach. I mean, it was around his waist. Him unsheathing it would mean making this battle faster, because I _was _going to hurt him!

"Who _are_ you?" he demanded. All in the same voice I had remembered years ago. I let out a malicious giggle, looking straight ahead. For a king, his throne room sure had a lot of flowers in it. "Get off of me!" No can do, Saivan! He thought I was going to listen to him, right? Too bad he didn't understand that I didn't listen to anyone! And I wasn't going to listen to the likes of him! They were pretty flowers, though~! Especially how the light from the stained window came down on them~ Argh! I had to concentrate now, Kohana! I couldn't think about the flowers. But they were so pretty.

"I'm the Wickedness~ of course," I whispered in his ear. "I told you I would fight you later. When I got on your world. Don't you remember?" Okay, so he tensed up when I said I was the Wickedness. Aww! I didn't expect him to believe me so quick. I hadn't given him a reason to believe I was the Wickedness yet. "Remember, Sai~van? Of course you don't! You thought I was Aysel! I'm upset you thought I was Aysel, Saivan!" I narrowed my eyes. He wasn't going to talk back to me without my permission! Gripping my sword with my right hand I drove the tip of it through his kidney, smelling his blood. All of this was too much for his feeble little Enlightened brain. I'm sure he felt the pain, but didn't want to acknowledge it.

"I like when you shiver, and I _love _when you scream!" I cackle, sliding my blade underneath the King's chin. My poor, poor king! King Saivan! Look at how flustered he is! His eyes widened at the mere sight of my blade! Did he not hear me when I said I would be his liberator? Did he not believe when I told him that I would be his own,_ personal _Wickedness? Aahahaa! How fun he was! I couldn't help but grin, caressing his cheek with my freehand. "I'll cut you so fast that your skin will fall and you'll bleed blue, Saivan~!" I sung, feeling him tense up. "My life was a waste, a piteous pile of nothing! Thanks to you, Sai~van."

He turned his head at me and jumped away. Pretty impressive, considering he's leaking all of his beauty across the room! I cackled at that too, which made his eye twitch. So he was more courageous than his soldiers? He was still a coward! He looked alert, but he didn't draw his blade. Why so? And with every passing second he looked like he was regaining energy. So the guy could take a lot of pain! And! That still wasn't going to change anything~! He'd die right here and now! I started walking around his throne room, gazing at the flowers. I waved my left hand around, not worrying about him. "Blood is beautiful," I said, my voice full of passion. "Enticingly surreal, Saivan!"

Finally he had the courage to talk to me! "You are a liar," he muttered. "The Wickedness is not a woman. It is a monster. And I do not usually forget a beautiful face." Modesty wasn't his strong suit, now was it? He was an idiot for putting so many flowers in this room. I looked up at the ceiling, and then I turned around, shrugging my shoulders and closing my eyes with such grace! The wound on the side of him disappeared. I wondered why...

"I told you!" I exclaimed, cracking my neck. "I told you that if you stood in my way, I was going to cut you down!" I grinned at him, throwing out my arms. "You think that I'm not the Wickedness? Would you like for me to prove this to you then, Sai~van? Of course I am. You've had these Wicked Spawn around here modified so I can't control them. Naturally I should be able to!" I waved my arm in the air, those black "monsters" forming through the floor. Saivan quirked a brow, but I could tell he wasn't enthused yet.

"I promised you," I spat, stretching out my fingers. "...That if you got in my way, I was going to kill you. In fact, I guaranteed it. That I would kill you for every man that has fallen in your name." I paused, licking my lips. "And it seems that I get to slay you many times over!" I cackled, but he put his hands in his pockets, still not getting the fact that I had just destroyed his entire kingdom! That was making me down right angry!

"So you came here to kill me?" he said, as if I was inferior. As if he didn't believe me! I could only smile at his idiocy. "All of these questions... I do not even know your name." Oh. I flinched. That was right! How rude!

"I. Am. Your. God!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air. "No really, it's Kohana. I thought we've been over this before. See, that one dream. I_ know _you remember it." I slammed the hilt of my katana in the ground. "And I know what you're planning. You said you'd only keep Sayuri alive because you needed her. And well, I've been watching you long enough to know your plans. And I'm going to say this right here and right now: You're not getting her Shadow. You're not making a Shadow out of anyone she travels with, because _I_ won't let you."

He didn't see that coming did he! I _told _him I was the Wickedness!

"So you have figured me out, Kohana? And yes, I remember such a peculiar dream. You honestly think you can come here, cause a lot of noise in my castle, and make me stop my plans? Without a fight at that?" He paused, smirking. "Seems a little farfetched. You are the Wickedness, and yet you would help the _Summoners?"_

"I'm the one asking questions here," I said, assuming my stance. "I told you. I'm the Wickedness! That makes me the ultimate antagonist in her story!" I smirked. "Hehe. You will fumble in your opposition of my quest! Though I encourage! For an opportunity to battle a being such as grand delusions as you..." I smiled. He remembered my words!

I threw my arms in the air, smelling the flowers.

"...Is a sweet fortune!"

* * *

**A/N: **Yo. XD;;; I am NOT happy.

I had to cut this chapter in like, two parts. So yeah.

All because of Kohana doing the most. So yeah guys. We'll get an epic fight later. And then maybe Kohana can explain to me why she took 8000 words to reach Saivan. Fah. _Goddammit._ XD;;; I'm still ending this arc with 57 chapters whether Kohana wants me to or not! D: I just couldn't fold, giving you guys a 15 or 14k chapter. Because I'm sure you all would have hated me for that, and not everyone wants to read about how spastic-crazy Kohana is. XD;;;

Bah. I mean I'm sorry. I hyped this chapter up for nothing, it seems.

But this is all my fault. Because I've never written Kohana before, so I didn't know she'd be all flashy.

I'm writing the second part now. ._.'

Aye yo! Kohana, you understand that I have AP English homework, right? XD;;; Now I hope she graces you all with an 10k chapter. XD


	53. As Your God Is Failing Once Again

**A/N:** I promised you guys a climatic fight.

What can I say? And I promised you all that it'd be 10k. What can I say? I'm sure that you all know how crazy Kohana is, so I'm going to make this quick and to the point: This chapter is the most creepy, gruesome thing I've yet to write for CCFA I think. And if it isn't, it's in the running. XD

This chapter... IS that bad. Do NOT think you can get through it because you can read about people getting their heads choped off and stuff. It's _worse_ than that. XD

And then when you throw Kohana in there, things can only get bad. So! Just a warning. This chapter has loads of gore and violence and creep. XD;; And that creep is from Kohana. As for the flashback... Yes, there's a pirate speaking. Yes, I gave her an accent. Don't kill yourself trying to understand Red. XD

* * *

"Give her back," Sayuri says as calmly as she can, albeit through clenched teeth.

She points a finger at the Felinefolk in front of her, not intimidated by the woman's black, furry ears sticking out of her untamed black hair. The woman puts her hands on her hips, giving the Summoner an equally menacing look. The two of them match each other in height, but the Felinefolk definitely tops the Summoner as far as size goes. Riona, Leyiko, and Nina watch in horror as Sayuri begins to snarl at the woman, throwing both of her arms out towards her.

"Who in da 'ell are you?" the woman exclaims, shaking her head. "You must be a bunch ov idiots, comin' in me cave an' makin' demands ov me!" Sayuri opens her mouth to say something, but then she realizes she doesn't have a clue to what the woman has just said. Blinking, she steps back and glances at her teammates, but none of them really want to be thrown into this mess. The Summoner of Time takes one more look at the Felinefolk, glancing at the rapier she has in her hands.

The woman is wearing a black vest that shows her midriff and red and white striped push-up bra. She's wearing a ruched, ruffled black skirt that has a gold skull and cross bone buckle on it. Her green eyes trail to the giant black pirate hat she has on her head; she finds herself staring at the big red bow on it. No... She can't be a real pirate, can she..? Now Sayuri's starting to have second thoughts, but the fear of losing Isleen to a pirate makes her grit her teeth again.

"I'm Summoner Sayuri you asshole!" she shouts, clenching her fists. "You stole Isleen from us and we want her back _now!"_ she hyperventilates, shaking her head. Sayuri never knew she could shout so loud... So loud with so much anger. She notices the brunette's friends coming over and decides to stand up straight.

"Well, would you butcher's 'ook at dis right 'ere! Mates, I think da little puny Summoner 'ere wants ter pick a beef wiv me! She doesn't know what she's ge'in' 'erself in'er does she? The purple-haired wretch doesn't know a thing abaaaht proper pirating! We made an agreemun', guys, what you would all 'elp me get what I want. I take care of your wolf an' now you all drives me bizurke fer me in order ter get 'er back! She's a really fine bread... She'd sell fer a hoppin' pot ov Cyril Ash in da black market, wouldn't you say?" Sayuri grits her teeth, scowling.

"I'm done working for you! You're not giving us Isleen! We keep finding all of these things and you keep telling us they're stupid knock-offs! And I've never seen you in person before! You keep sending one of your people to talk to us, and I've got to say they don't look like pirates, so all of this is kind of surprising." She pauses, folding her arms. "Stupid Forsythian pirate—!"

"The name's Red! Don't ever call me what pirate Forsythain again!" Red shouts, tilting her head in distaste. "I take pride in what I do. The water surrounds me an' I teach i' 'ow ter behave, got it? I've been piratin' fer as long as I can remember, an' me an' me crew know 'ow ter beef so don't you go doin' anythin' fishy! You wan' da old wolf back? You 'ave ter drives me bizurke fer 'er! She's unlike anythin' we've ever seen an' we might want to get some gold for 'er eh?"

She's not getting this.

She's not getting this!

Sayuri runs her fingers through her oily hair, frowning. "I don't understand a word you're saying!" She puts her hands down, taking a step towards Red. "I'm this close to fighting you and everyone else in this "cave" or yours for Isleen!" Nina gasps, clapping her hand over her mouth. Sayuri can't take on every pirate, can she? Of course not! And Nina doesn't want to help Sayuri beat up a bunch of pirates either. "Usually people start kissing our butts when Summoners show up! Why aren't you guys doing the same thing?" Amused, Red lets out a laugh.

"Aye, looks like you don't know anythin' abaaaht pirates! Summoners. Who cares if you people are Summoners? What 'ave Summoners ever done fer us, right mates? Just because we're not kissing da very ground you walk on? We catch i' an' it's aaahrs, Sayuri." She pauses, letting off a slight grin. "And as fer da beefing... Do you really wan' ter beef me? My crew can stay aaht ov dis. You're not fit to beef with me. I'm Red! Tea leaf an' pirate known all fruff aaaht da land! You'll go back ter your friends in millions of pieces."

"I don't understand what you just said, but fine! Fine!" Sayuri unsheathes her sword and the people behind Red step back, snickering. Riona touches Sayuri's shoulder, scowling.

"Sayuri... Stop being an idiot and talk something out with her!" she hisses.

Sayuri doesn't even _hear_ her. "You've got a sword? We'll I've got one too and it's not fair how you've got Isleen locked in a cage!" Red scratches the back of her head, her bangs still hanging over her right eye.

"Why are you 'ryin' ter get da old Summoner to stop?" she asks, amused. "Let 'er beef if that's what she wants ter do! You 'ave ter take your Isleen wolf back by force... But just remember what when you attack me, you're an enemy ov everyone in me cave!" Appalled by all of this, Riona taps the bottom of her scythe on the ground, causing everyone to look in her direction.

"Please!" Riona says, wiping some of her black hair out of her eyes. "Let's settle this like proper women and stop yelling at each other, say? Sayuri, you want Isleen back. Red, you have Isleen. Now we need Isleen in order to save the world, but Sayuri... You just don't take things by force..."

"She's a _thing _now?" Sayuri screeches, stomping her foot on the ground. "Why don't you throw your Summoner pride on the ground and work for Red the rest of your life?"

Noticing how upset the Summoner of Time is, Riona puts her hands in the air. "Sayuri that's not what I meant—!"

"No, she's quite right Summoner Sayuri," Red inquires, putting a hand on her waist. "Isleen is a ting! A ting I'm going ter sell an' make lots ov money. Now if you value your life you'll get da 'ell aaaht ov me cave!" She pauses, scratching her chin. Sayuri narrows her eyes at Red, gritting her teeth. Amused, the pirate switches her footing. "Well, there is one ting you can do ter get on me bee's knees, Summoner Sayuri."

"Your... Bee's knees?"

"Good side," Leyiko says, examining the hologram shooting out of the plate in her arm. "My accent translators are never incorrect."

"If you brin' me somethin' be'er van da old dog, I'll exchange what fer your wolf in there. And if you keep your end ov dis new deal, we'll keep feedin' da prized dog. I wan' you ter brin' me Lord Agavangelos' tear." Sayuri sighs, standing up straight. Oh great. More missions she's forced to go on.

"Okay, by "Lord Agavangelos" you mean "Lord Agathangelos" right Red?" Sayuri says, touching her forehead with her fingertips. "You do know that he doesn't exist, right? You people make me sad to be alive. You can't believe in an Archfiend..."

"Idiot! You idiot! I don't 'eve in da Archfiend! I only 'eve in da treasure. It's called Lord Agavangelos' tear because their's jack else like it. It's a gem that's shaped like a tear, an' it glows orange... Just like 'is eyes. But it's... I've been lookin' fer i' everywhere but I've ney'er really found i'. If you hoppin' ta wan' Isleen so badly, you'll find me da tear, got it? Now I'm off! Brin' black da tear, an' you can 'ave your friend!" Red turns on her heels and the other pirates behind her start to laugh under their breath.

"Bitch..." Sayuri mutters.

"Na ah uh, Sayuri. Isleen wouldn't like what you're callin' 'er such foul names!"

The Summoner of Time stands there, gripping the hilt of her sword as Red disappears from her view. She doesn't know anything about any "Lord Agavangelos'" tear, but the only thing that matters is getting Isleen away from her before she's sold. Again! Sayuri turns on her heels, seething.

"S—Sayuri wait!" Nina calls out behind her.

And the others follow her lead.

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-Three: As Your God Is Failing Once Again... :-**

_I'm a jinx, a curse, some say, "the worst"  
I'm a savage, rabid beast  
I've been called so many fucking things,  
it doesn't affect me in the least  
I've stolen, lied, been crucified but I don't regret a thing  
I'm an egocentric masochist with a sadist's point of bleak  
_

— "Ashes" — Five Finger Death Punch

"Mightiest of the warrior, you don't know how wrong you are, do you? Fight fire with fire, a bloody massacre occurs. You're going to die someday..." I murmured, holding the hilt of my sword loosely in my right hand. I brought my eyes towards Saivan, smirking at him. Idiot! How did he expect to win this fight against me? Did he understand anything I said? No matter! This would be fun, playing with someone who thought they transcended God herself! "I will strangle you in your sleep, cut you to pieces, I will light you on fire, then I will bury your pieces far away from each other."

I raised my arm in the air, stretching out my right leg and crouching down. "I hope you realize your mistake. Sleep tight, loved one. These are not threats." I smiled, licking my teeth. "These are not threats, I promise you this!" I couldn't get why Saivan thought a silly sword was going to protect him from my wrath. Ha! It made me giggle at the thought but he stayed calm, cool and collected, an act that both angered me and made me laugh. I would stay true to my aforementioned promise! His power over the kingdom would be no more! I'd be the one to take down the king!

I stood back up, tracing the blade of my sword. "You know, you had quite the competition, Saivan!" I cooed. "Everyone, and I mean everyone wanted to kill you—something that I just couldn't let happen, for you are my prize and my prize alone. I spent hours staying awake and watching everyone, killing people who I thought would get in my way... Really, it's extraordinary how much hate you've accumulated!" I pause, putting my hand to the side. "And even then, I don't think I'd have people that want my position to work for me."

"You act as if these conspirators actually could best me," Saivan answered, quirking a brow. I grinned again. It was something I'd only expect from the main conspirator himself, huh~? He was still oh so amusing with his answers and his body language... I didn't want to kill him just yet. His golden eyes locked on me and he folded his arms. Careful! He didn't want to let his guard down, did he? Civil conversation or not, I was still locked in predator mode! "I do not need to tell you that I am stronger than I look. Not to be full of pride, but I have my way around detours."

"And yet you're the biggest liar of them all," I muttered, amusement in my voice. "You betrayed your entire kingdom! I have yet to fully wrap my head around that! How must you feel?" I tapped my katana against my neck, looking at Saivan's blank expression. "You and I go way back, Saivan. There used to be a time when I respected you. I was jealous of you for an instance—ah!—I was young then, don't take that the wrong way. You handled your kingdom with finesse—that made it hard to snoop around you see... I didn't want to create a bad name for others of my kind."

"Others of your kind? You are not of this world?"

"Of course not!" I spat, chuckling to myself. "I'm neither Enlightened nor Nocuous. Just an innocent mother trying to take care of her cowardly daughter. You know what it's like to have children, right? Back then, I have to admit that I never got to see your oldest one—you killed her before I had the chance to speak with her." I looked towards his direction again, at least hoping his body language would tell me something. The bastard! Having one of his own killed in order to recreate his kingdom... What kind of sick bastard was standing in front of me?

I'd never have Sayuri put down~!

I'd do it _myself, _the coward!

I gritted my teeth, watching Saivan give me a very belated shrug. "You are speaking of Renatari, correct?" Was that her name? Whatever. I nodded my head, giving him a look of impatience. I wanted to let this bloodshed begin already! Why was he staling for time? It wouldn't be fair if I just rushed in on him, would it~? Despite all the things screaming at me to fight dirty, I wanted to at least give Saivan a fair match before I killed him blind! Yes, the mere thought made me so happy~! "She died because she was weak. Renata brought you down here, if what you say is true about you being the Wickedness. She was the superior offspring, and therefore lived."

I poked my nose, sighing. "Yeah. This is why I decided to only have one kid. I couldn't deal with that crap. I'm sure they fought all the time..."

"Over the utmost trivial things, too. There were times where I could not stand being in the same castle with them. Especially with Aysel. As infuriating as that woman is, she cannot take care of two children, let alone herself. I ended up taking care of a grown woman and two kids for a good duration of my life." Really? Ahahaha! That's funny! I would have never thought about that! Now I had the mental image of Aysel wearing a big, stupid diaper! Saivan was so cruel, but I believed him. Trust me, I was no stranger to how dumb Aysel was.

"Well yeah, but that's entirely your fault," I said with a dismissive hand wave. "You should have married someone with a brain. Yeah I pretty much know why you hooked up with Aysel, but uh, yeah. Idiot." This was truly amusing. Saivan was like the backwards equivalent of a gold-digger and now he's all hurt. Cry me a river! I clapped my hands, seeing no other way to display my amusement. Like a child! I glanced at the puddle of Saivan's blood on the floor and quickly snapped back to my senses. Oh yeah! That's right! I'm supposed to be killing him!

"I think you have gotten off topic," he said, unsheathing his sabre. And you know what? I unsheathed my katana. This was going to be fun like I couldn't even imagine. I stretched out my left hand, throwing my sheath across the room. Sorry sheath, there are times I could really use you, but not now. You'd only get in my way. I turned around quickly and kissed my sheath goodbye before looking at my prey. I waved at my sheath and everything... Maybe I should have been gentler with it... It did have a few flowers tied around it. Now I wanted to see if my darling sheath was okay... But... Saivan...

I muttered under my breath, turning around. "Generally I don't fight women..." I cackled, putting my left hand on my waist.

"I could say the same thing," the idiot mutters back. I traced the blade of my sword again with my left hand before launching off my feet. Hmm! Surprisingly the bastard was fast—now I understood where Klaus was coming from when he fought Saivan. So the kid wasn't lying after all and making up excuses for falling behind the man's speed. I swung my katana high into the air, gracefully at that, watching the light from the stained-glass reflect off my blade. My sword clashed with his sabre and he did slide back a couple of inches as he struggled to keep up with my amazing strength—!

"Just!" I exclaimed, pulling my blade back and slamming it into his, watching the sparks fly. The sound of the metal clashing against each other made me grin wildly. "Because! I! Am! A! Woman! Doesn't! Mean! I'm! Weak!" With that last swing, I managed to get him staggering back. "A_haha_ha!" I was going to go for the big slash, but he jumped up and over my head, to which I turned around on my heels pretty quickly. With a giant swing of my sword, I tried to come down hard over him, but he lifted his blade in the air—something I honestly wasn't expecting.

"Heh!" I muttered, taking a step back. I was too close to him and I couldn't swing my blade... His sabre was shorter than my katana, that was for sure. He had the advantage and I had to get some range in between the two of us. No matter, it could be done! All I had to do was let him push me back. It sounded like a good plan, but I wasn't going to let myself be pushed back! In the end, I ended up swinging against his sword. Now that I had some good leverage, I kept my assaults coming. "I haven't had a good sword fight in a long time~!" I exclaimed, never letting my swings slow down.

"You talk a lot for someone who is supposed to be handing me my death!"

I narrowed my eyes, angry that he would say something like that! And then do what? Have a completely silent battle? I didn't think so! I slashed for the bastard's head, but he was quicker then my wrist and moved his head out of the way while keeping up with my swinging. Instead, I cut right through a vase filled with soil—for flowers, perhaps? The sound of it shattering danced in my ears. Yes, I _demanded_ to hear that sound again! I grinned maliciously, my swings becoming more wild. Though spastic they were, he still found ways to keep up with me.

Ooo, maybe Saivan was a formidable opponent after all!

Maybe I should have gotten more serious with him. He deserved it, being able to keep up with me~! "The reasoning, trying to get past your fragile and beautiful face, your oh so beautiful face which there lies asleep!" I grunted, breaking more flower pots. The glass scattered all across the ground and got in our way! Fortunately, neither one of us was afraid of getting glass in our feet! Good, because all it would have been was a distraction! I smiled, my glinting my fangs. And because our swings were getting more sporadic, the number of things breaking increased.

Every assault of our blades ended with a high-pitched noise... Shattering things! "We're making quite the mess, Sai-Sai!" I exclaimed, tilting my head. "Maybe you should stop breaking stuff! People are going to start insinuating things!" The look on his face after I said that was so hilarious that I let out another wicked giggle. He slipped up, of course, letting me gain the upper-hand! His attacks slowed down—even a little bit—and I took the initiative.

With my right hand, I caressed his cheek, rubbing an invisible circle in it with my thumb. All the battling stopped. For now! "Innocence has never seen such beauty," I murmured, cracking a slight smile. "Never has it seen such passion, the passion which now surges through me to take the wings off a bird, who's young will be at loss. How could I remove my words, at the first chance?" And instead of stabbing me, instead of attacking me he does the most confusing thing ever and swats my hand away, as if his sword wasn't good enough for me!

I gritted my teeth slightly, and then that's when I noticed the little blue spark underneath his fingers and my wrist. _"Ah, shit!"_ I exclaimed, realizing it was far too late for me to retrieve my wrist or step away from him. The bastard made that disgusted and amusing face just to throw me off guard! What? I couldn't just look away from a funny facial expression, especially if I was the one that caused it! I didn't have an extra second to think... If I didn't do something soon the bastard would blow my arm off! I could handle this the easy way, or the hard way.

Let's see which way was more fun!

I grunted, twisting my arm down, and then I brought my left arm around, pointing my index-finger at Saivan's forehead. As soon as my finger made contact with his forehead, he twitched, thinking he could blow my arm off. He still had my wrist, but now I had his whole body under my control! And soon! It! Will! Be—! From out of my finger erupted a huge, pink blast that ate everything in its way. Flowers, windows, walls, bricks—all of these things disappeared from view in one big, sudden sound similar to a laser being fired out of some kind of machine.

I was half hoping to see Saivan headless, but I wasn't stupid!

I gritted my teeth, grabbing the bastard's arm—he thought he was fast? I was faster! I turned around and gave him a high-kick to the face, tripping him with my left foot and grabbing onto his arm before he fell towards the ground. The smoke and debris must have been effecting him, because he was truly faster than this, I'd give him that! I cackled, letting myself fall on top of him. I straightened myself out, securing his arms underneath my knees.

Raising my arms above my head, my dearest sword appeared in between my fingers.

And that's when I started trying to impale my sword through his pretty face—targeting his eyes each time I slammed my cold steel into the ground! He kept moving, however. "Humor me!" I exclaimed, giggling sinisterly as I raised my katana in the air. "The bitter pain erupts, running hot and frothy through my veins, plump with an overwhelming temptation of red, and blindness, and grinned teeth!" I declared out loud, looking at the state of emergency that was his expression! I wanted to let him get up, but if he didn't try harder I was going to drive my katana straight through his head!

I didn't want to kill him so quickly, however!

Oh well! "The throbbing expanse of greed in me punctures all sense that I have, so I'm left drowning in my madness, lust, and anguish. The ache pulses and grows beneath my skin, delighting my body—my bone marrow, too... With a curious need that twists my sanity and all sense of all that's good and red—" I stuck my sword into the ground but instead of me getting a chance to pull it back up, Saivan managed to get his arm from under my leg and slashed at my face with his nails—the sneaky bastard!

My eyes widened and I tilted my head, letting go of my sword. Bringing my right hand up to touch my face, my jaw dropped. H—he actually managed to cut me. Not with his sword, but with his... Fingernails? No, that wasn't what happened was it? My eyes trailed around the room, trying to figure out what just happened. I started hyperventilating, touching the red blood seeping through the vertical slash on the right side of my face.

And then I started laughing.

Cackling, even though blood was getting into my eye and messing up my vision! I didn't care about anything else! I clawed his chest, looking at the ceiling... And continued to laugh! _Aa_h_a_hh_a!_ This was the happiest I had ever been! Struggling to get back up, Saivan squirmed under me, gritting his teeth. "Clearly that should not have made you happy," he inquires, still having a hard time freeing himself from under me. I twitched, grinning again. He didn't know that I liked a good challenge, did he? Well Saivan was in for a nice surprise! Except, he got both of his hands free and blasted me through the castle's wall.

Too lost in a daze I tumbled outside, tripping over myself before stopping face-first into the grass. He walked out of the castle behind me, holding his sabre and examining my body. I inhaled, standing up clumsily. After I did that I exhaled, my body shaking in glee as I laid my eyes on him. Really, it was a surprise he was so calm! I fell back on my knees again, laughing out loud before gazing back up at him. "How can you fight if you cannot even contain yourself?" Saivan demanded, still walking towards little ol' me. Anagrams appeared under my hands and his eyes widened.

Unfortunately!

My lovely invisible wires sprung up from the ground and lacerated the bottom of his legs, earning me a quick, shrill of pain~! I'd hate to be cliché here, but it was like music to my unworthy ears! His golden eyes glared at me and he stumbled in front of me. "I see you have—!" Before he could finish his sentence he grunted because I pulled my head back, a wire secured in the confines of my teeth. His blood was seeping through his pants, and now I would get my ultimate prize! I could rid him of his legs!

"Blood is life, Sai~van!" I sung. "It lives even when the body dies! How magnificent is—!" Speaking of blood, I ended up coughing a lot of it all over ground... With a smile, of course! When I stopped my bloody coughing fit, I turned around slightly to realize Saivan standing there with his foot on my back—his sabre lodged into me. "W—_kaauah!—_what? How did you manage to get behind me?" I asked with a grin, my breathing jagged. Atropa must have been so upset with me~! But aww, I was just having the time of my life! She didn't like anything I did! He walked around me, arms folded and all, and crouched down, glaring at me.

"I am contemplating whether or not to let you live."

"Really?" I cooed, walking my fingers up his chin. I smiled, bringing my hand down. "What, you're going to Shadow me too?" I stood back up, his sword in my back. After that I wiped off my mouth. I giggled, trying to cover my mouth with my hand. I ended up failing at that, so I exhaled in bliss and tilted my head. I grabbed the bastard's sword and pulled it out of my back, falling forward a bit. I sighed, opening my eyes and handing his sword to him.

"I didn't say I was done yet." He stared at me, confused out of his mind. Look, either he was going to take it or not! I shoved the blood-covered blade towards him, quirking my nose. "Take it," I said, my voice tinged with enthusiasm. "Take it, Sai~van! You need something to protect yourself with, don't you?" I cackled, glancing at his legs. "So much wonderful bleeding! Are you sure you can walk on those sweet, injured legs of yours~?"

Hesitating, he took his sword. I let out a menacing, low growl, throwing both of my arms out. "I don't know how you're going to do this, Sai! Van! For this whole entire field of dirt and nothingness is my stage! We could have stayed inside of the castle! And now... Everywhere you walk there will be wires threatening to take your dear legs away! The dirt is my instrument of death now! I do not need a sword to fight against you!"

"How unfortunate..." he said, looking around. Yes, what else would it have been? Everything played out in my favor! "You try to kill me and then you give me back my sword only to taunt me about how you have traps laid out? You are a strange person."

"I'm the Wickedness," I corrected. I threw my hands up in the air dramatically, my eyes glued to him, my king~!

"I highly doubt that," he said, scowling. "I was imagining you would be some sort of high class fighter, not... This _thing_ standing before me in a cobbled together, bloody mess. You cannot even fight with a leveled head; what makes you think you can fight me and win this battle? I guarantee you will not win fair lady—I have far more lives than you have." Ah? We'd see about that, wouldn't we! This feeling twisting up my stomach and making me smile—the adrenalin to end his lives simultaneously—_ah! _

"For ecstasy or injury never lies, only bubbles, floods, and spills! And tastes so perfect," I cooed, touching my right arm. "So perfect... Like buttered toast in the morning. Succulent, slick, and sickly sweet—"

"What are you talking about!" he exclaimed in a burst of anger, quite tired of my flowery language. I opened my palm and my sword appeared in my hand, much to his disappointment. I'm magic! Tasting some of the bitter blood with the tip of my tongue I sighed loudly, switching my footing. My right eye was still blinded from the blood above my eyebrow, but I could fight only being able to see through one eye! My back was burning with with excitement—yes! I was so glad I decided to kill Saivan myself! Had I of let someone kill him... No! I couldn't think of things like that!

"Between our slippery forms, we touch in the dark and whisper of our hushed desires~!" I declared, switching my footing. That's something that made Saivan's face contort—the funniest I had ever seen him. I spun on my heels, gripping the hilt of my sword with such power—! The wind picked up around me and I let off this big whirlwind that should have taken Saivan whole, but he teleported out of the way, thanks to his Enlightened abilities. I smirked, turning around. Now he was all the way across the lake!

I snorted.

It also looked like he was going to create some kind of blast to shoot at me, charging his focal energy to do it. Ha! Did he think that too was going to be easy? He was right though... He was really far away from me and he was a black dot in my vision. The lake was really deep, and I hadn't had time to recover fully from staying with Atropa. And at that... The saltwater would tear my wounds up, especially my newly found back wound. I'd swim across anyway and tear his _arms _away from his body! Still he didn't believe that I was the Wickedness, huh? What a very foolish man!

I twirled again, my hair riding in the wind I created.

Incidentally, I was reminded of the fact that Sayuri still didn't know how to swim yet. I snickered. My poor, poor daughter... I dashed across the lake, each one of my foot steps sending ripples across the water until I was next to Saivan in an instant. "Boo!" I said, leaning into his face. I took him by surprise and he looked at me, dumbfounded. He was probably wondering how I was able to stand on top of the water, right? Well I wasn't going to tell him! If you want to fight against a strong opponent, you have to know both their strengths and their weaknesses! You can't just know nothing about them!

"H—how are you—?"

"You're fighting God!" I exclaimed, kicking my foot up and splashing him with the water. "I told you. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, I'm the Wickedness and I can do things that you wouldn't even fathom! But still I writhe to what I will, empowered by my loneliness, my lips part in a wildly echoing scream of despair..." I paused, sighing. "Hand in hand with explosive mirth!" He swung his sabre at my neck, this time... No! Maybe he believed me this time about being God herself! I moved out of the way, swinging both of my arms out. With my index and middle fingers I touched the heels of my boots, white, fluffy wings shooting out of them.

My hair instantly stuck to my face thanks to the rain.

And oh, was it raining so hard!

The lake beneath my feet vanished, leaving a crator under me. Saivan's jaw dropped instantly—marveling at what I had just done. "Aww, come on, it's just a little rain!" I cooed, tilting my head. I gripped the hilt of my sword with both of my hands, stabbing him through his chest—ripping through him like a hot knife cutting through butter! He gasped for air and grabbed at my blade, only for me to rip it out of his body. He staggered forward, but I didn't want him to fall in the two-hundred feat deep hole so I pushed him back, smiling as he did flips across the terrain.

The wings on the ends of my boots started fluttering, leaving a trail of purple, glittering dust behind me. Urgh, I'd never get used to that stuff! It was like I was allergic to it! It made my nose twitch, but I paid it no mind. Saivan stopped tumbling, just in time to see me run my blade on the ground. I was hoping to slice the little bug in half, but he parried my blade with his! I gritted my teeth, jumping in front of him and sticking my blade in the ground.

"You are getting sloppier... Kohana..."

"Tell me Saivan," I said, licking my lips. I basically ignored his pants. Ha! "Why won't you die?" I paused, bringing a finger up to my lips. "And as I hear you moan my name, beg me for your sweet release! I don't care what you want, however, all I want to feel is pain~!" I turned around, letting my fingers prod the air. Subsequently, I balled my hand, grasping the invisible metal wire. I smirked, tugging on it as fast as I could, effectively ripping Saivan's fingers away on his right hand.

His sword hand!

Aren't I clever?

The limp things of flesh fell to the ground and I walked over to the king, watching him double over in complete and utter agony. I cocked a brow, stepping on his pathetic fingers, the sound of his flesh squeezing underneath my boots making me grin malevolently. Blood gushed through his stump of a hand, leaking all over the ground. He stared at his wound—and as the crimson liquid gushed everywhere he saw some of my many metal wires. What part of "I put them everywhere" didn't he understand? He seethed at me, absolutely infuriated, but I touched his shoulder. I warned him I would be his one and only killer, didn't I?

I touched his stump of a hand, smiling devilishly. "Oh darling, bleed for me..." He grabbed for his sword with his left hand and I let out a cackle. Was he really going to try and fight me? With his weak hand? The hand he didn't even use to battle with in the first place? Let him try! Oh please let him try! I clapped my hands together. Seeing through only one eye was quite a challenge, but... Saivan stood up, hiding his right hand in the confines of his cape. What? To stop the bleeding? No, his blood was beautiful! Let him bleed!

I swiped my arm across the air, holding my sword with my right hand. "Are you really dumb enough to keep fighting? I thought you'd be since long on your knees begging for me to spare your life!" The rain was still coming down hard, getting in all of Saivan's wounds. He didn't realize that I could take all the pain he could give me. He on the other hand... He was just a feeble-minded Enlightened that had some practical use with magic. Too bad I was so far out of his league. "Ah. You? A king? Ha!" I exclaimed, covering my mouth with the back of my freehand.

Maybe Aysel should have chosen someone else to marry, because this fool... If he was really going to try and fight me with no fingers on his dominant hand...

"Sai~van! What a horrible fate you have to face," I said, grinning playfully. "As king, you are supposed to have a fit funeral and everything... A death fit for a king... Aren't you just so happy I'm going to be the one killing you?" I paused, waiting for an answer. All I got were a few blinks from him. Aww. What a shame. "Saivan, your cup has runneth over!" I stomped on the ground, emphasizing my point. "Your world... The Dark Ages... It's fake. And I plan to redirect you to a real world... The world were the dead run around and do whatever they want!" He staggered, but he managed to compose himself.

"I have just about had enough of you—!"

"Do something about it then!" I shot back. "You hate me? I want you to hate me. I want you to _fucking _hate me, Saivan! Because that's the only way you're going to get me to stop this game. Haven't you realized that we are standing in my arena? You lost the moment I came to the Dark Ages. You and your people. It's as Klaus said," I muttered, balling up my fists. "A kingdom is nothing without its king, but a king is nothing without its people. You've since been abandoned your people—and now I've forced your people to abandon you. You really want to know what your people believe in now?"

Ah! The king was getting irritated now, snarling at me! How cute~!

"Your people have forgotten all about you. The millions in Aysel now? They're putting their trust in Summoner Sayuri. Sayuri Outtaike! The Summoners and their Guardian! They've taken your spot and want you thrown off your high chair, Saivan! They want you stripped of your title." I held my sword with both of my hands, securing my footing. "They want you dead. I've wanted you dead for a long time too. You reap what you sow and you pay what you owe, Saivan. You owe those people the lives you messed over!"

"You—"

I tilted my head, letting the tendrils of my hair fall against my neck. "Your world? Heh. I _dominate _your world. And many others. You see how quickly your kingdom fell? How all of your soldiers fell at my feet? You're not that powerful, Saivan. You're not that good at fighting." I paused, narrowing my eyes at him. "There's no honor amongst thieves!" As soon as I said that last line, he erupted into a flurry of blue, focal light. Heh. So was he mad at me? What did he have to be mad over? His blade shattered underneath the pressure of the blue light—earning an eyebrow arch from myself. Poor blade! I'd never hurt my blade in order to show how angry I am!

"I've found you out and now you're getting angry?" I chuckled. "You mad?"

He looked like he was charging up something... Something menacing, something... Something that might have been really fun to take! But meh, I didn't know how much pain my body could take. I could take all of the pain in the world—but I was still human. Curse me still being human. Now I couldn't do the things I wanted to do... Pillars of blue light shot up from behind me. I turned around, poking my nose. "Eh...?" The light warped around my feet, rending me from any and all movement.

I smirked.

Ah_aha_ha_ha_!

"Bring your worst, Saivan!" I taunted, my grip tightening on my sword. What? So my legs were the only thing he was going to stop? That's really silly of him wasn't it? No matter! If he didn't hit me with this, I was going to make sure he didn't want to live after what I planned to do to him next! He disappeared from my vision and I smirked, throwing my katana as far out as I could.

The light disappeared.

My feet were freed.

I cracked my knuckles, letting the rain pelt on top of my head. "It looks like a perfect day for rain, huh?" I muttered to myself. "Why, oh why do people forget I can throw the sword? It's not only used for slashing, you know." It looked like I got to drive my sword through Saivan after all! He was pinned to the back of the castle, his back facing me. I tapped the hilt of my sword, watching the blade shudder at my touch. Yes, my blade tacked him to the castle's wall! I licked my lips, making a popping sound with my mouth afterward.

Should I have pulled my sword out?

Hmm. No. I wanted to look at his bloodied body some more. What an embarrassing way to die! Face-front and pinned to a wall by a woman's sword! …That isn't to say women don't kick ass, of course. But with the way Saivan was fighting, he was a woman himself... I grinned shaking my head. "Aww, so much for my fun lasting longer..." With a quick wave up the right side of my face with my index and middle finger, the wound he put on my face closed. The blood disappeared too. I spun in one place, a light-green anagram appearing from underneath my feet.

All of my wounds vanished and I cracked my neck, just to make sure I was good as new. "Hmm, I don't think I have time to resurrect you and then kill you over and over again like I promised, Saivan..." I muttered. "I guess this is the part where I go tell Sayuri that I've killed you, huh? Oh is she going to be mad at me. Silly little kid. You can't give sympathy to the people you're supposed to kill." I paused, looking at the ground. "Ahaha! Well I guess I can't really talk, can I?" I scratched the back of my head, sighing. "I used to do that all the time... When I was her age..."

I shook my head again, grabbing the hilt of my sword.

But when I grabbed it, I could have sworn Saivan moved from under my sword... Gasping (and a little freaked out) I stepped back and fell on my butt, gazing at the dead man stuck to the wall by my blade. I kid you not. This man—this man that was dead just a moment ago—pried himself off the wall, but before he turned around he pulled my katana out of his head and turned around—dark blue light fixing up his face... Almost like my sword was never there to begin with! How the hell—! I looked at my hands. Could I have brought him back to life on accident or something? No, I didn't have problems with controlling my magic...

So then what the hell was this!

The blue light traveled to his legs, taking away the metal wire lacerations and leaving him with healthy, walking limbs. The blue, lightning-like light also gave the guy his fingers back. Just what the hell was happening? I shook my head, gritting my teeth. I wasn't going to let his surprises knock me off guard! He threw my katana next to me and I took it without a second's guess. How _dare_ he treat my blade like that! I growled under my breath, still shocked that he just came back to life like that. "How the hell are you—?" I managed to get out before closing my mouth shut. I didn't need him to tell me anything!

My frown morphed into a grin and I stood back up, albeit cautiously.

"Surprised, Kohana?" he asked, shooting me a look full of egotism.

"Err," I mumbled, still sorta shocked. Seriously, I'd give this guy a ten for imagination. But no one can cheat death! I stood up, shaking a bit. "Impressive, I'll give you that, but what the heck are you still doing alive?"

"If you are the Wickedness," he said, smirking. "Then I am immortal." You know, that's a terrible form of sarcasm but I'd gladly take it. Immortal? Ha! This guy must have been pulling my leg, because I've met no one of the sort! Macarius thought he was immortal, Nero himself might have been going for immortal, the people in Forsythia thought the Archfiend was immortal... _Atropa _thinks she's immortal... But Saivan? Immortal? Ha! I let out a really long and loud laugh.

"Immortal you say? I'm not even immortal. I'm powerful, yeah, but I'm not immortal," I snorted. "Tell you what. You tell me the real reason why you just came back to life, fingers and all, and I'll let you live a little bit longer to tell all of your remaining men that you just got your ass kicked by a lady." Saivan walked around me, sporting his little sabre in his hand like we hadn't just done this already. I looked up at the castle and noticed the cracks along the imprint he left... Ah, my sword must have hit him hard...

"Professor Nero worked with me," he said, making my eyes widen. "He worked on my body and give me infinite life." My mouth formed into an 'o' and I threw my arm in the air.

"Oh! So you're a Shad—" I stopped, mid-sentence. If this guy was Saivan's Shadow, I was going to be more than pissed. You mean to tell me I just wasted all of my time fighting a Shadow? A pathetic, sniveling Shadow? It couldn't be a Shadow though, I just... This was the guy I had been watching out for since Sayuri appeared in the Dark Ages, so I knew they didn't switch. And if Saivan remembered the dream I had with him, then of course this was the real Saivan. Shadows didn't dream. Besides, this had Nero's name all over it.

"Sadly, I am not a Shadow," he said, quirking a brow. "I merely have the regeneration skills of a Shadow. In order for a Shadow to be brought back to life, it burns the souls of the deceased people that were sacrificed to create it, correct?" I nodded my head, somewhat understanding the situation. "When a Shadow is first born, it has a number of souls tacked to it. When the number is sufficient, the Shadow is born. I, on the other hand..." Saivan smirked in glory, lifting his hands in the air. "If you are the Wickedness, Kohana, I applaud you!" My body pulsated. My heart skipped a beat. He sounded almost like... Almost like Professor Nero! My eyes widened and I took another step back, memories filling my head.

"Thank you for bringing me new life!" he declared, smirking devilishly. No, this wasn't all my fault was it? I couldn't... I wouldn't... This had nothing to do with me! "Because you went and killed millions of people in both Austere and Aysel, those dead souls got sucked into me!" I seethed, my grip tightening on my blade. He wasn't serious, was he...? "My focal energy is always flowing around me... I use it as a vacuum. Those people do not rest, Kohana dear, those people become a part of me. And you are still feeding me that extraordinary life..." Shit, did I tell Atropa to stop destroying Aysel's palace up there?

No, that'd be stupid.

I looked back at Saivan, glaring at him. "Every time you kill me, I use a soul. This is the true work of Nero. I was glad to have him on my team. I am even more grateful to you, Kohana. Now I can live for millions of years... And rule my kingdom as I see fit." That last line really cheesed me off. I came here to kill him... Only to realize I just let him live another twenty-four? And by that I mean "let him live forever." You get my point... All of those innocent people... At least... At least they deserved to rest in death! So that healing dark-blue light must have been the souls.

I tapped my chin with my index-finger.

Hmm. Fighting someone who can die a million times...

"You should know by now I'm not the practical fighter!" I yelled. In an instant I was standing next to him sideways. He couldn't see how fast I moved and I drove my blade into his face, pinning him to the wall once more. I let out a loud chortle, grinning at the open blood vessels sputtering out crimson, beautiful liquid all over me. "You can die millions of times? You're like a Christmas present I've gotten early!"

He totally wasn't expecting me to take his being immortal this way. I flashed a toothy smile, licking his blood off my lips. "We'll just kill you over and over again!" I yelled, pulling my blade out of his head and then slamming it back in random places. The blue light was too slow! It couldn't keep up with me! "Aha_hah_ah_a_!" I laughed. "You should have kept your secret to yourself, Saivan! Such a loud mouth you have!" I pulled my sword out of him once more, but then I let him stagger backwards. I sidestepped out of his way and stood in front of him, smiling like a child.

With one swift movement I sliced his body horizontally in half. It actually popped up, guys! His arms flew out towards me, his head down. His blood, once again, sprayed on my body. Holding my katana with both hands, I watched as the upper-half of his body sat back on the rest of it. Then I drove my blade up, slicing his head off and watching it launch into the air! The blood flowed out of his neck in a spiraling motion, all over my hair.

After that I kicked his torso with my right foot, his bottom half falling to the ground. I swung my blade back as far as I could, and then with force I swung at his still-suspended head, chopping it in half and watching that, too, bounce on the ground before staying put. "So much fun~!" I sung. It had been a long time since I had done that to anyone! C-c-combo! I raised my arm in the air smiling. There was blood everywhere, but who cared? It was so beautiful~! My eyes twinkled at the thought. "The tainted sweat in which we bathe and our illustrious screams—_oh yes, _Saivan! I am soaked in the magnificent bliss of agony, crushed and suffocated by it! Engulfed in the divine pleasure it invokes—I spasm joyfully when you glare~!"

I stood there, waiting for Saivan's body to come together again. And it did! It did, it did, it did! It came together so fast with that dark-blue light! He was still dazed, feeling the pain of those last attacks... Or maybe he still felt the pain of me smashing his head against his own castle! I turned him around, extending my left hand. Now I was wielding two swords. Okay, so I'd admit I wasn't as good with a sword in my left hand... But I could get the job done, right? I turned the king around and slashed up his body with both swords, his arms leaking freshly created blood!

I stabbed him in the shoulder, and then I slashed him across the chest. Switching my footing, I impaled his heart with the katana in my right hand... He let out a gasp, as per usual. But he wasn't expecting what was going to happen next! I ripped my katana out of him, ripping his torso away from his lower body once more, closing my eyes at the blood hitting my body. "That's for stepping my Sayuri's face~" I cooed. I raised his torso in the air, watching his flesh vanish from my blade. "Yes, you thought I forgot about that?"

"Your... Sayuri...?" he said, breathing hard as his head came back.

I tilted my head. "Yes, _my _Sayuri. I'm her mother. But I'm not finished with you yet! Ha, you didn't think I knew what a Shadow was? Thank God I watched Chase fight Adair, huh? Otherwise I wouldn't have known that you can feel the pain of previous deaths! You have no offense against me now, Sai~van! I love doing this to you, you know. Over and over again." I grabbed him by his leg, swinging him into the ground one way, then I swung him the other...

And then with one big swing I threw him into the ground, watching his body explode! Oh~! I loved this! I loved all of this! I chortled when he came back to life and I made him stand on his knees, watching helplessly as I did this to his body. I twisted his neck, and then I twisted it again! Oh, it got looser that time! I twisted it once last time until his head did a full 360 and spun as fast as it could before he fell down lifeless on the ground.

Maybe I'd kill him a little bit more? "A_hahah_ah!" I laughed, making him stand up straight again. Holding my katana with both of my hands I ran past him and slashed at his stomach, thrusting my sword out and never looking back. The sound of his wet, sweaty body hitting the ground was more than enough for me! Hey! I'd try something new while I was at it! I grinned, licking some of his blood off my hand. My fingers glowed and I spun his body around. Really, he was like a spinning top, all spinning in one place~!

I took my sword and gently ran it down his body, watching pieces of him fly in all kinds of directions! Phew. I was getting tired, but he kept coming back~! I couldn't just leave him there all... Not killed! But this played in my favor because I promised him I would kill him many times over anyway! I kicked him upwards and threw my katana in the air. It sliced into him like nothing I had ever seen! And I appreciated the bloody rain I received! He came back to the ground in two parts, of course. I loved cutting him in half!

He was so hurt he couldn't even scream for me!

This was a fate worse than death, after all, so I wouldn't yell at him for that! "Immortal my ass!" I cackled. I knew he could hear me, but... "You know what? You wanna know what I think of your immortality, Saivan? I think you just effed yourself over. You think you control time now? I'm going to keep my promise to you... The one I told you at the start of the battle... I will strangle you in your sleep, cut you to pieces, I will light you on fire, then I will bury your pieces far away from each other!" This was it. I was going to cut his body and bury him... Bury him like a king!

"Amaririsu!" I yelled, calling out the name of my sword. I extended my arm, pointing it behind my back. "Left stranded by the sun the arms of ours sins," I murmured. "Our hearts belong to the grave we're entombed in. In the candle lit garden of the forgotten. You're the most prettiest dying flower I've ever seen. It's not like I've never wilted like you..." I paused, touching my head. Numerous, lovely, multicolored flowers floated in the air. My eyes looked towards them... I almost wanted to break down and cry at how beautiful they were...

"I just thought you would have known that I like watching you die..."

The flowers that were cascading down? Those were fragments of my blade, of course! I grinned, watching Saivan's body just... Explode. Guts and blood flying across... Everywhere! I giggled at the sight, watching the pieces of him fall to the ground. Immediately I pointed at him, a purple anagram appearing on his remains. "Freeze!" I command, time stopping.

I smirked. "It's raining from your veins again, so I've brought you a raincoat. You don't deserve sunshine. I hate you, by the way. Why did we meet like this? … It's okay if you don't answer me," I insisted, shaking my head. I was soaked in his blood anyway. "I know this won't get through to you because all of your brain cells are gone... You left me here a long time ago. I should know, Saivan. It's because I ate out your insides, but you ate me whole. That's why I dance on your grave."

I walked towards his head, noticing the blue light wasn't going to save him this time. The light wasn't going to come back... "As you can see, I've halted your regeneration abilities. You'll put up with this torture for five billion years, Saivan. Never mess with a expert at time magic." I let off a slight smirk, turning on my heels. Picking up his head, I lifted it up so I could make perfect eye contact with him. He scowled at me, like always.

"Put me _down!"_

"No."

I carried his head to the lake... The one that I used to start the rain. "This shall be your final resting place," I muttered. "Goodbye, Lord Saivan!" I dropped him in the two-hundred feet deep hole and chortled, putting both of my hands on my hips. Ah, now I had to bury the rest of his body. Fun, fun, fun. I cracked my knuckles and clapped my hands together, smiling with glee.

"Well, Sayuri..." I said, sighing. "It looks like it's up to you now."

* * *

**A/N:**

...

Silence.

Yes. God. What. I can't even form words. That was the most... XD;;;; Um, yeah, Saivan got DOMINATED, cuz. This was just like, no words. Kohana freaking... Dude. Okay we _all _knew this was going to happen, but not like this! XD Dude, I was so amazed writing this chapter. So very much amazed. Like Saivan had this coming. He HAD this coming. I didn't feel sorry for him or anything. XD

This death was the greatest thing in CCFA history.

And if not that, it was the most gruesome thing in CCFA history. XD

This just set a new record. Jesus Christ Kohana you go! XD;;; That's what I'm talking about! This is a clear-cut antagonist right here! And while Saivan did put up some kind of fight... Sadly, he got eaten by Kohana. XD Okay, well, I warned you guys that this was kinda out there and... Weird and... Gruesome at the start of the chapter, so if you read it even though you've got a horrible stomach... Your fault, got it? XD


	54. Worth Dying For

**A/N: **No lie, I wrote this chapter before the last one. XD;;; *shot*

It was a fun chapter I think. But we're really getting down to the wire here, guys. We've got three more chapters left. Holy Jesus. XD;;

* * *

That hand.

That _hand._

Sayuri closes her eyes, tears streaming down her face. Both of her hands are clenched and down to her sides. Her face is red—as red as Kohana has ever seen it. Still the purple-haired woman runs her fingers through the child's neck-length hair. Sayuri doesn't like it; she can tell her mother is simply looking down at her and smiling. With her free hand in her pocket, Kohana adjusts her footing. "What's wrong Sayuri~? You look like I'm hurting you." Sayuri opens one eye and then opens the other one, looking up at the taller figure.

"You're the worst mommy ever!" Sayuri whimpers. "Why can't I go?"

"Whaddya mean 'Why can't I go?'" Kohana says, tilting her head. "You're sick! You can't go anywhere if you're sick, you brat. As if I need other people's parents coming up to my door yelling at me because you've given them your disease!" Sayuri whines, stomping on the ground, seemingly miserable. A slight smirk dances on Kohana's lips and she takes her hand away from Sayuri's head.

"You're mean!" the child exclaims. "You're really mean! You said I don't get sick like everyone else does!"

"I know what I said brat!" Kohana answers, wiping her eyes. "I just didn't think you'd be so weak. Ha! I'll have you know I haven't caught the chicken pox a day in my life." She pauses, swinging her hand around. "I didn't think you needed... All of these shots. Or whatever the heck they're calling them now. So you got it? And! You don't need to go see a doctor. You'll be up on your feet in two more days. You've got limitless potential running through your veins. Remember that, Sayuri."

"But you're not sick and you're touching me and talking to me—!"

"What part of no don't you understand?" Sayuri shakes her head, trying to get her tears to stop stinging her eyes. Suddenly, she feels angry. This is supposed to be the greatest slumber party ever and Kohana's not letting her go? Anger takes over her and she rushes towards her mother, slamming her clenched fists into her legs. Kohana cracks a smile, amused at her daughter's rash behavior.

"You told me I could go! You mean, mean, mean, meany!" she says, over and over again. Sayuri stops, gasping for air through her sobs. Kohana grabs the girl's petite fingers, intertwining them with her own. "You said I could go! You said I could go you liar!"

"If you want to hit me, that's fine," Kohana declares, smirking. "You can hit me as many times as you want. Oh, I can't wait until you're old enough so I can kick your ass around a few times, Sayuri. Maybe until you get a little taller, eh? Either way, there's going to come a day where you can finally stand up to me and hold in your stupid little tears. Maybe then I'll let you go to all the parties you want to. But for right now, you're really sick, and I said _no."_

"But if everyone else were sick, they'd still get to go—"

"I said no, Sayuri. You can sit here and battle with me all day. No means no." Kohana pauses, turning around and throwing her arms up in the air. "What, you want me to be one of these parents that let their kid run around doing any and everything? Psh. Nah, I'll pass on that, Sayuri. As long as I'm still alive and breathing, you're going to do what I say. I've seen kids die—all thanks to how lousy their parents are." She pauses, wiping her forehead.

Sayuri doesn't want to hear any of this. The biggest slumber party of the year and she can't go because of Kohana! She clenches her fists, still trying to hide her reddened face. Kohana's eyes soften as she walks towards the couch, sitting in it. "If only you knew... If only you knew how hard it is raising you, Sayuri. If I don't raise you right like I should, you'll do whatever you want, and in time, you'll understand why I've got to be so hard on you." The purple-haired girl—both tired and confused—takes a seat right next to Kohana.

"I don't get it..." she murmurs. "Why...?"

"Because!" Kohana exclaims. "I'm going to block your memory on your, like, I don't know. On one of your birthdays to come. You won't remember any of this and I've got to trust that you don't go out and act like a complete and utter ass. You're going to remember me as "one of your friend's parents." You're going to think I'm your definition of the nicest parent in the world..." Her voice trails off as she finds herself staring at the television in front of her. She sighs as Sayuri tilts her head.

"No more magic then, Mom?"

"Afraid not, kid."

"Aww."

"Yeah, aww..." Kohana looks at her daughter, albeit solemnly before running her fingers through Sayuri's hair. "But one day when you're older, you'll be able to use magic just like I'm able to. You'll be amazing, I can tell Sayuri. You'll save millions, but you'll lose millions at the same time. You can't save everyone, you know..." She pauses, brushing her hand against the couch. "Even heroes need heroes too."

"You're my hero, Mommy."

She winces at Sayuri's comment and her eyes trail to the ground, full of regret, full of remorse. She stands up, sighing haughtily. "No one thinks the hero understands, no one takes the time to understand the hero... And no one believes the hero is real. Why? The hero has withstood it all. Heartache, mental illness, suicidal tendencies. But to everyone else they're just there." She pauses, glancing around her shoulder. "The hero has helped all. And... Destroyed most."

Sayuri glances up at Kohana with wide, emerald eyes—but this is the magic of being a child. Even if she doesn't fully understand what Kohana is talking about, she at least gets what she is trying to say.

"All the hero ever wanted to do was save someone instead of ruin them. So what if the hero made some mistakes? So what if some of them fall under the burdens of 'life', 'love', and 'friendship'? All of which the hero has forever fucked! The hero is sorry. The hero is only human. I said_ hero,_ not_ immortal!_ Every hero has an arch-nemesis. This hero has to fight failure everyday," she says, pointing to herself. "And save the only ones left in her life. And the only thing that corrupts the hero is insanity and the only thing that can kill that... Is possibly suicide. Not easy! It's not easy being a hero. Surprisingly saving a butt-load of people and getting no recognition."

"But Mommy—!"

"Trying to satisfy the one true love—and sucking at it! … Not literally, but you get my point! Battling depression with sanity, but due to lack of it makes it kind of hard. The hero gives into the enemy and the hero is demolished. Leaving behind only weapons and swords and armor never worn—" Kohana touches her chest, sighing and shaking her head. "And my only armor is my extensive mentality. Not to solve equations, but to at least make logic of life. It's all becoming too much now. And the hero dies..."

Sayuri plucks at her hair, staring at her toes—doing the oddest things. "She's always there... To love me and complete my every wish. She is the one and only, the best! She will never be fake or be really lazy. So I know I can always say..." Sayuri tilts her head, gazing at Kohana. "Mommy, you're the hero in my story." Kohana's never realized that a few words is all it takes to make her break down in silent sobs. She sniffs as she cracks a smile. The mother wipes her eyes, picking her daughter up and carrying her up the steps.

Sayuri wants to scratch herself so bad, but she holds it in for now. "I can only hope to be as caring as her!" she exclaims, waving her arms around. "When I grow up and have children of my own, I hope I'm just like Mommy!"

"You're flattering me," she whispers, closing her eyes. Kohana's fingertips start to glow, making Sayuri's rash disappear. "Now come on. Let's have our own little Slumber party. If you want to be a hero, you have to hold on to your dreams—and pride. Never lose your dreams. Also, no matter the situation never let go of your pride as a Summoner."

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-Four: Worth Dying For :-**

_My atonement lasts the best part of eternity  
Ran out of hands to count the sin that breeds inside of me  
Not this hate but the loneliness has left me here _

_So look in my eyes, what will you leave behind once you've gone?  
You got what you came for now I think it's time to move on  
But these ghosts come alive like water and wine  
Walk through these streets singing songs and carrying signs,  
To them these streets belong  
_

— "To Them These Streets Belong" — Rise Against

So what's really worth dying for? I never really understood that phrase myself. I had always thought that I'd never find anything or anyone to actually, truly, and honestly die for. I mean I loved my family. I loved my friends. I loved everyone around me. But if it came to dying for them? I wouldn't have the courage nor care to do it. So maybe... Maybe if you're pushed to the complete edge... And I mean the _edge of the universe,_ you can find the strength to put your life in danger... Maybe blow up a few cars while you're at it. I—I hadn't really thought of that before. Is there anything... Anything worth really dying for?

How the hell is this equivalent exchange? How the hell is this worth it? I'd admit it okay! I didn't know what I was doing, and I was so terrified of messing up! In all honesty, I wanted to ran away and hide in a hole because I knew this was it! I knew this was how everything was going to end. Up in smoke and flames, right? I couldn't stop this! That's why I was on the ground, my hands trying to cover up my eyes but my tears were damn near burning through my hands. I was supposed to protect this place! We were supposed to protect this place! Now look at it! Reduced to nothing more but a pile of ash and bodies!

So many people were dying!

And I couldn't stop their pain. I couldn't stop the bloodshed and the cries for obvious help. Everyone else was running around the place, trying to figure out what would be the next course of action. I was fully convinced that there was nothing left that we could do. This was it! This was the end of them! And Kohana was right! This is the Apocalypse! My head started to reel and my fingers started to twitch as I started hyperventilating. This was all my fault! I didn't deserve to be a Summoner anymore! What would the dark Sayuri say about all of this? Was she disappointed in everything I did? Everything I didn't do?

I made a promise to her that we'd never have to be sad together! That whatever happened, we both would duke it out until the end. But you know what? Screw all that, I was about ready to call it quits on being a Summoner, on being Sayuri... On living in a whole... I—I needed to know that there was something still here... Something decent on this world. Something that I could still fight for. We Summoners fought for the people. The people are _gone._ We Summoners fought for the world. Yeah, you know, that's not looking too hot either. What else... What else could I possibly screw up?

How much worse does it get? I've already let an entire planet get blown straight to hell. Everyone on the Dark Ages must have hated me right now. I let all of them die... I let all of them die and it was all my fault. I was surprised no one on my Summoner team had died. But then Chio and... Ko—Kokoro and Morta and... I started choking and then I fell back, collapsing on the ground. I heard people call my name, but my eyes wouldn't open. That was just great, wasn't it? Now they all had to lose their leader. Their hero. Because once the hero falls, there's no hope left, is there?

Great! Now they were going to die because of me!

Now I'm standing up in some kind of white place. There's nothing else here... It's just all white and bare... Bare and all white. I lick my lips and look at my hands. So I'm... Alive? I didn't die from a heart-attack or something? I wipe my hair out of my eyes, looking around some more. So... What is in here? I'm really confused, but then someone grabs my hands with their really soft ones and I look up. I tilt my head and the girl standing in front of me is none other than dark Sayuri herself. "Hi there," she says, blinking. Like she can't believe it's me...

And to be honest, I can't believe it's her either. "I thought you would never wake up, Sayuri. You just ended up in here and I was worried. I thought you had died because parts of me were fading away." Dark Sayuri, in all of her darkened sclera, raises her hands up and takes a look at her fingers. "I'm really glad you decided to wake up you jerk!" Ow! She hit me! Jeez, what the heck was that for! Now I'm glaring at her, but she's crossing her arms and glaring at me.

"Hi, uh, dark Sayuri," I murmur, tapping my foot on the ground. At first she's looking at me with really soft eyes... And her eyes are weird, considering her sclera is all black and her green eyes are all glowy... I think she's going to say something back, but she adjusts her footing, and with a big swing of her right hand she slaps me so hard I spin around backwards and hit the ground with force! Force! I skid across the white ground or whatever and come to a complete stop. What is this I don't even...

I touch my face, wincing in pain. "Why the hell did you do that!" I exclaim, standing back up. "I didn't deserve to get slapped, Sayuri!" It's still weird calling her Sayuri, but I don't know if I can call her anything else without her straight flipping out on me. She likes her identity and I plan to keep her happy. We're not fighting now, which is a good thing, and Mima is... Well... Dead so we're not in the Garden of Truth. My eyes start to tingle, like I want to just break down and cry some more, but I'm not going to do that in front of dark Sayuri, because when I hurt, she hurts.

I don't want to remind her of that pain...

Dark Sayuri puts her hands on her hips, smirking at me. "I didn't slap you, I just high-fived your face." Oh really. I rub my cheek, glaring at her. Yeah, because faces can high-five back! "You deserve that, Sayuri." Slaps always get me back to my senses for some reason, so I guess I did. Still though. Ouch. Freakin' ouch! "There's a lot of stuff we've got to talk about." I cradle my fingers, looking at my hands. Yeah. I know we have to talk about a lot of stuff... Problem is, I don't want to talk about anything. I'd rather avoid all the problems all together...

I sit down on the ground and dark Sayuri takes a seat next to me. Now we're just looking in the starless, white void. Yep. I'd spend the rest of my life like this. I bow my head, letting my hair get in my face. "Dark Sayuri, I just don't know what the heck is going on. Why am I here? What is this place?" She gives me a look... An all-knowing look... And coupled with that smirk of hers, she reminds me of myself before I became a Summoner. She throws her arms in the air then points at the empty void around us.

"Sayuri, you can't tell?" she asks. Obviously not... "You fell out pretty hard up there in the real world. Everyone's freaking out about you. They really can't afford two people unconscious up there." Two people? "Yep, that Professor Ever person is knocked out cold up there, and Renata just woke up. It's crazy, and I don't think people can do this alone with you." Again... I don't understand what makes me so special. I clench my fists, but dark Sayuri isn't having none of that. She swats at me and I snap back to my senses.

"So then this is a dream?" I ask, dumfounded. "This doesn't look like the kind of dream I'd dream. I've seen lions, I've seen tigers, I've seen bears... But I've never seen a blank white space." Dark Sayuri stands up and dusts off her civilian outfit. She's not transformed, and neither am I. Good, because I'm feeling really sick to my stomach and I feel like I'm going to fall on the ground sideways. I just don't feel right at all. The others need me so much and here I am... Lost in a white dream with the dark side of me...

"That's what it looks like, Sayuri. You've gotta get back up on your feet! You were so scared up there you didn't know what you were doing or what you wanted to do. You stopped breathing for a really long time and started crying, and you just lost it... Was it something you saw?" Yes. Death. Death all around me. And destruction for no reason. One second we were in the badlands and _bam!_ I just can't shake the images out of my head. I leave Aysel and everything just conveniently blows to hell? What if I would have stayed? Could I have stopped everything... But what about the others? They needed me too.

"Dammit!" I exclaim, clenching my fists and seething. "I can't do anything right! Even if I make the right choice it's always wrong!" I turn around, shaking the tears off my eyelashes. Kohana still hates when I cry, and if she sees me crying now I—I don't know what to tell her. She can still contact me in my dreams either way it goes. I'm never really safe from her wrath now am I? "What did I do wrong! I can't understand it... What did I screw up on, dark Sayuri? I just don't understand..." I close my eyes, swinging my arms again.

"Stuff happens," she replies, looking at her nails. "You shouldn't get so worked up, Sayuri. It's not like you to start flipping out you know." And how the hell does she know that? What, because she's me? "I do know one thing though. If you don't shape up and realize what is worth dying for, you're really going to die in the Dark Ages and leave everyone else behind." I... I feel like I've just tried to eat my brain. I don't know how to describe it, but my brain momentarily shuts off and something forms in my throat. Why would she say something like that...? Why would anyone say something like that! I seethe but she glares at me, and she does look way more intimidating than I do.

Plus she's kicked my ass many times over.

So I know that I'm outmatched and overpowered. "Have you forgotten Sayuri?" she chides, tapping my head with her index-finger. "The Magic Wand is only as strong as how you're feeling. If you feel and think you're crap, then your powers are going to falter. So pick your face up and let's do this, Sayuri!" Let's do what? What is there left to do! For my dark side, she is really happy! Really cheerful! Like... Like everything is going to be okay. I push her, because that's all I can think of right now. Dark Sayuri looks at me like I've just torn her hair out, but I don't care.

"Why don't you go down there, huh!" I yell at her, snapping. "You're so happy! You're so cheery! You can handle all of this, right?" I don't mean to say all of this stuff to her, but she had it coming! "Why don't you wake up and take my job? Huh, Sayuri? Because you were so sad when we met the first time!" I stomp off, but I don't even know where I'm going. _"You_ want this!_ You_ hate those guys... Why don't _you _go out and kill them!" I stop, ripping the bangles off my arms. I don't even know why I have them on anyway. "_You_ make a so much better me! … Just... Just stop kidding around! You're smarter than me, faster than me, stronger than me..." I turn around and she's just staring at me, all hurt.

I tilt my head. Oh jeez, it's like I'm dealing with a four-year-old. "What's wrong with you now?"

"I—I don't know," she answers back. "You told me that if I believed in you, you'd believe in yourself."

"I know what I said," I spat, dropping the annoying things on the ground. "So?"

"And I believe in you now, Sayuri. So why isn't this working?"

"Ha!" I laugh sarcastically. "You actually believed all of that?" I narrow my eyes, waving my hands in the air. "I just said all of that so you could stop beating me up. There's nothing to believe in anymore. So don't even bother. If you think you can help everyone up there, then by all means, do. I'll just stay in here and walk around aimlessly. I don't want to be a Summoner anymore. It's not working out, and I'm not saving anyone." I sit back down on the ground again, rolling the bangles across the floor. I gaze up at dark Sayuri and she looks kind of hurt.

"So all of that was a lie?"

"I—" I stop, glancing at the ground. "I wish it were." And I'm being honest. "Truth be told, I suck at this gig. I want to be something else, you know! When I was little, I used to want to be a a weatherman or something. Something that wasn't so hard. Yeah, all I'd have to do is talk into a screen and give people false predictions about rain. Now look at me." I lift my arms up before throwing them back down. "I'm hurt, I'm tired, and I'm talking to the dark part of me. How many weather reporters get to talk to their dark sides? No. As a matter of fact how many people—"

Dark Sayuri puts her index-finger against my lips and grabs my right wrist, telling me to shut up. I'm just surprised that she would do something like that. "I remember everything, Sayuri," she says, smiling at me. "I'm you, remember? We made some of those decisions and choices together. But you know what I've always wanted to be? I've always wanted to be you. And even if we couldn't really talk to each other, I'd always dream of being able to see you. One day. If any day..." She isn't making me feel any less than dirt right now. As a matter of fact she's just confusing me more. "But I knew the only way we could ever meet is in your dreams. I guess you didn't really care about me." She lets me stand up and I narrow my eyes at her. Who the heck does dark Sayuri think she is? My stomach hurts, my legs feel weak... Can I get a break? Can the hero get a break?

"Well of course I don't dream of meeting my dark side a whole lot..." I murmur. "But we're here now, and you've at least reminded me that I've got to at least... Try. So I'll try, dark Sayuri." I pause, pointing up at the... Endless white void, I guess. "But there's no promises. I'm not saying I'll come out of this one alive. You're me, so you've seen what I've seen, and it's horrible up there. It looks like something in a movie. I'm surprised the castle is even still standing..." My stomach gurgles and bubbles—a sign that means I'm about to throw up at any given second.

"I've..." Sayuri says, looking at my hands. "You saved me when we were first fighting, remember Sayuri? Even if you want to take back everything you said, I won't let you." Oh joy. Damn me! Damn me straight to hell! "You made me remember that I have to trust in you, and I'm going to make you remember that you have to trust in yourself. If both of us don't trust in each other, we'll never get anything done and more people will die. The others will die." She stops, holding both of my hands. "Everyone in the Dark Ages will die." That's it. Now my blood boils. I hiss at her, slapping her hands away.

"Most of my friends are dead!" I exclaim, frowning at her. "And there's no way to get them back! You think everything is so easy! That's what I don't like about you." I pointed at her, digging my index-finger into her chest. "You always think that everything is so fine... So right... But in reality it's not. What would Naira and Defina say about all of this, huh? They're dead. I failed them. I failed everyone! So... Why would I go back only to fail again, Sayuri?" This time dark Sayuri doesn't give me any lip at all. She grabs my hand though and starts dragging me places. The white void around us starts crumbling in numbers... And hell no, I don't have the slightest clue as to what's exactly going on.

"Trust me, Sayuri, they'd be saying the same things too."

"How the hell do you figure!"

"Why don't you talk to them, huh?" Wait what. Did she just really tell me to talk to them? I look at her, mad that she would even lie like that! She knows how I feel about Naira and Defina! "Impossible! I can't talk to them they're dead!" I snort and dark Sayuri looks at me, tapping me on my nose. I've just about had it with her.

"Remember that guy who gave up?"

"What guy? I don't remember a guy!" I shout.

"Neither does anyone else!" She makes me stumble with that one. She just yelled at me so loud. "I'm going to whip you back into Summoner shape whether you like it or not. You're special, Sayuri. Kohana's told you that over and over again but you don't know how special you are." I'm almost tempted to ask her how special. I keep my mouth closed, though. I want to know how she can get me to talk to Naira and Defina. "Your dreams. Everyone and everything is connected. There are special times... Note. _Special times_ where you can talk to the dearly departed in your dreams." That makes me smile so hard you guys don't even believe it!

But my face falls.

I—I don't want to... I—I don't want to talk to them and face my failure... "That's... That's nice, Sayuri..." I murmur, looking down at the ground. Now everything changes before my eyes and the two of us are standing in Aysel's castle. It looks exactly like the castle before it got blown straight to hell. Even... Even looking at the castle makes me hang my head down low. Do we really have to come here?

"Now I know you're just being full of it," she says, glaring at me. "Don't you want to talk to all the people that have left you? Don't you miss Tariku?" Pain hits me like it's never have before. How dare she bring up Tariku's name like she doesn't even know who that is! Tariku is a touchy subject all together, but dark Sayuri should know better! I'm growling at her, really growling at her, until someone touches my shoulder and I blink. But... But I'm afraid to find out who it is.

"Summoner Sayuri."

My fingers start aching. They start trembling as my eyes get all big and wide. That's not really Naira standing in front of me, is it? I lick my lips, narrowing my eyes. She looks just like she... I can't tell because my tears are coming up too fast. I feel like I should bow right down to her feet and apologize, and that's exactly what I do. "I'm. So. Sorry!" I plead, hyperventilating. I'm trying to find the words and breathe at the same time, but apparently that isn't working. I sound like a child being strangled. "Naira is this really you...?" I glance up, but just a bit because I'm not worthy of her gaze... I touch her legs and she kicks at me. Of course I crawl back, my mouth wide open.

"Summoner Sayuri," she mutters, her arms crossed. "I see you still have not changed. Ah, and who is this behind you? Looks just like you. Is she your sister or something quizzical like that?" Is this what it feels like to be stuck in-between your emotions? I'm as happy as I'll ever be right now. It's really Naira standing in front of me! I can tell from that stupid way she says my name—like she's insulted by it leaving her mouth—but that's what I love about her! That's what I miss about her... And then I'm sad because... There's no way this can be real...

And then I'm angry... Angry that I let this happen to her and angry tears slide out of my eyes. There's no way I can say anything right now. Dark Sayuri takes the stand, gesturing towards me while I let out a few tears in my sad... Angry... Mad rage. "I'm the dark part of Sayuri," she says, nodding her head. "It shouldn't be that hard to tell us apart."

"I am sure it won't," Naira says, scoffing. She sits in the nearest chair, and I'm even crying at the sound the seat makes when she sits in it. "No matter how pathetic you may be right now, Summoner Sayuri, I am still glad to see you. For once." I still can't get over this! How is this really possible? I stand up, rubbing my eyes. I'm going to talk to Naira. I owe her that much. "Summoner Sayuri," she says, glancing at me while scratching her shoulder. "I heard you. At our tombstones." Did she have to keep bringing up completely sad things? I choke on my tears and she rolls her eyes.

"Y—yeah... About that..."

I don't even get a chance to finish my sentence! Naira stomps on my head, banging repeatedly on it and I yelp each time. "What the hell!" I exclaim, finally managing to step away from her. I look at her and I notice that she has her sword. The same one that was supposedly buried along with her body. This has to be a dream. There's no way that this is possible. Naira scratches her head, sighing.

"I did not let myself get killed," she says sternly. "And you are not going to give up on this world. You hear me, Summoner Sayuri?" That's kind of unexpected, but I pay close attention to everything she has to say. I wipe my eyes too. Just because... Just because I don't want to look weaker than I'm already looking right now. "Yes, I have seen you in your worst of moods—absolutely and infuriatingly miserable!" she throws her hand up, rolling her orange eyes once more. "You—you still have a promise to keep to both Defina and I if you have not forgotten, Sayuri." That's it. I had enough of standing there and taking this.

"Too bad you guys aren't alive! And I can't make a livable world out of nothing! Because that's what the Dark Ages has been reduced to!" I yell, clenching my fists. "It's nice to know that you still believe in me, Naira, even when you shouldn't. I got you killed. This is all my fault—"

"To hell with whose fault it is!" My breath catches in my throat. "I know what happened. Defina knows what happens also. Yes Summoner Sayuri, we know that we were just the test subjects to that Apathīa. We know what has been transpiring in our absence. Dearest Summoner Sayuri, we have been watching you." Oh gee! More people to watch me! Great! I felt like crying again. Why were people up and watching me like I was... Like I was someone special? They need to watch someone else! "Everyone has. And when I say everyone... I mean, everyone who has died."

"What," I mutter. "Wait. Wait. Are you really dead Naira, or is this some sick prank...?"

"I feel as if I cannot get any deader than I am now," she snorts.

"Sayuri," dark Sayuri says, tapping me on my shoulder. "When people die, they have a never ending dream. At least this is what we call them. With that said, you have extraordinary dreaming prowess. You can communicate with one while they are sleeping—but only when you too are dreaming. This is how we are able to talk to Naira right now." She folds her arms, closing her dark eyes. I'm still in shock about all of this. "This is your first time doing this, and I hope it won't be your last. Your dreaming powers will only grow to get stronger as time goes by, and I hope you play with me more." Yeah, yeah. I just hope I can stay alive!

"While I am a bit infuriated that I died before that imbecile Lucrecia—"

I poke my nose. "Even in death, huh Naira? Can't you_ ever_ be happy?" Seriously! Every word that comes out of her mouth is_ "Wah, wah, Lucrecia! Wah, wah, fighting Lucrecia! Wah, wah, shut up you idiot I'm talking about Lucrecia!" _I walk around the room, cock-eyed and all trying to imitate Naira in my head—and then I bump into someone tall. I fall back on my knees and glance up. And hey, it's Defina! In all of her dark-skinned, red-eyed, bitten all over glory! I get up and immediately go for the hug. Sure I'm squeezing the life out of her but I don't care Defina's awesome!

"S—Summoner S—Sayuri?" she stutters, not believing in me. "W—what are you doing here? Unless you—" She looks at dark Sayuri and almost has a seizure, but when she's in my arms? Nope. She doesn't get to fall out on me. Dark Sayuri gives Defina a wave and a faint smile. I still don't know why she's so happy all of a sudden. She hated these guys when we were fighting, and now all of a sudden they're cool? Dark Sayuri will be dark Sayuri though, huh?

"Fret not, sister," Naira says, waving her hand out dismissively. "Just another perk to the Summoner's miraculous abilities. She will be gone in just a moment." I let Defina go and take a few steps back, glancing at the red streaks in her black hair. She even smells the same. Why did I fail in protecting her...? Gah, I have time to angst and go sad-face later. Right now, Defina needs me. Naira, too. I take a good long intake of air and straighten out my corset.

"So..." I say, scratching my forehead. "Lemme get this straight. You guys are somewhere out there... Hanging around in a place that looks like Aysel's castle? But you guys died protecting Aysel, right? Don't you guys hate her or something like that? Hate Saivan? If I die, I'm prolly going to end up on some sandy beach. Heck yeah! Vacation time." So, somehow Naira manages to throw a pop can at my head and it sends me tumbling in the air. How she can tell dark Sayuri and I apart is confusing me greatly. I rub my head, touching the tears that are threatening to spill out from the corners of my eyes.

"Do not be so sure Summoner Sayuri," she murmurs. "You dreamed this place up, not us. We are in your dream. And as such, you call the shots. I would give anything to get away from Queen Aysel. I used to respect her dearly, and now I can only writhe in agony as she tears our very country apart. It is a very sad day for a former member of her guard..." Aww, look at how serious Naira looks right now! I snicker under my breath, poking both of my fingers together.

Naira looks at me with both of her fiery, orange eyes and I choke a bit. "Summoner Sayuri, you save the kingdom. You save the world! If Princess Renata ends up dying, I will not tolerate Lucrecia becoming the new ruler of the kingdom. That... You cannot let that happen! If Princess Renata falls, Queen Aysel's death is imminent." Naira closes her eyes, falling back on the couch. "And, of course, the people will want Lucrecia in charge, knowing not of how incapable she is of making decisions for herself, _let alone _an entire country." I tap my chin. You know, Naira's right. Lucrecia's dumber than she lets on.

Very much so.

"I say they should put Summoner Sayuri in charge, Naira," Defina says, tilting her head and smiling. Ha! I wave my hands out in front of me, denying everything completely.

"Nah! I'm not cut out for that kind of stuff," I say, shaking my head. "But it's a nice offer. Thank you, Defina." And besides, I could never dream of being able to rule an entire nation. Oh nooo, that's just not for me. Ah-nah, Summoner Sayuri doesn't do any of that, no sir. I spin on my heels, letting myself fall down backwards. "You guys don't know how much I missed you. Will I ever—" I pause, feeling the tears coming back. "Will I ever see you guys again?"

"Summoner Sayuri," Naira says, folding her arms. "If you do not try, you will see us, but you will be dead and we will be quite angry with you." I'm... I'm not getting the point to all of this hero stuff at all. I—I don't want to leave them here all by themselves... I look down at the ground and Naira leans in closer to me, snorting some more. "Do not worry your young little head about the deaths of more people." What? How can she say that! That's all I've been thinking about ever since—ever since... I claw my head, taking a few steps forward. "We're all fine. We're more than fine. Death is actually more relaxing than you think it is." What? I won't believe that even for a second! I look at Defina and she gives me an equally sad, pathetic look.

"Summoner Sayuri." I look up at Defina's scary red eyes and exhale. I swear I'm going to freak out in like two seconds. I kid you not. I will jump on the ceiling and stick up there. I just want to know one good thing. Why haven't I gone crazy like everyone else? After everything that's happened to me, I should be like Aysel or Saivan or something. "Really, we are fine. We are in a better place now. We are with our family, too." She gives me a sweet smile, tilting her head. I appreciate it, but for some reason I don't really believe Defina. I look through the corner of my eyes and dark Sayuri's playing with something. It looks like a shadow thing from what I can tell.

"Hey Sayuri," dark Sayuri says, her shaded eyes looking towards me. "We've gotta go somewhere else. Fast. Wrap this little thing up and lets get these things out of here." Oh man, don't tell me there's monsters in my dream that we've got to fight! I open my mouth, but when I back up a tear kind of falls out of my left eye and on the floor. Dark Sayuri's saying some stuff to me, but it's going through one ear and coming out the other. I don't want to... I don't want to leave these guys! Both Naira and Defina notice my tear and stare at me. Yeah, I'm a big baby. I sniff really loud and wipe my eyes with my arm.

"You'll do fine, Summoner!" Defina calls out, waving her hand. But... But... How are they so sure? How do they know I won't fail them again? I've already failed them once... I couldn't even protect their lives! I want to protest and I want to fight and kick, but they already trust in me way too much. Even Naira does, and I thought she hated me... Tears are forming in my eyes again but I have already cried enough in front of them. I don't want to seem like a weak Summoner to them... Dark Sayuri grabs the ribbon on the back of my corset, dragging me in the other direction.

"Bye!" I exclaim, waving my hand across the air frantically. Tears fly out from my eyelashes and, and... Naira raises one hand at me and it starts disappearing in zeroes and ones and stuff. The castle around us starts breaking down and next thing I know everything turns into this black and purple vertex. Oh, and did I mention how much the wind is kicking our asses right now? It's like a vortex thing! I feel like a helpless, defenseless leaf in the wind. And then get this! Dark Sayuri lets my ribbon go and I'm struggling to keep from flying off.

"W—where are we?" I ask, trying to shout over the wind. Dark Sayuri is just standing like there's no wind at all! In fact she looks okay. Fine. Dandy. I grit my teeth. She's so much better than I am it isn't even funny, so why am I the one stuck saving the world? I wish we were the opposite. If only... The vortex around us kind of looks like the nighttime... It's sparkling... As if there's stars winking at us. Dark Sayuri turns around and then the wind stops blowing.

"The Door to Tomorrow," she declares, raising one arm in the air. I tilt my head. I hate when people do that. Half-answer your questions. Bastard, does it look like I know what the Door to Tomorrow is? Argh! I'm not a genius! Lucrecia does that all the time, and so does Miyuki. Now my own self is doing it to me. "It's the space in-between dreams, Sayuri. We just left Naira and Defina's dream, and now we're following these little black things." Ah, those black spectrum see-through things? I look all around me and flinch at the sight of them. Some of them are holding see-through scythes, just floating around in mid-air.

"Let me guess," I say, scratching my chin. "These things go around eating dreams?"

"That's somewhat correct," she answers, tilting her head. "They destroy dreams—dreams from your childhood... From maybe a day ago... And they disguise themselves as dreams. Sayuri, these things bring people's spirits to the other side, should they die while sleeping." I flinch. That's horrible! "And another thing. They're coming straight for Chase." My eyes instantly shoot open and I look at dark Sayuri. She's got one hand on her hip, looking back at me.

"Like hell they're going to take Chase!" I yell. "C'mon, we have to do something—!" Dark Sayuri touches my forehead with her index-finger, pushing me back. I stumble, but I don't fall. Ha. Skills.

"Patience, Sayuri! Jeez, I forget what an idiot you really are..."

"Oh really nice, Sayuri," I mutter back. "You're me you idiot!"

"Correction: I am the smart part of you. Now let's get real. You've got to point us to whatever dream Chase is having. I know nothing about this man, but he seems to be really important to you." Huh? Did I just hear some jealously in dark Sayuri's voice? She's come so far, hasn't she? She used to hate Chase, and now she's telling me how to save his life? I would have never known these thing were trying to take him away if she didn't say anything... I look up into the nighttime sky, gazing at the miniature screens zooming across the sky like shooting stars.

Then something clicks.

I look back at dark Sayuri, my jaw dropping. "What is this...?" I mutter. "There's no way I can do this. There's too many dreams from too many people." I pause looking around me. "These are the dreams of _every living person in the Dark Ages!" _I see nightmares, I see people visiting their family members... It's all amazing, really. Dark Sayuri starts tapping her foot, like she's annoyed with me or something.

"You idiot! Follow the black things!"

"You should have told me that in the... Wait. There's more than one person dying in their sleep, dark Sayuri!"

She facepalms, seething. "No, no, no, Sayuri. Use them as a guide." She doesn't have to treat me like I'm two-years-old, you know! Frankly, I don't know what Chase dreams about. I've never asked him. And dark Sayuri's advice isn't helping either, but that's when I spot something. As fast as these dreams are moving, I thrust my hand out really fast.

"Freeze!" I yell, making one square stop. I move the square closer to us and it expands, rippling as the two of us stare at it. It's showing a picture of sunglasses. If this isn't one of Chase's weird dreams, I don't know what is. Who dreams of _sunglasses?_ The two of us look at each other, and then on the count of three we jump through the square. Lo-and-behold, Chase is standing right in front of us with his sword in his hands, slashing at all of the black things like there's no tomorrow. And of course, there's a broken pair of sunglasses laying on the floor. Those must be the ones I saw.

I throw my hand up, smiling. "Even when you're supposed to be in a coma you're still fighting!" I laugh, waving. Chase glances at me, and then resumes fighting like he doesn't even see me! I'm about to get really mad until he looks back at me, really confused. I think that's cause he's looking at dark Sayuri too. A shadow thing sneaks up behind me and I put my hand through it, making it fade away. Wow, these things aren't that strong, are they?

"Summoner Sayuri?" Chase mutters before scratching the back of his head, smiling. "Hey! What the heck are you doing here? And why are there two of you...?" For whatever reason, dark Sayuri appears in front of Chase, snapping both of her fingers. Light covers the whole field we're in and the black ghost things start clumping together, forming one, big, giant shadow person. Chase raises his sword up and I scamper to where the two of them are.

"I'll explain later, Chase!" I yell, preparing my wand. "And dark Sayuri, why the heck did you just do that?" She gives me this look... This menacing look and then looks back at the thing in front of her.

"Wait..." Chase mumbles. "I'm in a coma?"

"There's no sense in fighting different copies of it," she answers. "They'll all keep coming back. You don't know anything about dreams, do you Sayuri? And you're supposed to be THE dreamer. Remember that?" Okay, Sayuri is about to officially lose any and all cool points she might have had with me. And Chase is just standing here confused. Oh, have I got a lot to tell him when we get him out of this mess. "Don't worry guys, I've got this. I haven't been up inside of Sayuri doing nothing." Dark Sayuri summons her wand and traces her fingers against the shape of it. Right before my eyes it lights up. Like, the whole thing. It lights up in fire!

"Woah!" I exclaim. "Aren't you burning yourself?"

"Nope," she answers back all cool-like. "I've got power over my fire Essences, thanks to watching you use it all the time." She spins her wand around in front of her and it's like a mini-tornado. Except it's a fire one! "These things hate light and everything associated with it!" She grunts, kicking her grey and white wand towards the towering black shadow thing and it screams in pain before disappearing all together. Chase sighs, walking over to his sunglasses and picking them up.

"Aww. These were new, too. Oh well." He puts the broken sunglasses in his pocket and then looks at us. "Thanks, Sayuri. I've been fighting those things for weeks!" He grins really big, but he doesn't know how right he is, does he? I bend over on one knee, breathing pretty heavy.

I think.

I just.

Saved Chase's life.

Both dark Sayuri and I start feeling something... It's like his dream is getting ready to end. Which means... Chase is going to wake up from his coma! I look back up at him and he's already fading away. I nod my head though. Anything for a friend. I look towards dark Sayuri and she's starting to fade away as well. In butterflies, too.

"Time for you to wake up, Sayuri," she says, tilting her head and smiling. "I hope we can play like this again sometime. I really miss playing around with you." Yeah, me too.

"So I'm waking up...?" I mutter, looking at Chase's dream world crumble. I snap out of it and grab Chase's shoulder. He's prolly being pulled into the world of the living, but I need to tell him something, even if he doesn't hear me. "Chase! When you wake up, tell Klaus I'm sorry!" I pause, gritting my teeth. "Because I've got other things to take care of, and I might not be able to really keep my promise. Oh, and wherever you are—because you must be safe right now—make sure you guys protect as many people as you can."

Saving Chase back there makes me realize how precious each second really is. Had I have done something wrong, he wouldn't be alive now. Is there anything really worth dying for? I don't know. I really haven't found the answer to that question, even though I really want to find an answer. I guess I'll never get an honest answer. Maybe I already have it.

I woke up and shook my head, noticing how everyone's paying zero attention to me. I tried to say something but there was this big-ass explosion. It knocked me off my feet pretty bad, and my vision was blurry to begin with. Dark Sayuri was gone... Chase was gone... It was only me and my responsibility. I had to do this because I am Summoner Sayuri. There wasn't anyone else like me. I am the hero.

And even if I didn't have a reason worth dying for, I lunged around the room and over some blonde-chick's head. The floor was still shaking really bad and the castle was falling apart, but I wasn't going to let Renata fall over the edge! Perspiration slid down my face and leaped across the air. It was like time stopped for me, even though I didn't tell it to. Honestly I was happy now, even if I let hundreds die. Because it's those same hundreds that want me to live! Naira was right... I can't spend my whole like sulking! They want me to succeed, dammit! They're all watching me.

And that's the reason why I jumped for Renata's hand, grabbing it even though my side of the floor is about to collapse.

Even though I'm as strong as a baby seal, my grip tightened on her hand and her eyes widened at the sight of me. "S—Sayuri?" It felt like there were a thousand eyes burning into the back of my head, but I gritted my teeth and held on as hard as I could onto Renata's hand. Any second now and we were both going to die in a second! Any day now, teammates!

I am not a weakling that couldn't survive. I'm not stupid for what I did, and I am that hero they've all been wishing for to come and save their lives.

I'm done with trying to find something to die for.

I've got something to live for.

* * *

**A/N: **How Chase always ends up as the messenger is beyond me. XD;; But at least he's AWAKE! XD Ahahahaha! Now everyone will have to apologize to him about shoving all the blame on him! Freaking bad characters of mine! Thinking he had something to do with conspiracy! D: Yes! At least he's awake now, you know? And yes, Renata didn't die. XD

I don't really have much to say this chapter. It's about to get good in a second, so pay attention? XD


	55. Ultimatums For Egos

**A/N:** The antepenultimate chapter, I think! XD;;;

As for this flashback... It's pretty recent. I mean, it's pretty screwy as far as a flashback goes. The chronological order is all screwed up with it, you see. XD;;; So yes, if something seems wrong, you've prolly got what's wrong pegged right. XD

* * *

The broken queen sits on the ground, her hands covering her mouth as she stares in front of her, lost in thought. Her kingdom was never supposed to fall! The Wickedness was supposed to help her, not destroy things even further! And she'll admit that she isn't the smartest person in the world, but she knows when her plans have backfired. Sighing, Queen Aysel watches the space in front of her ripple like water. And like magic, a purple-haired woman with bright, vibrant, seemingly glowing eyes steps out of the mysterious thing, a smirk on her face and one hand propped on her waist.

Yawn.

Aysel doesn't think much of it. In fact she goes back to sulking. That woman is nothing compared to her kingdom being smashed into little pieces. "Ah~!" the woman says, touching her chin... Amused, even. _What is there to be amused about,_ Aysel asks to herself. Now that her kingdom is gone there is nothing else to live for. There's nothing else to even be proud about... She should have listened to Renata. Nothing good could come from summoning the Wickedness, and no matter how much she tries to work her magic, it just will not go away.

"Queen Aysel!" the woman exclaims, her smile wide and toothy. Such sharp teeth she has! Aysel glances up at the sound of her name. Any other time and she would have praised the woman for such a boisterous greeting, but this is serious business. "What a pleasant surprise!" Aysel takes another look at the woman, this time taking into consideration the woman's beauty. Why is she so calm? Why does she look so unscathed by all the chaos going around? Aysel feels a little tinge of jealously spark inside of her, but that's normal. The woman in front of her looks far more beautiful than she does now. "Are you ready to die?" The woman licks her teeth, touching the hilt of her sword and waiting for an answer, staring at the queen through the bottom of her eyes.

Trying to intimidate her, perhaps?

Aysel doesn't hesitate in delivering her answer. "Death! The majestic Reaper who is feared by millions. Such loneliness you must hold. To be hated and feared, such an undesirable place to have..." Kohana tilts her head, confused at what Aysel's just said. Reaper? Who the hell is she going on about? "When all you do, darling Death, is bring peace to those in pain." Aysel looks at her arms solemnly, sighing once more. "Their bodies may rot and their hearts may freeze, but their pain and suffering ends once you complete your job." The queen thrusts her arms out, frowning heavily. "Well to the reaper... I give up. I am yours to take. Just hurry up and make it quick."

Kohana scratches her cheek, tilting her head. What? That's not the reaction she wants at all! Aysel is supposed to fear her! She's supposed to run around screaming her head off! When most people meet someone who says they want to kill them, they lose their minds! Maybe it's because Aysel doesn't have a mind to begin with, but still! Strange, very strange. Kohana taps the hilt of her sword, sticking a lollipop in her mouth. Savoring the sweet, apple flavor, she walks over to Aysel and stands over her. "You're not serious are you? You're supposed to be pissing yourself right now! You're just going to let me... Let me kill you? Without a fight?"

"I give you my thanks," Aysel says, shaking her head. "My gratitude. May your path be a clean one, darling Death. Your day of recognition is soon to come. Is that day lonely, too? If not for you, the world would be hectic. It would be a mass place of hysteria! You only do your job and people hate you for it! But I... I Queen Aysel? I am grateful." Kohana takes one step back and rolls her eyes. She touches her forehead with her petite fingers, sighing.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me, Aysel!" she exclaims. "You mean to tell me I came here to kill you, only to hear you cheering me on?" Kohana pauses, poking her face and frowning. "That's not fun at all~! You're not going to beg me for you life? To give you mercy? You're not going to fight me?"

"Why fear the Reaper?" she says, forcing a limp chuckle. "You came here to save me from my mistake, did you not? The old, moaning and crying... The pain will not stop. And the tormented souls will continue their path of writhing in agony. You end all of that. But Reaper, no gratitude is given, is it?" Kohana quirks a brow, covering half of her mouth with her hand. You know, Aysel makes a good point. "Merely cursing and angry words are shouted your way. Your work must be hard for you." The queen nods, as if expecting some sort of feedback. How strange. Has the queen lost her touch or is she always like this?

"You're right. You shouldn't fear the... Me," Kohana says, smirking. "But I killed Saivan just a while ago, Aysel!" She throws her hands in the air, grinning impishly. "I killed him so great! I chopped him up into little pieces and buried them far away from each other! And he shall spend five billion years like that! Doesn't that make you fear me? Doesn't that make you want to run away from me?" Kohana's expecting Aysel to get up and run in the other direction, but that doesn't even make the queen move. "Do you hear me!" Kohana shouts, getting frustrated. "I said get up and start running!"

"But you do have satisfaction in giving blessed relief to those who deserve it..." Aysel murmurs, looking up into the sky and mentally counting all the Wicked Spawn that fly over her head. "...And eternal suffering with those of cruel intentions. Ah yes. I believe that a day will be given in your honor. As unknown or unpracticed as it is, it will be great." Kohana snarls. She can't believe this! Her own prey is praising her! She wants the person that will take her soul? Kohana'll show her a person that will take her soul! But it won't be much fun... Killing someone who wants it. She doesn't want to make Aysel happy! She wants to destroy everything that Aysel is! None of this happy stuff!

"She searches for her victims!" Kohana declares. "Any and every person. They will all fall to her madness! Each and every one of them! To her horrendous power because she is the slayer of souls! Punished for her mistakes and past crimes, she must forever be condemned to an eternity of darkness! Taking people when they have run out of time. She is the slayer of souls, long since wanting to stop but... It's just so fun!" She pauses, trying to catch her breath. "She's the loneliest being ever. When she meets someone new, she must take them. Never sympathize with them. The slayer of souls only hopes that she can stop someday..." For a moment there is silence, until Aysel cries out and bangs her hands into the blood-ridden ground. Kohana looks down at her, shocked.

"Oh, Reaper, I will give anything to save my kingdom..."

"Anything?" Kohana says, quirking a brow. Aysel nods, her golden eyes shimmering with hope. "Ah~! You'll give anything, huh? What if I told you that I'm not your precious Reaper? Hi, Queen Aysel. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kohana, and I'm going to grant you the very thing that can save your kingdom." At first Aysel looks at Kohana incredulously, but then her eyes widen.

"You look familiar," she mutters, causally. "For a second there, I thought you were Summoner Sayuri..."

"Honestly?" Kohana asks, putting both of her hands on her hips. "That's... Actually pretty impressive. You're the first person yet to ever draw that conclusion. Believe it or not, but that's respect, my queen~!" Kohana bows dramatically, closing her eyes. "I'm the Wickedness, you see! I'm the thing that you called down to help you!" Now the queen stands up, almost tripping on the hem of her dress. Kohana smirks, licking her lips. Aysel doesn't even question her being the Wickedness.

"You will... Help me save my kingdom, Kohana? Why, yes! This is exactly what I, Queen Aysel, want!"

"But can you handle it~?" Kohana purrs, moving her fingers towards the queen in a cat-like fashion. She reaches out towards queen and Aysel stares at her hand, cracking a crazy smile. "Yes, Aysel, I'll give you everything that you need. If I can't kill you, I'll simply set you up with everything you'll need to become a real queen! You can rebuild your kingdom and even have the power to protect it yourself! No more back talk from a ridiculous guard! No more army! No more back-stabbing king by your side!"

"This world is falling apart!" Aysel says, laughing out loud. "Its inhabitants are falling back into primordial ways! You are right, Kohana! They all take what they want and steal from the rich, leaving us in a daze! Fear me! Feed me! I will lead! Children shall become my tools and fight for my attention! Love will be dead and blood will be treasured! The virtues are just empty shells, are they not? They will become the puppets on my stage!" She pauses, cackling. "Help me Wickedness! Help me obtain it all!"

And as Aysel reaches for Kohana's hand, the purple-haired woman's eyes begin to glow a dark red. Aysel cackles, locking hands with the person that shall give her power. Kohana joins her in her cackling, albeit laughing much louder than Aysel.

"Let your soul be imprisoned! Let it suffer for the angst it has caused! Allow the chains of hatred to bind your broken wings, Aysel!" The wind starts to pick up around them and once again Kohana shows off her fangs. "As the venom of your self-hatred poisons every drop of your blood, let my final judgment decide your fate! Let those who you have hurt and made suffer be your jury! Let me have mercy on your soul! Ahahaha!"

A pause. A tilt of the head. A sadistic smile.

"Queen Aysel, today is your judgment! Tomorrow shall be your demise and execution!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-Five: Ultimatums For Egos :-**

_Little soul, your dreams are waiting  
Grab them up, hold them closely  
Never let go_

_Little soul, you're finally here to live and breathe  
You're every fear I love and hate  
Smile and touch. Hope. Despair.  
Loathing and lust._

_Who we are and what we are is nothing but a point of view._

— "We All Turn Back To Dust" — From First To Last

I was never after fame and fortune! Oh no, my dear, sweet, sweet Sayuri! Fame meant nothing to me! In fact, I already had quite enough of it! More than I could contain. Money? Ha! You thought I needed money? I didn't need any money. Whatever I needed I already had, and what I didn't have I would just take. This was never about you or me... This was about that infernal rain. The rain that kept pouring down even long after I buried Saivan's pieces far away from each other. I didn't have time to set them on fire... You know how much I would have liked to, though. Back to the point! As long as I can remember rain has been coming down on this world. Long before I even set foot on it!

And I always thought to myself... Who would be the one to stop the rain? It wouldn't be me, because I had to deal with my own, personal rain. And well... I simply just didn't have the time. Everyone was always oblivious to the rain and how much it ruined people. People sung when it rained. They danced like happy, drunken idiots when it rained. And some people cheered for more. Were they cheering now, Sayuri? Were your people cheering now? No! They were dying under my hand, and if you didn't hurry and do something, you might have met a similar fate! Look at all of your friends, running around frantic—joyful that you're okay and standing in one place.

Too bad they couldn't see me, right? Your dearest mother. Your sweet, dearest mother that loved you so much... So turn around, darling Sayuri, and lay your worthy eyes on the woman that gave you life! I snorted, because you were the only person that could actually see me. The rest could only hear. You were all smiles before you turned around and set your eyes on me. Your crystalline green eyes dilated so fast that I didn't have time to actually laugh at how startled you looked. I swiped my arm across the air, and of course you almost fell backwards. Morta had to catch you from falling on the ground, and even then you couldn't believe it. It was time to educate you, sweet, sweet Sayuri. I didn't want to wait too long!

As I gazed upon you, I saw the image of my younger self... Everything that I aspired to be, everything that I knew I could never be and everything that I can never go back and try to be. Sayuri, you made me so jealous of you, sweetheart! For you could never understand how much it did my soul such good to see you on the brink of tears at the mere sight of me. You stole _everything, _Sayuri. You stole my look, you stole my name, and you stole my friends. You stole my life and turned me into this monster of sin! That's why you deserved everything... Everything I put you through because you already had so much. I was never miserable, no. I just loved seeing you squirm underneath my gaze. The others thought you were having a mental breakdown, but no, you were just frightened due to seeing me.

"Sayuri! What is it that's bothering you?" Morta asked, lifting the girl up and glaring at her. "We're not going to get anywhere holding secrets. You look like you've just seen a ghost, and I know you just saved Renata from dying but make this fast." The only reason Morta had the strength to even hold you, Sayuri, was because she is the Summoner of Death. It's in their natures! They always were nuisances, always trying to get in the way and get themselves involved in matters that didn't concern them. But oh Sayuri, Morta would hear me in an instant, because I was going to talk to you, and they were going to hear._ All _of them.

"What a good day for rain~!" I exclaimed, waving my arms out. Now everyone was looking in all sorts of directions, trying to figure out where my voice was coming from. Tell them, Sayuri. Why didn't you tell them that it was me all along, and I was in front of them? Can't fight an invisible opponent, can you? I knew why you didn't tell them where I was. You were afraid that I might have killed them. And to answer your question, yes. I probably would have killed them because I didn't care about your pathetic Summoner friends. I didn't care about anyone on this world. I wanted them all to burn! Renata looked terrible; half of her face was green and the other red. I didn't know how something like that was possible, but~!

"K-Kohana," Sayuri uttered, sweat forming all over her face. She almost fell down again but Morta caught her a second time. Oh poor daughter! Did I scare you that much? I was pretty sure I didn't have Saivan's blood on me. I cleaned up, honest! Everyone flinched at my name leaving Sayuri's mouth, and then that was when everyone was so sure that it was game time. I'd show them all game time! They didn't know who the hell they were messing with, just like Saivan! He thought that everything was so right! So okay! He thought that nothing bad would come of him fighting the Wickedness herself! Now look at where he was!

Lucrecia quirked her nose, taking out her sling. She always had a permanent scowl on her face, one that I thought looked absolutely lovely on her~! It meant that I was doing my job, and my job was to provoke them into fighting an invisible opponent. "Who the _fuck _is Kohana?" She was never one for patience, and neither was I. It was shaming how people could forget me and my face so easily, but remember Sayuri's and link the wrong memories to her! Was I not worthy of Lucrecia's recollections? I grinned. If only she knew who was actually laid out in Morta's arms. If only she knew who I was! Of course some of the others knew me—from having conversations with Sayuri—but I wanted to inform her of me myself!

"I'm Sayuri's mother, you_ idiot," _I spat. "I'd like you to remember who you're dealing with." Every word that left my mouth was cool. I wouldn't let Lucrecia rile me, but I did have a temper, at the moment. I only wanted to talk to Sayuri. Nothing more. I would have done so in a dream, but she woke up. "Lucrecia, how nice it is to see you!" I exclaimed in a fit of glory. "I remember you almost killed Sayuri so long ago... I should kill you right now!" Everyone took offense to that—but I was surprised Lucrecia didn't do anything.

I put my hands behind my back, walking around. "You're not killing anyone!" Kokoro yelled, swiping his arm across the air, obviously angry. "We won't let you!" Ha! And did the little brat know that I was the one that teleported them to the castle? Did that brat know that I had already killed billions and billions on this world? I snicked and they all heard me. Each and everyone of them. Chio took a couple of steps back, looking just as gloomy as I had ever seen her.

"Is this... Is this your mother, Sayuri?" she gasped, backing into the wall. "She's _scary."_ Her fingers started trembling over the grip she had on her staff. She could barely hold it, and when it dropped I think everyone had a realization. "I—I don't know what it is that makes her so scary but... We have to get out of here. I don't want to stay here... I can feel it..." She brought her pale, petite fingers towards her mouth, looking down at the ground. "Something under us... Something above us. There's no way to escape it I—She needs to vanish, Sayuri! Get her out!" It was a plea of desperation! She really wanted me gone! Too bad I didn't want to leave just yet!

"Chio, calm down," Miyuki said, trying to sooth the Summoner of Convene. And that was her job, as a Guardian! To make sure her Summoners were in tip-top shape. Chio looked like she was about to faint any second now. She must have really feared me! Way more than she feared Lucrecia, even, and I hadn't even done anything yet! This was amusing! No, this was past being just mere amusing! "We can't make what we can't see up and disappear. It looks like Sayuri's the only one that can see Kohana, so we can't fight, either. Please, whatever you think of saying or doing is only going to provoke this woman that much more."

I turned around, staring at Miyuki. "Oh, and you! You! I remember you. You meddlesome Celestial Being! You're the one that stopped me from killing Sayuri back on Earth! You and your partners..." I was going to say more, but Lucrecia stomped her foot on the ground, giving me a snarl. I quirked my nose.

"Yes~?" I sang, batting my eyes.

"Shut the fuck up and do something, then. I don't care who you are! If you're the cause of everything blowing straight to hell then I'm going to take you out myself!" How so? She didn't even know where I was standing! She wasn't even looking in the right direction!

"_Ah_a_hah_aha!" I laughed, making Princess Renata flinch. "Honestly Lucrecia, you're way past your prime. I think it's time for me to put you down to rest." I grinned maliciously, watching her boil in rage. Oh, this was so amusing! Talking to people you haven't seen in years! "I think it's time for me to put you down to rest with all of your other useless friends, don't you think?" Now I had touched a nerve. Now she looked like she was going to explode all over the wall! What was she going to attack? The air?

"You better shut your damn mouth—!"

"You should have died before everyone!" I declared, throwing my arms in the air. "And when I say everyone, I mean you should have died before both of your little boyfriends died!" As if on cue, parts of the castle started to crumble again and everyone lost their balance... Everyone except me. And I kept talking! Lucrecia looked like she had lost her luster with my last sentence. "As the Wickedness, I see everything. What I don't see is what simply cannot be seen. You're an idiot, and I look forward to you dying, don't get me wrong." I paused, putting a hand on my shoulder. "However, I'm contemplating if I should even give you the satisfaction of meeting your 'partners' in death!"

"Shut up, Kohana!" Ah? What's this? Sayuri wanted to say something to me after all of this time had gone past? This would be good! She was hyperventilating, and she still couldn't look directly at me. Poor girl, I put her through so much, didn't I? "Shut up, shut up, shut... Shut..." She trailed off, putting her hand on her forehead and looking like she was really dizzy. "Why are you... Why are you here! What are you doing? Why are you...!" She got out of Morta's grip and took a step forward. She made the mistake of looking at me and her eyes widened again.

Hahahah! I think she was having a nervous breakdown right in front of me! Why did I scare people so much? Was it something that I just... Did? I licked my lips, sighing. "Sayuri~!" I sang. "I took care of Saivan for you!" And immediately after I said that, Renata's jaw dropped, automatically assuming the worst. The others hadn't got that far—even Lucrecia's thought process was going at the speed of slow. Sayuri grabbed her face, looking like she wanted to cough. She was really sick in the head now, wasn't she?

"You... Kohana you did what? _What did you do to him?"_

"Um... Stuff."

I wasn't expecting her to ask for all of the details, but at least I told her! "He wasn't really that hard to fight at all! And you want to know why it's raining now? You know... They say when it rains on a funeral that the heavens are weeping." I paused, looking up into the sky. "Rain is just tiny drops of a sacred water from the sky. A universal metaphor, Sayuri. It means new life is going to be born, and if not, soon. We thrive on the rain, Sayuri. It reflects our human emotions—reminds us of the power of intermediary between heaven and earth. I have split this gate open, so that we may see the infusion of this new life! Rain is the dispenser of divine grace and plenty! It brings with it the promise of survival!"

"You actually killed King Saivan?" Honovi asked, straightening out her lab-coat. "That is actually pretty impressive..."

"Bullshit!" Lucrecia exclaimed. I honestly could not understand why she was still alive. "You mean to tell me that a fucking voice killed Saivan? Dammit to hell, _I_ was supposed to kill that bastard! Who the hell are you!"

"I already told you!" I cackled. "Rain brings with it the promise of survival! The periodic destruction wrought by storms and floods as the agent of divine retribution and disaster! The threat of annihilation! Rain signifies the descent of heavenly influences upon the earth! Yes, yes I killed your king, Honovi! It was very, very fun. Fun like you wouldn't even imagine! And yes Princess Renata, I know how much you love your father, even though he basically drove your kingdom into the dirt!" I paused, looking at Sayuri and smiling. "But it was only because of Sayuri... Only because of her that this kingdom is still standing~!"

Sayuri was too confused to talk, let alone ball up her fists, but she managed to do both. "Just what are you trying to say, Kohana! Please, please answer me and don't answer in any poetry or things like that..." She collapsed on the ground, her eyes twinkling with tears. "I—I love you, Kohana! You're my mom and I'll always love you, as much as I'm ashamed to say that, but why? Why kill all of these people? Why kill Saivan and why destroy this world? You're not making any sense... You say this world is still standing because of me? What did I do? What did I do...?" I walked over to her and tapped her on her head, making her flinch.

"You were born."

Now that I had informed Sayuri that I had gotten rid of her antagonist, I needed to finish the job! My job! Because right now I was her antagonist! No one was standing in my way! And if there were people that refused to back away from me, I'd cut them down! "Sayuri, your compassion for the hellhole blows my mind. I can literally feel the perseverance fluttering away from your body. You are beyond crying. You don't want to be held, dear, you just want all of this to stop, don't you? Just give up and submit to me, dearest daughter. That way, you can stop being a Summoner and I'll give you time to get off this world! Then Atropa can eat it and you never have to worry about anyone on the Dark Ages again!"

I cackled, watching everyone twitch in disgust. "To attempt to understand love when such a thing is not possible... Forget everyone you know, Sayuri. They'll only bring you down! I mean, look at the people who are around you. Renata, who can't even take care of herself. She almost died, hadn't you have caught her. Look at the Professor laid out on the ground. Isn't she just going to die anyway? She's not even putting up a fight! Her assistant is nearly just as useless, not even noticing how dire this situation is! And then Lucrecia is the worst of all. Pitiful is the hero that can't even protect the one she loves..."

I paused, blinking dramatically.

"I'm tired of feeling sick to my stomach! I want retribution, Sayuri! I want to see justice bestowed on this damned world!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air. I grinned maliciously, taking pleasure in the way Sayuri's face whitened again! "The demons inside command me! They're saying crush it! Break it! Smash it! Fucking kill them all!" I punched the wall, watching it shake and crumble next to me. That's when everyone took heed. Sayuri darling was the only one that saw me, after all! "How many people really care about the fate of this world? How many people do you think will be standing after I'm done with it?"

I cackled, glancing at Lucrecia snarling. Did she even know what she was snarling at? But you know, I heard her pleas for revenge—for her arm being torn off. Revenge wasn't something she could get from Sayuri! Revenge was only something she could get from me! "Just wait until I find out where you are, you _deluded _bitch!"

"Lucrecia, I want to torch it, burn it, scorch it, and stomp your world out! Laugh as it blows away! A_haa_hah_ah_! I won't sit here and eat another rotten apple, though I've grown to like the taste~! I want you to hurt, and I want you to bleed! I want you to look beyond your own eyes and past your imperfections! All this time you've been playing the victim role... Do you have any idea what it's like to be a failed hero? You? Failed! Who have you failed? No one, you don't have people willing to trust in you! No one ever trusted in you—and that's why I'll light the match, the flame, the fuse, the bomb—_ah!_—I'll rescue the world from slavery!"

"You talk a lot of shit for someone who's hiding in the shadows!" Oh, what I wouldn't give to drive my blade through her neck—to put the remainder of her words on the end of my steel! Sayuri stood back up, exhaling and giving Lucrecia a mean look. Ah! I had never seen Sayuri look so fiery before! Perhaps she was looking mad for her mother~? No! She was angry because of Lucrecia! Lucrecia had managed to get in the way! I was supposed to be the one Sayuri was mad at, not that stupid Lucrecia! I should have killed her right where she was standing! It would have been quick, and mostly painless!

I still couldn't shake all of that stuff she said about Sayuri... And how she ruined her life when she took her so-called arm. I started fanning myself because it was hot... But more so because Lucrecia was making me angry by just standing there. She played the victim role, and yet she still had everything she could ever want? I unsheathed my sword and Sayuri staggered back. Lucrecia glanced at her and snorted. "Why the hell are you so fucking scary all of a sudden, Sayuri?"

"As of now the end begins! I want to laugh, but there's no joke!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Forget me not, Lucrecia, I'm writing you off. I've got nothing more to say."

"Well then, stop being a damn coward and come out then! Fight me face to face you scary fucking bitch!"

Listen to that foul language and the way she was provoking me! "To eat with the beasts and run with the wolves... To the ashes you must choke! I know it's got to chap your ass to think I just won't go away! You want to disrespect me, you whiny little girl?" I inquired, snarling. "Everything I've done? Who I am? As far as I've come? I'll slap you so hard, it'll feel like you kissed a freight train!"

"Stop! Stop fighting, okay?" Sayuri said, rubbing her forehead. "Jeez, you two are horrible. K-Kohana, just tell me... Just tell me why you did all of this! What made you come and do all of this, Kohana?" You know, I thought it was time to show myself. I had just about had it with Lucrecia's big mouth. I snapped my fingers and just about everyone in the room flinched at me. What, were they stunned at my beauty~? They all should have been! Ha! It seemed like Miyuki remembered my face! It had been so long since I had seen pure fear in her eyes! I liked that look. She should make that face more often for me~!

She even started to hiss at me~! Why must everyone be afraid of what I really look like? I looked just like my darling Sayuri, after all! Or rather, she looked just like her darling mother! Renata tilted her head, unable to grasp what she was looking at. Aww, was I not dressed for the occasion? I let off a big smirk, folding my arms and letting the hilt of my katana poke me in the side. "She looks just like you, Summoner Sayuri..." Renata uttered, her voice full of despair. Oh, don't tell me she was sad because her kingdom was being reduced to nothingness! Aww, how silly Enlightened Ones really are, right?

Sayuri actually started to grind her teeth before she looked back at Renata! Teeth grinding at the sight of me? That was new, so I started cackling, much to the other's dismay. What? If I thought something was funny, I was going to laugh at it! This was a tough crowd of people... They didn't see anything funny about Sayuri's teeth grinding~? I guess they weren't capable of my sense of humor. I shrugged my shoulders, watching Lucrecia's green eye study me and her mouth sort of drop. "You do look just like this Summoner brat..." she said, snarling. "It doesn't even fucking matter! You're going to pay for destroying our world you bitch!" I threw my hands in the air, amused that she would even say something like that! Why was it that she couldn't feel my strength? Chio was still pressed into the wall, hyperventilating. She felt it, all right~!

Morta knew me from past experiences, so like Miyuki she was on her guard. Renata was irritatingly calm, but that was something I'd expect from a nutcase like her... Oh! And Adel. Hmm. Adel was always strange. He hadn't said anything, or even moved I think. He wouldn't help his daughter out~? Because she was five seconds away from being flung through the castle! I stomped on the floor, the tendrils of my hair bouncing with the sudden movement. "And even upon sensing my power you would still fight me~?" I asked, full of glee. I was never one to turn down a fight! Yes, I knew how dangerous fights were, but that's the thing I loved about them! Fighting had become my life, whether metaphorical or real! "Let me tell you something, Lucrecia. That arm of yours? Do you want your other one, or do I have to take that one too...?"

"'Too?' What the... Kohana... Kohana stop!" Sayuri shouted, her eyes dilating as she looked up. "No more jokes about her arm, that's serious and you shouldn't play like that!" I would have loved to look at Lucrecia sneering at me some more, but Sayuri's obliviousness was just too much to handle! She didn't know anything. And when I say anything... Sayuri was super oblivious about what was going on around her! "Just please, Kohana..." Apparently the stress was getting to her, my lovely, lovely, beautiful daughter... She fell down on her knees, closing her eyes tightly and gripping both of her hands.

"Kohana, please, just leave..." She whispered that last sentence at me, and I was almost tempted to tell her to repeat herself. Ha! Imagine how fun that would have been~!

"Sayuri's right," Morta interjected, tapping her fingers on her scythe. "We know we're no match for you, and if you just took out a whole entire planet, fighting you would be a big mistake none of us want to take. Even if Lucrecia's too stupid to realize that what she's doing can only result in something bad on her part, we're not going to provoke you, Kohana. We can save this world from any future destruction if you just leave." Aww, what a heroic speech! I didn't think the Summoner of Death was even capable of such bullshit! I laughed under my breath, looking down at the floor. I was surrounded by a bunch of idiots. Right down to my stupid, silly daughter who still thought she could save Lucrecia. Who still thought she could save the Dark Ages!

I walked up to Sayuri and she glanced at me. And within those two minutes of glancing at me, Sayuri started to panic. I grabbed her arms—lightly, too—and she practically jerked back. But I wasn't going to let her get away from me so I kept a firm grip on her. She was forced to look me in the face... The eyes... And I could tell that her fear was eating her up and spiting her out. She wanted to up and run away from me... Perhaps she was ashamed that she was even_ related_ to the likes of me? To a monster that just killed millions and, at this moment, was killing millions more? It wasn't something I enjoyed, killing people. It was something that I _couldn't live without!_ "K-Kohana, please..." She was in so much shock that she didn't notice the three or four tears falling out of her eyes and staining the floor. "I-I can't take this anymore, I..."

"Give up?" I asked with a smirk on my face. "Give up! Give in to me! And watch as your dreams crumble right before your eyes!" I declared, still holding her arms. "Sayuri, I love you! I love you so, so, so much~ You are the only thing in the whole entire universe that I'll actually die for~ The reason I came down here in the Dark Ages is because I love you, Sayuri~!" I put on the biggest smile I could muster, showing off my sharp fangs. Her jaw dropped and she started twitching... Involuntary twitching. What, she couldn't believe that I loved her? "I came to the Dark Ages because I couldn't stand the sight of seeing you hurt, Sayuri! The only reason the Dark Ages is still standing is because of you. The only reason Atropa hasn't eaten this world is because of you, Sayuri! The only reason why your friends are still standing behind you is because of you!"

With every word that left my mouth, Sayuri dearest looked like she was having an aneurism! "The reason I haven't ripped Lucrecia's throat away from her neck is because of you! Don't you know, Sayuri? I'll do anything... Anything to make sure you stay alive because I love you more than I love myself, to some extent..." I paused, tapping my chin with my index-finger.

"You..." Sayuri muttered, her eyes dilating again. "You're crazy... I-I never realized... How crazy you..."

"Were?" I finished, grinning madly. "Ah, yes, well. The truth has to come out some time, right Sayuri~? You're dealing with the person that has conquered the whole entire universe! Before coming to the Dark Ages I've killed millions and trillions, and billions of people Sayuri! There's nothing I can't do! And my only reason for keeping you alive is because I want you..." I said, poking my nail in her chest and cocking a brow. "I want _you _to kill _me!"_ The whole place shook from all the raucous Atropa was causing. Any second now and I was sure this castle was going to go ahead and crumble towards the ground...

"Why would you want something like that?" Kokoro exclaimed, waving his arm across the air. And he transformed, at that. Like he was going to fight me! Aww, I was pretty sure Sayuri couldn't afford seeing her teammate's blood spilled right before her eyes! And apparently Chio, too. But it was a shame she couldn't go Trance Mode, wouldn't you agree? Miyuki was good at being a Guardian, I'd give her that, but she was such a meddlesome Celestial Being... "That's crazy! Sayuri don't listen to her!" Now her fingers were shaking and I let her go. Tch! And who would Sayuri listen to? The stupid Summoner, or her loveable mother? I think I had the ace here, if I said so myself! Kokoro had nothing! He didn't raise Sayuri since she was little, did he? _A_ha_haha_ha!

Chio pried herself off the wall in a burst of rage and being concerned about her leader. Aww, that too was so cute! She walked clumsily next to Kokoro, pointing her staff at lil' ol' me~ Oh! Aeons! They'd be happy to see me now, wouldn't they? Sorry to say, but Chio was not powerful and none of her attacks were going to be effective against me. Aeons? Against the Wickedness? Please, if she called her Aeons they'd bow down before _me _and attack _her! _I chortled, closing my eyes and opening them in pure bliss. "Sayuri's going to save this place, okay!" Chio shouted, adjusting her glasses. "Don't you ever say something like that again! She's the leader, so she can do whatever she wants! She doesn't have to listen to you! What... What kind of mother are you!"

"A damn good one!" I laughed, wiping my nose. "Now Sayuri, sweetie. You can listen to your pathetic Summoner partners if you want to... If that's what you really want to do, but I'm telling you now that if you want to save yourself, your friends, and the worlds you have to journey to, you better forget everything you've ever known about me. Starting today... I am your antagonist! I dominate your story, and yes, I will kill your friends if you don't start taking this seriously! We are enemies! We will always and forever be enemies! I'm not your mother. I'm your adversary. There's a reason why I haven't cured Apathīa, or why I didn't stop a lot of deaths happening when I could have saved Himani or Cecelia's life with a small thunderbolt of judgment raining from the sky—!"

"Okay, I've just about had enough of your fucked up talk!" Lucrecia shouted, cracking her knuckles. "You're parading around as if you're God or some shit! Obviously you're not. You couldn't save anyone from dying even if you tried! Just high-tail it out of here! You're pissing me off so much that if I do end up fighting you, I'll die trying to take you down myself! If you're really as strong as what you say you are, then you should have no problem taking me down you cowardly little shit!" Coward? Did she just call me a coward? Okay, now I was insulted! Kohana Outtaike? A coward? My eyes went completely blank and Sayuri's face lit up in complete and utter fear. Kokoro and Chio stepped back, afraid what might happen next.

"I'm a coward...?" I reiterated, nice and slow. "I've been the only thing keeping you alive—!"

"Kohana stop it!" Sayuri shrieked, getting up. Too bad! Sayuri got up and from pure instinct I slapped her across her face, sending her flying through the eastern-wall. In fact, Sayuri crashed through about... Three walls before she came to a teetering stop! Debris and smoke went flying everywhere and Morta cursed under her breath before she dashed after Sayuri. Chio's face contorted at the sight she saw. She growled at me and clenched her fists. She looked like she was going to say something, but she turned towards where Sayuri flew and ran behind Morta, tears flying out of the corner of her eyes. Kokoro was in pure shock. I knew what he was thinking! How could someone's own mother slap them through walls? Well, I wasn't any ordinary mother~!

I opened and closed my hand, staring at it. "Woopse. I don't know my own strength, I guess..." I chuckled, looking in the direction I slapped Sayuri into. "I still love you, Sayuri sweetie~!" Soon after that I glared at Lucrecia, who was a bit surprised that I had done that to Sayuri. She thought I was a coward? I'd show her what a real coward looked like! Well, for one it had brown hair, and was missing an eye... That's a coward! And she was standing right in front of me. I'd answer her questions before I granted her eternal sleep! I snarled, waving my arm out behind me—pointing at the huge whale monster floating in the sky. You couldn't miss it.

"How about some trivia, Lucrecia?" I purred, grinning. "I am the Wickedness. Bet you didn't know that, huh? I have a partner or sorts named Atropa, and she helps me live in that thing. That is the shell that protects me. That right there is what I came in on. Most people mistake that and me. Yes, I'm the Wickedness riding in that shell of a monster, but that's not the Wickedness. I am." Lucrecia's face twitched—almost as if she'd realized she had made a grave mistake. "Atropa is a part of me. While I'm out here yelling and slapping my daughter through walls—gracefully, might I add—she's controlling all of the Wicked Spawn that are falling off that shell. She's controlling the blasts that leave it. Together, we've destroyed your whole entire world."

"You're lying," she spat, folding her arms. "You? You mean to tell me you came here and killed..." Her voice cracked. "Everyone?"

I folded my arms. "Aww, don't give me any credit!" I laughed, swinging my hands out in front of me. "I didn't kill... Everyone. As the Wickedness, I see all and hear all. There's nothing I can't observe. And as the Wickedness, I can tamper with future events. Didn't know I could tell the future too, did you?" I paused, waiting for an answer. Obviously I didn't get one, but that was okay. "I realized you were going to lose your arm way before you lost it!" I cackled. "See, that's the beauty of being me~ And I could have done something to stop it!" Now she was scared. She looked at her arm and really lost it. You know, it always did my heart good to see fear on Lucrecia's face...

I started to walk towards her, but then stopped. "Yes, you see, everyone who died? Cecelia? Angeal? Hinami? Mima?" Their names rolled off my tongue, almost as if they were meaningless. The only purpose they served was to up my ante! To up how scary and intimidating I was! I turned towards Renata, albeit slowly. "Renatari?" She flinched at the name and I smirked, glancing back at Lucrecia. "Zed?" Hahaha! Hilarious facial expressions are hilarious! "Yes! Yes I let all of those deaths happen! It was me!" I threw my hands in the air in a proud fit of glory! "Apathīa... Everything! It's all _my_ fault! And it's your fault for letting them happen! The power I wield, and what I can do stretches out so far!"

What? Now everyone was silent? Now no one was going to say anything? "Sayuri's only choice is to leave this world while she can get get the hell out before it crumbles into deep space! All of you have ruined your chances of pure happiness! Don't you see? It's painful to be God~! It's downright painful and you never notice that until all of your pawns run around wasting their lives day after day after day... I did nothing but end your happiness! You all, on the other hand, just sped up that end..." I paused, looking through the hole I made when I slapped Sayuri. Her friends were tending to her now. Hmm, I didn't even see Kokoro and Miyuki walk over there, but they did. "And now you all will pay so dearly for your actions. But this is just a kind little reminder, isn't it...?"

"That's not true..." Renata said meekly, clutching her hands.

Ha!

"This is just a reminder that you all... Regardless of what race you are... Regardless of what planet you come from... You all are fallible human beings that make mistakes and you don't learn from them! The Wickedness was born out of complete and utter sin. I am sin reborn!" I announced, throwing my hands in the air. "I am the product of said failures! I'm the one who has to bestow judgment for not being able to learn!" I stopped, looking at Lucrecia's now pale face. "I'm the one to punish you all for refusing to learn! Every time you look at me, every time you dream of me, you should be reminded of how you failed your friends, your family, your life and yourself."

"Please just stop..." Princess Renata said once again, refusing to look at me.

"Aww, but why for? I was only getting to the good part!" I said, grinning like a madman. "Should you all be able to stop your damnation, to somehow overcome your judgment, then I'll clap for you! But until then, nothing you can say or do is going to make me stop this destruction! This chaos! Let chaos reign! Let it soar and let it scar the hearts of others! Love, betrayal, sacrifice... Forbidden arts..." I could go on and on with that list! "These are some of the things in which you have to and have already faced." Honovi tilted her head, wiping strands of her black hair out of her eyes. Well, that was her fault for having such thick, long bangs, right? Professor Ever blinked and Honovi let her stand up.

"Professor, are you okay enough to stand...?"

"I'm fine, Honovi. I had just been listening to what that woman said and now I think it's time I had my say on things..." Oh really? Now the Professor wanted to say something to me as well~? I was becoming quite the celebrity! And to think I only came here in order to scare Sayuri, which had already been done the moment I sent her crashing through the already-broken castle's walls! Professor Ever exhaled, straightening out her lab-coat. "You think that... You think that our lives are just a game? That we're just pawns that don't know any better and we keep failing?" She didn't look angry at me, nor was she scared. The Professor actually had a pretty nice game face, now that I thought about it~

I'd have to keep this in mind in the future now, wouldn't I? "I'll have you know that the only way we learn is when we make mistakes! Being a scientist... Making mistakes come with the job. We get paid to make mistakes, you hear? And sometimes we don't learn from them right away. It takes hypothesis after hypothesis and failed experiment after failed experiment to learn from them. But in the span of failing we grow and we mature. Failures only make us better, and so what if we do the same stupid mistake two or three times over? Should we be punished for that because we're trying? We don't argue with each other about our mistakes. We don't cover for them."

"Ha! And why are you telling me that? I'm no scientist!" I snickered, covering my mouth with my knuckles.

"You make mistakes, admit it, correct it, and move on!" the Professor said firmly. "Yes, that's what's supposed to happen. Though I don't believe anything you say about being our God and things like that, and yes I may believe you about the kind of power you possess, but how are we supposed to learn if you're killing everyone? That's not fair and it's not right! Our lives are based on falling and getting back up!" She clenched her fists, looking down at the ground. "You're not a person. You're a monster."

"Correcto!" I exclaimed, as happy as a child. "Monster sums me up perfectly. Are you done with your oh-so dramatic heroic speech? Because that clump of meaningless words isn't going to change anything at all." I scratched the back of my head, still smiling. Wow! I was just so amused at the audacity of all of these people! "You can't rewind time. You can't bring back the dead and you can't take things that you've already done back. Sorry, Professor Ever~!" I sung, crouching down. "Well, I think I've wasted just about enough time here. If any of you need me, remember to call for Kohana and I might even do you a solid—" I stopped, mid-sentence, noticing Chio and Kokoro helping Sayuri walk back in the room, Morta and Miyuki following behind them. Sayuri took one last look at me, fire in her eyes. She had dried up blood on the side of her mouth and her knees were pretty scuffed.

Woo! I did that to her? How wonderful~!

Now she could feel the full extent of my love, because let's face it! Love hurts! "K-Kohana." She coughed my name out and it wasn't as clear as it once had been, but when she said my name my eyes widened. Was that the little girl I had raised in front of me? Sayuri Outtaike... Oh, I couldn't believe how much she had grown. "I've been waiting so long to tell you how I feel... And you crossed the line!" The line! It had been crossed a long time ago, silly little girl! What, was she going to give me a big lecture now on how I should have felt compassion for other people, or was she going to spare me? Or was she going to give me a big hero speech like Professor Ever had done? The possibilities were endless, and I wanted to see what Sayuri had learned in the year she had been in the Dark Ages...

"Sayuri, sweetie, spit it out. I don't have too much time to sit here and play with you~!"

"I'm... I'm going to take you out! No more! You won't hurt anyone no more!" Huh...? My eyes softened. There was something in her face that just reminded me of myself... And no matter how much I blinked I couldn't get the picture of my younger self out of my head. "I won't let you hurt any of my friends, and I won't let you play God! I've decided that I don't care if you try to burn this world down in lots of flames! These guys are my _family!" _she shouted, full of compassion. Emotions. Fire. How... She threw her right arm in the air, standing up straight as her friends made sure she wouldn't fall. "They're all my friends, no matter how confused they are about friendship or being tied up in their emotions! I love each and every one of them..."

"But you love me more~!" I exclaimed. "There's no doubt about that! You dream of me! You're concerned about me at every single waking moment!" My eyes dilated and I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists. I wouldn't lose Sayuri to a bunch of Enlightened Ones! "You love _me!"_ I yelled, spinning on my heels.

"That may be true..." Sayuri said, slowly so I could understand. "I still love you, and I hate myself for loving you... I think it's something that I just can't break, loving you for so long and I... I know that you can get away with almost anything you do to me. That's my fault, Kohana. That's my fault and I know it. But... When you were out killing people and destroying worlds, I was busy dying. These guys brought me back to life. All of them. We all hurt... But we comfort each other through all the pain that we feel. Something that you've never done for me! No, all you do is send me mixed messages! How can you love me and put me through a wall a second after you declare it—!"

"—Because I love you!" I snarled, gritting my teeth. "How many times do I have to tell you, Sayuri? This isn't something I can just lie about! I'm your mother! For every wall you crashed through, it was a degree of my love! You mean to tell me you'd rather stick around all of these... These idiots? These _freaks! _An apathetic princess who killed her sister? The freak professor who kills people in order to find cures that they'll only give to the rich and famous? A sadistic inquisitor who almost killed you on more than one occasion and useless teammates that don't even think twice about you, that ditched you?" My blood boiled. No! She loved_ me _more! She loved _me_ more! She couldn't possibly value their friendship over _mine!_ "I'm your mother! You'll do as _I_ say!"

"And I plan to!" she answered back, wiping the blood form the side of her face. "I'm going to give you your wish, and I'm going to take you out once and for all!" The room fell silent, and the only thing you could hear was Sayuri's heavy breathing. Her chest heaved and she looked down at the ground, tears in her eyes. "B-but... B-but I don't want to... B-but I have to..."

She was crying? She had better not start crying in front of me! "Everything I do... No matter what I say or how much I say I hate you, you still control me. I can still feel the ass-kicking you gave me when you left. When I close my eyes, I... I still picture your evil smile. You've got my hurt so bad that I... That I can't even move. I don't think I can go on living. You've permanently worked your way into my heart and you constantly tear me down. I can fake being okay, but inside I hurt so badly... Your threats hurt me and I know you're happy about it!" She paused, clenching her fists. "You destroyed my life, and I know you're happy about it Kohana!"

"Fine!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air and smiling dangerously. "You can have you idiotic friends. I won't hurt a single little hair on their heads. But just know that if I see one tear fall out of your eyes now, I'll gorge your eyes out in less than a millisecond." The malicious intent in my voice immediately made Sayuri look at me, her eyes widening. "You've made me very unhappy, Sayuri. Very unhappy." I took two steps back, looking up into the sky. "Even after all of this time you still love them more than me. After all the turmoil and near_ torture_ they've put you through—!"

"—Nothing hurts more than being stabbed in the back by someone you gave your heart to!"

I couldn't even form words at that. I blinked, looking at the floor. I couldn't argue. She was... She was right. She was my daughter, after all. I smirked glancing at all of her friends. Well, if these were the people that she wanted to stay with... Then who was I to argue with her? "K-Kohana, I'll see you again. And when I do, I'll be stronger." It was almost as if she was guaranteeing me that. I smirked, chuckling.

"I look forward to it." And with that, I walked to the edge of the room and cocked a brow, throwing both of my hands out. The wind from outside was caressing my hair. Sayuri's eyes widened and she screamed my name, reaching out for me. Aww, what she did care about me after all! What was she going to say? Was she going to tell me that she never said that I should jump out of the castle and commit suicide? "Just remember Sayuri. Even the least bit of hesitation will get you killed!" And with that I fell backwards, smiling as I saw Sayuri run to the edge and look down. She looked so confused because I had vanished! Aww, poor girl.

"You better fight me with everything you have."

Sayuri stepped back in the castle, wiping her eyes and shaking her head. She wanted to cry but she kept her tears in. Because she still respected me. This was just another way of showing me that I still had complete and utter control over the girl, after all! Everyone ran up to her, trying to see if she was okay. Or at least, everyone besides Honovi, Adel, and Lucrecia. They were the somewhat quiet ones amongst the group! Professor Ever started touching on Sayuri, trying to see if she was okay. "Summoner Sayuri... We haven't met, but, um, hi, I'm Professor Ever." She held out her hand, closing her eyes and looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, we have to..."

"I know," she answered back. "I'm sorry that my mom did all of this, I really am..." Renata turned around, looking for something. Something must have bothered her and she took two steps towards the door, really concerned.

"Where's Mother?"

Everyone turned around and started looking in all sorts of directions. Never trust the Wickedness! Not even for a second! A_haha_hah! Honovi took two steps around the place, tapping her chin. "That's a good question. I haven't seen Queen Aysel..."

Renata held both of her hands tightly together, looking like she was in pain! "Apocalyptic, the sea is stained with blood and a black sky clouds our vision. Arise messiah, and sacrifice your tears for the blood of our people! We sell our souls with an empty promise to a demon we cannot see! We did not wish for this!"

"Sillies!" I exclaimed, and everyone heard me. "She's with me now! But don't worry, I'll take perfect care of your queen!" Frantic, Sayuri started to stomp around, clenching her fists and looking up into the sky.

"Kohana, don't do anything stupid!"

Oh, but dear... I already have!

* * *

**A/N:** That's right, Kohana. Be creepy. XD

So I guess this chapter should show and tell everyone that Kohana's pretty batshit... Always has been, and she's really the big threat in this story. XD;;; All of the other "antagonists" can't hold a fire to Kohana's flame. Look at her! She manipulates _them!_ They aren't even in her same league, man, that's how bad she is. Nobody has yet to completely destroy and entire world like Kohana has. XD Should Aysel be afraid of Kohana? Yes, yes she should.

She should fear for her life! XD

What's Kohana doing? It can't be good, either way it goes.

Aaaand we only have two more chapters! :O

So whatever Kohana's planning has to be good. XD;; We only have two or three more chapters, depending on what next chapter looks like, though. ._. Oh, and not two more chapters for this story to end! No, never that. Two more chapters for the _arc_ to end. XD;; *nodnod* Your CCFA days _aren't even close_ to being done. XD

I'm gonna have to start counting the times Sayuri's been flung through walls, too. XD;;


	56. This Is The Part Where People Scream

**A/N:** As the title says! XD

Now we all know what happened last chapter with the Kohana and her getting all jealous and her slapping Sayuri threw a few walls and professing her love to her and stuff and then she "kidnapped" Aysel, right? Well, this is the next chapter of that, and you all should know! :D Isn't it amazing? XD Anymeany, the flashback is longer than the long flashbacks CCFA has-usually they're 1700 words, but this one is like 2100.

Skip it if you want to. I'm just saying.

Watch as the story eats your mind. XD Uh, yeah, that's pretty much it on the flashback. And I've realized that there's no way I could end this arc next chapter, so this is the anteantepenultimate chapter. Or the antepenultimate chapter. Or whatever. XD I dunno.

Let the reading begin! XD

* * *

Klaus has since been realized that things have stopped making much sense.

But when that blast hit—yes, that pink, hellish blast that sent half of Austere (or something close to half) straight to oblivion, he was surprised to see that he was still standing. In fact, not only was he still standing, but Chase was still in bed. Klaus didn't open his eyes any wider than what was needed; he just glanced around. Valerie was still standing beside Chase, not the least bit moved or intimidated by the sudden explosion. Camilla on the other hand... The silver-haired violinist was running around the room frantically with her arms thrown up in the air, looking for some kind of answer as to why everything started shaking. Tammy was leaned up against the wall, shifting the lone straw in her mouth to the other side. Akuma was being his normal, irritating self and laughing at Camilla, as always. But there was one thing that mystified Klaus—took him by complete and utter surprise.

In the middle of the room stands a white-haired girl with hollow, black eyes. He can really only see one of her hollow eyes, her left one, but the hole is huge. Her hair covers her other eye, and there are bandages wrapping around her eye socket, poorly covering up what they are trying to hide. Her left hand has a couple of bandages on it, but he can clearly see her fingers. At least her skin isn't as pale as her white dress, which looks kind of big on her. The left strap of it is hanging off her shoulder, permitting him to see some sort of red anagram stretching across her upper breast. The dress stops right above her upper thigh, showing off the stitches going horizontally across her legs. Her right hand is completely zombified; it's green, and it has claws on it. Who is this woman, and why don't the others notice her? Klaus tilts his head and sits on the ground, but then he notices the black dots with wings floating around her. Wait, those look almost like... Almost like... He gets up out of complete and utter shock.

"Alula?" he asks incredulously. Yes, the balls of black stuff with wings look exactly like Alula. Is this Alula's superior or something? Klaus' head starts to spin. While he hasn't exactly gotten over everything that happened with his guard—considering it was most possibly the scariest thing he's ever been through in his life—he's okay enough now to at least talk to people, and that's good. After all, he has to be able to at least tell the Summoners goodbye when they leave his world. His kingdom. A faint smile sits on his face as he attempts to take a step closer to the girl. She's scary, but he has to find out who she is. Maybe she has answers? Maybe she can tell him what's going on? ...Maybe she can take him to Sayuri? Because he must apologize to her. For reasons everyone else simple can't understand. The girl turns towards him, a smile on her face. Is she reacting to her name being called? "So you're really Alula?"

She nods her head, watching the bat-like Wicked Spawn circle around her—protecting her, even. Klaus' jaw drops in disbelief, but then he smiles. So because Alula wasn't able to fly, she became a person? Sort of? His eyes wander to the stitching around her neck and he notes how carefully it has been stitched. It's tied in a neat little bow and everything. He shakes his head, realizing he has gotten off-topic. He seems to do that a lot, lately. Because he's lost his guard, he's obtained a defensive mechanism where he learns to appreciate all the little things before they up and disappear. The others have helped him get better, but nothing hurts more than remembering what happened to his guard... He doesn't know what's happening up on the surface, but he sincerely hopes the others are okay. He can't possible take anymore bad news. Valerie, seeming to notice Alula now, turns her head towards the zombie-like girl, her blonde hair trailing behind her. Once Valerie notices her, the others notice her also. Camilla stops running around and begins screaming at the top of her lungs, much to Tammy's irritation.

"Stop shouting!" Tammy snarls, biting down on her straw. "Don't worry, Cam. It's probably Alula, like Klaus said. Honestly, I've been through too much to get scared by a little zombie. If you didn't forget, how many people did we end up killing when the Summoners were here?" Tammy sighs, shifting the straw in her mouth. Camilla folds her hands behind her back, looking down at the ground and frowning a bit. She's not proud of what she did, but it was necessary to survive and keep the Summoners alive while they stayed in Austere.

"O-oh," Camilla sighs, looking back up at Tammy's pink eyes. They're such an offset to her messy, short orange hair. "I-I'm sorry I... I'm just so..." She closes both of her eyes, bringing her hands towards her mouth. "Scared."

"I think it's pretty safe to say that we're are scared, idiot," Akuma snorts, folding his arms. "But screaming and crying isn't going to do anything about it!" For once, Camilla doesn't get angry or even protests that she's even scared in the first place. The fact of the matter is that this is all serious now. There's no room for jokes and silly competitions. If they are going to get out of this alive, they're going to have to do this as a team. Valerie, with her permanent scowl, narrows her eyes at both Klaus and Alula. Her grip tightens around her conductor's baton and she steps away from Chase.

"Hold your heads!" Valarie commands, glancing at each one of her students and then at Alula. "If this is a new catastrophe, don't go into survival mode. When chaos and discord conquer the lands, people use that to their advantage." She pauses, snorting. "Chaos and discord are implemented into people against their free will! When one is caught up in all that, they fall apart, forgetting that they have numbers! That they can work together. All they start to think about is how they are going to survive instead of taking out the few people that are trying to control them! Heads up, students!" Camilla catches herself, looking up at her teacher from sheer admiration. If there's anyone she wants to be like, Valerie holds the title.

"Yes Teacher!" Camilla exclaims. "I'll do my best to stay optimistic about things!"

"Good," Valarie answers, staring blankly at the silver-haired girl. "The last thing we need is more people falling unconscious. As my students, you should all feel that. The worldly energy." Valerie closes her eyes before opening them again. "Notice how what's left of it sways from left to right, begging to be freed of the constant pain it seems to have been put in. Death circles my hall, but my hall stands still in all of the madness. This must be none other than the work of Alula, yes, Klaus?" Klaus shakes his head at the sound of his name, Alula still, apparently, looking straight at him. He doesn't know what's going on! He doesn't know what to say! He puts his hands in the pockets of his pristine white suit pants, looking down on the ground and then glancing up at his instructor.

"I—"

"I'll answer for you, Klaus, it's okay," Alula says, nodding her head. Sighing, Klaus tilts his head. He'll have to thank her later. "Please, don't come near me, guys. These Wicked Spawn are putting a protective shield around me. Any closer Miss Valerie, and you'll be flung back." Alula pauses, looking down at herself. "I'm really happy that Klaus gave me a name," she murmurs, smiling at him. "I'm happy that for once I actually look like a real person! No other Wicked Spawn is capable of this, and if not for him I'd probably be on that meanie's boot. But now that I'm here there's something I must tell you about. This form is new to me, but once I figured out my purpose, I was able to save you all."

"When you say purpose," Tammy asks, leaning off the wall. "You mean what you were assigned to do, right? This is odd, coming from a Wicked Spawn, but go on."

Alula nods. "Yes. You all may think the Kohana doesn't know what she's doing, but she's smarter than most people here! Every Wicked Spawn is born with an objective they must fulfill. You see, there's different types of us. The flying type, the type that comes up from the ground... I haven't seen all the types, but before I transformed into this..." She pauses, pointing to herself. "I was a flying Wicked Spawn. Sometimes Kohana gives us objectives. She points out people we have to kill, and if we end up vanishing, the next person will take our objective until the objective is met."

Akuma leans back in his chair, closing his eyes. "Okay, so that's a bunch of complicated crap, it sounds like. So who's Kohana? Sounds important."

"I've heard that name before!" Klaus exclaims in a burst of excitement. "That's Summoner Sayuri's mother, isn't it?" Alula nods her head.

"Kohana is the Wickedness. She controls us Wicked Spawn. I really don't know if Atropa is in charge of giving us our objectives or Kohana, but Kohana does it mentally, with very little effort. Sometimes she doesn't come off as very smart, but I know why I was put on this world, and why you found me, Klaus." Alula takes three steps around her transparent, yellow dome, bowing before the soon to be King of Austere. "I am forever indebted to you." At first Klaus blinks, but then he exhales, forcing a smile and bowing his head.

"Thank you, Alula." He wishes he can say something more to show his gratitude, but that's all he's capable of, at the moment. The white-haired girl nods her head, licking her lips—_appearing _to get serious.

"My objective was to save you all from Kohana's blast. As it stands, most of Austere has been obliterated, and I'm sure you all have guessed that from the feeling of the blast." Honor is a very funny thing—and yes, these five people have lots of it—but there is a time where honor is thrown out of the window. Valerie's grip tightens on her conductor's baton and she nods her head. She knows what must be done, and she knows that she's failed her county. Camilla's face is one of pure horror, showing the same shock Klaus is showing. They both have families—so are they okay now?

Tammy leans back on the wall, shifting the straw in her mouth. "To honor... To protect... We know that not everyone is dead, and there's still lots of people running around like idiots outside. We know that there are Apathīa-inflicted people still on the streets of Austere killing people and each other—preferably children. But is that all we know, Alula? ...Teacher?" The orange-haired girl turns to her instructor, taking the straw out of her mouth and holding it. "It's time to stop looking out from the sidelines. Let's do something."

Akuma looks up at Tammy, confused for a moment. "Wait... That sounds like a plan." He lifts his Stratocastor up—which is encased—and slings it over his shoulder. "Let's go for it. Who says the Summoners get to have all the fun work? We can fight too!" Valerie's eyes widen and she's taken aback. The last thing she wants is her students to be hurt.

"Absolutely not—!"

Camilla shakes her head, picking up her violin case. "I—I want to fight too! Those are our friends up there, remember? And they... And they may not feel the worldly energy like we do. We can at least... Give them a helping hand?" Valerie is taken by surprise. Camilla was the last person she expected to want to fight... There was only one person left to speak up. The middle-aged woman looked towards Klaus, her grip tightening on her baton.

"Well. What do you want to do?_ King _Klaus?"

He flinches at his title, but then looks down at his hands. With bright, crystal clear electric-blue eyes, he gazes up at the blonde teacher, inhaling. This is his chance to be a real king. This is his chance to finally do something right... But... What about his father? Is he still alive? And his other siblings as well? Because he does not know of their conditions, he has no choice now to start thinking like a king—for Valerie may be right. Right now, at this moment, he may be the rightful King of Austere.

The thought haunts him.

_Two _broken kingdoms and one lost king? How did it ever come to this in such a short amount of time? Can he do this without his guard? He's not ready to... Not ready to...

Sadness is the king of all emotions, he finally concludes. And perhaps without thinking, he whispers a faint "Yes," and before anyone can actually speak, Chase begins to move. Everyone turns around and Chase sits up, scratching his head, albeit wincing slightly.

"My ribs feel like they've been glued together..."

Honor's not dead yet.

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-Six: This Is The Part Where People Scream :-**

__

Riding on the wind, climbing up to the moon  
My place is here… right next to you  
The problem is it's hard to go home  
Admist the dreamy spring night

— "Traveling" — Utada Hikaru

I looked around and I felt like I had been asleep for a couple of months!

But it was nice to see the look on everyone's faces... They all looked like they were surprised to see me. Why would they be? I tried to stretch my arms but Valerie gave me the meanest glare I think I've ever witnessed in my life. I tilted my head. What was with all of the hate? Camilla clapped her hands together, tears flying away from her eyelashes. "Chase, you're okay!" I was okay? I scratched my head a bit before Valerie decided to walk next to the bed I was in, scowling at me. Did I miss something here? Why wouldn't I be okay? I figured that I had just been asleep for a really long time, but I did remember seeing Summoner Sayuri for a moment... Now, if only I could remember why I saw her! Then I'd be set for life, wouldn't you think?

"Hey, look, the old man is awake," Akuma said, nodding his head. I wouldn't take offense to that. I supposed I was old, in my own right. I mean, I was alive for quite some time. Still, it did my heart such good to see all of their faces again. "How was the nap, Gramps? I'm sure you had a good time snoozing." Yes, I had a good time resting... Everyone likes sleep. Akuma got up and stretched obnoxiously, making me yawn. And before I knew it, Val was standing over me. I knew nothing good was going to come from her glaring at me.

And my suspicions were right, because she started beating on me! Hitting me in my shoulder and chest—relentlessly taking all of her anger out on me while gritting her teeth. "You idiot!" she hollered, making my eardrums want to burst. "What did I tell you about wandering off, getting hurt, and then disappearing you _dummy!"_ She hit me again, but this time in the face. Ouch, where did she learn to hit like that? She hit like a man herself. It took me some time to recover, and she was going to hit me again but she was stopped by Klaus touching her shoulder.

"Teacher, don't you think that's enough?"

"It's never enough," she spat back, looking as menacing as ever. "Chase doesn't learn his lessons and needs to be punished for his actions." She paused, glaring at me again. "You don't realize what happened to you, do you? You think you just woke up from some peaceful dream, you _imbecile?" _Um, yes... That would be the reason why I was in a bed and why I was yawning all over the place, right? "If you'd notice, the Summoners and the others are gone. They left without you because you were in a coma." Holy... Me? In a coma? Wait a second. That's when it all came back to me. Sayuri had been talking to me about a coma... So then it was true? And if the others left without me... There was no telling what could happen to them! I'd never forget myself if I let one of my comrades die!

I tried to get up, but Valerie gave me one good one in the face, making me immediately lay back down and hiss at the pain in my nose. "_Noouch!_" I murmured, throwing my hand back and covering my nose. Val was a little bit more violent then before, wasn't she...? She shook her fingers, narrowing her eyes at me and then tapping my shoulder with her conductor's baton.

"That's not all that happened either," she said grimly. "It would help us a great deal if you told us _how_ you ended up in the coma. In the first place. I can always count on an idiot like you to go out and almost die. Twice." Twice? What did she mean twice? I told her that first time I disappeared was because Aysel's guard needed my help with Shiva! I was going to get up again but her glare immobilized me. I sighed, laying back down against my my pillow. Ah, yeah, that fight with Adair.

"Wait just a second!" I exclaimed, getting back up again but then flinching at Val's sudden movement. "Where's Lucrecia? She's not here, is she? I had something to tell her..."

"You can tell her later," Val hissed. "Right now, you tell us what happened."

"Right..." I muttered. I had to remember to stay on track. But I really did have something important to tell her. "Okay so I didn't want to help you all kill random people and I went up to the entrance of Austere and was sightseeing. There's were a lot of new flowers and I thought I'd look at them for a while. Next thing I know, this guy named Adair comes out of nowhere saying how he's been waiting for me and wants to kill me." I shrugged my shoulders, scratching the back of my head. Stupid Enlightened gloves. They ruin everything. Now I couldn't even scratch my head right.

"This... Adair person," Klaus said, tapping his chin. There was something different about him? Why did he look gloomy and defeated? And wasn't he normally smiling? "Cecelia was saying something about an Adair person, and she was going on about how her life would have been miserable if he was really dead." He paused, looking up like he had just found something that was lost for weeks on end. "Sayuri and I—" I couldn't exactly pinpoint what was wrong with Klaus, but his mood dropped tenfold when he said that sentence. He shook his head, seeming like he was in pain and looked the other way.

"Hey," I said, grinning. "What's with the long face?"

"Nothing." He was quick to answer me, and then took a few steps back before Akuma mauled him, throwing his arm over Klaus' shoulder—almost making the prince fall. Such camaraderie amongst the too friends! Did my old heart good.

"C'mon, Klaus! There's nothing to be sad about. We're still here for you," Akuma insisted, nodding his head. Klaus struggled underneath Akuma's grip, but managed to get out of it.

"I suppose so," Klaus muttered, tapping his chin again. "Now where was I? Adair was the person Cecelia was worried about. So you did kill him?" Suddenly, my heart twinged with pain and I looked the other way, shaking my head. I couldn't lie to the prince... I did... And I still felt horrible about it. I looked at my hands, noticing the blood was clean of them. In fact, wait. If my clothes had gotten trashed with blood and things of that nature then why was I still wearing Enlightened clothes...? No wonder I still had gloves on!

I brought my hands to my mouth, teething on my gloves. I think I was dodging the question. Valerie saw that too and hit me in the back of my head. "Quit staling for time you ignoramus."

"I can't help it!" I said, rubbing my head. Sheesh. After I said that, I started to get serious and my eyes darkened. "He tried to kill me, you all, so I just killed him before he killed me, as heartless as it sounds. I can never be forgiven for that, I—"

"Stop your sniveling!" Val exclaimed, slamming her baton into the ground. "If he tried to kill you, then you were in full rights to ending that monstrosity's life! I'm glad you did end his life. And it checks out." She paused, her frown fading into a grimace. "Obviously you weren't committing any conspiracy, were you?" What an odd question to ask... At any rate Val snapped me back to my senses. Justified killing or not, it was still killing.

"Conspiracy?" I asked, tilting my head. "No. Why?"

"I thought so," Tammy said, folding her arms. "Mima brought you back in a coma and everyone was trying to come to an agreement as to why you were so knocked out. One of the people in Aysel's guard told us you had turned traitor..." Hmm. I should have been taking that much harder, but perhaps if I didn't recklessly get beaten I wouldn't have been blamed. Though I was curious. Who would blame me for conspiracy? All I ever did was fight for the kingdom—which wasn't even mine in the first place. It was disheartening, but I was interested on finding out who blamed me for something like that.

"Phew," Camilla sighed. "I knew you weren't all those things people were making you out to be!"

Val walked over to some cabinet and I jumped out of bed, feeling as good as new. I could tell Val and her students helped me to get better, because I was pretty roughed up. I guess this was the extent of their musica abilities... "Yo," Akuma said, putting his hand on his waist. "Camilla knitted you a fresh new pair of clothes. She wanted them to look somewhat like your old ones, and repaired your Summoner cloak thingy. She has it, if you want it." How nice of her... I nodded my head, extremely grateful.

"Thanks, Camilla!" I said, nodding at her to show my appreciation. "But... Do any of you guys know who it was that blamed me?" Valerie turned around so fast that I think she made my head spin. And she was snarling so heavily that she made me want to jump out of my skin.

"Oh, how the_ hell_ should I know?" she snapped. "I don't make it a habit to remember Enlightened scum and their names." She was holding something in her hands, though I couldn't make out what it was because she had it behind her back. "It was the _idiot _with the blue hair." Oh really? I never trusted Zed as far as I could throw him, but it was a nice revelation. "Liars, all of them. It took a lot of time and blaming for us to finally squash it. Once I figured out the bickering was done, my students and I took it in stride to help you get better. Since we all differ in our musica skills, and since I can't tend to you every hour of the day... Yes, you get the point."

My eyes widened as she pulled my sword out from behind my back. I instantly walked up to her, grabbing the hilt of it. I could have sworn it shattered during the battle with Adair and I. Just touching the hilt of it reminded me that I was still heavily locked in a war that I had yet to win. That me waking up from my coma was a sign.

"I..." Valerie said, looking up at me before giving me a look of uncertainty. "I went up to the site where you saw those flowers, you know. And you know how much I despise going up there. But I did, to get some answers. I looked... And when I found all of your blade fragments, I knew you couldn't have betrayed us. I knew that you fought your hardest and that those Enlightened and Summoners didn't know anything about you." She paused, looking down on the ground. "And for that, I'm grateful."

"Val..."

"So, I went and I... I went and I found and collected every fragment of your blade. Including the hilt. I knew how much you treasured your sword, which is why I was confused when that Mima person brought you without it." I took my sword and felt it in my hand. How did she... I wouldn't question it. For the first time in all the years I've met Valerie, she gave me a smile. I felt like I should have been able to stop time in order to treasure it. "Don't thank me. You're going straight out to fight." Huh? What? Fighting? Right after I had just gotten up? She returned to looking serious and readied her baton.

"Students? Are you all prepared to go to the world in the sky?"

"Yes Teacher!" they all said in unison.

"Wait, why are we going to Aysel's palace?" I asked, feeling left out. "How are we going to get to Aysel's palace? Don't we need to teleport there? We're not Enlightened—"

"Excuse me Chase," that Alula person spoke up. I glanced at her and then looked back at the ground. Her eyes were difficult to look at. "Miss Kohana put up a transportation symbol in Austere, and most of the Nocuous have been using it to get into Aysel's palace." Oh boy. That didn't sound like too good information.

"What?" I murmured. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what's going on here... So you're telling me that the Nocuous are, right now, at this moment, fighting with the Enlightened? But couldn't that mean—"

"War?" Val finished, rolling her eyes as if my question was nothing. "We've been in war ever since we were born." I understood that Val didn't like the Enlightened, but... How could all of this have happened? Was I really asleep for a couple of months? I thought Sayuri had been lying about... Oh! Right. Sayuri wanted me to tell Klaus something. I glanced towards him, and he looked lost in thought. Something caught inbetween horrified and intrigued. I can't believe our people were trying to kill the Enlightened! Did anyone learn? Killing only brought about more killing! This was not how we were going to win the war.

Her students were all ready—soldiers without souls, it seemed. They all had their weapons on their backs and were intent on fighting. I couldn't blame them. They... Sounded like they had lost everything. Alula turned into what looked like a flying Wicked Spawn. It didn't bother me. I had enough scares for one day. War...? What was the secret to it?

"Klaus," I said, making him look in my general direction. "Oh, Sayuri wanted me to tell you something. I think she's the one who woke me out of my coma. She went in my dream and said something about being sorry—that she can't keep her promise to you. Just what did you..." I didn't want to finish my sentence because for some reason Klaus' eyes shot open and dilated. After that he snarled and Alula flew over his head before landing dead-square on it.

"Something wrong, Klaus?" she squeaked, scared.

He shook his head, before looking at all of us. "It's nothing," he lied. I could tell in his tone. "I just made her promise that she wouldn't get hurt in all of this fighting. But if she's going to talk like that then we at least need to get to the bottom of things, right?" Camilla nodded her head, holding her hands close to her heart.

"But are you okay enough to...?"

"I'm fine."

I've never seen him walk so fast out of the hall, but he opened those front doors and abruptly stopped, realizing he had almost hit someone in the face with it. It's not even the man I saw... I was looking at all of the destruction Austere had been put into. The buildings were unrecognizable and people were running around, screaming and wailing and bleeding and cursing their luck. Klaus looked at the shorter man and then backed up, dusting off his suit. "Ah, sorry..."

"I think I've been looking for you." Really? I started to pay more attention to the man and noticed he had a gun slung behind his back. He had short, black hair that reached his neck and looked rather high class. This guy was obviously an Enlightened. Did he have some kind of official business with Klaus or something? Val was going to say something to the man, but Klaus stopped her, waving his hand in the air.

"It's okay," Klaus said, but then his gaze traveled to the Wicked Spawn around the man. I noticed them, too. Why did he have so many following him religiously?

"It is not what you think," he said coolly. "I am just as confused as you all are. I was a soldier for Saivan's army and I worked in the second castle he had made in his name. Unfortunately I saw everything he was doing and quit—but just as I was about to walk out a woman named Kohana stopped me and told me to meet up with these strange people..." Who is Kohana? No one really answered that question for me! I felt out of touch with the world, but then Alula transformed back into her somewhat human form.

"Ah! Kohana sent you? It must have been an honor talking to her face to face!"

After that she did the weirdest thing and started to shake the man's hand. He only looked at her like she was crazy. "Um... I guess it was? She said something about her being the Wickedness and gave me all these Wicked Spawn. They've been killing things left and right..." Okay, now I had to ask. The Wickedness? Kohana?

"Hey, who is Kohana?"

Everyone glanced at me, and then glanced right back at the soldier standing in front of us. Val started to stomp to the entrance to Austere, and I couldn't object... Everyone followed behind her and I guess we were going to talk about her on the move. I still didn't know anything, and people were running past me _lit on fire._ What gruesome scenes... "My name is Nenne," he said, speeding up his pace. "I don't know who Kohana is, but she sounds like she's someone very important." He looked towards me with his dark eyes and put a hand out. "Your name?" Yes, true to his Enlightened status.

"It's Chase," I said, shaking it. "So you just got swept into this, huh?"

Alula picked up her pace, skipping in front of us with her hands behind her back, her white dress floating behind her. "You spoke to Kohana, Nenne?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. "Isn't she wonderful? She's my mother, basically! She gave me a reason to live! She's nice and kind and frolics and picks flowers and she loves everyone and everything and she's just so... Just so! Eeep!" I've got to admit. Her sudden squeak made me flinch. "I love her! She's the Wickedness... And she's Sayuri's mother!" Oh... What. How is that even possible?

"It is not that big of a deal," he said, waving his hands in front of him. "I hardly even knew her..." Before he got a chance to say more, we all were engulfed in a blue light, which meant we had stepped into the symbol. I wasn't paying to anything anymore was I? How could I not have seen the others disappear as well? I guess that was because of all the anarchy going around all of us. For some reason I felt... Different. I had been transported before, but not like this. And before I knew it, the blue light faded and I shook my head, looking at the bleakest land I had ever laid my eyes on.

And what was even stranger was that the Summoners and—

"Princess Renata!" I exclaimed, going in for a hug. It had been so long since I had seen her. She was startled by my voice but turned around. Once she saw me she immediately smiled, and I gave her the biggest hug I could muster. It felt nice to hug her again! I hadn't seen her in so long, so I cherished the moment. I didn't know what the others were doing, but I felt like catching up with her. "You're okay, aren't you? Renata, I was so worried about you!" We pulled apart and she give me a smile, shaking her head.

"Chase! I'm so glad to see you're okay, but who are all of these people?"

"No time," I murmured. I pointed behind me and nodded my head. "That's Alula, she's a Wicked Spawn. Valerie's a friend of mine from Austere, that's Tammy, Akuma, Camilla... Those are her students. Nenne's one of Saivan's ex-soldiers, and that's Prince—" I turned all the way around and then blinked. "Where the heck did he just go...?" I turned around again, and again, and then I realized he had been hiding behind me the whole time. "Klaus. Prince Klaus."

"Nice to meet you Klaus," Renata said with her trademark smile. It was amazing that she still smiled in such bleak circumstances. Klaus didn't return the favor. I think he had something else on his mind.

"The same," he said, shaking her hand. When introductions were all said and done, Renata turned towards her group.

"I think you already know my guard, but that's Professor Ever and Honovi, from the Science Department. As for where we are... We have been here for a while. I do not know what this place is, but Kohana transported us here..." I was going to lose my mind. _Who was Kohana?_ I never really got a solid answer. Everyone was conversing with each other, trying to figure out a way to get out of this madness, and I guess Sayuri walked towards us, holding her wand with both of her hands.

"Klaus...?" she said, making sure not to say anything that would upset him. Reluctantly he took one look at her and then turned away, as if she wasn't worthy of his gaze. Why would he think that? Right after that she got angry, and then her grip tightened on her wand. "Look! You don't have to act like you don't want to see me. That's fine! I know I screwed up, and I didn't want to tell you that, but I can't save everyone. Kohana reminded me of that, so you can hate me for the rest of your life if you want to." She snorted, looking the other way, but Klaus took somewhat of an offense to this.

What were they talking about? "Sure, make it seem like it's my fault! But I tried the best I possibly could. You're the one who told me to go to sleep as soon as I got in the hall. And I'm not going to lie to you—I do feel like I royally messed messed up, but they... You can't bring them back and we need you right now so—"

"That's not why I'm ignoring you, Sayuri!"

"Then why are you? I don't have time to play games with you, Klaus. I need to find Kohana, and I'm pretty sure she's around here somewhere, so if you're not going to help us make this world better, then you can sit on the sidelines!" she shouted, her words making even me jump. Why was she so cruel to him? What exactly did he do? He glanced back up at her with his electric-blue eyes, frowning and looking forlorn.

"My idealism never seizes to amaze me," he said, full of sarcasm. "Can you tell me why, Sayuri, there's no stars in the sky? And don't tell me it's because the sky is grey and blotted. I've been through hell ever since you came, and I'm still so lost as to why I see the stars—those things that should be in the sky—in your eyes. Almost as if you stole them," he spat, making Sayuri squint her eyes, ridiculing him just as he had been. I wasn't going to ask. I was just going to stand here and watch them bickering amongst each other. "And, ever since you left, I haven't been able to see them again."

"That's pretty poetry," she spat. "Spare me."

"That nice lie you told," he said looking up. "About making Austere a better place to live in and curing everyone... When you said that, did you know you lied?" I was in no position to find out what was going on, and there was kind of a crisis going on at the minute, so I couldn't be informed, but that was a pretty bad put-down. Sayuri gritted her teeth, stomping her foot on the ground.

"I meant that!"

"You meant squat!"

"Now you're just being mean for no reason! There's stuff I just can't control, and this is one of them! And yeah, I realize I don't keep most of my promises! Doesn't mean I can't make them!"

"You mean, your lies? You may think they're promises, but they're not. That's just what you hide them under. Now that's a mean trick, Summoner Sayuri."

"Don't call me by that name, Klaus!"

I turned towards Princess Renata, sighing. Honestly I didn't understand what was going on here and I wished someone would let me in. Someone, anyone. She gave me an equally confused look, waving her hands out in front of her. "You two can always settle this later..." They both looked at her and looked back at each other, huffing.

"They look like lies, your promises! And I know this... But I still carried them around... And then I carried _you!_ And my heart... It's breaking, but you're out their smiling, aren't you? And you're fully aware of the destruction taking place. And you make promises again and again. I'm not blaming you for them dying, but... But... I waited, and I waited... Until the right time to tell you. To show you, Sayuri! To express myself. But I failed because I'm not with you. And I look at you now, thinking of how stupid I was. And look at you now! You're still holding my heart..." he spat, turning away. Sayuri's fists unclenched and she stood up straight, staring at him.

"What are you talking about now...?"

"You're gripping it, and you listen when I comfort you, but you never do the same to me! I'm _not _okay, okay? I thought you of all people would realize that this is apart of my nature, being happy..."

"That's because I've been on the other side of the freaking world! I would have stayed, but I didn't have time. I'm not three people—!"

"You're still not getting it! I look at you now and I... I remember you and I..." Klaus murmured, trying to get the right words to say. Poor guy... "Because I love you... And you don't understand how it feels. And I failed you. You never failed me or lied and I'm sorry, Sayuri. That's why I've been avoiding you... And now that you're talking about being hurt just to save me... I won't allow it!" he declared waving his arm around the air.

"I'm just not getting that, Klaus, I'm sorry," she said, clapping her hands together. "I'm sorry _I _failed. I wish I didn't have the ability to make you smile, either. I'm not supposed to make you—or anyone happy. I don't know why you look forward to seeing me either, because you're right. I lie all the time. So stop throwing that word around like it means something, okay? This is a _war!" _I gripped the hilt of my sword when she said that. She was right. This was a war and I had faintly forgot about that for seven minutes. "Now's not the time to be silly—"

I don't know when Klaus pulled out his flameblade, or when he tied his hair back with that long, white ribbon of his, or even when he changed into his black gi, but he did so in the blink of an eye, his eyes now forever opened. "I was serious when I said I loved you, and I was serious when I said I'd make you my queen—there's nothing silly about that. And no matter what you say, I promised you that if nothing else, I'd be your knight."

Sayuri was taken aback by his sudden transformation, but then gripped her wand, refusing to back down. "Fine, Klaus. Fight with me then."

"Phew!" I said, scratching my head. I'm glad that's over, so let's—"

"Ah! The heart of a bird! Such loneliness and unrequited love!" Who the heck said that and interrupted me? I looked up and there was a woman who looked just like Summoner Sayuri. The resemblance was disconcerting, and she looked full of evil. Everyone snapped out of whatever they were doing and looked up in the sky. This woman was standing _in the air. _Arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"So you're Kohana, huh?" Valerie shouted, pointing her baton in the air. "You're not that scary, from what these people just told me. So _you _killed King Saivan?"

"That's right!" Kohana exclaimed, waving her hand across the air. "Bow down to the king who sits on his throne who wears a crown of thorns! Roses are simply nonexistent on this world, aren't they? How could you all let a liar take the throne? A thief rule your lives! How could you let a murderer—a rapist—live so extravagantly while the rest of you suffer? You're fools! What were you all hoping to obtain from him?" There were only a hand full of people who actually worked for King Saivan—Nenne was taking Kohana's words the hardest, since there was a time in which he would blindly charge into battle for him. Even if King Saivan was dead, he was still a soldier in the Enlighten's army...

I gripped my sword, scowling. At this moment I realized that I've never really fought under anyone's name. I wasn't going to fight for the King of Austere, because frankly I didn't like fighting, and everyone knew that. But still I trained and battled for the day in which this would happen—for the day in which everything would blow sky-high and I'd be forced to fight. But I wasn't going to fight just because someone told me to. Especially for a king I refused to follow! Especially for a king that would forsake his kingdom...

"Do the thorns hurt you, my good king~?" Kohana asks, looking up into the cloudy sky. "I hope so! Is the liar's throne comfortable enough for you now, your highness? Good, because it suits you! Do not expect good things from him, nor a wonderful rule! What can you all expect from a liar? When he dies again, crush his bones!" she shouts, waving her arms across the air. "When he dies again, burn his body! When he dies again, give a real crown to someone who truly deserves it!" She pauses, the world around us doing something weird. Everything got all purple and pink and green, much like Kohana herself... She was melting into the background of all the colors... But I could still see her.

"Kohana!" Sayuri shouted. "You said you wouldn't hurt anyone!"

To that, Kohana only giggled, staring at her daughter. "Of course~! I said I wouldn't hurt anyone! Never said Aysel wouldn't hurt anyone, though~!"

There were sixteen of us total; sixteen of us were going to fight the monstrosity in front of us. Aysel stood up straight, her right hand trying to cover her mouth. She wasn't exactly looking at us—she was laughing with her eyes closed and all of us got into our fighting stances. Val's students took out their instruments, and the Summoners readied their weapons. The scene around us was dark and desolate... The land was barren, grey, almost as if bombs had stolen the land's innocence away. There was a time where pretty flowers used to cover the grass, wasn't there? Where did all the flowers suddenly disappear to? The trees were bent and burned, and they sky matched the color of the land. And it was cold. Very cold.

Kohana snorted, folding her arms. "Power is to greed as greed is to corruption. Corruption is to war as war is to death. With hidden motives comes an obvious downfall. Greed consumes everything, and now even your queen..." I truly didn't want Princess Renata involved in this, but it seemed like we had no choice! I hated that we had no options. Either Princess Renata was hurt in the battle, or she was hurt trying to stand on the sidelines. She glanced at me, sorrow saturated in her eyes, but what could I tell her? That everything was going to be okay? It wasn't. This was it. We had to fight Queen Aysel and I couldn't lie to her. She didn't deserve to be lied to.

Summoner Sayuri looked like she had just about had it, adjusting her footing and letting the cold winds sway her purple hair into the wind. She gritted her teeth, stomping her right foot on the ground and shaking her head. "Aysel! This is _ridiculous!" _she shouted against the currents. And I had to admit, it was getting really hard to stand up straight. Whatever power Queen Aysel had was immense now. "Are you _crazy?"_ she yelled, waving her wand against the air. "Don't you realize that you're hurting your kingdom even more now? You say you want to save it, yet you're fighting against everyone who wants to help you!" She paused, looking back at all of us and then looking back at Queen Aysel.

I didn't want to fight, but if Queen Aysel wanted to fight us for trying to restore her kingdom back to the way it was... A woman like her didn't deserve to live anymore. "You must really have no idea how much we've all been through just to save your kingdom! Just to do what you tell us to, and now you think you have the right to stand in front of us and laugh your ass off? We're not going to take that Aysel! Stop and think about what you're doing! This can't be right, even for you! I know you're not the smartest person in the world, and neither am I, but you have to think logically! You can't just play with people's lives like this!"

Sayuri stopped, her chest heaving as she caught her breath from all of the screaming. Kohana, with her arms folded, looked down at her daughter, observing her. It was really an inhumane sight on her part. How could the Summoner's mother look at her like that? As if she was a pet or a game... Something insignificant? I didn't like the look in Kohana's eyes, and I really didn't like the look Aysel was giving us. She fixed her posture, so now she was looking directly at all of us. We weren't going to back down from this! If we let Aysel win... If we let her win the world would be reduced to nothingness! I couldn't let that happened.

"Let me answer for her," Kohana said, tilting her head and letting off a toothy grin. "I gave Aysel some of my power! You should have seen her when I first gave her my power! The poor woman was cracking so badly..."

"That's right," Alula spoke up. "The Wickedness' power is very thick and immense... When Kohana was first granted the power of the Wickedness, it took her several years to be able to handle it. Several years." I took a step back and looked at the purple-haired, middle-aged woman who was sitting contently in the sky, smirking almost. What was it that she saw deserved a smirk? Was she really that arrogant? "The power of the Wickedness is very unwieldy..."

"Exactly," Kohana interrupted, throwing her hands out. "I thought Aysel would have known that, judging by how much she worshiped me, but~!" She giggled, throwing her arms out. "If it took me that long to at least control my powers, what do you think is happening inside of Aysel right now, you all~? Extra credit, children! The first person that answers the question doesn't die today!" I found her humor to be cruel... But she thought all of her jokes were the funniest things in the world. I shook my head, ashamed to even know her name. Was this truly Summoner Sayuri's mother? They were so unalike it wasn't even funny...

"It's not rocket science," Lucrecia spat, folding her arms. "So what's standing in front of us isn't Aysel? Is that what the fuck you're trying to say?"

"Close, but no cigar," Kohana purrs, tapping her index-finger against the air. "There's something surfacing in her, angry and foaming and screaming!" she exclaimed, full of ecstasy. "Attacking the insides of her! My power deconstructed her from the inside and reconstructed her... She may seem like the same idiot you all have known before, but my power has changed her into a new person~! It's warped into the demon of regret and self-hatred... Why don't you all talk to her?" We all glanced at Aysel—who, still with her ominous golden eyes—was grinning at us. Kohana stood up straight, examining her arms.

There was something weird about them, as if I could see right through them... Maybe I was just hallucinating... She glanced at us, and then at Sayuri. "It's such a shame I can't stay and watch, but remember you all. The world won't change unless Aysel is dead! Ciao~!" Sayuri's eyes widened, just then catching the meaning to her mother's words. I don't know whether it was the fact that she was leaving, or she said we had to really kill Aysel, but Sayuri didn't really want her mother to leave her. She reached out towards her, putting on a look of desperation.

"Kohana wait! No! Don't go—!" Sayuri yelled, but stopped mid-sentence when Kohana stood next to her, her petite fingers underneath her chin as she delicately placed a kiss on her cheek. But that's not what we were all gawking over, and that's not what Sayuri's eyes widened for either. It was the fact that Kohana was actually _fading away _in front of us.

She whispered something that only Sayuri could hear, and then in an instant she disappeared into a whirlwind of flowers. The multicolored petals floated into the air before they disappeared completely, leaving us all to stare at Aysel. It was silent all for a moment until Sayuri started to chuckle under her breath and turned on her heel to face Aysel.

"Aysel, are you going to say... Anything at all?" Renata spoke up, shaking her head. She had said "Aysel"... Not "Queen Aysel" or a title like that. She didn't call her "Mother" either. Could this have been a sign? Was Renata actually going to fight Aysel? My jaw dropped and I exhaled, watching Princess Renata stare darts at her mother. "Is this what you really want?"

"My obsession!" Aysel exclaimed, making some of us step back. It was the first thing we had heard her say before we all ended up here. Her voice had definitely changed, and Kohana was right; it did sound like there was another person inside of her body. Her voice was meshed up with another one, it seemed, but both of the voices seemed to belong to her, if that made any sense. I was getting too old to be playing hero. Val was right. I didn't want to throw my back out or fall into a coma again... Especially fighting Aysel.

But above that, the last thing I wanted to do was be hurt in front of Princess Renata.

"Of beauty, fame, fortune has come to rise! I want the gold of the banquet! I want to be awarded of the richness of my heart's content! Of the joy that makes my mouth curve and of the adrenaline that makes my heart beat!" Aysel raved on, making each and every one of us glare at her. I didn't understand her myself. She was a queen! She already had anything she could ask for, and she could ask for so much more. While she was living her life in luxury, people in Austere were dying and she's prattling on about how she was denied of these superficial things? It just didn't make sense to me!

"How much longer do we have to listen to this?" Tammy murmured to Nenne, who shrugged his shoulders.

"I want to bathe in my power! I want to soothe the ache that yearns for more! I want to see the jewels of greed! The ruby of red! All before my eyes! I desire it all! And it won't be lost to a couple of silly Enlighten, Nocuous, and Summoner trash! I am the only one who can save my kingdom, and I'll do it by myself! If you all manage to get in my way, I'll simply kill all of you!" Chio poked both of her index-fingers together, looking down at the ground and then back at her Summoner partners. Truthfully, I was just as confused as she was. Why was Aysel asking for things she already had? Or was she just that oblivious...?

"I think Queen Aysel has lost her mind..." Chio whispers to them. "She isn't anything like the queens that I read about."

"And this story is almost over!" Kokoro exclaimed, hitting the palm of his left hand with his right fist. "Come on everyone. If she's not going to listen, then we've got to take her down." I think that was the idea that was on everyone's mind, but Sayuri shook her head really fast.

"No," she murmured. "I don't think we should kill Aysel... Truth be told, I think we were going about this all wrong. Why should anyone die, no matter how cruel or evil they are?" There was silence for a moment, and I was proud of the Summoner. She was actually thinking like me... Well, I had no sympathy for Queen Aysel. I would help everyone if it came down to killing her. Everyone stared at Sayuri for a while, and then Val sweatdropped. Hard.

"I think Summoner Sayuri's lost her mind too," Val snorted, folding her arms. "Sorry, but the world isn't all butterflies and rainbows, in case you haven't noticed. Stop being a child and meet face to face with your opponent! Don't sugar-coat anything! What you are about to face is real!" It was amazing how Sayuri and Val were communicating, now. Val used to hate the Summoner, and now she was trying to lift her spirits. Sayuri clenched her fists looking up.

"No! No I'm serious, guys! All of this killing needs to stop! Kohana was right, power is to greed as greed is to corruption. Corruption is to war as war is to death. Yet we keep fighting each other. Have you all ever thought about why people die...?" I thought about that all of the time! But now wasn't the time for the Summoner to have a change of heart. I might have been against fighting, but Aysel had gone off the deep end a long time ago. Lucrecia stepped up and pushed Sayuri out of the way, cracking both of her knuckles and glaring at Queen Aysel, who was snickering at her bold action. Sayuri looked at Lucrecia like she was crazy, but I think Lucrecia was planning to do something rash.

"Out of my way!" she shouted, pointing her index-finger at Queen Aysel. She wasn't going to try to fight her on her own, was she? That's crazy, and Lucrecia wasn't even that strong... Or at least, from what I could see. "I've never had the chance to blow a queen's brains across the sky, but this should be fucking sufficient," she said, readying her stance. Sayuri's eyes widened and she threw her hands out, watching Lucrecia fingers glow bright blue.

"Wha...? H-hey! L-Lucrecia!"

"Cover your Goddamn ears! All of you!" I wouldn't object to that! Even if we didn't want to listen to Lucrecia, I didn't want my eardrums to explode so I dropped my sword and did as she commanded us to. The blue light collected in front of both of her hands, getting louder and brighter until it shot towards Aysel. The next thing I knew, Aysel was lost in a giant explosion of blue and red, the flames tangling together to make a bright purple. Grey smoke and debris flew towards us and we all braced for it. Me, being the big, bulky guy that I am stood in front of Princess Renata and Camilla, since they were the closest towards me.

Sayuri ducked down too, but she slowly stood up straight to witness Lucrecia examining her arm. "So the explosive power of the enhancement in my arm was powerful after all. Ha. I don't think that bitch is getting up anytime soon." Professor Ever looked up and sweatdropped, tilting her head and fanning her face.

"Uh... Those must have been... Pretty precise calculations!" she laughed, scratching the back of her head. Lucrecia turned around on her heels, snorting and looking at the rest of us.

"Well, anyway, our work here is done. Now we just have to go make sure the rest of the kingdom is—" We all proceeded to walk towards the way we came, but the earth started shaking and Lucrecia stopped walking, snarling a bit. I couldn't believe this either. Did Aysel really survive that blast? It was big enough to take out three... Maybe four civilizations! It just didn't make sense, but nothing about this moment made any sense.

"What's that?" Alula said, reverting back to her Wicked Spawn form and flying around Klaus' head. She must have really had a lot of respect for him. The earth kept shaking and shaking and then something formed out of thin air... Something that wasn't human. In fact, it looked like a mask...? A black and armored mask that had a gold emblem on it, and it was just floating in mid-air, looking down on us ominously. Some of the others just stood there, gawking, because this mask was huge, but we knew this had something to do with Queen Aysel. Or perhaps this was Queen Aysel herself...

"There's no doubt about it," Morta muttered. "That's Aysel. I don't know how that's Aysel, but it's her." Sayuri wanted to fall backwards, but she caught herself, gripping her wand even tighter than before.

"Are we... Too late?" The mask's eyes started to glow red, glaring at all of us as if lasers were going to shoot from its eyes. I didn't like the looks of this. The mask floated closer to us, but then it came to an abrupt stop. Sayuri's breathing regulated and her wand disappeared. I guess she didn't really see a threat in the huge mask floating in front of her.

"I am the last of our hope!" Aysel said, thought the mouth on the mask wasn't moving. "You... You inferior beings... You shall have... No forgiveness!" Summoner Sayuri flinched, taking a step back and waving her arm across the air, seemingly desperate.

"Listen to me, please!" she implored, her green eyes sparkling in determination. "Kohana's power—the Wickedness' power—it's _dangerous!"_ Sayuri brought her right hand up, and if you really payed attention to it you could see that it was shaking. Poor girl. She was far too young to be caught up in these things. "The evolution it causes isn't natural! You can't use it to save your kingdom! If you keep this up, you'll meet the same fate as your people!" she shouted, shaking her head and closing her eyes. Queen Aysel cackled maliciously, her voice still holding that air of arrogance.

"I have become a god! The Wickedness' power has made me a god!" She paused, looking down at Sayuri. Summoner Sayuri, on the other hand, gritted her teeth.

"You're not becoming a god, you're becoming an irrational monster! Nobody should want that!"

"Ha! Listen to you speak, you infernal Summoner of Time! The Wickedness has made me 'all' who is 'one'! 'All' who is 'one'! I am a god... A god of the cosmos!" The mask started to float closer to Sayuri and we all took one step back, touching our weapons and preparing for battle. I wouldn't let Sayuri go into this battle alone! Sayuri gasped, taking a look at all of us. Val gritted her teeth, staring at the purple-haired girl.

"It's no use, Summoner," Val murmured. "She's not going to listen to anything we say."

Sayuri looked at Aysel once more and turned to Val, backing up as well. "But... But—!"

"Inferior beings! You shall be crushed to dust!"

And as soon as Aysel said that, energy from the planet started to form around her, meshing in with the energy she already had. Valerie and her students looked like they knew exactly was was happening because their jaws dropped completely. The worldly energy twisted and meshed with Aysel's, making her mask bigger and more intimidating. She cackled and laughed as the energy transfer was being made, reveling in the power that she had just now contained. It made me sick.

"What's happening to her?" Klaus asked. "Wait! This is..."

"Her body is getting... All weird..." Chio muttered, hiding her mouth behind her fingers. Aysel transformed into an even different, complex mask. And this time, she had two floating hands beside her, ready for combat. Everyone had their weapons drawn, and I could have sworn the sky had gotten another color of bleak.

"Why... Why did this have to happen..." Sayuri said, gripping her wand with both of her hands. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. _"Dammit!"_ She started swinging her wand across the air desperately. It looked like the Summoner had a lot of pent up anger inside of her. No one wanted to get in her way and she just kept swinging her wand around. Summoner Sayuri...

"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!"

* * *

**A/N:** Sayuri is... Seriously mad. XD;;;

Not even because the world is all messed up, or even because Aysel's about to unleash several cans of whoopass on them all. If you couldn't get all the hints, she's mad that Aysel's completely lost her mind and can't save her. XD But me? I'm like yeah. Let that stuff happen, man. I don't know about any of you guys, but I found Chase's obliviousness to everything really funny. I mean he had been coma'd for like 13 chapters? So yeah, he doesn't know too much.

I'm seriously glad he's awake now, though. XD

If only Chase knew how much I had to beat up my plot to spare him... D: I let him off easy with that coma, man. XD

Anyway! There's only one thing to be done now. XD;; An EPIC fight with Aysel! XD Yes! Yes! Yes! XD;;; As you all may recall, I effin hate Aysel, so this'll be amazing for me! XD;;

Until next chapter!


	57. Someday The Dream Will End

**A/N:** And yeah, this is the chapter that will end all of the fightning.

This is the last fight of the arc. Take advantage of this awesome, because this really is an awesome chapter. In this chapter, everything will be unleashed. Even the secret to the arc. And when you reach the end of the chapter, I'll explain everything just incase you didn't get what happened. :D

* * *

It has been a long, difficult couple of days, but Kohana will be damned if she didn't have fun.

With her shoulders slumped over and random, multicolored balls of fluorescent light floating away from her body, she pouts as she takes several lazy steps forward. _Fwap, fwap, fwap_—the sound of her stiletto boots hit the ground and echo inside of her head. Her eyebrow slightly twitches at the repetitious sound, but it's worth it. The sounds talk to her. They're telling her that she's almost home. She can finally be reunited with her partner in crime, and she can get off this damned world. While walking through Aysel's kingdom, she notices that all of the buildings and houses are pretty much destroyed—everything excluding the Science Department, which is protected by some kind of bright blue dome. She snickers under her breath, but only for a moment. She'd expect nothing less from the likes of them. Aysel's castle looks remotely livable as well. It doesn't look as good as the Science Department, but meh. Who is keeping score? Certainly not Kohana. She's done her work.

She takes another glance around, looking at the various Wicked Spawn tearing Enlightened and Nocuous apart limb from limb... Digging their claws and sharp, unsightly teeth into their victims and spiting their heads yards away from their bodies. It makes her want to poke her own sharp teeth to see if nothing's wrong with them, but that's a stupid thought. Of course her teeth are the same as before. The flower fanatic stands still, barely able to keep her eyes open. Is it because she's dead tired, or is it because her body is fading away? The more she thinks about it, the more she snaps back to reality. She shakes her head and inhales, holding her left arm with her right hand. This is more serious then she had anticipated. Her body has never reached the point of fading away before because she knows the limits to her body, but this time is different. Why so? She's so exhausted that she can't even muster up the strength to just simply transport back to the Wickedness—the shell of a body she left a long time ago.

Looking up into the grey sky, she sighs. If she collapses now, Atropa will have her head and she knows this. "It's not my fault..." she murmurs, narrowing her eyes at the floating monstrosity in front of her—the thing in which she showed up on the Dark Ages in. "...That I'm only human."

_Fwap, fwap fwap._

There the footsteps are again. She's almost to the point where she wants to break her heels off, but that will never do. Ultimately Kohana stops walking, sitting down on her butt and closing her eyes, letting the harsh winds of her Apocalypse caress the tendrils of her purple hair. She huffs, extremely irritated. Because of her pathetic human body, she's missing out on seeing her daughter actually fight her first real battle. Everything that led up to this doesn't count. Because she's still not the ultimate being in the universe, she had to retreat when things were getting good. And now she can't even witness Aysel be killed? Slain? Well, of course there's the option of watching it while she's riding past worlds and galaxies with Atropa, but that's not as fun as watching it happen live. Sighing, she claps her hands together and gazes at her fingernails and how long they've gotten—almost like claws. She knows one thing. She'll be cutting them as soon as she's up to one hundred percent.

"That's been the point all along, hasn't it..." she murmurs, looking down at the ground... Paying no attention to the screaming and cries of agony and despair filling her ears. Not giving the children being bitten in half by ravenous, vicious Wicked Spawn the light of day. She doesn't even flinch. "You don't realize how much this damn thing is changing me, do you, Sayuri...?" She pauses, poking her fingers together. "I'm only doing this because I love you~!" Yes, she will sing those words again and again until Sayuri finally gets it through her head. This isn't something she does for fun—even though she finds it highly enjoyable—but Sayuri is Kohana's trump card. If she really wanted to kill Sayuri, she could have done it a long time ago. Right when she was born.

Clumsily, Kohana steps foward, the bright lights still fluttering away from her body. She claps both of her hands together, purple light escaping from both of her palms.

And in an instance, she's inside of the darkness again—shrouded by the ultimate sin. She puts one hand on the wall of the monster she's inside, forgetting just how icky the place really is. Taking three more steps inside of the Wickedness she stops, her head spinning around a little bit. Kohana lets out a growl, her eyes shooting open and her arms quickly folding. "Where have you been, Wickedness?" Atropa hisses, taking control over Kohana's body like she always does. "You! You can't do anything right, can you? Oh you... You make me laugh."

"Shut up..." the mother responds, barely able to stand. "I... Got back in time, right? So don't twist your panties. I told you I'd have everything sorted out, and I'm not fading away anymore, so..."

"I know what you were thinking!" Atropa interrupts, scoffing. "A _mass resurrection, _Kohana?"

Kohana waves her hand dismissively, twiddling her thumbs afterward. "Oh please! I was only thinking about it. Just to scare Sayuri and show her that with massive amounts of destructive energy comes massive amounts of reconstructive energy..." Kohana scowls, folding her arms again.

"You know what that does to me, Wickedness. Don't play dumb. Just the fact that you were thinking of bringing back not one, but millions of people on this world is unacceptable. Do you know...!" Kohana regains control of her body without Atropa's consent, laying dead smack on the ground. She tunes the woman out, closing her eyes but still hearing Atropa in her head. At least she can't make Kohana move anymore.

"What happened to Saivan? What did you do to him? What happened to all the others? Wickedness! Do you hear me? What exactly did you just do? I _want _answers." Kohana manages to open one of her eyes and then rolls on her back, her arms and legs extended outwards.

"Rain falls down to cleanse the soul, to free the mind and release the pain," Kohana says, monotonously. "It heals old wounds in memories and opens our hearts to feeling. Moisture in the air is calming my fears. Not quite sure the reason... But I do not fight. The sounds are just calming as the rain which is gathering the beads across my skin. The weight of the world has been lifted..." she pauses, looking into the chasm of darkness she always views Sayuri through. Though nothing appears, she cracks a small smile. "The affect it has on me is quite... Scary. However, I'm not afraid to succumb to these feelings."

"Wickedness... If you don't answer me...!"

"Let the rain fall as much as it would like as I forget about all of my worries and fears. I've... Waited so long to banish these thoughts... And all it took was a little rain." Kohana pauses, looking at the endless darkness. "Atropa, you did good today." Her frown morphs into a smile, and suddenly all the bickering stops. Atropa's not sure what to say of this, but when something hits her she wills Kohana to stand and tap her chin.

"Well, yeah... I guess you did good today too, Wickedness."

"Not as good as you though! Without you I would have had to slice my way through millions and millions of innocent people to get to Saivan! And God only knows what would have happened if unimportant people lost their minds and started attacking me, you know Atropa?" Kohana pauses, clapping her hands weakly. Yes, destroying an entire world has taken its toll on her body. If there's one thing she needs now, it's her sleep. "Oh Atropa~!"

"Yes, Wickedness?"

"Fighting Saivan reminded me of the big crush I used to have on him when I was a kid~!" With that said, Kohana yawns before curling up into a little ball, putting her hands underneath her head and dozing off to sleep.

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-Seven: Someday The Dream Will End :-**

_I can still see the too-distant blue sky when I close my eyes. _  
_As I reminisce, I take your hand as I pluck the flowers and sing._  
_Within the memories that are now coming back to me._  
_I'm setting out to find my way back to you._

_Dawn comes, and we part ways once again._

_My dreams becoming distant apparitions._  
_I turn to the warm wind for help, the wind I felt every time you held me..._  
_As I was bathed in the light that followed on your heels._

— "Shiki no Uta" — Minmi

To be perfectly honest here, I didn't know a thing about fighting or war or any of that stuff! You could ask me over and over again what those things were and I'd tell you time and time again that I became a scientist not because I liked mixing things and solving problems... I became a scientist to avoid those things. Scientists are meant to work in laboratories away from the action, and yet we make supplies and things of that nature for soldiers to use. I didn't regret anything I've ever done in my life. Science is in my blood. It courses through my veins and I didn't think I'd quit even if I wanted to. But is this the outcome of science? Because we scientists have taken science so far out of hand... Because they're people like Kohana running around giving false evolution to people who obviously don't need it, the entire kingdom is on the brink of destruction.

And there's no doubt I could be blamed for all of this.

I stood in one spot, letting my pristine, white lab-coat flutter in the harsh wind. I couldn't take my eyes away from everyone fighting. Some people were fighting Wicked Spawn, trying to get closer to Aysel, while Aysel looked like she was preparing something nasty for all of them. I touched my hand with my chin, trying to formulate a plan. I couldn't do anything until I saw what Aysel could actually do. Honovi stood next to me like the great assistant that she was. She had already vowed to stay by my side no matter how bleak things were. I cracked a slight smile. I liked that in her. I shook my head and took my hands out of my pocket, staring at the scene before me.

"Honovi," I said, devoid of all real emotion. I couldn't crack a joke now. This moment didn't call for jokes, and I wasn't that cruel. "Can you hear it? Mother Nature? She's calling for me, and I've been ignoring her all this time. But I've listened somewhat." I closed my eyes, tilting my head in the air. "You know, I grew up in Aysel's Palace. When I was little, I was always told that I was going to grow up to be something I wasn't. My parents didn't want me to become some kind of scientist. They thought the only way I could help people is if I became a teacher." I paused, kicking the air lightly. "Didn't matter what I taught either. As long as I taught someone everything I knew." Honovi glanced at me, but only slightly. I saw her move from the corner of my eyes. She had a funny way with communicating, but I guess that's why she was my best friend.

"You do teach people, Professor Ever," she replied, holding both of her hands in front of her. "You are the head Professor; to learn from you is truly an honor."

"Tch." I turned around and leaned towards Honovi, sticking my index-finger in her face. "They wanted me to teach cosmetics. My mother had this really weird obsession with makeup and one day hoped to do Queen Aysel's makeup every single day. My dad usually agreed with anything she said, so I guess I was supposed to be this cosmetic person or something. Didn't happen. Anyway..." I paused again, but this time I swallowed a bit. "Is this supposed to hurt...? I feel so homesick and kind of selfish. I know lots of people are dying in Aysel right now, but it sucks knowing that you and I and the rest of the team at the Science Department made it able to withstand even a near Apocalypse. In fact, it's probably the only building still standing."

I tapped my chin. Yes, my parents were in the Science Department right now, probably worried sick about me. The same thing went for my team and the other scientists that were there. Am I a monster because I made something that everyone obviously didn't have access to? Why should some people live because they chose to pursue science? I just didn't understand. "I had a sister. I loved my older sister, Honovi. She was the last person I ever thought would do something like she did... I'm still standing here in shock and my mind is still spinning. Memories are starting to fly through my mind just thinking about it and I guess I can't help but crack this bittersweet smile..."

"I remember you telling me about her, Professor Ever. You two shared lots of fun moments, if I recall."

"Plenty," I answered back. Tears started to cut into my vision and I felt like throwing up, but I knew I needed to combat my inner-demons. I needed to clear my head—to get it in the game—and I wasn't going to do that while my life was flashing before my eyes. I thought I was going to truly, honestly die today. "I don't think I've ever told you where I found her. I was doing some, eh, expedition work on the outskirts of Austere. Just fooling around and looking for some rocks. I was ten. Rocks are fun when you're ten. I saw a couple of soldiers being attacked by an Earth Eater, though, and I'll tell you... It was the worst thing I've ever witnessed in my life. And I was scared. Here I am, a ten-year-old with no weapon, and here's this huge monster."

And while I was hanging on to the subject, I knew I was going to get kicked around in this fight.

"I wasn't going to leave those guys. There were three of them. They all had helmets on, though, so I couldn't make out their faces. They were beaten up pretty badly—nothing I've never witnessed before. Two of them died on the spot, but one was still alive. And I thought to myself... How strange... So I held her and she basically spilled her whole life to me. I don't know if it was due to the fact that she was hallucinating or what, but..." I scratched the back of my neck, inhaling. "I remember every word. The first thing she said was 'My name is Elenore.' There's loads of people named Elenore, so I thought nothing of it. I'm an idiot—"

"Please do not say things like that, Professor Ever," Honovi says, sighing. "You are not an idiot. If you were—"

"'I am a soldier leaving behind a life you have never seen. I have a family. A sister, a mother, and a father. I got a letter from my ten year-old-sister.' And then she paused and she tried to move her neck, but there was so much blood around her... She managed to smile though, and went, 'My sister has a crush on some boy named Ravi. I wish I was there. I want to get mad, but...!" I threw my hands in the air and shrugged. "I am stuck here in a war I hate. I am eighteen. I am supposed to be on my way to college but here I am. I am supposed to have a boyfriend but here I am. I-I am supposed to kiss my sister on her her tenth birthday but here I am. I have watched my friends die... I have seen horrible things.' And she told me in the most shaken voice, 'I wanna go home.' And she cried in my arms."

"You were ten, Professor Ever," Honovi said once again, like that mattered. Regardless of my age, I should have know she was talking about me! Elenore didn't deserve to die like that. I at least had some knowledge of healing, I... I kept looking straight ahead, my hands behind my back.

"'I want my sister in my arms, and I want to stroke her hair as we fall asleep to a movie, but here I am. Away from that. So I lay here. My uniform soaked with blood. I imagine my brat of a sister and because of this war I am dying without ever seeing my family again. I can just imagine it. My sister, she cries. My father is shocked. ...My mother denying it. You think war is great? Think again. I have nothing left. So tell my baby sister that I said goodbye.' And it clicked... Not just then, but when my mother was having such a hard time trying to tell me that I was there when she died. That war was so stupid anyway. Over a bunch of rebels from Austere? Did it really take a war...?"

I looked over my shoulder and glanced back at the others. "Is that what's going on now? People being forced to watch their friends die? People seeing horrible things? It all makes me sick, Honovi. I never want someone to feel like she did. And yet I'm only one person, but I can do so much more." I stomped my foot in the ground, balling up my fist. "I became a scientist to save people from that agony—to spare them of that sorrow and hatred! To keep them from war! And what do I get?" I threw my arm out towards the crowd of soldiers in front of me. "I get this! What is it that I've done in the twenty-three years that I've been alive, Honovi? Nothing?"

I didn't expect a straight answer from Honovi. She's the type of person that makes you come up with your own answer to your own hypothesis. I dug in my pocket and casually pulled out a pair of gloves. Honovi did the same. I sighed, gritting my teeth and Honovi took one step forward, still trying to stretch the latex across her hands. "Freedom, freedom, freedom!" I spat sarcastically. "You can never be free. Sorry pal, but the world doesn't work that way."

"Indeed it does not, Professor. It depends on what kind of freedom we are currently trying to talk about, however." Tch. Honovi. That's her alright. Always trying to make a complicated situation out of small things. We stood close to each other, chest-to-chest. Focal energy manifested in our right hands, forming a blue arrow. In our left hands we held a blue archer's bow. Our focal energy combined caused the earth to chip away underneath our feet, but we didn't really care. "Are your numbers correct yet?"

"Still aiming," I murmured, closing one eye and sticking my tongue out of my mouth. "I'm trying not to hit anyone. You think we can take out Aysel with this one arrow?"

"Possibly not, but we can try."

"Try at least to see what it'll do, since Wicked Spawn are swarming all over those guys like bees to honey. Hey, Honovi? You know why ghosts likes elevators? Because an elevator makes ghosts happy. Because it lifts their spirits. _Ha!_ Get it? Lifts the spirits?" Now that was funny! My best joke of the day! I started laughing so hard, but Honovi didn't get the joke. Oh, I forgot to explain it. "Y-you know... Because an elevator lifts their spirits...? Because ghosts float...? Aha. Ha?" Honovi's hand twitched on the arrow, which almost made me let go of it.

"You're going to hit Klaus..." I murmured.

"You keep moving it left. We are not trying to hit three people and then Queen Aysel, we just want her."

"I know that!" I said through gritted teeth. Okay, is it me or were the gloves I was wearing starting melt from the pure focal energy?

"I wish people would stop moving..."

"Well if they get impaled, it's their fault, right Honovi?" I glanced at her and then smiled. "I'm kidding. There's no way we're going to get a clear shot in this, and we need this arrow shot now. My gloves are starting to melt, and I think I like my hands!" There was a long pause and I knew Honovi knew we didn't have much time. But our teammates were trying to rush through crowds of Wicked Spawn that miraculously appeared out of nowhere. That was the work of Kohana too. I tightened my grip on the arrow, frowning a bit. "Aim straight for Princess Renata," I said. "Do it, Honovi. I know what I'm doing." And like I anticipated, Honovi didn't disobey me. Once we were in range, I narrowed my eyes.

This is it. It's all or nothing.

"Fire!" I exclaimed, watching focal energy build up in front of us. Once Honovi and I let go of the arrow, the bow disappeared. The arrow flew straight towards Princess Renata, who was busy chanting some kind of mantra. And, of course, she had her spears floating around her, protecting her from Wicked Spawn attacks. Everyone stopped fighting for a moment, noticing the big, blue, giant arrow coming towards them. Renata simply flicked her hand back and the arrow ricocheted off a shield, spinning in the air one good time before changing course, heading straight for Tammy. She was ready for it and kicked the tip of it with her right foot, using her left foot to direct it towards Aysel.

The arrow cut through several Wicked Spawn, killing them on impact.

And then, with one last charge, it impaled Aysel's left floating hand thing. It went straight through that sucker, making it flinch. The fingers started to move in all sorts of directions, trying to get the arrow out of it. Yeah, tough luck! Honovi and I don't make garbage! My assistant and I wanted to get a little bit closer, to look at the damage, so Honovi drew her weapons out, loading her tranquilizers. I walked calmly behind her, my hands folded behind my back. I trusted Honovi with my life. She was the only one that I'd give it to, and she was probably one of the only people that took me seriously. Honovi didn't play around now—she shot every Wicked Spawn that even looked like it was planning something bad. And as I watched those things disappear within their black mist, I started thinking. Are those things really made of our sins...?

Once we made it to the others, I stomped my left foot on the ground, taking out a little device from my pocket. I extended my right hand towards Honovi and she immediately knew what to do. She touched it, transmitting focal energy into it. The result? A big 'ol shield formed around all of us, killing any Wicked Spawn that thought they were safe within our dome. Valerie looked at me, holding her conductor's baton with both of her hands and eying the device as I put it back in the pocket of my lab-coat. I pointed an index-finger at the floating hand we impaled, smiling. I looked like a real soldier, what with my smile and whatnot.

"Do _not _rush in towards Aysel!" I commanded, looking at everyone individually. Everyone except Summoner Sayuri. She wasn't look towards me, like everyone else was. She had her back facing me and she was staring at Aysel, I guess. Even still, I needed to get this information out. "That would be a really bad thing to do. Lucrecia should be familiar with the form Aysel's taken on too..." I paused, tapping my index-finger on my chin. "Or is it that you've just forgotten?" She gave me one look, standing up straight and playing with her sling—swinging it around her index-finger.

"I don't study that bitch, no."

"Aysel's left hand," I said, raising mine up. "Attacks by using magic. If you hit that hand with anything that even resembles magic, it will hit you with a very powerful magic attack. And you may die. Focal energy counts, yes. Aysel's right hand," I said, raising up my right hand this time. "That hand only attacks with physical aspects. You know, things like pounding the ground and making it split. Oh, and earthquakes. Lots of those. If you should ever try to hit that hand with a sword or something, that hand will retaliate with a devastating physical attack." Honovi pointed towards the monstrosity in front of us, determined to plow this through the other's heads.

"This is fairly simple. If you want to attack the left hand, you attack it with a physical attack. That means everyone that fights with a weapon or their fists should go over there. If you want to attack the right hand, you better attack it with magic. If you should ever confuse those things..." Honovi paused, looking dark. "You are not the only one who will catch the consequences. So you all understand why we have to do this correctly, yes?" The Summoner of Death swung her scythe over her shoulder, nodding her head. She looked like she had a question, and hey, answering questions was what I did to get paid. I smiled, calling on her.

"So what you and Honovi did... That's going to make the left hand attack us with some otherworldly magic, isn't it?" Very good. She caught on very fast to that. It was nice of her to ask questions about what she didn't know. It made her come off as a very intellectual being—wanting to learn more was always admirable in my eyes. I guess that's what made her a Summoner.

"Exactly. To demonstrate you see." I turned around, laughing haughtily. "I like to demonstrate things before I teach them, you see! I'm always thinking outside of the box and my assistant helps me! That's why we put up this shield. It's only good for one go though. So you, Summoner of Death, should work towards taking out that right hand of hers, okay? Your scythe has death magic imbued in it." I paused, looking at everyone. "I believe in all of you, and though I'm the farthest thing from a military leader, or a fighter, I need you all to understand that this battle—the last battle—is what is going to save this kingdom." Camilla, one of Valerie's studies, readied her violin, closing her eyes. She started to play the most moving piece I've ever had a chance to grace my ears with.

It was really a great piece... It definitely fit the mood...

"Behold, my friends!" Aysel cackled. But it was then that I noticed it wasn't coming from the floating mask. Crap, I forgot to tell everyone about the main part of her, the mask! How could I have forgotten it? No matter what they did to the hands, and no matter how many times they defeated the hands, the mask would always bring them back to life. And the mask's attacks were even deadlier than that of the hands. I wanted to say something, but a clone of Aysel in her human form or something stood before us, cackling with her hand placed over her mouth. "Destiny at its most brutal form!"

"Do we attack her?" Chase said, looking towards me. I'm pretty sure that's what everyone else was thinking now too. I'm glad no one was being an idiot and just outright rushing in. That's what we didn't need. I shook my head. For all we knew, the Aysel standing in front of us could be a bomb. Or the real one.

"All the dreams that might have been... All the happiness and sorrow you might have experienced... Gone forever! For you, there will be no tomorrow! I transcend time and space, waiting for my kingdom to be reawakened! Destiny has led you here, and here you shall rest forever, unless you can defeat me and smash the dream! Come my friends! Maybe I can persuade you to share my dreams with you! Ahahaha! Did I say dreams? I meant my eternal nightmare!" Okay, so the mask was still floating in the air, along with her two hands... But the Aysel in front of us appeared to be the real one? What was going on here? She got into a fighting stance, which made us twitch.

Before anyone could act, she thrust her hand out, saying something without really saying it. It was a good thing I could read lips. I think she said "Hallation." … Hallation? Wait, what the hell is a Hallation...? That's when it hit me. This wasn't going to be pretty. Aysel snapped her fingers, her gameface still intact. Her golden hair floated behind her as a ring of rainbow-colored light engulfed all of us. It was a move that zapped all of our energy up and made our bodies think that we had been dragged through ninety fights. Basically she tricked our bodies into thinking we were severely hurt and on the brink of dying, even though we didn't have a scratch on us. We all doubled over, trying to catch our breaths. One hit from Queen Aysel, and we'd die.

The Summoner of Death wasn't having that. It was amazing that she still had the strength to even move. I was hoping on Princess Renata healing us, but Camilla's song had been giving us energy little by little. Like a fake Regain spell. Either way, it was really effective, and was probably the only reason why Morta was still able to move. She traced her hand down the blade of her scythe, watching the gems encrusted on it glow a dark purple. She swung her scythe outwards with all of her strength, the wind picking up around her. I covered my eyes—because it was the only thing I could do—and I felt it get really cold all of a suddent. After that, the Summoner of Death began to strike, swinging her scythe with so much ferociousness that Aysel should have fell over on her back when she was hit with that first wave of skin-lacerating wind.

Morta didn't stop either.

She kept swinging and swinging while we watched her destructive power practically eat Aysel. And though Morta wasn't doing as much damage to her as we thought she'd do, the sight of blood flying from the minor cuts Morta was giving her was enough to make us hope that we could get through this battle. Renata simply couldn't take the sight of this; she buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. And then there was Summoner Sayuri, who still refused to be a part of this. What was she doing? I wanted to say something... To get mad at the little kid, but Morta stopped her swinging, obviously tired. Chio put her hands on Morta's shoulder, nodding her head.

"That's enough, Morta..." she said, trying to reassure her partner that she did a good job. As soon as Aysel felt the wind stop, she put both of her hands on her hips and let out more boisterous laughter. Lucrecia grumbled under her breath, absolutely enraged by Aysel's little show. She balled up both of her fists and took one step forward, seething.

"I can't take her shit much longer!" she yelled, looking at all of us. "Someone please, kill this bitch already before I do something that I'm not supposed to do!" I understood her anger towards the situation, but now wasn't the time to get angry. We needed to stay calm, like Nenne, who propped his gun and closed one eye, wiping his black bangs out of his eyes. He took one shot and hit his target clear, lodging a bullet in Aysel's forehead. If that didn't kill her, I didn't know what would. We were all hoping for the best, but she kept laughing and laughing.

Chio's grip tightened on her staff and she thrust in out towards Aysel, determination on her face. "Shiva!" The wind collected around the petite Summoner and the Aeon stood right next to her before launching towards Aysel, kicking her in the stomach before yanking her arm down and kicking her in the head. Each assault was accompanied with ice shards that lodged themselves in Aysel's skin. Shiva took a step back and spun her leg around, creating a miniature tornado which wrapped around Aysel, turning her arms and legs to ice. As soon as she was reduced to nothing more than an ice sculpture, the ice melted away. Pfft, I guess we should have expected that. Shiva returned to her Summoner's side, and I couldn't help but notice Chio's quivering lip...

And yet, Aysel still continued to laugh.

I guess Kokoro wanted to try something now, and Honovi as well. My assistant readied her tranquilizers and Kokoro got into a fighting stance. An explosion of fire shot from his hands and Honovi aimed for those clouds of raging red, creating bullets that would cut through even the hardest metal. They ripped into Aysel, tearing both skin and muscle. I mean, you could hear this stuff, and it didn't sound pretty. I guess that was why Princess Renata was having such a hard time witnessing all of this stuff. It needed to be witnessed. This battle would decide them all. I witnessed the burn marks left in the wounds those two had created. We all saw them.

Now Aysel stopped her laughter. She doubled over from the pain, blood dripping from the various wounds she received from us. I nodded my head, throwing everyone a thumbs up. We did it. We took out Queen Aysel. And it was an easy battle at that. We didn't have to go through any extra work, and that was the good part. Aysel seethed, looking at us all with her deluded, golden eyes. Renata opened her eyes and finally took a look at her mother. It seemed like I was wrong in my previous assessment. She had no problems looking at her mother doubled over in a bloody mess. Maybe Renata was just tired...

"Argh! My powers do not seem to work here," she said, shaking her head and standing up straight. You know, with a bullet in her head too. "Wait. I will simply toss you into the Mammoth Machine!"

"What?" I shouted, swiping my arm across the air. "That thing you created to bring the Wickedness here? You cannot be serious!" I shook my head, refusing to believe a word she said. "You cannot be serious...! I won't believe it!" My shield broke down, which was possibly a result from Aysel's freakish powers. To be shot in the head and not show any pain... To not even notice it's there... That's amazing!

"You'll become one with the Mammoth Machine," she began, cackling, "and one with me." The ground started to move and I'm not even going to lie. I stumbled and fell. In fact, most of us fell. Aysel looked straight into the sky and floated upwards. And eventually she disappeared from sight. The world was shaking, not just us, and suddenly everything went black. When I was finally graced with some color in my vision, I noticed that we were standing on some type of psychedelic flooring... We were in another dimension, and our guest was none other than the Mammoth Machine itself. It was a machine, but it looked so menacing.

"Prepare yourself!" Miyuki shouted, her cards appearing in her hands. "All of that was just to lead us into using our abilities and to make us weak. The real fight starts now. Stay strong, Summoners."

"Right!" Morta, Kokoro and Chio said in unison. Everyone else readied their weapons, but Summoner Sayuri still looked like she had her soul sucked out of her.

We couldn't just waste all of our time on her. We were all weak and... Chase dashed towards the machine, slamming his sword into it with excellent results. Sparks flew in the air, but open circuits started whipping across the sky. I thought he was going to be able to get another hit in, but electricity shot up from the circuits, hitting him and sending him tumbling across the weird plane we were on. Renata didn't have time for words, she dashed over to his side to see if he was okay. With the way her hands were glowing, I was sure we were okay as far as healing went. And Camilla even proceeded to play her song. Akuma decided he wouldn't let Camilla play alone and joined in with his guitar. While it didn't give us that rush of regaining energy, it did hype us up in an unknown way...

Like he was cheering us on with his instrument.

I felt like I could do anything, but I had no means of attack. I could only watch and give directions. Valerie's grip tightened on her conductor's baton and she pointed it at the hellish machine, sneering. "I'm_ not _going to let you hurt my friend like that you abysmal creation!" she hissed. She stomped her foot on the ground, lifting her arms into the air. Bars of light surrounded the Machine, meshing into a dome. The dome dematerialized, leaving behind a blinding white light. I didn't know if she had used some kind of magic or not, but it really took a huge chuck out of that machine. The left side of it fell off, if I'm not mistaken. Valarie turned towards Adel, who had touched his chin at the action.

"Luminare," she said, swinging her baton to her side. "It's a move in which I gather the world's energy and use it in a burst of light. Best move I have." She paused, scowling. "Now if only I could hit the damn thing even more!" She looked over her shoulder, gazing at Tammy. Nenne was pretty smart. He just kept shooting the thing, each and every bullet flying through the mechanical monster. I wonder why it wasn't do anything to us. It was just sitting there, looking menacing. Wow, what was with all of the easy battles? Unfortunately I spoke too soon, and Wicked Spawn surrounded us. Again. Jesus Christs. Lucrecia let out a roar of frustration, lifting her arms up before dashing into the crowd of them, literally tearing them apart with her hands.

Summoner Kokoro and Summoner Morta had done this kind of fighting before, I could tell. They worked with such finesse—such teamwork. Morta would swing her scythe to take out a slew of them, and he'd follow it up with a powerful fire blast. When I thought their technique couldn't get any better, Chio jumped in behind them and commanded Shiva to handle up the 'cleanup' or whatever that was. Guardian Miyuki was right behind them, dashing through the path they created and attacking the Mammoth Machine one or two times before jumping back and repeating the process all over again with her Summoners. They really understood each other. It made me smile. It was a wonder they could do that successfully without being shot by Nenne's bullets as well.

Adel was fighting too... The good ol' fashion way. He was punching the little black devils of destruction, watching them fade away in front of him. Even Alula was fighting—or trying to. She had those white balls of light floating around her, helping her take down the beasts in her way. We had a very nice rotating circle going on. Klaus jumped in the air and drove his flameblade into the machine's head. Sparks flew, but before he could be hurt he miraculously appeared by my side, which made me flinch.

"_Nyaaah!_ Hey, kid! Don't do that stuff!" I didn't know why I was so scared. Honovi was basically making sure I wasn't getting attacked by those monsters. I stood up straight and Klaus poked his cheek, looking in the direction of where Summoner Sayuri was, and then looking at me.

"What's wrong with Sayuri...?" he asked broodingly, swaying to his right and then his left. Wow, in a battle such as this one, he still cared about her feelings? Well, I guess I couldn't blame the guy. I'd let him do whatever he wanted, but I didn't have a clue as to what was wrong with her. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to pay attention to the scene in front of me. I didn't want to seem like I was the best person in this here little shindig, but I saw things that the others couldn't see.

"Whatever it is, don't bother her." I waved my hand dismissively at him, and I totally jumped in the air in excitement when Tammy managed to stick her entire hand through the body of the machine. "Woo! Yeah! That's how it's done!" I clapped my hands before I noticed Klaus and his... Pouting. Yes, that's right, the kid was pouting at me. I groaned, slumping my shoulders. "Oh come on, don't give me that look! If she doesn't want to fight, then she doesn't have to. We're doing fine without her..." My voice trailed off, because the Mammoth Machine sort of broke in front of us and all of the Wicked Spawn disappeared. The machine parts fell to the ground and then they disappeared too. And before I knew it we were teleported out of that dimension before we even had time to cheer.

Well, at least now that machine was gone.

But now we were in some other kind of dimension, one that overlooked the kingdom? No, we were overlooking our world. I looked around, trying to predict what would happen next, but blue lasers shot around us... And then suddenly Aysel appeared in front of us. "You creatons... I plan to live in my new kingdom and control the universe forever. You will not get in my way! Indulge in such regrets in the next life!" Oh gee. More insane, crazy talk. I thought someone was going to try and attack her, but Sayuri snapped towards Aysel, gritting her teeth and holding her wand firmly in her hand. She walked in front of all of us... And we were pretty shocked because we all thought she wasn't going fight.

"Do you_ ever_ shut up?" she roared. "I'm _not _going to let you destroy this world! There's plenty of people still left alive in the Dark Ages, and I'm not going to let them down!" There was a flash of purple light and suddenly, out of nowhere, a person that looked dangerously close to Sayuri appeared in front of us. Florescent balls of purple and green light started to float from the image, distorting it a little. The person standing in front of Summoner Sayuri definitely looked like her. The only difference was the change in the Summoner costume. Sayuri saw the person in front of her, but didn't think much of it. She kept her mouth closed, but her eyes were still ferocious.

"If this world should fall before I get to it," the holographic person says, gripping her sword tightly. "Then I'll come back, Aysel. I'll come back and I'll save it." Another holographic person showed up, and it was none other than Queen Aysel. She looked at the purple-haired teenager, smirking as she pushed her hair out of her eyes. "And if I should ever find out that you and your husband are the cause of this world falling, then I'll come back and kill you both myself."

"Poor Summoner Sayuri! You? Kill me? I, Queen Aysel? You think that you have achieved something because you have slain Professor Nero?" She let out that same, boisterous laugh that we've all come to hate. "Just because you have finally slain your opponent does not mean you can destroy me. I will not be destroying my kingdom and neither will Saivan; we are not fools. Do not meddle in the affairs of I, Queen Aysel and my kingdom! You are just one person. What can you do? _Ha!_ You and your friends who go parading around as if you are enforcing a justice better than mine.."

And yet there was another holographic figure that showed up. This time it was a girl with silver hair, who had characteristics similar to a wolf. Her animal ears twitched upon hearing that and she slammed the bottom of her staff in the ground. "Don't talk about Sayuri like that! She just tried to save your kingdom! Why you..." Before that girl gets a chance to speak, the Sayuri look-alike swung her arm out, imploring her to stop talking.

"While it is true that I can't be there to save everyone... And all of the worlds out there," the Sayuri look-alike said, walking around Aysel. "I'll be keeping my eye on this world. Once I finish my duty as a Summoner, I'll be dropping by. And if what I see makes me angry or sad, I'll show your world another one... One filled with pain, Aysel. You make sure this place is up to speed. And keep it that way until we come back." After the Sayuri-like holographic said that, all three of them disappeared and Sayuri put her arm down.

"I was thinking," she said, her eyes trailing around the ground. "I was thinking what all of this meant. I started having visions and I started seeing things that never happened to me. But everyone kept saying my name. 'Sayuri, Sayuri...'" She paused, looking back up at Aysel. "And it's with great enthusiasm that I say I've solved the puzzle to this world! The Sayuri you know, Aysel... The Sayuri you met all those years ago? That wasn't me. That was Kohana." Huh? How is that even possible...? "I didn't want to believe it at first, but Kohana talked to me just a second ago. Apparently she's sleeping now. She told me that I was fulfilling what she promised herself. She said she'd make sure the Dark Ages never fell."

Aysel's eyebrow twitched and she took a step forward. "You mean...?"

"Kohana was a Summoner before I was," Sayuri muttered, full of disdain. "Kohana's name was also 'Sayuri' when she was a Summoner. I guess she changed it or something." She kicked at the ground, biting her tongue before looking back at Aysel. She lifted her wand up again, seething. The holographic version of Sayuri—or should I say little Kohana—showed up next to Sayuri and assumed the same position that Sayuri took. "And now it's time to take you out, Aysel! Do your worst!" they said in unison. Aysel didn't hesitate. She quirked her nose and threw her hand out.

"I do not care who or what you are, Summoner Sayuri! You will die today, and my kingdom will never fall to the likes of you!" White light blinded us again before that mask appeared in front of us. That mask and those two hands. We all stared at it and were going to fight, but Sayuri put her hand out.

"This isn't a fight for you all to get yourself involved in," she said. "All I need are my partners. Morta, Kokoro, Chio! Miyuki! Come on!" Sayuri thrust her hand out, the same one she held her wand with. Her teammates ran to her side, staring at Aysel.

"I hope you have a plan," Morta said, waving her scythe around. "You heard what Professor Ever said about Aysel—"

"Don't worry, I have one," Sayuri said, looking towards Miyuki. "The plan is we don't need a plan." I think Morta deflated, but Renata clapped her hands together, looking worried. I glanced towards Princess Renata and her eyes started to shimmer.

"Bright hair glimmering in the sunlight, waving her wand for all to see. Leading her troops to defeat the foe and rallying them against all odds..." Renata inhaled, closing her eyes and sighing. "Her armor shining against the background of death, she's a beacon of hope for her friends. She sallies them out to meet the attacker, beating back waves after wave of invaders... Her magic strong, her friends blocking, she refuses to surrender..." I wouldn't believe it at first, but Renata actually cracked a slight smile as the battle between Summoner and Queen Aysel was starting. There was no denying Sayuri's authority; Kokoro and Morta attacked the hands, giving Aysel a really rough time, and Shiva froze them in place at some points in time, making sure they didn't attack those two back.

And Sayuri? Well, Sayuri was concentrating on attacking the mask along with Miyuki.

"Her weapon whistles as it slices the air, making way for those behind her. She reaches the beleaguered gate, helping to push back the opponent. And in doing so, she saves the lives of the men behind her. Us..." I never thought of it like that, but Summoner Sayuri was taking responsibility where she shouldn't have been... This wasn't her fight, this was ours... "And she does it without any thought of herself. She screams her war cry at the top of her lungs, but falls short at a sharp pain..." Suddenly I stopped looking at Renata and viewed the scene in front of me.

She was right. Aysel had shot a beam through Sayuri's side. Camilla gasped and closed her eyes tightly, playing her instrument even faster, with more feeling. The rest of us up and flinched.

"With her arm clasping her waist, she peers down while still attacking, and watches the blood pool in a puddle on the ground..." Wasn't someone going to at least try to heal her? They would have, except she turned around and commanded that we didn't pay attention to her. Crazy kid... Shiva kept freezing Aysel's arms, leaving Kokoro and Morta to attack, and eventually the arms faded away, only leaving the mask. I couldn't believe it. This was all so overwhelming. To think that we were fighting for the future of our kingdom...

Sayuri's breathing had gotten more sporadic, but she stood tall. "I tried to observe," she said. "I tried to see through all of this matted, chaotic mess. In the end, what I saw was mother and child broken apart, ending their lives too soon. I don't know why this disastrous war is taking place now, but I knew this was the beginning of my woes. And I prayed for all of this fighting to stop, but I knew my prayers would go unheard. Aysel, we're going to end this now—_cafaakaka!_" Okay, seriously, the Summoner needed help. Like, now. She started coughing up blood and Chio dropped her staff, running towards her side.

"Sayuri, please let someone help you, please! I don't want you to die...!"

"I won't!" she shouted. "I'm fine! Now let's hurry up and end us!" She stood back up, albeit wobbling a bit. Aysel was really, truly hurt and didn't have much fight left in her. Miyuki nodded her head and knew that they needed to take her out quick before her regeneration abilities caught up with her. Miyuki put her hand on Sayuri's wand, getting a feel for it.

"Hey, Kokoro, Morta, Chio? Could you all walk over here and grab hold of Sayuri's wand? Quickly now." It always made me wonder how Miyuki was able to stay so calm... The Summoners did as they were told and Shiva seemingly disappeared as soon as Chio followed out the order. "Now, I need you all to channel your energy through this wand. Sayuri's not strong enough to actually cause a time-warp vertex, and that's what I want to see happen." Sayuri nodded her head, understanding what Miyuki was trying to say. "If you all should achieve that, Aysel should be no more."

"And she'll die..." Sayuri mumbled under her breath. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, but she shook her head, getting her head back into the game.

"My... My kingdom... My beautiful... Beautiful kingdom..."

This was the last time we'd all ever have to see Aysel. This was it. The kingdom would be one step closer towards being restored to its former glory. Except Aysel quickly reverted to her regular form, slumped over and defeated. And she still had that bullet in her head. "I... I will not allow this! I will never let you win... I...!" The dimension broke around us and we all appeared back in that grey, barren area we were at in the first place. Aysel took two clumsy steps forward, blinking a lot. "I-if I can't have my kingdom, none of you will! I-I'll take it with me...!"

I heard a sound sound of thunder cracking. The lights started screwing with me, and then Aysel disappeared, leaving behind a vortex of some sort. And it just started sucking things in like debris and dead trees. My mouth was wide open, and everyone else was thinking the same thing I was thinking. She'd take her kingdom with her? As in, she'd destroy the world...? I waved my hands in the air, my eyes dilating. "That's not a vortex meant to suck all of humankind into, is it?" I didn't even have to ask. That was...

"Aysel can't do this," I murmured. "We had come so far, just to fail. … I don't know how to stop this thing... I don't know anything about time and space and I-I... I'm sorry guys. It looks like we won't win after all—"

"—There has to be something we can do!" Kokoro said, trying to regain his breath. "Please Professor Ever, don't..." I didn't have anything more to say. I just... I-I just didn't know what to do. And I hated myself for not knowing what to do. It was going to be my fault that the Summoners died, and it was going to be my fault that the kingdom went straight to hell. Sayuri looked like she wanted to say something, but was at a loss of words as well. There was like this moment of silence, where we all knew something bad was going to happen if we didn't start thinking soon... And then we heard the sound of footsteps. I turned around, and it was none other than Lucrecia.

"There used to be this simulation," she said, taking a few steps forward. "...At the Science Department... And we learned how to close vertex rips while inside of them. Of course that would mean trapping ourselves inside of them and never coming back out, but think of all the people we could save afterward." I swallowed hard. Did this mean that Lucrecia was going to try to...?

_"No!"_ … And it was a pretty loud no. Sayuri threw her arm out, tears falling from the corner of her eyes. "Lucrecia, don't you do that! I'll find a way out of this I swear! You don't have to die! Aysel's probably already dead now, but you don't have to die please don't..." Summoner Sayuri looked like a complete and utter mess. But, uh, how was she going to save the world? We probably only had a few more minutes before the world proceeded to eat itself... Sayuri was pale, and her face was stained with tears. "Please, Lucrecia! I'll think of something, I'll think of—"

"Dying and smiling are... Sort of the same thing, don't you think? Crying as you're smiling, smiling as you're crying, lying as you're smiling... It's all the same. So I'll smile as I die, and you can think of this as my revenge towards you, Sayuri. Thanks, Sayuri. It's because of you that I finally realized that I've been in the wrong all this time. And, of course, you all have to live..." I thought Sayuri was going to nod her head and agree with what Lucrecia was saying, but the Summoner outright lost her mind. She propped her wand and ran towards Lucrecia in a blind, sobbing rage, tripping over herself.

"I won't let you, you're not going to—!" In just a millisecond, Sayuri's eyes lit up before she dropped to the ground. Lucrecia stared at her through her eye and walked over her, turning around and facing us.

"Make sure the brat doesn't call my name consistently. It'd suck ass to hear her in the afterlife." I had to say something. What Lucrecia was doing was honorable. I wouldn't have the guts to do it, that's for sure...

"No problem," I said, waving my hand around. "Lucrecia? Thank you." I nodded my head and she waved to all of us. Nonchalantly. Like nothing mattered. Once that amazing scientist disappeared, the vortex closed after a big show of lights and sounds. During the closing, I tilted my head and finally noticed something...

This used to be my playground.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so yeah. Aysel's dead and Lucrecia's dead. How are they dead? Let me explain. Aysel deconstructed her body to create the vortex. She _sacrificed_ herself to create said vortex. Lucrecia went in said vortex and closed it from the inside, locking herself in there. And well, I think you can imagine what would happen if you should ever lock yourself inside of a vortex.

Kohana Outtaike. Our Kohana Outtaike used to be named Sayuri Outtaike when she was younger. **ALL OF THE FLASHBACKS IN PRESENT TENSE WITH SAYURI IN THEM ARE ACTUALLY KOHANA**. Yes, every single ONE of them. The flashbacks with Isleen in them? That's KOHANA not Sayuri. The flashback where Sayuri's teasing Suzuki? That's KOHANA. The flashback where Isleen died? Kohana, Kohana, Kohana!

Kohana's partners when she was a Summoner were Isleen, Rinoa, Leyiko and all the rest of those good people. Sayuri's partners are Morta, Kokoro Chio and more people to come. Does that make sense? Present!Sayuri =/= past!Sayuri. Present Sayuri, our Sayuri is not past Sayuri, who would be Kohana. Kohana is Sayuri number one-since she was Sayuri first-and Sayuri's number two. You can think of Sayuri as being a Jr. or something. XD Confusing.

I'll put it in a simpler form.

Kohana is the Sayuri with the sword. I'll say it again. XD;; Nah, I think you guys should get it. So in regards to this world, Kohana knew Aysel, Saivan, Lucrecia, Cecelia, Issaru, um, uh, who the hell am I missing...? Valerie... uh. XD;; Oh! And Professor Nero. Kohana's the one who killed Nero, and she found the cure for Apathīa. Which also means she took Lucrecia's arm. Yeah, she used to hang out with all of them. That's how these people confused Sayuri with Kohana. Aaaand I'm pretty much done. XD;

Now next chapter should be easy. We're down to the falling action, folks.


	58. Hold On For Your Dearest Life

**A/N: **Okay, let's get this party cracking! So you all know how we had a string of 10k chapters? Um, yeah. That ends now. XD;; Now we're going back to the 7k chapters and stuff. Just because people aren't dying left and right and things have calmed down.

* * *

"Wickedness, what are you doing?"

And Atropa's justified in her question, considering how Kohana is dancing with her sword in her hand, spinning and twirling around on her right foot and then switching her stance. The flower fanatic's eyes are closed shut, a slight frown on her face. It's official. Atropa will never fully get her partner in crime and the way her mind works. Simply put, Kohana escapes her. Very much so. Kohana opens one emerald-green eye and licks her lips a bit, not really stopping her fluid movements. "It's very strange," Atropa remarks. However, Kohana isn't permitting Atropa to move any part of her body, which indicates that the purple-haired woman really wants to concentrate on this... Dancing. "You just woke up from your much needed little rest, and now you're dancing...?"

"I do as you say not as you do," Kohana murmurs, making a quick turn to the left and then to the right. "Atropa, there's this thing called The Sending." She pauses, speeding up her twirls. The back of her kimono flutters behind her with her fast movement changes. "Every Summoner of Time learns the technique. Basically, when a lot of people die, they need to be directed to the afterlife... Wherever that may be. Because if they're not directed to the afterlife, their souls will lose their way. Makes sense?" Atropa ponders on this thought. Yes, that's acceptable, seeing as how Kohana is a master of space and time magic... There's only one thing though.

Why would Kohana care about the souls of others?

"Because," she says with one eye closed. "Because, what, you think those souls just up and disappear, Atropa? They mesh with things. They alter genetic DNA. They run amok and they cause chaos and discord and put bad and evil thoughts into people's heads. Pesky little things they are. But more importantly, the souls—if their anger is big enough and they haven't made it to the other side—turn into monsters. They're a type of Wicked Spawn all their own. You understand that Wicked Spawn are scales that have broken off this monster we're riding in, correct?" Kohana waits for an answer, twirling her sword around in a circle. "Huh, Atropa?"

"Oh, oh yes. Correct, Wickedness."

"These souls manifest into Wicked Spawn. So if someone doesn't do a Sending for all the people that've died in the Dark Ages—which is like... The whole entire Dark Ages, _ahahah!_—Wicked Spawn will form, and proceed to rip people's assholes apart." Kohana's logic always seems to confuse Atropa. The katana-wielding mother knows that Sayuri's the only one that can preform The Sending, so why isn't she telling Sayuri everything she needs to know about it? Silly Atropa. Kohana can hear everything Atropa is thinking. Kohana stands up straight and all of her movement stops. Her dance is over.

"Well Atropa... For one, Sayuri has to cure the Apathīa, and Lord only knows I wasn't going to do that. Too many bad memories. Urgh." Kohana waves her hand around her nose dramatically, as if she smells something foul. Her eyes soften and she sheathes her katana, sighing daintily. "Valerie should be giving Sayuri a really hard time learning this musica. But she has to cure Apathīa before she can do anything to help the Dark Ages, you know Atropa?" She claps her hands together, smiling gleefully. "Oh Atropa! Look at my little girl! She's growing up so fast~! I'm so proud of her~!"

Atropa snorts. Outright snorts.

"So, what's next on your agenda, Wickedness?"

"Ah?" Kohana asks, placing her right hand on her heart, taken aback somewhat. "I don't know. Oh! Oh! Atropa!" Kohana exclaims, jumping up and down and clapping her hands with a sweet smile on her face. "Want to see my fight with Saivan? I have it recorded~!"

"Oh dear God no," Atropa replies, full of disdain. "I think I heard enough the first time you told me about it before you went to sleep, Wickedness; the man is dead, let him rest—"

"Na-uh," Kohana interrupts, smirking. "Now I'd never kill a dear friend."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Yeessss, Atropa."

"What was the purpose of going down there and killing him then?"

Kohana taps her fingers together, closing her eyes—wearing her trademark vivacious grin. "To fulfill my promise to him and everyone else on the world, of course. But more than anything, I just wanted to see him~! But fine, Atropa, we don't have to watch the clip after all. Killjoy." Kohana huffs, blowing strands of her purple hair out of her face. She folds her arms, scowling. Whatever, Kohana can think whatever she wants, Atropa assesses.

"What is it now? What's wrong with you, Wickedness? Why are you pouting?"

"Because!" Kohana whines. "The only reason I fought him in the first place was because I was so very jealous. So very jealous..." She grits her teeth, clenching her fists. "Why did he have to get married to that stupid loon Aysel, anyway? I was sick of watching the same damn scene over and over and over again, and every time I thought of when I was a Summoner—seeing him all hugged up with Aysel—I just knew that this time I wouldn't be able to stand putting my eyes back on him again~! Ho-hum."

"Wickedness, you amuse me. You amuse me greatly."

"What! It's true! So I vowed to rip off his skin as all his blood leaked out and down his flesh! To watch him squirm as I tore his body apart! To watch him drown in his own blood as I shredded his face until he looked like the demon he really was!" Kohana throws her arms in the air dramatically... Gracefully... Until she opens her eyes again, standing up straight. "I don't follow to hearsay or jump to conclusions on a whim, and I'm seldom bitter or irked. But it just looked like he liked her..."

"Wickedness, can we just—"

"With heavy stipulations and a mental tariff I used my persuading skills, compelling my little own, sweet form of forgiveness. And I wouldn't play with compromising tricks, unless he was prepared for an untimely eulogy! But enough of basking in a mischievous sham... Without him, the rattle coils around my neck and I suffocate on jealously." Kohana brings her hands out slowly, opening her eyes, much to Atropa's irritation. There's a moment of silence.

"Done yet?"

"Pretty much."

"Good, Wickedness, because you scare me."

"Ah~! I scare you, Atropa?"

"That was not on grounds that you can tease me for it."

Kohana claps her hands together, skipping around. "I scare Atropa!"

"Shut up!"

"I scare Atropa!"

"Shut _up!"_

Kohana turns around, shaking her butt in a teasing manner. "Hmm hmm hm hmmm hmmm~!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-Eight: Hold On For Your Dearest Life :-**

_So hold me when I'm here  
Right me when I'm wrong  
Hold me when I'm scared  
And love me when I'm gone  
Everything I am  
And everything in me  
Wants to be the one  
You wanted me to be  
I'll never let you down  
Even if I could  
I'd give up everything  
If only for your good_

— "Love Me When I'm Gone" — Three Doors Down

People die, and Sayuri dances.

And I couldn't do anything about it. Guardian Miyuki said that the only way Sayuri could keep the rain going strong was if she kept dancing with her sparkly magic stick. I didn't want that thing anymore. I realized that I wasn't fit to hold it—to wield it, and magic was something that I just couldn't have and hold on to. The war was over, but there were so many things that were still so wrong... I felt empty on the inside, because, of course, I didn't have my guard with me. They were supposed to be standing by my side always... And well... They weren't here anymore. I thought I had gotten over that. I thought I had moved on. They wouldn't have wanted me to spend my whole life crying over them, but that thought was just so difficult and hard to swallow. Could I really forget about them...?

I had been standing next to Akuma and Tammy, so I didn't want to have a mental breakdown just yet, but it was so hard witnessing the scene in front of me. I wanted to blame anyone and everyone I could see. I was so behind mentally in all of this that I was sure I couldn't catch up. This wasn't my fault. This wasn't my fault and I kept telling myself that. But then, whose fault was it? Who could I blame? Who could I point my finger at to make all of this go away? Oh, please say this is all a dream. Someone turn around and say this is all a dream so I can laugh—laugh for the first time in a long time and be glad that I have a chance to get out of this hell... The rain was pelting on all of us really hard. I-I expected nothing but the best from Sayuri, and couldn't help but crack a smile when I thought of waking up from this nightmare.

If I had to wake up, I... Sayuri was the one person that I didn't want to just up and vanish. Tammy looked at me from the corner of her pink eyes, folding her arms and adjusting her footing, even though it was extremely muddy. Sayuri was waving her wand around, trying to concentrate. Teacher had been trying to coach her on how to use the musica while she was dancing, so I had complete and utter faith in her. The Summoners were standing back and watching her as well, but it seemed as if Kokoro was getting the muck of this, shivering and flinching each time a rain drop would fall on top of his head. This was all just a very dangerous game now, wasn't it...? Soon, Apathīa would be cured all over the kingdom. That's one thing I could be happy about, right...? Except I didn't feel happy.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" Tammy said, sighing. I quirked a brow, switching my footing. Was she talking about Summoner Sayuri? Well then yes, yes she was pretty. But she looked like she was on the brink of tears. I had seen Sayuri at her happiest, and that fake smile she wore couldn't hold a candle to her real one. Sadly, I could see straight through her and her ridiculous facade. I nodded my head, blinking slowly. Summoner Morta and Chio were looking at Sayuri, and then their gazes switched towards Miyuki teaching Kokoro something. "It's a shame that those four Summoners have to handle so much..."

"Yeah," I muttered, rubbing my arm. "Sayuri and the others don't deserve this. Why should she pretend to be happy for the sake of other people?" I paused, looking down at the ground. "Why should she be happy for me because I'm unable to be happy?" I touched my fingers, looking at her again. I couldn't bare seeing that sorry excuse for a smile. I'd give anything to see Sayuri smile again... When she smiled, I just knew everything was going to be okay. "I am... Tammy, I am so in love with the Summoner right now. And there's nothing I can do about it..." Tammy glanced at me and Akuma nudged me in the ribs. His smile... Is rather irritating.

"Why don't you tell her you—"

"I've already done that. Four times already," I replied just as quickly, shifting my stance. Akuma said something under his breath that I'm happy I didn't hear, else I would have yelled at him. I wiped some of my hair out of my eyes, getting a little bit annoyed. I didn't understand what was wrong with me. Why didn't she like me, I...? "She's obviously not interested in whatever I have to offer her."

Camilla walked over to us, frowning at me. "Aww Klaus, you poor, poor thing. Do you need a hug?" She opened her arms, walking towards me. A hug? A hug? I didn't need a... Need a...

"Mmm-hmm," I murmured, forlorn. I walked up towards her and filled the gap in between us, my arms wrapped around her small frame. And then I just started crying... Sobbing really loudly on her shoulder. Camilla patted me on my back, closing her eyes and consoling me—whispering things in my ear. Akuma touched his forehead, coming off like he was exasperated. He knew that I cried real easily. Pretty orbs of fluorescent, multicolored light started to float up from the ground around us, and then suddenly all movement stopped. These orbs were so bright and warm and they all looked like the ones that were floating away from Kohana's body. Sayuri stood in one spot, holding her wand firmly in front of her.

I knew that stance. I knew it well. Sayuri was going to attempt to do the musica. After only reviewing it two times...? Sayuri was amazing. Valerie inhaled, holding her conductor's baton in both of her hands. "It's strange... Teaching Kohana's daughter the musica when I taught her everything I knew first," she remarks. "Although the premise is confusing. This isn't the Summoner of Time I met eight years ago... This is her daughter?"

"Time is different in each world," Miyuki said, folding her arms. Miyuki knew the answer to any and every question, no matter how big or small it was. "It's been eight years since you've last seen Kohana when she was a Summoner. With all the worlds she's been to and the different dimensions of time they all have, it's been_ seventeen _years, pretty much, for her." Kokoro stepped up and raised his hand, wiping some of his hair out of his eyes.

"Miyuki?" he asked, tapping his chin. "Did you know Kohana was a Summoner?"

"_Is _a Summoner?" Miyuki corrected. "As long as Kohana still has the time Essence tangled up inside of her DNA, she is a Summoner of Time, and is perhaps a master of time and space magic if she's completed her pilgrimage. That being said, if Kohana is a Summoner, her magic must be amazingly frightening, though I never saw her use her wand." Miyuki paused, looking straight into Kokoro's eyes. "Did I know she was a Summoner? Yes."

"But why? Why didn't you tell us?" Chio said, joining in. That tattoo on the palm of her hand was weird-looking. "Why didn't you tell Sayuri her mother was a hero?"

"Worldly affair," Miyuki answered. Worldly affair? I heard lots of people use that term, but I never fully understood what it meant. I think it meant that one wasn't supposed to meddle with the affair of another world. But then Sayuri and Kohana weren't worlds, so what was Miyuki talking about? Or was she using this as an excuse? "It's not my place to meddle with a worldly affair. At any rate, Kohana has the best control over her body I've ever seen in... Someone of her stature. She's very expressive in her emotions and actions. She's very strong. Very scary. Very corrupted and is quite cunning. To think she planned this entire assault before hand, teleporting us at just the right times... And she's violent and unpredictable."

"And hot," Akuma pointed out, raising an index-finger in the air. We all glanced at him like he was crazy. Why was Akuma such a idiot? Why did he feel the need to make a fool out of himself? It was embarrassing to even breathe the same air as him sometimes.

"I don't know why Kohana went out of her way to help us," Miyuki murmured, shuffling her cards. "But it's obvious she took very special care to make sure we were still alive during this ordeal. Likewise, she took special care not to destroy the world completely, even though destroying it was her initial aim. She left a good portion of the Dark Ages alone. She's very strange. Her morels seem to reappear and disappear on a whim." Was that the woman that Sayuri said sent her down to talk to me on the day Himani and Raylen died? I wouldn't believe it... Kohana was the nicest person I knew. And if she bothered to keep me live though hundreds and hundreds and thousands of people died under her hand, then no matter what... I would be thankful for what she had done.

"Did you ever guard for Kohana?" Nenne asked, leaning his head against his hand. You know, I was thinking the same thing as well... I didn't understand this stuff at all. The Celestial Being shook her head, her bright pink eyes lightning up.

"Kohana had a different Guardian," she said briskly. "Each new generation of Summoners has a different Guardian. I never knew Kohana on that level." You know, if I wasn't so busy crying my eyes out, I'd almost be certain that Miyuki was hiding something from us. I touched my face, staring at Sayuri. She inhaled, looking at the ground before an anagram appeared from underneath her feet. It glowed a bright purple and Valerie stood back and smirked, holding her baton against her shoulder.

"Breathe," Valerie commanded, closing her eyes and inhaling. Before I knew it, she looked back at me, waving her hand out. "Klaus, do you want to help the Summoner unlock the methods of the musica?" Oh, Valerie meant to say did I want to help Sayuri dance by giving her a beat, right? I closed my eyes and murmured out a silent "Yes, Teacher." I dug into the pocket of my trench coat and pulled out my flute pieces. I connected them, twisting the sliver in all the right places. Sayuri—with her pretty green eyes, looked at me (I could have sworn she wanted to say something) but her eyes started to water and she kept her mouth closed. I immediately frowned, my heart dropping. This was worse than feeling any kind of pain... When someone you knew—someone you loved was having a horrible, horrible time.

I could barely position my mouth on my flute, but I knew Sayuri needed this. Just when I was about to give up all hope, Akuma stood next to me with his guitar in his hand. He nodded at me and I glanced at him. Camilla put her hand on my shoulder and nodded, positioning her violin. "You don't do anything alone from now on, King Klaus." I knew she meant nothing but good from that, but what was left? How many Nocuous were still alive? Six hundred? One hundred? None? I was just not too optimistic about this at all. Tammy held her maracas in her hands and stood next to Camilla. It warmed my heart to know that I still had my dear, good friends. We had been through a lot together, and upon remembering those memories, I let off a slight smile. Honest to God I was going to miss being with these guys. I was going to miss a lot of people—people that weren't here anymore. And the thought made me cry while I felt the vibration inside of my flute. My tears rolled down my cheek and splashed on the silver of my flute. Subsequently, the sky lit up in those multicolored, florescent balls of light.

Sayuri twirled, the lights scattering all around. They were so warm... They felt like dry snow flakes. No, balls of useless fluff. The anagram underneath her feet was glowing stronger now, the roman numerals on it flickering a glowing, green color. I closed my eyes, wanting so hard to forget everything that happened. I wouldn't open them again until I felt that everything would go back to normal, but I did anyway. Was it just the fact that I was crazy, or that I really did like when bad things happened to me? Everyone who wasn't doing anything productive stood and watched Summoner Sayuri. Nenne had his arms folded, his gun leaning against his leg. Professor Ever was sitting on the ground, her mouth wide open as she played with one of the balls of light. Honovi stood over her, watching her superior. Chio seemed to like the light too. The balls made her smile, while Miyuki just stared at them, refusing to touch one.

"What are these...?" Alula asked, blinking. Then she smiled. "Oh! I know! I recognize these all so well! These are the souls of the dearly departed!" The glee in her voice made me flinch. So souls were surrounding us? These were the souls of people that've died? "Yeah, I heard Kohana talking about these one day. When people die, their souls separate from their bodies. Some people go to the world beyond pretty easily... But the ones who don't end up turning into monsters." She paused, tapping her chin. "Wicked Spawn, to be precise. Though they're not different than the ones that come off the Wickedness. They the same, but... Some restless souls turn into more terrifying monsters. Though this show is pretty, these are all the souls that couldn't journey to the other side!"

Chase took a step towards Alula. "What do we do with them, then?"

"It looks like..." Alula squinted her eyes, turning around spastically. "Kohana's sending them to the other side as we speak! Yep! There's no doubt about it! She's the only one who can preform The Sending because Sayuri doesn't know it!" Wait, so Kohana was helping out the Dark Ages? Why did she care? Didn't she want to destroy the world? Why was she helping our world out now? "Lady Kohana is so very benevolent! She's putting all the people that've died to rest! Chase, Kohana's so, so awesome isn't she?" Alula's eyes started sparkling and she looked into the sky, gazing at all the pink and purple and green lights. Sayuri heard that and twitched. She moved like she was happy. Her dancing didn't show any amount of pain or suffering. I stopped playing just to stare at her, and I flinched because I felt something drop on top of my head. Was it rain...? I looked up and thousands of little drops crashed down on my world. Invading it. All of us got wet.

Princess Renata clapped her hands together and looked up into the sky, too. Adel just stared at them. The balls of light started to glow even brighter, making some kind of noise. I imagined that they were saying thank you. They were thanking us for putting them to rest. This was just_ over the line _for bittersweet. The rain came down like it hadn't rained in months. The tears kept falling out of my eyes, and like the rain I didn't know when they would stop. Tears come from our wounded and broken hearts from all the pain we've suffered. And I think that everyone who was a part of this mission—a part of this war had a good cry before this point. I'm sure Naira cried when she realized she had the Apathīa, and I'm sure everyone has had a good moment of sobbing.

It's through our tears our hearts can speak, isn't it? Tears come from our thoughts...

Memories that won't believe and from the hurt that still resides with us.

Tears come from happiness. The joys that are from within. From our victories and failures and things that can never happen.

They come from people who both love hate us. From both friends and our enemies. They come from our frustrations and things we should have done. From the help that surrounds us... "Tears come from our heart," I said, nodding my head. "They come from our very souls that just want to let it out. Our sadness and pain... When our lives come together, tears come from our hearts."

Suddenly I realized that no one was really a monster in this war. For if one was capable of crying, it proved that they still had a forever-pumping muscle still sitting in their chest. I positioned my flute again, playing the wondrous melody of my tears, for how else was my heart supposed to communicate?

And so as Sayuri danced with the souls of the dead, she cured the Apathīa all around the world.

I didn't know whether to thank her after she was done dancing, or if that would aggravate her already fragile state.

I wouldn't chance anything, so I stood back watching the lights dance in the sky.

* * *

_This could be the last time you stand here by my side._

* * *

"Princess Renata, what are you doing?" I asked, my eyes wide. I pushed my glasses up with my index-finger. I wanted to touch her hands! A smile crept up on my face as I stared at her in wonderment. You know, I finally realized it wasn't easy being a Summoner! No, not at all. You had people you had to save and people that had families that needed saving... This job wasn't anything like it was on the TVs! I understood now why heroes had it so tough.

My grip tightened around my staff and I looked at the hand Miyuki had put that weird tattoo on. Once I clutched my palm I closed my eyes, letting the calm wind of the Dark Ages caress my hair. Sayuri had done it. She had cured Apathīa. It'd never come back again. Or at least, that's what Professor Ever said. Sayuri had worked a miracle that day. And guess what? Lots of people were still alive! Both Nocuous and Enlightened alike! Renata had ordered that they all be brought to Aysel.

So guess what? Now I had even more people to play with. The Nocuous were very thankful that we had saved them—that we had gotten them out of those frightening, sea creature-like forms. And the Enlighten were just glad to be back and breathing. Renata and Klaus both held meetings and talked to everyone, saying how they needed to come together and help rebuild not only Aysel, but the the world itself. No one fought. No one got angry. They all knew what to do and they trusted Renata and Klaus. And to make the deal even sweeter, they both made a blood oath to stick by each other's side and do whatever it took to make this world livable again.

Sayuri did such a good job cleaning up! I couldn't help but smile just thinking about it. While the Palace in the Sky wasn't cleaned up to the fullest, Sayuri used some of her time magic when she was curing Apathīa with the rain and musica stuff. The bodies were all gone and some of the buildings were put back together somewhat... But the two buildings that looked better than all of the rest? The castle and the Science Department. Sayuri was amazing, but she had her own demons to overcome. She had been crying... Doing nothing but crying for the past three days. Horrible crying, too. Not the kind that you just do... You could hear the pleading in her sobbing. And she didn't care where it was that she broke down. She just... Did. Miyuki said we should leave her alone.

"Summoner Chio, are you asking me something?" Renata asked, tilting her head. Oh yeah! That's right! I nodded my head, standing on my tippy-toes. Renata's amulet was glowing so wonderfully pretty...! And her fingers were glowing too. She laughed at me and I gave her a shy smile in response, holding my hands behind my back. It had been so long since the two of us got to talk and have some real fun like this. Oh gosh, I couldn't get over how nice the wind felt now. It was so warm... So reassuring. It was like the hard part was over and everything was going to be okay.

"Yes, Princess Renata!" I said in a sing-song voice. "What are you doing? You look like you're having a pretty hard time. Is there anything I can do to help you?" Renata looked at me with her soft, amber-colored eyes. She looked just like Aysel and Saivan, but she was more pure. She was... She made me so happy that she would continue to rule the kingdom, even without them here. It made her come off as a strong princess. Like the ones in the books! "I was just wondering. You don't have to tell me. I could always go and help Morta chop up some wood for the rest of the houses!" I gave her a wink and her smile widened.

Morta was really dedicated to chopping that wood up! She was swinging her scythe and perfectly cut slabs of wood was just hit the ground. People stopped to watch her too. It was a win-win situation. Some people didn't like Summoners, but now that they saw we really, genuinely were only here to help their planet grow and survive, we were getting the respect that we deserved. I wouldn't chop the wood myself. I'd just get Shiva to work some of her magic for me. She was awesome in that fight against Aysel. But, aww, that was a memory I didn't want to remember. Remembering bad stuff always made the anagram on the palm of my hand start to glow. It didn't hurt me or anything, but I just wanted to stay happy.

I was fully convinced that everything happened for a reason, and no one could change my mind! The reason I entered Trance Mode and... The reason Lucrecia died... And... The reason we lost so many people in this battle... There had to be some reason for it all. Maybe just a small one, but a reason all the same. Therefore, I wouldn't be sad anymore. I wouldn't cry—I'd be strong and brave through it! I had decided that there would be no more tears for me, ever. And if a tear slipped, I'd just have to suck it up and keep going.

"You all need to get to the Cloister of Trials, right?"

"The Cloister of what?" I asked, dumbfounded. "That sounds important, Renata! What's that?"

"Mmm, okay, I do not think Guardian Miyuki has told you about it, huh?" Oh, I should have asked Miyuki... But I didn't know what it was. "There are eight main worlds the Summoners have to journey to, because these eight worlds have a temple. In this temple there's something called the Cloister of Trials. Only Summoners and their Guardian can enter, and if you're not one you get flung out automatically. Like a cartoon!" She flicked my nose and I laughed a bit. Silly Princess Renata! "The Dark Ages is one of those worlds. Where walks the Lord of Flame, all is cinder and ash... This is where you'll find the temple. Our temple is called Abyssus Incendia." Oh! That sounded really pretty!

"Where is it?" I asked turning around left and right. I wanted to see it!

"Silly, it is hidden. Most worlds have their temple out and ready to enter, but the one on our world isn't so gregarious. Mima and Misa were supposed to be the ones that unlocked the gateway to Abyssus Incendia. But I heard they had died." Renata paused, looking down at the ground. No, I didn't want to see her sad! She had no reason to be upset! Mima and Misa... They were my fault. I said I was sorry plenty of times, too. I didn't mean to get them killed... "It still so hard to call Sayuri 'Kohana' now, but Kohana went to the temple with the same mentality as you. Always wanting more... Always seeking a challenge... And her wolf partner was always ready to follow by her side."

"Really? You mean I'm going to become a great Summoner one day, Renata?"

"Sure." And with that she clutched her hand. She was amazing! "Mima and Misa weren't people. They were simply magical beings. I can reform them with my magic. It is not hard at all." D-did she say she was really going to try to bring them back? Why was Princess Renata so amazing? I loved her so much! "It just takes a lot of concentration, is all. Once Mima and Misa use their finger-pointers to reveal the temple, you all will go inside and solve the puzzles. Once that is over, you all get to learn how to use new techniques." New techniques always sounded nice! I just had one more question for Renata...

"What do we do after with get all of that new stuff?"

When I asked that question, Renata twitched and looked kind of startled. Don't tell me I just made her really sad again! I didn't mean to make her sad, honest! I stepped closed to her and bent over to look at her face. "Princess, what's the matter? Did I ask something that hurt you? You can forget it then, I don't need to know the answer to it—"

"Then you all will leave." There was something about that... It just didn't sound right it was in monotone and Renata didn't look at me. "You will leave just like the Summoners left last time. You people are... Always leaving. Always leaving me with the responsibility to look over the kingdom. To make sure everything is okay when you are gone. Last time I did not do such a good job. Last time I let my father obscure the path of righteousness and I let my mother destroy the world. What if that happens again and I cannot... Can't..."

"Don't worry," I said, smiling. Sayuri used to tell me she loved my smile. I'd use it as a weapon of sparkly happiness! "Princess Renata, we wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you! You helped in the fight too, believe it or not. And you helped so much more... And you're a princess! What more can you ask for! I believe in you fully. And look, you're even trying to bring Mima and Misa back so we can finish our business on the world. And besides..." I paused, putting my hand on her shoulder. "You're one of my best friends!"

"I-I guess so." Renata cracked a smile and looked over her shoulder, glancing at some Enlightened and Nocuous working together to patch a hole in a building. "I guess what I am trying to say is that I will miss all of you so much. I think this is how it feels to lose friends." Without warning, Renata laughed, looking up into the sky. "But then, of course, you all are not the only friends I have lost. It is eating my mind... To know that out of everyone I had within my guard, there's only two now." That was more than what Klaus had, and I think he was taking it even harder. "That is the thing. The people you chose to let travel with you—the people that you fight side-by-side with... Those are your friends. Your _best friends._ And when you lose them, you lose a part of yourself. So I'll try to keep myself this time. I have done good so far, keeping myself together."

"And we'll help you achieve your goal to the fullest, Renata! Really, honest we will!"

"Prince Klaus, however, doesn't seem to be taking all of this very well."

I was about to say something, but then Professor Ever and Honovi walked over by us. Professor Ever was so funny! And she had her hand on her hip and was gazing at Klaus, who was helping with the cleanup. "Of course the poor guy isn't over this yet. Soon as his guard was killed, it sounds like he got hit with a case of acute stress disorder. It's not like PTSD, but it's an anxiety disorder that involves a very specific reaction following exposure to a traumatic event. The kid'll be back on his feet in a couple of weeks." Professor Ever nodded her head pointing her thumb back at Honovi. "Yessir, I take really good care of my patients."

"Professor Ever, Honovi," Princess Renata said, bowing. "How are you today?"

"Peachy-keen," Professor Ever replied, shaking Renata's hand really fast. "Kinda sucks though. Paperwork around here skyrocketed. I'm taking care of every sick person left and right. The Science Department is looking better than ever, now that we actually have some help from our world_ leader_," Professor Ever stressed, being funny as always. "Princess Renata, you're doin' great! You should be all smiles now!"

"I agree!" I shouted, jumping up in the air and smiling. If that's what it took to make her happy! It was my job as a Summoner to make sure everyone was all smiles! Renata looked at his and touched her fingers, forcing another smile again.

"I-I'll try."

* * *

_You can hold me when I'm scared, you won't always be there, so love me when I'm gone._

* * *

Why was everyone smiling? Was there something to smile about here? Was I missing something? My whole life just got turned on its head in a matter of a few seconds! Not everything was happy! Oh, Apathīa is cured? That's great! There's going to be no more feuding against Enlightened and Nocuous? Spectacular, right? I felt like garbage! I felt horrible and I, and I... I felt like an idiot because I wanted them all to come back! All of them! But I didn't know how to do that and I felt stupid because here I was, standing on the outskirts of Austere, yelling into the sky. Renata told me doing this stuff worked before we went out to go find Saivan's castle. I called Kohana a bunch of names and she came back, so maybe this would work... Maybe this would work again.

Or at least one last time!

I closed my eyes as hard as I could, ignoring the tears seeping through my eyelashes.

Was this what I had been reduced to? Nothing more than a big pile of blubbering... I couldn't lead the team like this. Not in this mess. My tears were hot and stung my skin as the rolled down my cheeks... Maybe that was because I had been crying for so long now, but nothing was going to be enough to make me stop. I hated everyone. They all didn't care about all the people that weren't here anymore. Did they not have hearts? No, they had smiles. Big, wide, stupid grins because they were still alive. Renata said we couldn't have a funeral for an individual person because if we did we'd have to have multiple ones, and if we did that we'd have to have a mass funeral. But without bodies that'd be hard, and families didn't like that idea.

I hated myself.

I hated what's on the inside of me and I hated all the things that I should have done but was too scared to do them. Why didn't I die? Why wasn't I one of the people that was unfairly killed in this... In this thing! My tears started to roll down faster. I wasn't anyone important! This world didn't need me. Actually, no world needed me. I was just one person and I was sure the other Summoners could have taken care of things. I wanted to die, yeah. Because even though dying would have sucked, I wouldn't be here, of all places. Here where people didn't care about you at all. I was useless. Why did I hate myself so much? I shouldn't even live... In the end I was just a coward not fit to rise.

And then I miraculously found out Kohana had been in my shoes before. Literally. She's been a Summoner of Time. She had done this already. She knows all the techniques and everything. And she was such a great Summoner that I won't be able to top her and she knows that. That's why she was always laughing at me or snickering at me or messing with me. Why didn't they just get Kohana to lead them? I should have died out there, but they saved me! It made me angry, it made me mad... I didn't know what I was talking about, but it just did! So now I tried to handle what I came down here for. I got away from everyone... From everyone to be able to do this.

I tried to move my mouth, but it was frozen in one place, and that too made me angry. I swat at the air, cursing my stupid luck, but then my mouth decided to open and I ended up falling on my knees, scuffing them in the process. I looked at the ground and my eyes watered again. It stung. It really stung. I didn't save anyone I... Let them all die and... At this point, I was so defeated right now I couldn't even talk. I looked up into the sky, my arms dangling by my side. "Kohana you big, fat, stupid idiot!" I yelled, my face contorting from the pain of the tears. I sniffed, but everything in my vision just... Distorted. There were too many tears in my eyes. "Why'd you do t-that you... Y-you... Come back! P-please come back..." I was reduced to a mere whisper now as I stood back up, but I needed her to hear me. To hear everything that I said.

"The only reason I stuck all of this out was b-because of you, you idiot! I-I'm still waiting for you to come back like you said you would! I-I've waited forever—and now I-I'm finally realizing that you can never come back. You lied to me, you big, dumb idiot!" Yeah, she told me before she disappeared and went to fight Aysel that she'd be back in a second. Does everyone lie to me now? "Leave me alone if you're just going to lie! Go have fun, just ignore me... But please come back..." The wind started to blow harder now and my hair hit my face. And the sting that it left reminded me of Lucrecia... Of death.

And that just made me break down even harder. I would have died two times over for her if I could but... "And you're an even worse idiot, you big fat idiot!" I felt really stupid yelling all of this and then failing to yell... My snot and tears were getting in the way and I was just one big mess. Dark Sayuri would have made fun of me. Or perhaps she was in on this too, smiling and laughing...

I knew this was all too much for me, but I just couldn't let myself fall. No, I just had to be the hero. I thought it would be fun. This was not fun. Tripping on my face was not fun. Now I knew that good deeds just happened; I had nothing to do with them. Thoughts of Kohana whirled in my head. I believed and trusted in her... She took me away from everything and protected me. She listened to me and I believed the words that came out of her mouth. I felt... Loved and cared for when she said she was there whenever I needed her.

She told me that everything would be okay as long as she was still breathing.

I didn't know she was planning my demise—my destruction. And she outright admitted to wanting to destroy me. Her words hurt and it felt like I was being stabbed over, and over, and over, and over again. Kohana didn't care that she left me here bleeding and she didn't even turn around. She just kept walking... Smiling at the torment and torture she's put me through. At how she manipulated and ruined my soul.

I'm the idiot, not them. I fell for her obvious trap. No one was here now with me. I was all alone and I thought of her. But now I saw that she was never my hero.

Kohana, you were just evil in a disguise.

You were always the villain.

* * *

**A/N:** Sayuri needs to get off her high-horse. XD;;

Everyone knows Kohana cares about Sayuri very, very much. She just has a weird way of expressing her love~ Sayuri gets emo way too much, and then when she does she drags her face around really, really bad. I think she gets that from Kohana, personally. Because remember what Kohana was doing at the end of her Dark Ages journey; she angsted so hard she dragged her face all the way through Forsythia. XD;;

So now Apathīa's been cured, Renata and Klaus are working together to restore the kingdom, and Kohana's being such a shady antagonist that you can't really call her one.

Why the hell is she helping the Dark Ages, anyway? XD;; Didn't she just destroy it? Lord knows what she plans sometimes.


	59. You're Trying To Own A Superhero

**A/N:** Lookit! Lookit! I updated again! I'm not supposed to be writing this chapter at all, but I did because I missed CCFA. It's my baby, you know.

Anyway, this chapter this flashback is written in the past, and it's with little!Kohana. Remember, little!Kohana is the one with the sword. The chapter is also written in little!Kohana's point of view. So basically this whole chapter is about Kohana when she was a Summoner. That should clear up any confusion. XD

* * *

Sayuri doesn't know where she is, but there's something... No, fear eats her entire being, making her fingers twitch as she puts her hand against the door in front of her. Her breath catches in her throat and beads of sweat begin to roll down her face. All of a sudden her body gets extremely hot and she starts to claw at her hands. Using her heightened sense of smell thanks to an Essence, she tries to figure out what's on the other side of the door. However, that plan fails. She never meant to open the door, but the large, brown doors slowly creep open, revealing a long bridge that leads up to a circle.

And in that circle someone stands.

Sayuri knows the full extent of her Summoner eyesight and narrows her eyes, trying to look past all of the lights lining up the black and blue tilted floor. She looks past the two blue, seemingly glowing pillars of light and looks straight at the taller pillar in the center. Suddenly, Sayuri notices her friends are right behind her. Nina looks around in complete and utter awe, not daring to take a step forward. Riona clutches her scythe with the utmost care, taking heed of what they may fight next. Jessica holds her her hands close to her heart, her Featherfolk wings twitching. She is afraid of this place. Leyiko wears a blank expression; she's never been one to show her emotions.

The purple-haired girl swallows hard. Isleen died so that they could save the universe. Isleen died and left her job in her hands. This is a responsibility that only she can fulfill. But can she really fill her partner's shoes? Sayuri's mouth is dry... Partly because she's really scared, and partly because she misses Isleen so, _so_ much... This is all for her now, and she takes a step forward, which is followed by another step and another and another... The light from behind the party of five girls shines brightly. Sayuri doesn't change her gameface, glancing at the particles falling from out of the seemingly dark sky disintegrating.

The black figure—once seemingly like it was standing—comes into view. The purple-haired girl licks her lips in anticipation. Their final combatant is dressed in a terrifying suit of black armor, their eyes glowing an ominous red. The person has their head leaned up against their left hand, an act that signals totally and complete boredom. Sayuri stops in front of the person, her fingers messing with her katana. Part of her wants to tuck in her tail and run, but she's not going to let that happen. Taking one firm step forward, she assumes a guarded position.

"Are you..." She pauses, scowling. "Are you the person that's been warping this world?" That came out a little bit calmer than she had expected. The person doesn't give Sayuri an answer; she simply arises from her seat, an action that causes the Summoners to hold their weapons in front of them. Sayuri reaches for her blade. She promises to make Isleen proud.

"You have come." The person's voice is echoy as it is dark; it's bone-chilling and downright scary. "You have come as I knew you must." Sayuri doesn't move. She's determined. She won't let simple words dissuade her. "You have come... Not to bend knee before me, but with bloodied point of sword outstretched." What is she talking about? Sayuri hasn't even drawn the sword yet. She wants to smirk—it's her pride acting up again—but she stays on edge, ready for anything and everything. She stands up straight, confusion spreading across her face.

"What the hell are you saying?"

"If you had only chosen to accept the new world that shall be fashioned, you could have chosen to be released from a world of anguish and become one with me." Sayuri starts to growl at that. She swings her arm across the air, suppressing a roar of anger.

"I'm asking you what the hell you're saying!" The armored woman stands up straight, turning around. Now the party can clearly see the flowers pinned to her cape, an act that makes Jessica gasp and take a step back. She can hardly stand now; it's like the breath has been taken from her body. Nina glances at Jessica, wanting to put her hand on her shoulder but deciding that might not be the best thing to do.

"I am merely saying that we stand in a state of opposition. I am the Apostle of Creation. I am she who governs the well-being of the phenomenon—space and time itself." Sayuri takes a step up, her nostrils flaring.

"So it is you, after all! You're the one destroying this world!"

"I merely serve to hasten the time of change. All is in accordance with the will of life."

"...What does that mean...?" Sayuri says, staring at her opponent.

"Time heeds the will of all life in the universe. Can you not understand it? Life desires change. So that feet no longer drag in the muddy earth. So that hands are no longer tainted by blood. So that hearts are no longer troubled by wrong-doing. Life longs for evolution... Stability. I have heard that longing, and thus, I am here. Yes, all is for the sake of the universe. All is for the sake of life in the universe."

"C'mon!" Sayuri shouts, frowning. "There's no way... No way life wants that! Life wants to walk on its own feet..." she says, raising her hand up for emphasis. "It wants to stretch out its own hands to take what it needs!" she interjects, swiping her hand across the air. "What meaning does evolution have if it doesn't come from within?"

The figure pauses, but only for a moment. "Meaning? There is none. I wish to be the savior of all existence. To deliver life from the cruel fate it remains at the mercy of. That is all I desire."

"Don't... _Don't give me that shit!"_ Sayuri shouts as loud as she can, clenching her fists. "Why would a power that wants to save all existence kill people?"

Jessica starts to tremble, looking down at the ground. "Our friends back on Forsythia... Jackie... Isleen...!" The figure lets out a small gasp, one barely recognizable. Riona clutches her scythe, taking a few steps forward.

"All of the warriors that have participated in this operation... Earthlings, Forsythians, Dark Ages citizens... We five Summoners come from all over."

"And if one considers that you are the cause of the breakdown of this world, your people too are going to become a victim," Leyiko adds.

"Do you really think that the people on this planet is all that are at stake?" the person says in the same, monotonous voice. Sayuri takes a step back.

"What...?"

"If I should succeed in changing the direction of this world... Countless planets... Countless beings beyond your kin have come and gone, unsaved!" Sayuri's arms relax and her eyes dilate. "Do you believe that this form of evolution you claim could have saved them? This world is all too full of life that cannot be saved. Thus, I shall eradicate this universe."

Sayuri's expression completely disappears. She tilts her head and looks intently at the woman in front of her. "Do you... Do you even get what you're saying? So you realize how _insane_ that is?"

"Insane?" the person says, tilting her head. "Why is that insane?" she asks, slowly.

_"What?" _Sayuri cries out in frustration.

"In the new universe, life shall be one, but also all. No sadness, no pain, no fear of death. It will be a world in which all may be saved. Truly the universe will be handed the evolution that life desires..." Sayuri's eyes dilate again and she looks all around the room they're in, searching for an answer. Memories start to replay in her head and she pales.

"That's no different from... Are you saying that this universe isn't fit for the regular kind of evolution? That you're going to create your own?"

"Exactly so. Hence I shall eradicate this universe. A universe that cannot be saved must not be permitted to exist." Leyiko looks at a panel on her robotic arm and glances directly at Sayuri.

"Sayuri, are you sure that this person standing in front of us is a fragmentation of a dream? I'm sensing an actual pattern of thought different from those that have come before. She seems to express a desire... Or perhaps... More like a wish. But her words and actions run contrary to that wish."

"You're going to destroy what you want to save?" Jessica asks, her eyes watering. "That's just wrong!" Sayuri stands up straight, unsheathing her katana.

"You will fight me then?" the woman asks.

"You said it yourself. We're in a state of opposition. We were born here on the backs of more people than I can count. Their lives, the universe they live in... We won't let you deny them!_ You will not be allowed to erase them!"_ Sayuri shouts, pointing her katana at the mysterious woman. The woman draws a sword of her own as it starts to glow red.

"So be it. Let us prove ourselves. You who have made your way here step-by-step, and I who have managed to obtain all the power I desired... Let us see who's path is correct!"

Sayuri immediately swings her katana to her side, taking a huge step forward. "Bring it on!" she shouts, signaling the Summoners behind her to get ready for a fight.

* * *

**-: Chapter Fifty-Nine: You're Trying To Own A Superhero :-**

_See how clean the water is where you are_  
_Wash off your handcuffs_  
_And know the hidden messages you hear,_  
_They aren't real._  
_You tricked your mind to feel._

_For your future's sake,_  
_I've got advice I'd advise you to take_  
_Don't keep betting._

— "On Letting Go" — Circa Survive

"Listen, Sweetie, I know what I'm doing..."

Humph. Hiroyuki's voice is just a dime away from coming off as a little flamboyant. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? Hiroyuki is the very definition of flamboyant. I can't believe I've gotten such a slob of a Guardian. I glare down at him, because, well, he deserves all of my glares. He's on all fours, and he's in his little animal form. Hiroyuki is part wolf... I have to keep reminding myself that. And no matter how flamboyant and extremely irritating he is, he is helping me show Isleen how to be human. I lean up against the wall, closing my eyes. I wonder if Isleen knows what the meaning of her name is...? It means "dream". See, I even named her with a little love! Finding a last name for her was the difficult part... To give her something that sounded human, but not the same as mine... Isleen Chevalier. I think it sounds pretty. I poke my face, shaking my head. I never thought becoming a Summoner automatically meant that I was going to have to go around naming my teammates. Hiroyuki yawns and then he gets serious, walking over to me.

It's really hard to take him seriously some times.

But then you kind of remember that he's a trained badass; he just likes to hide behind the people he's supposed to be training a lot. The scar on his eye though is enough to know that he was in something big. "See!" he exclaims, doing a little dance. His wings are fluttering too. "Guardians always wait until the Summoners are done with their business in the world to go to the temples, but I say hoo-hay to that. We need to go to this temple, and we need to go to it now. It wouldn't make sense to go to the temple when you first get to a world, because that's stupid, and it wouldn't make sense to go at the end of the world because that seems really stupid. We'd be tired and exhausted." True. I touch my chin, looking at the ceiling. Why is there a part of me that wants to shove Hiroyuki into the fan blade? "So we're going to go right now." What.

It's nighttime. As in, everyone is sleep. I'm instantly appalled by my Guardian's logic and I fold my arms, staring at the wall in front of me. I need to get out of the Science Department. This place scares me, even though I won't admit it... I can't admit it, because I'm the leader. The Summoner of Time. Me being scared of something means the whole world will blow up, you know? There's a little plant sitting next to me and a crack a smile, glancing at it. Even though the plant doesn't have any flowers on it, it's still a plant, and whenever I see one it makes me slap happy... Because my mom used to hate flowers. And it's only because of her that I love them so much. Hiroyuki pouts, slamming himself on the ground.

"What's so wrong about going to the temple now?" he whines. "We can do it when everyone's asleep, Sweetie! I didn't mean that you had to go and wake everyone up; I meant that we could go! Just the two of us!" Why, because Nina's scared to death to summon her Aeons, Leyiko doesn't know what she's doing, and Isleen can barely stand on her two feet and keeps snarking this world and everyone in it? Hey, does being a Guardian require high levels of snakage and just being plan stupid? What if we do go without them, huh? Don't we need to bring them there anyway? I sigh, glancing down at him. He's looking at me too, and we look at each other for a while. "All I want to do is make things right with you, Sweetie. You're the reason why we can never have nice things."

I smirk a bit, standing up straight. "I thought it was because the bad guys keep blowing up our shit..." Hiroyuki will pay for almost killing me on Spectra, though. Did he think I actually forgot about that? I fix the gloves on my hands and walk closer to him, and of course he backs up into the corner, looking at me like I'm crazy. Okay, so what if I am?

"Let's be civil about this!" he pleads. "In my defense, I _fully _expected the fire to kill you!"

"I don't like being singed, Hiroyuki," I say, closing my eyes. "You deserve everything that I'm about to do to you!" I bend down and grab his neck, and then as soon as I do I start shaking him around. And then he turns into his human form and starts slobbering on me. I don't like slob! It's the nastiest thing in the world to do to a person! I freak out on the inside and instead of throwing Hiroyuki across the room, I let go of him. Mostly because I hear footsteps. Hiroyuki touches his throat and then sighs, poking the crescent circles underneath his eyes. What are those? Tattoos or something? I've never asked him, but they look cool. We both stand up straight and you know... My Guardian is trying to catch his breath. I didn't even choke him that hard.

"Hey, are you guys doing okay in here?" I rub my eyes and a squint really, really hard, but I guess it's not that hard to tell when Issaru comes out of complete nowhere, since he's like a big orange blur in my vision. He walks up to his and puts his hands behind his back. I don't like being accused of something I didn't do, so immediately I point at Hiroyuki, which scares him straight to hell.

"He started it!" I insist, sticking my index-finger at the Celestial Being's nose. "In Spectra, Issaru! Honestly! Hiroyuki wanted us to meet his insane mom! And you know, I tried to be nice to that lady. So I walk up to her and go 'Hello Miss Sanshain, how are you today?' And she gives me this blank look and goes, 'I'm dying everyday.'" I pause, bringing my hands up to my chest. "How the hell do I respond to that, you ask? Of course I do the sensible thing and look really confused. Confused out of my mind. And then I do the only thing I can think of and go 'What?' She's fast to answer me too, and she goes: "I'm living. I'm growing old. I'm dying everyday.' In _monotone!_" Now Hiroyuki looks like he wants to add something to this conversation. I'm not going to let him! I slide in front of him, throwing my arm out.

"So I go 'I'm, uh, sorry to hear that.' I shuffle my fingers, because usually everyone's happy when Summoners come to Spectra. It was Isleen, Nina and I. And Hiroyuki's mom goes 'Thanks for your concern, Sayuri. That's very nice of you to say.' So I'm pretty confused, so I go find Hiroyuki, who's laid out on the couch, and I poke him a couple of times. And I was like 'Hey, your mom just told me—'"

"—Yeah! And I said I knew she was dying, Sweetie!"

I grit my teeth and stand on my tiptoes. "You don't joke like that!" I holler. I swear there's fire coming out of my mouth. "I tried to help her out by reversing whatever sickness she had with my time magic and Hiroyuki_ roasted_ me. Don't even ask me how, but all I saw was fire. So I was just strangling him because I owe him a very elaborate ass-whooping." I pause, taking this precious moment to reclaim my breath. Realizing how stupid the two of us must look right now, I bow and extend my hand out towards Issaru.

"That's pretty... Impulsive of you, Sayuri," Issaru says, sweatdropping. Whatever. I mean I just don't like being lit on fire for no reason. "I didn't know attacking your Guardian was allowed..."

"It's not!" Hiroyuki whines. "She's just got balls!"

"No I_ do not!"_ I hiss, glaring at him. "If I did, I wouldn't be wearing a skirt." For a moment I take my anger away from Hiroyuki and look at Issaru. "Anyway, I know you're probably wondering why we're still awake and everyone is asleep." I pause, scratching the back of my head. "I haven't been able to sleep right... But that's okay, because I think that'll just end up going away soon and I'll be able to sleep like a fat baby." I put my hands on my hips, giving a smile because I know at the end of the day I'm right. I hope... The kind of dreams I've been having lately aren't the kind of dreams that I would want to dream of all the time, you know...? "Hiroyuki's talking about going to some kind of temple."

I slump my shoulders, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, yeah, that's what we're going to be doing." I sigh, leaning against the wall again. Why are things so difficult around here? Hiroyuki dusts himself off, his eyes still closed.

"You know, I really shouldn't encourage you," he adds, sticking his index-finger in the air. "You will turn into an awful person who will do nothing but attack everyone who poses a threat to you when you get older. I can see it now! I hate to be the unlucky guy who ever marries you."

"I'm already that awful person, Hiroyuki," I reply, really serious. "And since I've already decided my fate, why try to avoid the unavoidable?"

"Isn't Sayuri just lovely?" Hiroyuki sighs, waving his hand in the air. He just always sounds so dramatic all the time... I roll my eyes and clutch my fists, looking at the black gloves on my hands. I am the Summoner of Time, so it's my job to make sure everyone is alive and breathing on this world... Before I came to Aysel, I was in Austere first, and just thinking about the pain and suffering going down there... I clutch my fist, looking up at Issaru. He's the big guns around here, so maybe he's trying to do something to help the Nocuous? Argh, I hate intruding, and I don't get what Hiroyuki means about this "World affair" stuff. It's really confusing. Do I barge in this Austere and Aysel business because it's my duty as a Summoner to make sure everyone's okay, or do I just leave it alone because I have nothing to do with this war? My Guardian is such a coward that he doesn't even want to be anywhere near Nocuous from fear of being blown to pieces by Enlightened. I wish they would touch my Guardian. I'll have them all breathing in a broken mess.

I put on my serious face, looking at Issaru. A whole bunch of stuff has been going on around this world that I can't say I really like. First that funeral for Renata's sister... And no one wants to tell me what actually happened to her... Honestly, I think Renata's delusional. I don't think she's capable of killing her sister. And then there's these damn beasts showing up all of a sudden. I don't know about anyone else, but Austere used to be pretty beautiful and friendly before these monsters started popping up, and they're not Wicked Spawn by far. I just can't get my head around this world and the mystery that surrounds it. And I want to help people. Yeah... I want to help people more than anything. I don't want anyone dying on my watch.

When I first became a Summoner, I was ready. That day where I met Hiroyuki... It was funny, because he was running from the plasma Essence. And you know what? The plasma Essence is no pushover; I should have gotten my ass beaten by it. Hiroyuki was surprised by the plasma Essence showing itself on Earth, too. It usually resides in the back of the universe. Hiroyuki just... Ran straight past me, yelling at the top of his lungs in his wolf form and I followed him. Yeah, it was just really crazy, but Suzuki helped me take that Essence out, and it was the first time I had ever had a real, legit battle. I wanted to do more stuff like that and save more people, because let's face it—saving people feels really good. I went to sleep happy that day. I realized that Hiroyuki wanted me away from my mother, and he said we were leaving that same night. Without so much as a goodbye or anything. I was sad, for a while, but then I started looking at all the good I could do...

The pros outweighed the cons.

Hiroyuki didn't want me to drag my family into this. …So we just left... Don't worry, I made sure to leave her a note, telling her about the Summoner project and how I was destined to become this hero... But then that plan went straight to hell because I had gotten attacked while I was in my house writing the note, and that's when I met Isleen. She had her staff in her mouth and was fighting the float Essence. My mom went berserk. So now I had a wolf and a Celestial Being standing by my side and no explanation for our now-destroyed house. We explained everything to her and she looked very brokenhearted. She told me to go and fulfill my dreams. My mother understands my struggle and what I must do. How cool is that? ...Except I miss her...

This is all just too hard. I'm only one person, and I have a team of people who really don't want to work. I shake my head and look at the scientist in front of me. "Hey, Issaru. What's going on with the Nocuous down in Austere?" It's a question that makes both men flinch. I'm sure Hiroyuki wants to tell me something... I'm sure he wants to say how it's none of my business, but dammit it is my business! "So you know how we were down there before we came up here, right? I met a girl down there. Valerie. She's not that much older than me, you know... She's looking for her friends and all, and she taught me how to use this really cool magic if I agreed to help her find her friends. Normally she charged money for it, but she said I was an exception, since I was a Summoner and all. Isleen was against it, but she's normally against anything I say..."

I shrug my shoulders, looking at the ceiling fan turn. "Maybe I'm asking the wrong person, but you know, I think Leyiko was a Nocuous, even though she can't really remember who she was after you guys meddled with her, but why is there all this hate going around? I mean, they're people just like you guys are people."

Issaru folds his arms, his pristine lab-coat trailing behind him. "Sayuri, it's been this way for as long as I can remember, but we've only just had a war with them. That girl you're talking about? Her friends probably were fighting in the war—"

"Do I look stupid to you?" I say, cracking a smirk and quirking a brow. And yes, of course Issaru takes a step back. I swear, just because I'm sixteen doesn't mean I'm really oblivious to everything around me. I have a mind of a war general and the tact of one. I've been playing this game for far too long. I even helped saved the Dream Realm when I was little. I do this kind of stuff all the time. "Here's why that sounds like something you've just pulled out of your ass. The Nocuous down there are _scared. _They all want to do war with your people, but uh, you guy's "government" has them scared. As far as I know, and as far as I can tell, they wouldn't even speak out against you people." I pause, scoffing. "And yet you guys are having a nonexistent war..."

"So you didn't hear about the accident in Austere?" Issaru says, sighing. Hey, if anyone should be sighing, it's me. Why the hell do I have to go to different worlds to untangle everything? "A Nocuous opened fire on an Enlightened soldier, and it all spiraled downwards from there. We tried to help them." Trying isn't enough. Trying to help someone will never be enough, dammit! You have to act on it! And he's not answering my main question. Why are the Nocuous even down there in the first place? My face darkens and I look down at the ground, because I know why that story Issaru told is dead wrong. And the sad part is that I may be the only person who actually knows about it. I don't want to tell Issaru about the truth, but I kinda sorta do... I open the palm of my right hand and my wand appears in it.

"Hey, Sayuri, what are you doing?" Hiroyuki asks, staring at my wand. I don't even say anything. Purple partials fall down from the air and Hiroyuki starts to close his eyes, falling asleep. He crashes down on the ground and my wand disappears. Thank the Lord for the sleep Essence. Now I can finally say what I need to. I crack my fingers, looking back at Issaru.

"That story has been getting pushed around this place for a while, hasn't it?" I ask, folding my arms. "Your story is fake; the Nocuous who presumably 'shot' that Enlightened soldier was being mind-hacked by our friend here." I pause, licking my lips. "And I know you know who I'm talking about." Issaru isn't one to play games and to act like he doesn't know something. He nods his head and then closes his eyes. "Cool, we're on the same page. And I learned that little piece of information from Renata herself. She said it was a secret she had been keeping to herself for a while. Your King is_ insane,_ Issaru, and yet you still chose to work for him. Why?"

I adjust the glove on my right hand. "I'm not an idiot, I swear I'm not. I still love all of you guys, but this isn't going to work. You go and you help Professor Nero out and you look like you just want to die. You don't want to help him with whatever it is you guys are doing. You don't have to tell me what it is, but just know that I've seen what power and corruption can do to people." I tap my forehead for emphasis. "In my dreams, I see futures. I don't really want to see them, but I see them anyway. Issaru, whatever it is that Professor Nero is doing, you have got to stop him. I can't do it by myself, okay?" My voice cracks and now I start to look like I'm going to cry. Nice job, emotions. Make me lose it. I'm tired of holding all of this stuff in. "I'll be honest here—I never expected being a Summoner to be like this..."

"Sayuri, you—"

"If you have all of this power, then why are you sitting back doing nothing?" I shout, pointing my index-finger at him. I'm growling a little bit, too. "You know that no good is going to come out of what's transpiring, but you stand by these actions like they're not going to decide the fight of the world! Your world!" I stomp my foot on the ground, blinking away a few tears. "What you do right now, Issaru, determines the fate of this world and everyone that resides in it! And yes, I know that you're only one person, but I'm counting on you! I can't bring change to one side of the world and turn my back on the other. If I help the Nocuous out," I interject, walking to one side of the room. "I'll turn my back on the Enlightened. If I help you all out, I'll be the reason Nocuous cease to exist. You know something? You and you alone have the power to help both sides. I don't. Make the most of it."

I look down at the ground, shaking my head. "_Please._"

I clap my hands together, noticing how pathetic I must look right now. Begging someone for help is not my style, but for right now I can't be picky. "With my sword... I'll... I'll make sure everything's alright in the end, I promise. But for right now, I need to be sure that you're doing all you can do to help me."

Issaru takes an intake of breath, closing his orange eyes and then opening them again. "But you do understand that this is highly dangerous, right, Sayuri?"

I stand up straight and crack a smile. "That's what being a hero is all about. Putting your neck in danger for the people you care about. I'm risking my life for everyone on this world. All I ask is that you do the same."

I know I'm lying to this man straight through my teeth.

You never have to die to be a hero. It's just a prerequisite. But I'll do everything in my power to make sure he's all right.

* * *

_If blood is thicker than water, then you'll drown quicker than we intended._

* * *

Sayuri can try to avoid me all she damn well likes, but she's going to answer me and I am going to get an answer out of her! I growl, the ground feeling a whole lot colder than it did when we walked on this land the first time we came to this world. My staff is in the confines of my teeth. We're inside of the Dark Ages' temple, and it doesn't look any different from the miniature shrines we had back home. I hate this world. I hate it, hate it, hate it. It smells like death and conspiracy, but Sayuri wants to be a brat and not listen to me. She makes me angry. So angry... I start to growl again and Sayuri kicks at me, an action that makes me jump back.

"Calm down, puppy," she says sarcastically, folding her arms. "What's got you so jumpy, Isleen?" I sit my staff on the ground and glare at Sayuri. Nina and Leyiko are ahead of us, and Hiroyuki's trying to make sure that neither one of them touch something on accident. This temple is filled with traps, and we've already been shot at. And on top of that it's very hot in this temple... As if there's something big and bad waiting for us in the center of this place. I continue to growl and lick my lips, staring at my leader.

"Are you still talking to those wrenched people, Sayuri?"

"Huh?" Sayuri says, touching her hair. "Oh, you're talking about Saivan and them right?" She narrows her eyes at me and continues to walk forward. She drives me absolutely mad! She has an attitude problem the size of a planet herself. "Why wouldn't I? Don't you think it's required that I talk to as many people as I can?" 'Talking' is not the same as 'befriending', and she knows this. I put my staff back into my mouth and use my shape shifting technique to morph into my human form, taking my staff out of my mouth and holding it in my left hand. "Besides, it's not hurting you, is it Isleen? Now stop bantering and focus on the problem at hand. We just got out of the Cloister of Trials, so we really need to just make it to this main hall so we can get our new techniques." The skull earring in my left ear starts to jangle around, and that's due to the fact that I'm growling more now than ever.

"Why do you decide to set yourself up for things like this?" I scowl. "All of those people are no good, and I'm not going to tell you again, Sayuri!" She stops, completely shocked. There's a part of me that wonders whether or not Sayuri senses the same, forbearing evil around this world that I do. Even though I am an animal and thus have a greater relationship with nature, I think Sayuri has a greater tie with the planet than I do, which could be due to her Summoner powers. "There's something about this world that makes me want to destroy _everything_, and I know you feel that too. And I don't know about you, but having an urge to destroy everything is not a good urge. Everyone here are despicable people with even shadier agendas. Everyone on this world is—"

"Stop it."

"Why, Sayuri? You know it's the truth, you sicken me—"

"I said stop it, stupid!" I close my mouth and glare at the Summoner of Time. She has her fists balled up and brought down to her sides. "I don't care what you think about these people, it's your job as a Summoner to make sure they're all alive and safe!"

"As if I'd continue to fight for these... _Things_!"

"Take it back, they're doing the best they can!"

"Or are you just imagining that they are because you have this false sense of pride and honor, Sayuri? Blind—all of you humans are!"

"Oh, so now you want to come at my race, Isleen? Well then, okay, fine, let's settle this right here and now!" My eyes widen, but my animalistic instincts aren't going to let that one slide. I hold my staff with one hand and swing wildly to my left side, smacking some kind of monster so deep into the temple that it rolls about three times before crashing against the wall, leaving a pretty large imprint. Sayuri unsheathes her sword and we both look around. "I'm going to kick your ass later, Isleen. Right now, we've got some business to take care of." I don't care what kind of threats Sayuri puts out. She's as bad as the rest of them. Hanging around death and all of his friends... Does she want to die? The war these people are having? It's going to be what kills them all, and any smart person knows that. The other members of our team might not, but I know damn well Sayuri does.

She runs in front of me, her long, purple hair trailing behind her. Spears fly towards her and she dodges each and every one of them, sometimes deflecting the piercing objects with her sword. I, of course, use my staff and smack any spear I see flying my way into a wall. With Sayuri's natural ability to run fast and my animal genetics, we reach the main chambers. Hiroyuki, Leyiko, and Nina are standing in one spot, like they've just been put under a spell. "Isleen!" Sayuri shouts. I don't need to hear what she wants me to do. I already know. I hold my staff in the air, my grip tightening on it. "Use Esuna to—Isleen, what the hell are you doing?" My staff warps into a sword and I snarl at Sayuri. With the others out of the way, I'll knock some sense into her!

"You were talking all of that crap just a moment ago," I hiss darkly, my sword pulsating. "Let's see you try to fight me now. I'm going to show you that you can't put your damn life on the line for people that are just going to end up dying later anyway! To want to save this world is to betray my trust, and I'm not going to sit here and let you betray everything I've put into the trust I have for you. It's either me or them—show me that you're strong enough to handle saving us all!" Sayuri's eyes widen and I've caught her off guard. We've always argued like this, but we've never had a full blown battle. It's in my blood to defend whatever I believe in with a battle. I'm not going to bite my tongue for some lowly human girl who doesn't know when to save her own hide!

Sayuri snarls at me, and then she swings her sword to the side. "While the others are hurt, Isleen?" she roars. "Have you lost your mind?" I dash towards Sayuri, not permitting another word to leave out of her mouth. She blocks my swing with her sword (she has been using her sword longer than I have) and her strength sends me staggering across the room. "I'm going to beat some sense into you Isleen! The world doesn't revolve around you!" she shouts, bringing her sword over her head. She's going to bring it down on top of me with all the strength she has, and for a moment I think she has forgotten that I'm her teammate. Fine, if this is how she wants to fight this fight, then I'm going to gladly play this battle a little bit more seriously! I bring my left arm into the air and Sayuri's sword collides into my arm, sparks flying into the air.

I twitch my nose, marveling at how confused Sayuri looks. She looks like she's just lost all hope. My arm reverts from its monstrous form (Class A-level Wicked Spawn have very sturdy skins that have a resistance to swords) and I grab Sayuri's blade, swinging both she and her sword to the other side of the room with a loud grunt. I try to catch my breath, witnessing the Summoner of time fly in the air. It looks like she's going to hit a bench, and hit it she does. She collides into the first bench, sliding back and hitting the other benches behind that one. But when she finally stops moving, she sits on the bench she's behind, stabs her sword into the air, and smirks as she watches me hyperventilate.

"Tch." I tilt my head, daring to stand up.

"So, you really want to fight me, huh Isleen?" Sayuri says, nice and slow. She leans back, pulls her sword out of the ground, and then smiles at me. "Fine. We'll do this battle for real then. I'll show you what it means to be a Summoner." I grin at that accusation. No one ever said I wanted to follow her in the first place. I'm a wolf—it's not in my nature to follow anyone. I walk over to my staff and pick it up, watching it morph into my long blade.

"Be careful with what you wish for, Sayuri," I reply, putting the sword over my shoulder. Because I don't believe in giving my prey any type of warning, I kick a bench over towards her and it comes at her at full speed, pretty much destroying all of the other benches. Wood and metal scatters everywhere but Sayuri jumps into the air, using her Summoner abilities to get the upper-hand on me. As long as she has some sense of time, she can tell the future, giving her an advantage against me. I jump in the air too, aiming to slice straight through the unworthy sack of life, but we end up clashing with our swords. Sayuri comes back to the ground, that infuriating swagger she has radiating off her. She's walking towards the wall, her sword laying against her shoulder. She turns around and sees me, and I of course immediately see the sparkles on her corset.

Everything about her sickens me.

"I'm going to make you wish you never agreed to fight me," I hiss. Sayuri smiles, looking at all of the destruction we've caused in this holy place. The Summoners who go here after us are going to be pissed, because we've pretty much destroyed all of the artifacts.

"Whatever you say, Isleen." She nods her head, walking closer towards me. I jump in front of her, both of my arms glowing blue. With my staff in my right hand, I growl as loud as I can and my eyes light up. Calling upon all of the power in my arm, I bring it back and then slam it into her sword. Ha! She thought a simple sword was going to be able to stop my assault? Sayuri flies backwards and I don't let her catch herself. While she's floating horizontally in midair I grab her right hand—the one she holds her sword with. I use this time to take advantage of her weakness and punch her right in the face. She slams into the concrete, cracks traveling throughout the very room that we're in. In fact, I'm finding it very hard to keep my balance, because the two of us are standing on nothing but broken up marble now. Sayuri's sword flips into the air and sticks itself into the ground several feet away from us.

Something just takes over me and I lose it.

I frown and start punching Sayuri's face over and over and over again until my muscles run out of strength. Punch after punch, and she doesn't move or plead with me to stop. I realize I've taken this fight too seriously, but nothing makes me more angrier than people who don't listen. After I punch Sayuri a forty-seventh time, her Summoner outfit starts to disappear and reappear, time symbols floating around her. I ignore them. Finally, I grab her by her infuriating purple locks and throw her right into a statue of Evreet, giving her my famous roar. I grab her sword and I throw it at her too.

She hits the statue and bounces back off of it because of the impact. I almost laugh at the look of despair on her face, because she knows that sword is coming next. It slices straight through her chest and pins her to the statue. She hangs there. I catch my breath, standing up straight. My magic wears off and my arms turn back to normal. Looks like Sayuri doesn't have the means to protect everyone, which means she can't save the Dark Ages. Which means we should leave now before anything bad happens. She brings her arms down and sighs, and when I hear that sigh I turn around, stretching my arms out and cracking my neck.

"Nice disguise, Evreet!" Nina shouts, prancing from another room. Hiroyuki and Leyiko follow behind her. "You almost fooled us for a while there! You clever Aeon you!" I inhale, growling again. Balling up my fists, the Sayuri with the sword impaled into her chest pulls it out and falls to the ground, smiling. My leader, the real Summoner Sayuri puts her hand on my back, smirking.

"Good job, Isleen," she says, nodding her head. "Now come on, team! We need to take this thing down so we can save this world! I want no slacking, this is an Aeon, so make this fight the best one you've ever fought!" Sayuri unsheathes her real katana, getting into a fighting position. Leyiko's hands start burning brightly and she stands next to me.

"I am here to be of assistance, Madam Isleen."

"Woohoo~!" Nina shouts. "C'mon Shiva! It's your time to shine!" Nina jumps in the air and Shiva appears right next to her, standing tall with a wall of ice crystals surrounding her. Sayuri taps my back and smiles at me.

"You wouldn't really punch me that many times in my face, would you...?"

Before I can answer, the fake Sayuri standing in front of us explodes into a fury of dangerous flames. Everything around us gets really hot and fire coats the entire room. It's hanging from the walls, from the ceiling, and what stands before us is a beast-like, fire-elemental Aeon brown skin and long claws. It's bigger than us, but I know none of that matters. I glace at Sayuri and see the unwavering fire in her eyes... Fire that's much brighter than anything Evreet could turn out.

This is Sayuri Outtaike, my leader.

I have the best leader in the world, because she can look in the face of near death and not be afraid of it. She'll take on any situation... Battle with any odds even if she knows how dangerous that can be, and will spit right in the face of death. I don't hate her because she seems to want to be friends with the enemies of this world, but because she's gutsy enough to even _chose_ to be their friends, knowing that they'll kill her without a second thought. This is what makes my leader the best leader in the world.

Her persistence. Her determination. Her fire.

And I hope to be like her some day.

* * *

**A/N:** Woo! Someone give it up for Isleen. She's badass. XD;; But uh, yeah, just to make sure no one is confused, I went into the past where Kohana's team went and picked up Evreet and went through the Dark Ages temple, and this is what happened, really it is. XD;; As I've said before, Kohana was a Summoner, so she too had her own little things she needed to fix. The war between Austere and Aysel started just around the time Kohana came, so yeah.

She had her hands full.

Did she know anything about Issaru's death? Maybe. I'm not telling. But most likely, yeah, she did. And she knew a whole bunch of things that she was afraid of talk about. So does this, in the end, make Kohana the reason why the Dark Ages fell so fast? Maybe. XD We all have to remind ourselves that little!Kohana was evil or batshit, so that's a question we'll save for another day.


	60. The Smile That Kills

**A/N:** Hello once again, guys! XD;;

Uh, this chapter is a filler chapter. Yeah, I know, I know. But come on! It's the second filler chapter in CCFA! Yes, there's only been two, and we've got 60 chapters. So. I had so much fun writing this chapter. I even got to place that out of place thing with Professor Ever in here. XD;; Filler chapters are strangely so fun to write... Has anyone else ever got that?

There are a lot of flashbacks in this chapter too.

Also, before I forget... Merry Christmas!

* * *

The team stands in front of the fallen iron-clad woman, hyperventilating. Sayuri can hardly catch her breath she's so tired. That fight was one of the most rigorous things she's ever been a part of. Just when she thinks the battle is over and this world is finally saved, the woman starts to twitch. "So that's all you have?" Sayuri puts on a look of worry, her eyes immediately locking on the woman. How is she still moving? By God, they just beat the crap out of her! "It seems I underestimated you all together too much." With that said, the woman doesn't just get up from the floor.

No. She _floats_ off the floor. First her feet touch the ground, and then the rest of her body stands up straight. Sayuri gets in a fighting stance, still trying to catch her breath. "You won't be able to save a single thing with that kind of power." The other Summoners struggle to stand up straight; Nina tries to clutch her staff and almost falls over.

"No way..." Nina mutters.

"We didn't even scratch her...?" Riona mutters in disbelief. Jessica continues to gasp as the mysterious woman points her red sword at Sayuri, making her step back. Is this person insane? She's can't be this strong after the ass-kicking they just gave her. With each step Sayuri takes back, the rest of the team follows her.

"This weakness of yours. I cannot bare to witness it any longer. No, I cannot even condone its existence." The woman clutches her fist, a storm of dark wind collecting in her palm. When Sayuri doesn't think it can get any worse, the woman thrusts her hand in the air. Purple lightning constricts Sayuri and the others. Instantaneously the Summoners fall on their knees, trying to break free of the dark magic.

"S-stop it..." Jessica murmurs with her eyes closed.

"D-dammit," Sayuri says. "I-I can't..."

"Please!" the woman implores, looking down at Sayuri. "Don't disappoint me any further, Sayuri Outtaike." Upon hearing her name, Sayuri freezes, looking up at her. But all she can see is her red eye...

"H-how... Do you know my name?" Sayuri asks, trying to speak even though she's in so much pain. She stares at the her even harder until something clicks. She finally notices the flowers pinned to the woman's cape and her jaw automatically drops. "Y-you... You can't be..." Those flowers were the same ones she put on Isleen's grave. They were special... One of a kind and you can't find them anywhere else in the universe...

"Stop it Isleen!"

"Isleen!"

Both Jessica and Sayuri speak at the same time as the right side of Isleen's mask cracks, revealing half of her face. Isleen's face is pale... Her eyes are the color of blood and her lips are dry. And yet she looks down at the rest of the Summoners as if they are inferior to her. Leyiko, Riona, and Nina gasp, trying to get a better look at their former comrade. "No..." Nina mutters, blinking.

"Isleen...?" Leyiko says in disbelief.

"Isleen, what are you doing here?" Riona questions. "Wearing that weird outfit...?"

"I see," Isleen speaks in her normal voice. "So you managed to peer beyond my mask, did you? Jessica..." She looks at her former teammate. "I'd never image that you'd be the one to figure me out. When did you realize...?" Jessica stands tall, balling up her fists and staring at the former Summoner of Change.

"I always said that your wolf characteristics clashed with the flowers you wore. Flowers are wrong for you and your personality."

"Heh. You knew all along."

"I-Isleen...!" Sayuri chokes, her eyes watering. Her throat is completely dry. Wasn't Isleen supposed to be dead? "_Why _are you doing this?"

"D-do you... Do you think she's being controlled by something—?" Jessica asks in a state of panic. Isleen glances at the Featherfolk.

"No Jessica, not at all. I stand here before you through my own free will. I became something more... Something better. This dream gave me a wonderful, wonderful power. It was a grand power that will bestow dramatic evolution upon not just this world, but the entire universe. As I bathed into the light, I saw a world in which all might be saved beyond the barrier of evolution. If all things in the universe were to undergo this new transformation equally, a world without sorrow would be born." Isleen pauses, looking at how determined Jessica is. She suddenly remembers everything that happened in Forsythia. "None will lose their lives to meaningless rituals." She pauses, looking towards Riona. "None will have their homes easily stolen."

And then she looks at Sayuri, making her seethe. "None will destroy their own planet in ignorance. An eternal paradise. A land free from pain and sorrow. I've obtained the power to fashion such a world. Is this not the very quintessence of evolution?" Isleen asks with a slight smile.

"No!" Sayuri shouts. "Evolution isn't something forced upon you by an external power! There's no value in that at all! Your evolution is just a glittering box with nothing inside of it." Sayuri balls up her fist, her body trembling. "We have to move forever forward... Step by step! Inch by inch! Make our hearts worthy! Only then can we finally evolve. Yes, we may make mistakes from time to time but... But that's the only way we can continue to live."

Jessica nods her head. "You were exactly the same, Isleen! You carried your aspirations and walked together with us!"

"Indeed," Isleen agrees. "And who did that save in the end...? For example. Sayuri... You remember those people that introduced you to those rare flowers on Forsythia, right? The ones that are on my cape?" The wolf-girl turns around, showing Sayuri the flowers. And that makes the Summoner of Time choke. "These are the flowers that I thought were_ so _pretty. A girl from the Heavenly Tribe gave you these flowers. Her name was... Ah. I suppose I never had the chance to ask."

Sayuri narrows her eyes, her voice low. "What are you trying to say?" Before Isleen can answer, their surroundings change. Now everything looks dark and bleak. Sayuri turns around, trying to figure out what just happened. Isleen isn't standing in front of them any longer, but Sayuri and the others can still hear her.

"Isn't it just wonderful how Jessica was saved?" Isleen questions in a taunting voice. "Every single member of the Heavenly Tribe was slaughtered. Right in the place we saved her." Sayuri takes a glance at Jessica, seeing the stress she's undergoing. "Do you understand now, Sayuri? In this universe, there will always be those you cannot save. People whose names will remain unknown to us forever." The Summoner of Time runs forward but not for long. Her energy instantly burns out and she slows down. The others slow down as well, slumping over and struggling to keep moving.

"What is this place...?" Nina asks. "Everything's pitch black...!"

"The composition of this place is completely alien to me," Leyiko inquires. "I imagine we've been confined in a different dimension."

"How do we escape it?" Riona adds, quirking a brow. Sayuri stands up straight, turning around.

"Frankly I can't even guess..."

"No!" Nina shouts. "What about this world? What about the universe? The universe is going to be... Mom and Dad! Everyone! These things Isleen is using... The Fragmentations will kill them all!" Nina falls on her knees, extremely exhausted. Sayuri looks down at the ground, frowning.

"Dammit. If we can't get out of here, the entire universe will be—What are we supposed to do?" Sayuri's energy is all drained out; she can't warp them out of this dimension even if she tried. But instead of losing hope, she feels a white light surround her. It's bright and warm, and she can see it in the distance. "W-what's that light...?"

"I don't see any light..." Jessica replies.

"Are you sure you're not just seeing things?" Riona asks, folding her arms.

"Huh? Nobody else can see it? But that light... I feel like I know it... Let's go people."

"Where to?" Leyiko says, stretching. "Do you have some method on how to escape this dimension?"

"I don't really know." Sayuri looks up into the black sky. "I feel like I want to believe in this." She turns around looking at her teammates. "So I need you all to believe in me! Please!" After a long moment of silence, Sayuri turns around only to be met with the same white light. "C'mon. Let's get going."

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty: The Smile That Kills :-**

_Where the quiet-coloured end of evening smiles,_  
_Miles and miles_  
_On the solitary pastures where our sheep_  
_Half-asleep_  
_Tinkle homeward thro' the twilight, stray or stop_  
_As they crop-_  
_Was the site once of a city great and gay,_  
_(So they say)_  
_Of our country's very capital, its prince_  
_Ages since_  
_Held his court in, gathered councils, wielding far_  
_Peace or war._

— Robert Browning — "Love Among the Ruins"

Sunny days, clear skies... Nothing could go wrong here! The days were looking pretty bright with no chance of rain. Holding my hands behind my back, I shifted my footing, glancing at Honovi. I thought it was time to celebrate! … Well, okay, maybe I thought everyday should be a celebration day. But c'mon! We saved the world. I think, as a scientist, that's a pretty huge accomplishment, don't you think? You can bet a donkey I do! Honovi towered over me being a whole foot and a half taller than I am, but that didn't stop me from looking up at her and gazing into her icy blue eyes. I think I'm the only one in the world that has slate-grey eyes... I mean, not even my parents have them! They thought I got it from some kind of old ancestor or something. I was too lazy to do a background check on myself, and I was just too excited about the kingdom undergoing a huge change. Princess Renata would rule this world with an iron fist, where everyone would be treated as equals. And, by George, that's all I've ever wanted, so it makes me extremely happy knowing that my wish will be met with success. Valerie and Nenne were standing in front of me, along with Aline and Chase. We're just outside, hanging out and whatnot.

You know, it's what all the cool people do.

The wind was blowing, and we were getting some of that springtime air. It was no secret to the five of us. We sensed Chase's worry. He was standing kind of weird, and he had a look on his face that denoted being uneasy. The first thing that popped into my mind was to touch him to see if he didn't have any suspicious marks on him. I was pretty great at healing people! I raised my hand up and it started glowing blue with focal energy, but I did it with a smile! "What's wrong, Chase?" I asked, bending down a little to look at the top of his eyes. After that I grabbed his head and yanked him down, which caught him off guard. Honovi took a step back, looking confused. Well, everyone looked confused. Chase was trying really hard to get out of my grip, but I wasn't going to let that happen! I needed to make sure everything was okay first! "Are you sick? Is that why you look like that, Chase? Never!" I let go of him, throwing my arm in the air dramatically. "Never! There will never be a sick person in the presence of Professor Ever!" The former member of Aysel's guard straightened himself out, trying to get his head to stop spinning. And, of course, I stood there grinning like an idiot. Today was such a happy day, and tomorrow would be just as awesome! I could feel it in my soul! I touched my fingers, standing sideways and glancing at him. I'm all for curing the sick and everything, but I didn't want to catch whatever he had...

Aline looked at me and she started tugging on my lab-coat. She had gotten awfully used to that, huh? "I don't think he's sick, Ever," she said with her big, child-like eyes. Aline had this way of persuading me. She'd make me do things I didn't want to do, and she'd make me stop doing things I found fun. Like! Like! Like one time I was in my office building a house of cards. It was so awesome! Honovi wasn't even there to pester me or to tell me to do something productive with my time. And I was almost done. Every stack...! Every fold and upright movement in perfect harmony with one another...! It wasn't the fact that Aline bust through my door. It wasn't even the fact that she threw something at my card house. It was the fact that she said she was hungry and I automatically deflated and made a technical error. Just me thinking about the card house that would never be made me bow my head and mope. I looked at the little girl, and then I looked back at Chase. Valerie sorta laughed at me under her breath, I could tell.

When people laugh at me it hurts my feelings. Honovi looked at the ground, walking around in a neat, small little circle. The sound of her boots scratching against the dirt made all of us look straight at her. I didn't know if she did that to simply catch our attention or what, but it worked. Chase shook his head super quick, and looked up into the sky, putting his hand over his eyes and then staring back down at us.

"Guys, I kinda need your help..." he said, giving us that pouty look. Help? Sure! I laughed, throwing my arm around Aline, because let's face it! I was too short to do it to anyone else. Seriously, these guys towered over me like it was nothing. I think all of them were at least a foot taller than me. Hey, no one ever said the head professor of the Science Department needed to meet a height requirement! ...Even though I insisted that I wasn't the best scientist in the building. I'd never really fully understand why I was put into the position. I didn't even have any background as a scientist until they put me in there. I mean, I built all kinds of stuff at my house, and yeah, some of them were illegal weapons and the like, but... I'm not even going to lie. Weapons make me really happy. Just... I'll stay up all night assembling the perfect weapon... Bending the perfect metal from Austere to create a durable sword... Weapons don't always have to be used for violence. They can be used as making pretty things and painting pretty pictures... Uh, not with blood, of course! Talking to myself, I scratched the back of my head and started laughing, which granted me some looks from everyone else. Nenne clapped his hands together, bowing is head.

"What is it that you need, Chase?"

Hmm. Holding my chin with my right, gloved-hand, I tilted my head at Nenne. He was a very mysterious man. He had dark features, such as tanned-skin and his hair was really what made him such an oddity. His black hair, in the back, was cut down to the nape of his neck, but he had a long bang hanging over his right eye. I mean, it was insanely long, hanging right down to his chest. It was a strange hairstyle for someone who was once a solider in Saivan's army. But! One thing good about Nenne was that he ditched his old rifle! I built one just for him, I did! Clapping my hands together, I instantly scrambled behind him and gazed at my work, hearts appearing in my eyes. "Uh... Professor Ever...?"

"Wauaha!" I exclaimed. "The AK-101!" Yeah, I was a little bit crazy over my creations... But look! They didn't kill anyone like the Earth Eaters my uncle Professor Nero made! Okay, so, maybe they were designed to kill people, but at least the things I made weren't crazy! "Designed for getting rid of problems, using 5.56x45mm cartridges. A weapon that combines the logistical compatibility and familiarity of a machine gun with all the legendary quirks of a AK-47!" I paused, dancing back in front of the ex-solider. His expression was priceless! It made me laugh a little, but I loved when people were wowed by my successful experiments! "It is designed with modern and composite materials, including plastics that reduce weight and improve accuracy. It even has a semi-automatic or automatic mode!" I stopped, giving Nenne a light push. "Please take care of my baby as if it were your own!" There was a forgoing silence, and I never changed my position. That is, until Chase shook his head again and stomped on the ground, trying desperately to get what he wanted to say out of his mouth. But Nenne wanted to show how grateful he was for the new weapon. Like, no one else has an AK-101 in the army.

And believe you me! Our army was still going strong. Sure, a lot of people died in the whole fiasco with Kohana and things, but this kingdom _has_ an army! And all of the soldiers were using old versions of Nenne's rifle. We've got Nocuous fighting, and Enlightened as well. The Summoners really know how to fix a world crisis, don't they? Speaking of the Summoners, they were in the castle, trying to make Renata feel better. Yep, bless her little soul. She lost her family and her guard in this ordeal... She was doing much better than Prince Klaus, though. He was a mess, and I was still struggling to make _him _feel better. I guess the main thing here is that everyone has lost someone or something big in all of these silly wars we've had. Like, with the war against the Enlightened and Nocuous so long ago, my sister Elenore was killed. She was in the army, and worked for Saivan and Aysel. She only joined because she wanted peace, not because she wanted to shove some Nocuous' head in the dirt. But then again, Elenore was attacked by those _things _my uncle made. He made Earth Eaters in an attempt to protect the Palace in the Sky? He must have dropped a computer on his toes and had a megahertz, then. Ahaha! Get it? Megahertz?

...When that war was officially deemed "over" by Saivan, I promised myself that I'd no longer question anyone's agenda. It wasn't my place to, I felt. I didn't know what happened in someone's life that made them who they were... So I decided to keep my mouth closed and to do me. Personal questions were forbidden. Hehe, look where I am now. Standing in a circle with all of my close friends, out in the rays of the sun. I guess I could say that I survived the worse of the worse, but there's so many people who should be here instead of me. That's the way Summoner Sayuri feels. I dusted my shoulder off and closed my eyes. If it weren't for Lucrecia, we wouldn't be standing here right now. If it weren't for Elenore's tribute to obtain peace, a war would have still been raging right now. It's thanks to these people that we can stand here today.

"Could you guys please... Could you guys please make Renata happy again...?" The request was so strange, so benign that all of us stared at the middle-aged man. Make her happy, huh? He clapped his hands together, looking at us with bright brown eyes. "She hasn't been the same since the war stopped and everything went back to normal." That was true. Hmm. "I just want to see her happy again, and I don't think I can do that anymore. In fact, just the other day I think I made her really, really angry, and I didn't even do anything!" Ah, so it's that kind of situation, huh? I had never seen Renata revert to anger. This must be some pretty heavy angst she's trapped in. Valerie shifted her stance, holding her conductor's baton in her hand. She was probably thinking the same thing I was thinking.

"So you want us to make Princess Renata feel better?" Strange. It was strange that a Nocuous would call Princess Renata—of Enlightened decent—their princess. This was just one of my many steps towards reformation. This kingdom would be something great again.

Chase shook his head rapidly, not knowing what else to do. Next thing I know, Valerie just erupted and started beating on Chase senselessly, swinging her baton into his head with no remorse. The four of us just stood there and watched, looking at Chase recoil as he put his hands over his head. I guess some things never change, do they? "How could you ask something so ridiculously hard from us, you idiot! Why don't you go up there and handle your own situation your own damn self! Silly impudent fool, you're always shirking your responsibility! I can't believe you're going to be the King of Aysel!" She stopped with that last sentence, her grip on her baton loosening. Oh yeah, that was right. Renata was supposed to be marrying Chase pretty soon... How did I forget about that? Valerie stood up straight, shaking her head. Her gaze was glued to him. Ouch, she sure was harsh. Chase stood back up straight, trying to get the creases out of his coat.

"Valerie, I'm sorry!" Chase insisted, throwing out his arms. "I didn't mean to push all of this on you guys, honest, but I don't know what to do anymore!"

She opens her blue eyes once more, hissing under her breath. "Oh please! You're about to wed this woman; at least show her a little respect! Why have your friends do what is your responsibility?" I was tired of hearing Valerie and Chase's banter, so I blocked them out for a while, trying to come up with the perfect plan. Hey, if Chase was going to be the new king, then I had to fulfill every desire he had, right? It was my duty not as Ever, but as Professor Ever. I work for the king, after all. Psh, I never got to work for the king when Saivan was out doing whatever... I kind of felt cheated. I shook my head, trying to get those thoughts out of my head. And then it hit me. Ha! I knew what would make Renata happy again!

"Eureka!" I shouted, right in Honovi's ear. She sorta tipped over and then caught herself. My bad... "I've got it, you guys!" I raise my index-finger in the air, closing my eyes dramatically. "Okay, so you know how Princess Renata used to be around here? She used to be all smiles, right?" Of course I wouldn't have expected Valerie to know that, but she nodded her head anyway. "She was happy to be alive! The wind in her hair, the sun on her face, all of that stuff. But remember what this place used to be like before the wars? I'll admit, I'm only like two years older than Renata herself, but I remember a time where everyone in the kingdom were all smiles! Yep, even Saivan! Because back then, everyone was happy. I think everyone walking the streets of this place had a smile..." I paused, tapping my chin. "I used to visit my uncle, and I'd see Lucrecia around the Science Department sometimes, too. And even _she _was smiling. So why don't we bring back the smiles!" I threw my hands in the air, and Aline just... She definitely agreed with me, because she threw her arms in the air too, squealing with me.

"Ahah! Yeah, that sounds like the perfect plan, Ever! I'd love to see Princess Renata smiling again! Just like she used to do when she came to see me!" Yes! I had a follower! We both jumped up in the air and clapped our hands together. And as soon as we came down, we both looked at Valerie and Chase and said a big, fat "Cheese!" before grinning like idiots.

"Yay!" I exclaimed, full of enthusiasm. Valerie gave me a deadpanned look, her arms dropping.

"_What._"

"We'll fill this palace full of smiles!" I proclaimed, laughing haughtily. Aline twirled in place by my side, loving the way her Enlightened dress floated in the wind.

"If we do that, then Princess Renata will feel as good as new, right?" Chase stood there for a while, his lower-eye twitching. And we kept smiling, because it was really a good idea! Actually, my mouth started to hurt. Once the idea stuck inside of his head, he jumped in the air and smiled with us. Ha, I knew my genius would get to him sooner or later! I nodded my head, seeing Honovi shudder. Aww, I hope she approved my hypothesis! I nudged Chase in the ribs, narrowing my eyes.

"To many girls, the world 'marriage' has a nice ring to it. Get it? Nice ring! Ahaha—oh. So... You're not going to laugh?" I poked both of my index-fingers together until Honovi stepped up, both of her eyes closed and her hair waving with the breeze. She looked over her shoulder, stretching out her fingers.

"Why would one smile when there is nothing to smile about?" We'd show Honovi what she should smile about! Without warning, me and Aline surrounded her, and then I jumped high in the air so I could be able to grab her cheeks. Trust me, when I say I was hanging off the ground, I was really hanging off the ground. What? Honovi's about two feet taller than I am! She closed her eyes, sweat accumulating on her forehead. I made sure I pinched her cheeks, stretching her face out as best as I could.

"You'll smile for Princess Renata, won't you?" I said, struggling to keep a firm grip on her face. Once I let go of her right cheek, Aline grabbed the other and we both start pulling on her face. Aline pulled to the left, and I pulled to the right, and Honovi just tried really, really hard to knock us off.

"Smile, Honovi!" Aline implored, her grip tightening on her face.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Honovi carped. After that, my lovely assistant shoved both of us away from her. I'm surprised we didn't fly into a building, because Honovi has all the strength of a truck! You'd never know unless you were actually with her in a fight or something. I straightened out my lab-coat, noticing how red Honovi's cheeks had gotten. She stomped on the ground, her eyes still closed. And, of course, Aline and I smiled because we've done our job and we've done it the right way! "Fine, fine, fine!" She paused, smiling a bruised grin. "Cheese!" Pfft. Honovi looked so adorable. When Honovi smiled, it really was a good sign, because she never did much of anything as far as mouth movement went. Chase grinned, slinging his arms over the three of us. Nenne was just as confused as Valerie was. Bah, those two needed to have a lot more fun with their lives!

"You guys are so awesome!" Chase yelled, letting go of us. He looked at Valerie with big, bright, brown puppy dog eyes. "Valerie, won't you smile for the princess too?"

"Don't make me kill you."

"Please?"

Hah! Chase sure had some way of getting people to do whatever he wanted! He looked at her, and looked at her, and then she finally cracked and sighed. The Nocuous looked down at the ground and then she looked back at us, putting up a peace sign. "Cheese!" She forced her smile, but she just looked... So different. Like, it was kind of scary. In fact, I could have sworn I saw lightening strike behind her. … Her smile _terrified_ me, okay? I crawled into a ball on the ground and immediately started to suck my thumb. Of course everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Before anyone could say something, Nenne, Honovi and I quickly stopped paying attention to everything that was happening and we got really serious all of a sudden. Aline tugged on my coat to ask what was wrong. ...And I ignored her. Throwing my arm out to my side, I glanced at Nenne.

"Nenne, teleport Chase back to the castle, and meet back here, stat!" It didn't take long for him to do what I said. Like a true Enlightened, he touched Chase's shoulder and brought him back to the castle. I sighed. Bah, why did I ever think about opening that one dungeon back in the Science Department? Honovi told me to stay away from the dungeon in there, but no... I had to do all sorts of spring cleaning and stuff! When I opened that place up, these weird humanoid things came out of nowhere and kind of ran around and escaped. I think they were old Earth Eater prototypes created by my uncle. I hadn't seen them since two days ago, but now... Now we could sense them. They were coming. We knew they were coming. It's a sort of... Instinct Enlightened have. We can sense the focal energy of others... And theirs is just demonic...

"As a matter of fact, we're going with him for a second!" I declared, pointing my index-finger in the air. With all of the focal energy that I have, teleporting us all wouldn't be a problem. We all disappeared in a dome of bright blue light, and then we showed up next to Nenne and Chase, who were standing outside of Renata's room. Poor Chase. He always looked so confused and he got really sad when we didn't tell him what was happening, huh? He stood up and gave us all a weird look.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Our minds are sorta stuck on something else... That's when Nenne nods his head. "Chase, we want you to try out the plan, of course. If you go inside of Princess Renata's room and try smiling, then she might feel much, much better." Nice save, Nenne! At first Chase was extra confused, and then straightened himself out, puffing out his chest. It was fun, watching a member of Aysel's guard transform himself into a king... Adel was standing in front of Renata's room, keeping watch over her like a good guardian should. He had a smile on his face too, and no one had even told him of the plan yet! Well, someone could have via mind-calling... Chase nodded his head, preparing himself mentally for the problem at hand.

"All I need to do is smile..." he muttered. He gave us one last glance and all five of us huddled together, giving him goofy looks and smiles. This was going to be fun!

"Cheese!" he said once more, walking into the room.

* * *

**II.**  
Now,-the country does not even boast a tree,  
As you see,  
To distinguish slopes of verdure, certain rills  
From the hills  
Intersect and give a name to, (else they run  
Into one)  
Where the domed and daring palace shot its spires  
Up like fires  
O'er the hundred-gated circuit of a wall  
Bounding all,  
Made of marble, men might march on nor be pressed,  
Twelve abreast.

* * *

With my fast speed, nothing was going to be able to touch me or pierce my body. I was a walking stone that had all of the swiftness of a lion. My hair whipped past my face as I dodged bullet after bullet from our mutated friends. I could thoroughly believe that such things existed. Enlightened that were not fully monsters, but monsters all the same. They did not have control over their minds. They just did whatever the monster aspect in them told them to do. It sickened me. So with my duel, automatic tranquilizers set to "kill", I jumped tree to tree, my bullets lodging into their heads and splattering their blood all over the pavement.

To taint the ground of the kingdom with unworthy blood... It made my nose quirk, but I was not going to stop my onslaught. With one hand connected to the grass and my body standing upright, I did a backhand spring up into the air, shooting bullets from my tranquilizers while launching myself backwards, narrowly escaping the bullets shooting out of their mouths, saliva-coated tongues handing down to their stomachs. Poor, citizens...

I'm standing in the laboratory, a pistol held up to my head. I am not worthy to wear this laboratory coat and I know it. I kept telling myself that I would quit this profession, as it is not something that I can mentally handle anymore. My arm is shaking, but I press the gun firmly up against my head, my eyes twinkling with tears.

I cannot keep experimenting on innocent citizens anymore, I...! It is not an ethical practice, and I keep messing up. I will never get the serum right, and then I will have to kill more people...! I-I... I look in the mirror and see what I have become—a monster that helps other monsters in destroying the lives of other, perfectly normal people. To go around and tell these citizens that there is something wrong with them, when they are the healthiest of them all...!

It makes my mind crack open, and then my eyes wander down to the puddle of blood laying underneath my feet. My eyes examine the blood on my cheeks—it only got there because I was holding my face in horror, watching the serum make my patience's bodies explode before me. There isn't any way I can wash my hands of this sin... Children being subjected to my obvious madness... I have harmed both Enlightened and Nocuous alike, just because it is a part of my job! All for what? A promotion? A chance to work with the head scientist that made this place what it is now?

To work with an even bigger monster than myself? I shriek out in pain. I-I never wanted this... I-I... Almost tripping over the clotty blood I'm standing over, I collide into the full-body mirror, leaning my head against it. I look absolutely miserable, saltwater tears meshing with the blood on my face. My hands weren't meant to destroy, they were meant to help people. This isn't the way I want to climb the ladder of success, and if I have to knock myself down, then I shall do so.

Releasing a loud wail, my grip tightens on the gun and I'm prepared to end it all, but someone smacks the evil thing out of my hand, which makes me grit my teeth. Instead of feeling shame... Instead of feeling scared... Instead of refusing to believe I would even think of something like this, all I feel is hate. Pure, unadulterated hate. I turn around on my heels, the blood on the floor hushing the turn of my shoes and I slap the person as hard as I can, knowing that everyone says I am heavy-handed. And what I see before me makes my blood boil. It's that conniving dog assistant to Professor Nero. Issaru...

"You can start over again," he insists with a smile. His words linger inside of my head, and then I truly see the situation at hand.

I can start over again... To become what I've always wanted...

I stomped on one of the monster's necks, wrenching its arm out of the socket. Watching it squirm under the pressure of my heel. Things like this should not be allowed to live! I drew my tranquilizer out again, twirling it in my free hand. "No one will ever come in between Princess Renata and this kingdom's happiness!" But before I shoot and end the monster's life, I shake my head, patting myself lightly on the cheek.

"Oh... And uh... Cheese!"

* * *

**III.**  
And such plenty and perfection, see, of grass  
Never was!  
Such a carpet as, this summer-time, o'erspreads  
And embeds  
Every vestige of the city, guessed alone,  
Stock or stone-  
Where a multitude of men breathed joy and woe  
Long ago;  
Lust of glory pricked their hearts up, dread of shame  
Struck them tame;  
And that glory and that shame alike, the gold  
Bought and sold.

* * *

Impudent fools! Did they really think they were going to get through our defenses! With both of my hands in the air and my conductor's baton firmly held in my grip, a bright yellow light appeared underneath their mutated feet and they instantly burned up, as if they've just encountered the sun! Ha! How _dare _they try to overthrow us! I narrowed my eyes, snarling heavily. This is the price they'll pay for trying to hurt the kingdom. True, what they ultimately want is Princess Renata. Or, at least, that's what Professor Ever let me know before scampering off. These monsters were specifically created to cause chaos and discord around the kingdom, and what better way then to kill the kingdom's official? They're supposed to be some kind of different type of monster that was never fully looked into.

Just as I had slain countless of people inflicted with Apathīa that tried to tear down my hall, I shall do onto them, with less amount of mercy! Humph, at least they were Nocuous inflicted with Apathīa! Raising my elbow in the air, I drove it harshly into the monster's head making my way through both weak flesh and bone.

Retracting my elbow, I take a step back and gaze at the Enlightened solider on the ground, the same man who tried to hurt my friends just a second ago. Silly man, what good will a war do but cause causalities on both sides? It's something I may never get to understand, but if I want to see my old buddies again, I have to at least try to fake as if I know why the world is so cruel. Nocuous citizens are cowards, I notice. Letting a teenage girl like me protect them from evil and corrupted Enlightened scumbags. Heh, I glance at them all peaking out from the doors of their homes. I'm sure they want to say something about how I'm going to get into trouble.

Screw getting into trouble, I have my fists.

"Don't you touch them..." I hiss darkly, my fists tightening. I look over my shoulder and glance at the small group of friends that I do have left... I know that if I don't start taking charge of the situation, they'll die too, and that's something I can't stomach. Everyone will die and disappear, one after the other to be used as experiments and playthings for the Enlightened amusement! I won't let that happen! The officer that was supposed to keep "us" in line gets back up, wiping his mouth and glaring at me. Just the look on his face makes me angry. I hate everything about them... How their clothes are always pristine, how their hair is always lustrous and kept up... How they get everything they've ever wanted without working for it at all...! I kick him in the face, watching him tumble backwards. "You touch my friends, and I'll break your face!"

He scrambles off the floor, immediately putting his hands around my neck, wasting no time to choke me. I have a better plan. Listening to the gasps of my friends, I close my eyes, letting the worldly energy surround me. It doesn't have a color... A taste nor sound... But my grandma taught me some of the teachings. She hoped that I would become a fine warrior in the musica.

I won't let her down.

The musica reveals itself, and pulls the barbaric man off me. And then afterward, I retrieve my clarinet from the ground, staring at my grandmother's name etched into it. The whole world is my stage, for they'll remember what is occurring here. Spitting on my reed, I place it into my instrument and tighten the screws on it. After that is said and done, I play. I play a sweet, melancholy tune that stuns everyone with each crescendo...

The man subsequently starts wailing and screaming, his bones twisting and contorting in places I cannot be bothered to name. They're all the same... Each and everyone of the Enlightened scum...! Faceless bandits with no shame! I blow much harder into my reed, commanding the musica to decorate the city... _My_ city in a puddle of crimson rain...

Yes, let it rain...

Each drop hit my head, making my hair stick to my face. I glanced behind my shoulder and saw the castle still in one piece. All of the monsters around me were more or less dead, so I tilted my head, waving my conductor's baton around. I retracted it, sticking it underneath the sleeve of my jacket. Standing out in the rain was going to make me sick. I snorted, clutching my fists. "Sayonara," I said with a quirk of my nose. I took one step out of the pile of dead bodies, but then I realized something.

"I'll make Princess Renata and Chase proud!" I bellowed, bowing. I looked back up at the castle, a smile creeping up on my lips. "Cheese!"

* * *

**IV.**  
Now,-the single little turret that remains  
On the plains,  
By the caper overrooted, by the gourd  
Overscored,  
While the patching houseleek's head of blossom winks  
Through the chinks-  
Marks the basement whence a tower in ancient time  
Sprang sublime,  
And a burning ring, all round, the chariots traced  
As they raced,  
And the monarch and his minions and his dames  
Viewed the games.

* * *

What was I thinking? I couldn't fight these things! I can rarely fight as it is! Stupid! Why would I separate myself from Honovi? I was running too fast in this rain to save my own life. And there were about two of those monsters hot on my tail! God, I was going to be vaporized here in a minute! Wearing a look of terror, I cut fast around a street corner. It was pretty funny how I was nowhere near the castle, the thing that we were supposed to be protecting.

I reached inside of my lab-coat, touching my wrenches. Ah, I still had my wrenches? I couldn't believe it! I never bring them outside of the office...!

The office is so quiet now. It's really, really strange to know I have Professor Nero's old room to sleep in... The Science Department isn't anything I've imagined it to be, but I've made it work. Placing my cold fingers on top of the desk, I glance at all of the beakers and test tubes in front of me.

The amazing thing? Professor Nero majored in Chemistry Physics, and Lucrecia majored in Chemical Biology. She's a way better scientist than I am, and yet I'm the person that builds things. My specialty? I majored in Engineering Science. I make all of the big, bad, dangerously stupid weapons that reside in this kingdom. I hold this wrench in my hand with honor! Pride. This is my sword. I look down at it, then immediately smile. This place is where many inhumane experiments have been conducted—and they've been conducted in this very room.

In fact, my uncle's plans still cling to the wall. Apathīa and the Earth Eaters... Amazing stuff, really, if you ignore the batshit elements to it. Honovi, with her black bangs falling in front of her eyes gives me a faint smile. She only smiles for me. Perhaps it's because she really only respects me because I'm the head of the Science Department. I wonder if she'd still be my friend if I didn't have my fancy title... She walks over towards me with a pair of safety goggles in her hands. I laugh.

"Well I'll be Honovi!" I exclaim, my dull-colored eyes gleaming. "But you realize my mental state isn't in the right—_arrgh_—place, right?" She puts the goggles down on the desk and grabs my shoulders—her fingers burn to the touch, but I try to contain my whimpers.

"How out of character, Professor Ever."

"Yes," I answer, meekly. "How very out of character." My skin is pale and I'm actually very, very sick. This morning I was barely able to get out of bed. It's a wonder I can even talk. Normally Honovi, my awesome assistant, doesn't object to any of my experiments, no matter how inhumane. "I'm so afraid, Honovi," I whisper, touching my fingers. "Afraid of handling the desolation of each second. Afraid of the next hour. These feelings are so alien to me. Time used to be something I loved to tease. To race. But this is not fun time now. I'm withering away..."

This time she snaps.

A cracking sound rings in the air and my cheek is inflicted with a burning pain which ripples through my entire body. Honovi retracts her hand, professionally and gracefully straightening out her black assistant laboratory coat. But when she opens her frozen blue eyes, she instantly burns a hole into my head.

"Stop it," she murmurs darkly. I actively ignore her.

"I—"

Another strong strike from the hand of my friend. Frustrated, my assistant grabs my shoulders and makes me look at her. I'm too tired to object. "Professor Ever. Please stop poisoning yourself. Stop making yourself vulnerable to the Apathīa!" Her facial expression gets more desperate. Everything in her body language suggests she's pleading with me. Crying for me silently. "You''ll die!" And Honovi very rarely uses exclamation points, heh. I smile, but only slightly. Getting up from my seat, I struggle to stand up. I fall over _completely_, but my assistant catches me. She doesn't stumble back. Like a tall building, she's my shelter.

I crack a smile and laughter falls from my mouth. "I think I... Tripped on my coat. Ah. _Ha._ Ha. _Ha..._" My eyelids drop down and I start coughing. Coughing profusely. Coughing violently until I vomit on the ground. I stare at the blood staining my laboratory coat, but feel no pain. "Let's... Go..." I stare up at the ceiling, grinning like a maniac. I swear I can see the sun through the wall, and it's so bright...

"Very well, Professor."

I cling to her coat, trying my hardest to keep my eyes open. She knows I've already set my mind on curing Apathīa. If this is the choice I have... To experiment on myself instead of millions of other, innocent bystanders, then I'll take this way any day. I, like many others devoted to Aysel's army, or in her guard, or maybe even the people that just protect her want to see this nation prosper. We want to see it safe.

Falling unconscious in her arms, I remember one thing. My battle cry.

That scientist that made a dictatorship out of the Science Department?

I will _never_ be like him.

I kept running and running, hoping those monsters wouldn't catch up with me. It was raining, though, so I was almost certain I'd fall! However, I had Honovi in my mind and I got to thinking... If I couldn't attack them, I could trick them, right? Seeing a tree in my vision, I grabbed a branch and swung my body on top of it. It's a pretty elementary diversion, but if it saves my hide, I'm all for it. The mutations collided into each other in nasty, disgusting slob and then they dropped down on the ground simultaneously.

Just to make sure they're dead, I threw a couple of wrenches at their foreheads, watching rotting blood splatter all over the tree. "Ahaha! I'm saved!" I exclaimed, crying tears of joy. "I-I mean..." I did the whole peace sign thing, nodding my head and jumping on their bodies.

"Cheese!"

* * *

**V.**  
And I know, while thus the quiet-coloured eve  
Smiles to leave  
To their folding, all our many-tinkling fleece  
In such peace,  
And the slopes and rills in undistinguished grey  
Melt away-  
That a girl with eager eyes and yellow hair  
Waits me there  
In the turret whence the charioteers caught soul  
For the goal,  
When the king looked, where she looks now, breathless, dumb  
Till I come.

* * *

It's pretty easy using my Apathīa powers to beat up people who want to hurt my friends now! All I have to do is think really hard and my shadow-like hands come out of nowhere. I control them with my real hands, of course! I was attacking these things and I must have been a long distance away from them. That's the wonderful thing about my powers... I can attack people from far away distances. Apathīa didn't hurt me the way it did everyone else, and at first I thought it was because I was special. I didn't want to be special, I wanted to be like everyone else.

But as I really started to hurt these monsters, I felt kind of... Sad. Because these monsters reminded me of the people who went to the Science Department who knew they had Apathīa. They wanted to be cured so badly and Professor Ever and Honovi could only give them a place to stay while they worked day and night in the lab, searching for a cure... While they were away working on a cure, I was the one stuck making those guys feel like they were at home. Though I couldn't lie to them... I looked down at a slosh of muddy water, seeing a reflection of myself. I was a different person than I was when I lived in Austere...

I stare into the bowl of soup, holding it with both of my hands and trying really hard not to let my powers show. Sometimes I get excited, and my shadow arms just show up out of nowhere, and that confuses a lot of people. The man in front of me looks scary... He looks terrified, and his family is sitting down with him too. They all have Apathīa... Even the little baby the mother is holding in her hands. I shake those bad thoughts out my head and offer him the bowl. He needs to eat if he wants to be better, right?

The smell nauseates me myself, and flairs up my Apathīa, even. I can't think of anyone who'd want to willing eat this medicine-soup. It's supposed to calm people down... At least that's what Professor Ever said. Still, I smile, offering it to him. "It's good! And it'll cheer you right up! Don't worry, Apathīa isn't something that'll kill you for good!" I couldn't think of anything else good to say... Maybe I shouldn't of put "Apathīa" and "kill" in the same sentence. I regret ever saying that. The man—the Enlightened man—reaches out towards the bowl, and he actually puts both of his hands around it. But he's so tired that his body ends of trembling.

After that, the bowl ends up tumbling down to the ground, and my eyes widen. Everyone else is so sick that they were either too sad to acknowledge the crash, or they just didn't care. Right before my eyes, for the first time of my life I witness a grown man cry right in front of me. Big tears, too. He wails really loud, but I try really hard to keep my smile on my face. At least, until he collapses on the ground, grabbing my legs. It's really hard to keep a smile when someone who is at least twenty years older than you breaks down into a sobbing mess.

Though his words are incoherent, I get the gist of what he's asking me. I glance down at him, a frown overtaking my face. His small child starts crying with him, and it's too much for me to bare. "Please!" he implores, his tears staining my pants. "Help me and my family!" I really want to, but I don't have the means... And even now I don't know why I'm not like him. Reduced to a crying mess... I guess I'll never know...

I stare into the puddle of soup on the ground, waiting for an answer.

I looked up, grabbing two of the Earth Eater people's heads and slamming them together with brute force! No one would ever expect a little girl like me to pack so much of a punch! After I slammed their heads together, I grabbed their legs and swung them into the castle. Oooo, it's a good thing they didn't break through the castle's wall. We already fixed it, didn't we? I turned back around, and the rest of the monsters looked like they were terrified.

Hmm...

I cracked my hands, which made my shadow arms crack their hands, and I opened my eyes, smiling.

"Cheese!"

* * *

**VI.**  
But he looked upon the city, every side,  
Far and wide,  
All the mountains topped with temples, all the glades'  
Colonnades,  
All the causeys, bridges, aqueducts,-and then,  
All the men!  
When I do come, she will speak not, she will stand,  
Either hand  
On my shoulder, give her eyes the first embrace  
Of my face,  
Ere we rush, ere we extinguish sight and speech  
Each on each.

* * *

These guys were not too bad with knowing how to shoot a bullet, huh? I stood on the top of the castle, aiming my rifle at them. They might have been monsters, but back in the day I shot at everything. Including monsters. And trust me, now that my rifle had been upgraded, I was more than sure one shot from my gun could clean them all out. And I was right. My aim was impeccable, and my bullets flew through so many of those monster's heads... All I needed was one bullet for each one them. I was still fully convinced that I had gotten the larger portion of the things...

Ever since Kohana gave me those Wicked Spawn, they had been following me everywhere. I looked down and aimed my rifle at one monster in particular, smirking. "Heh, child's play," I murmured coldly. I was going to go in for the shot, but those Wicked Spawn came out of nowhere, tearing the guy apart. This act was especially heinous, because not only did they tear him apart... They ate him too. Amongst the black creatures emerged Alula, still in her winged Wicked Spawn form. I think she was the one leading them, if you asked me.

I aimed again, but this time I was faster. I shot one of the creatures in the hand, and it fell down like the monster that it was, screaming in pain. I quirked my eyebrow, wiping my hair out of my eye. "Hey, you better get that patched up. You will die if you let it bleed out like that." Tired of waiting at the top of the castle, I hopped down to the ground, my eyes glowing blue from focal energy. Once I hit the ground, my focal energy cushioned my fall, and I found myself encircled by the monsters.

My squad may have been killed by these Earth Eater things, but there is no way I am going to let them kill me. I look too sharp in my Enlightened soldier uniform to die today! But these things tower over me, their arms bigger than their bodies and saliva overflowing from their mouths. They had just got done having a nice, tasty meal.

I am not going to let them find out what I taste like.

Though my rifle is several yards away from my person, I get ready for hand-to-hand combat with monsters. My body moves and I do not even command it to. It is my survival instinct telling me that I have to move, else I will actually die here.

With a swift kick I inflict heavy damage to the one in front of me—though I think my squad has already softened him up a bit. There are two more of these Earth Eaters, which makes me nervous. Normal people can barely take on one of these things armed, and here I am trying to fight three of them with my hands! No matter. I have got to make my general happy. Making General Julian, will make King Saivan happy. And I want nothing more than to make the ruler of my kingdom happy. I will gladly put my life on the line for him. My eyes light up again, and I charge my hands with focal energy. Focal control is very difficult to achieve—only a small amount of people have ever succeeded at it, and even then no one wants to teach it.

It is a practice in which you charge focal energy into a part of your body. That means _devastating_ blows. I stomp on the ground and the land crumbles underneath my feet, making the Earth Eaters trip up. They do not even know what happened. They may be strong animals, but they are really dumb as they lack brains. They should have run while they had the chance. While in midair, I look at the one in front of me and proceed to kick it in the head. The rock for its head flies clean off, and as soon as I hit the ground, I pick up a boulder with my enhanced strength, throwing it clean through the second one.

It falls towards the ground, and now there is only one more left.

"Go get 'em, Nenne!" Alula shouted, throwing her hand in the air. I smirked. The last ones always get the worse punishment, don't they?

"Cheese!" I said, running towards the fiend in front of me, focal energy speeding up each of my footsteps.

* * *

**VII.**  
In one year they sent a million fighters forth  
South and North,  
And they built their gods a brazen pillar high  
As the sky,  
Yet reserved a thousand chariots in full force-  
Gold, of course.  
Oh heart! oh blood that freezes, blood that burns!  
Earth's returns  
For whole centuries of folly, noise and sin!  
Shut them in,  
With their triumphs and their glories and the rest!  
Love is best.

* * *

We're all really exhausted! I mean, phew! Everyone kicked some hide out there! I mean, even I did some butt-smashing! Me! … For the first time in my life I took down the opponent, yes! Adel was standing before us, smiling up a storm. It was an honor being congratulated by a member of Aysel's guard. Or... Should I say... Ex-member. I still didn't know what they were going to do about the whole guard situation, but we were the best they had right now. Aline was muddy and dirty, Valerie was out of breath... Everyone was just tired. We were standing in the hallway, a few rooms down from Renata's.

"Thank you all for your contributions," Adel interjects, nodding his head. We only do the one thing that comes to mind.

"Cheese!"

Next thing I know, Princess Renata's door opened up, and she walked out, along with the Summoners and Chase. Actually, the Summoners were behind her. And you know, she still had the same frown on. Darnit, I thought our plan would work! Shows what kind of scientist I am... But still! We didn't lose hope! All five of us stood still in all of our muddy, dirty glory. That is, until Renata and the others came face to face with us. Summoner Kokoro and Summoner Chio especially looked at us like we were crazy, tilting their heads. Sayuri was still lost in her own personal angst, though that was okay. We'd cheer her up next!

Once Renata locked her gaze on us, her mouth opened, but only slightly.

But before she said anything, we all got into smile mode. I pulled my eyelid down and made a really funny face, Aline puffed her cheeks up with air, Valerie wore her regular, evil smile, Honovi had to pull her cheeks up, and Nenne smiled with an air of superiority.

"Cheese!" we exclaimed, as loud as we could. We kept the same pose for a while, until Princess Renata said something. I mean, she wouldn't leave us waiting, right? We worked really hard today! The edges of Princess Renata's face started to twitch, and then her frown morphed into a smile. She even let out a little giggle.

"You five..." she said, pausing. "Look _ridiculous._ Please clean yourselves?"

Ahaha... I guess we did. But when Renata finally smiled, we jumped in the air, shouting various victories. But after that was all said and done, we clapped our hands together and turned around, a pep in our step. "Yes, Queen Renata!" we screamed in unison, running down the hallway like a bunch of crazed schoolgirls. I tripped on my lab-coat, but caught myself in the middle of the fall.

Mission accomplished!

* * *

**A/N:** Those five...

Reminded me of the five people that were in Aysel's guard, and what they should have been like! Yeah, that's right! XD;; All Aysel's guard did was fight with each other, and there was no teamwork whatsoever! But these guys? They're like a team! This chapter just made me so very happy, and I love flashbacks that give some characterization to the person flashbacking.

I think I like them all a whole lot better now. XD;;

Also, I like that poem. ^^

It was on my English final. XD;;


	61. This is MY Story!

**A/N:** That was a long time without me updating, huh? XD; Sorry about that. All great writers need a break and whatnot, so you know, I took a break. We've gotta get this ball rolling, though. I was supposed to be out of the Dark Ages... Well... Ages ago. XD;; Sorry for the pun. So we're back on the plot and whatnot. Nothing should be confusing here, so yeah, just get to reading.

This is chapter 61, but it's also the first chapter to the 50 I'm going to write this year. Yeah, that's right, I'm doing it again. XD;; And I love the challenge.

* * *

You know, after everything that's happened, I've finally decided to put it behind me, suck it up, and talk to Kohana face to face. Except, you know, we can't actually talk to each other face to face, so talking to each other in a dream will have to do. She doesn't notice me at all—as usual—and I roll my eyes a bit, clenching my fists. Deep down inside, I really do love her... It's just... Some of the things she does are totally outrageous! Totally uncalled for! And now, I'm going to demand that she tell me everything. Since I've pretty much invaded her dream, she gets to pick the setting in which I'm standing in.

Touching my cheek with my right hand, I sigh as I narrow my eyes. Kohana's wearing a green headband, her ankle-length purple hair pushed back behind her ears. She's got on sweats, and she's stepping on a blue mat. Don't tell me she's doing exercises...! Urgh, I cringe inside, watching the people inside of the television do the same thing Kohana's doing. She actually_ is _exercising! Wow, who would have thought Kohana of all people would do something like this...? She's holding purple dumbbells in her hands, and she's just... All around weird. Why do I have to have such a weird mother? I inhale, puffing out my chest. It's now or never...

"Kohana..."

"Sayuri!" It's abrupt, to the point, and Kohana sounds thrilled to see me. Except she turned around extra fast and a dumbbell slipped out of her hand, almost smashing me in the face. I side-stepped out of the way as fast as my magical time powers would let me. Hey, why doesn't she go and learn some aim! … I mean, why does Kohana have to be so dangerous with everything? Sheesh! Well, at least she's smiling at me and not trying to kill me or whatever... It's strange, though. Last time I saw her she went completely batshit on me, and now she's actually pretty normal. At least, for now.

"Hello to you too, _Sayuri,"_ I deadpan, folding my arms and quirking my nose. That's right everyone! Kohana's real name is actually Sayuri! Trust me, I don't like it as much as you guys don't. It just makes everything super confusing. I suppose if Kohana just went by her real name from the beginning, it wouldn't be this confusing, but right now... Anyway, when I said that, Kohana actually quirked a brow, glinting her fangs and pausing her little workout tape. Psh, she could do whatever she wanted. It wouldn't change my views on her. "I see you're trying to get in shape after destroying the Dark Ages completely, huh? We wouldn't want you to blow up or anything, right?"

She taps her fingertips together, closing her eyes dramatically. You know, there's something off about Kohana. Oh, it might be the different-colored flowers in her hair. She's got purple and tea-colored crap in her hair now, and I know she's going to tell me all about it. "Sayuri _darhliiiing_." Jesus H. Christ. She better not do that again. "Are you still mad at me because of what I did~?" How the hell... Why the hell wouldn't I be mad at her? She destroyed a whole entire world and_ killed most of my friends! _That's it—I don't grace her with an answer. I just fold my arms and look in the other direction.

Do you guys have any idea how needy Kohana is?

When you don't pay attention to her, she seeks attention. And that's exactly what she's doing right now. She walks up to me, taps my shoulder a little like a lost, sick little kitten, and then she tilts her head, frowning big time. You know, she even pokes my boobs, further irritating me! Well, if she didn't want me to be so mad at her, she shouldn't have done all the things she did! She finally realizes all of her efforts aren't going to work, and so she steps back, clapping her hands together and pouting. "Sa! Yu! Ri!" she exclaims, inhaling after every syllable. "Talk to your mother, please...?"

No!

I will not talk to her! Not after everything she did! I will not—why is she looking at me like that? Aww Kohana doesn't have to look so sad—I mean! No, I will not... Cannot... Should not...! Urgh, fine, she wins! I look back at her, which makes her start to smile. "That's a good girl!" she murmurs, stretching her arm out. Psh, I'm tired of people saying that. I look around the room and spot her katana leaning against the wall.

You know, it's not like I've never seen that very katana before. When we lived on Earth still, Kohana had it encased in the living room. I never knew she actually _fought _with it. But I bet there's a boatload of things I don't know about Kohana... And you know what, I want to know all of her secrets. I fix my stance, which startles her a bit. "Kohana, I want to know."

"Know what?"

"Know everything."

She pauses, smirking a bit. "Ah, no, Sayuri. You don't get to know everything," she admonishes, prodding my chest with her index-finger. Jeez, it's like she doesn't see my boobs in the way, clearly. "Everything gets to know you." What does that even mean! "When everything feels like you're strong enough to handle it, it'll reveal itself to you little by little. That being said!" Kohana prances around the room, doing really stretchy... Jumps and whatnot. "Is that all you came here for? To get me to tell you the answers to questions you haven't even formed in your head yet? Oh please. I know what you came here for..."

"You know everything about me, apparently," I answer, scoffing. "So why don't you go ahead and work your magic. Answer my questions, Kohana. Since you're such an expert Summoner and all." You know, there's a part of me that's really, really jealous of her and everything she stands for. Kohana is... Everything that I wish I could be. Everything I'm not... She's even got my name... She stops in one place and turns around, licking her lips slowly.

"You want to know why I have these flowers in my hair, correct?" Um. No. "Aha! I knew it Sayuri! Well, these purple flowers? They're called Astilbe. They mean 'I'll still be waiting.' And these tea-colored roses in my hair? They mean 'I'll remember you always.' They're a tribute to everyone that I knew in the Dark Ages who have passed on." Suddenly, I get a huge knot in my stomach and my arms slide down. I know exactly where she's going with this.

"Kohana...!"

"Shush! Sayuri, pick up your _damn_ face!" I stand completely still after she says that. I don't even breathe. "People died... So what? What's gone cannot be brought back. You move on. Just like how you moved on when Tariku died is exactly how I want you to move on now." She pauses, cackling. "You want to ask me why I killed Lucrecia don't you...?" B-but she didn't kill Lucrecia, right? T-that was A-Aysel, right? Why does Kohana play with my mind so much? I was there, dammit! I was even in the fight! Don't tell me...! Kohana walks over to me, grasping my chin and tilting my head up with brute force so I'd be able to look at her.

The only thing I could do was stare. The amusement in her eyes... It scared me.

"Yes, yes, I killed Lucrecia? So? What you fail to realize, Sayuri, is that no one gets away with calling me a coward!" She lets my chin go and does a dramatic turn, her hair swaying in the wind behind her. "Sad part is, she'd possibly still be alive, hadn't she let that slip. I knew from that moment on, once that word slipped her lips that she would not survive! How did I do it?" I don't think I want to know. Honestly, I'm this close to fainting. How did I get stuck with her as a mother? She takes another step back, collapsing into a couch behind her. Opening the palm of her right hand, a mysterious, Victorian-looking book appears in it. "This? This is Lucrecia's entire life, written in the form of a book."

"You've got to be...!"

Before I can say that she's lying, she opens her right hand and some kind of pen appears in it. It looks really special. Pretty. It's like one of those old pens with a feather and everything on it. Kohana playfully flips through the pages, twirling the pen around in her hand. I learn more and more about this woman everyday, huh? "Sadly, this belongs to Atropa..." Atropa? "Atropa is the Goddess of Fate and Destiny. She's been alive since the universe was created. Back then, Atropa had her own body, and well, you get the point."

"So she's old as dirt, is what you're saying?" I ask, closing my eyes and sighing.

"She's inflexible and inevitable!" Kohana shouts. "Atropa is the one who chooses how one dies, and she ends their life through Fate," she sings, rolling her tongue on that last word. "And Destiny." The book disappears from her hand, and I exhale a sigh full of relief. "Enough about Atropa and what she can do though~ Let's get back to your mother. Now, your mother is a very accomplished magic user~ Your mother has the ability to change fate itself without Atropa's help!" My heart. Just. Stopped beating. "Yes, I not only change the fates of others', but I make up what's going to happen to them next. You see, I killed them all. Everyone who died on the Dark Ages _did not _have to die."

I swipe my arm across the air. "I know that! But you were too lazy to do anything—!"

"Correction!" she exclaims, giggling. "I hated them all. So I created this master plan. Using my logic, my skill, Atropa's books, spying on you all, my time magic, and Wicked Spawn, I devised a plan that would not only crush everyone I hated, knock out my competition for killing Saivan, and change this world, but also keep you, my dear, alive." She stops, sighing and folding her arms. "There's just one problem."

What could she possibly not do? This was going to be good. "I can't write my endings, and outcomes can easily be switched around. I killed all those people without really knowing if the world was actually going to be saved or not. And that's where you came in, my darling daughter!" I freak out on the inside, only because Kohana gives me two pats on the back. "Atropa writes the deaths, and I make sure they happen. Fair trade. Lucrecia messed with me, and I granted her 'death by accident'. It takes a lot out of me to do all of that, so I kinda collapsed. But still~!"

She leans in real close to my face, her lips pressing against my skin. "Now tell me, who's mother does nobody want to mess with?" she asks, smirking across my face. And then she playfully licks my cheek, albeit slowly. Eww.

"I'm not answering that."

"Aww! Why not?"

"Because." I pause, straightening out my corset. "I think you're lying."

"Eh...?"

"You're lying," I reiterate, nice and slow. Kohana tilts her head at me, getting up from her seat and looking at me through big, green eyes. And you know, I let out a chuckle. "There's no way you can control fate... How those guys died... Some of those things were accidents, you know. They were just under bad circumstances. … I just can't explain it." I poke my index-fingers, turning around. "You're lying, and I'll prove it."

Cue the big, Cheshire Cat grin stretching across her face.

"Huh~? You think I'm lying, and you'll prove it~? Need I remind you that I don't need the damn Swine Flu to be a sick pig?"

"You're just using this to scare me and my friends." I think I'm wrong, but you know... Looking scared in front of Kohana doesn't help anyone. "You're warping the situation. You're not that strong. No one is that strong... If anything, I blame people being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Doing the wrong things when they know they shouldn't. Greed. Corruption. It's all like you said..." Urgh, I'm an idiot! Did I just say I actually agreed with what Kohana said just a few seconds ago? I shake my head, pointing my index-finger at her.

I'm not going to lose to her this time!

"I'll prove you wrong—and stop every death before it happens!"

Kohana flinches, but it isn't long before she's grinning maliciously at me again. "Should you fail at proving me wrong—proving that there isn't a soul susceptible to corruption and greed, chaos and madness, ignorance and arrogance in the universe—I'll kill you where you stand, Sayuri _darhliiing_!"

We look at each other.

We lock hands.

We nod.

"Challenge accepted!" we exclaim at the same time.

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-One: This is MY Story! :-**

_The hydrangeas blow around in the wind like crazy_  
_When we're apart, the colors start to wither_  
_I wonder if someday_  
_I'll be used to you not being here with me_

_This room we passed the time together in_  
_Is gonna be painted in shades of blue_  
_From the start, we knew we would wither_  
_And still we smiled_

— "Apologies" — Miho Fukuhara

Stupid Miyuki and her... I had forgotten how much I hated Miyuki. Maybe it was because I didn't have much time to actually be with her constantly like I was before I had gotten sucked into all of this Dark Ages crap. I closed my eyes, looking up at the sky. I had really neglected these guys huh? Now we were standing in the middle of nowhere in what used to be the badlands with Mima and Misa holding their finger pointer things with both of their hands. I blew strands of my hair out of my eyes and folded my arms. What was all this talk about stupid temples and stuff, and why hadn't I seen one before? Chio insisted that Renata had told her about them a couple of weeks ago... Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this crap?

Anyway, my stupid Guardian was convinced that I was being a 'crybaby' about everything, and Miyuki gave me some kind of warped 'talk' about how the universe was composed of people dying and being reborn. She went on and on about how she learned the balance through her time training to become Kokoro, Morta, Chio and I's Guardian, and then she told me that what we did—coming to the Dark Ages—was really something good. Pfft, Miyuki is such a hypocrite. First she says that I was stupid when I said we were going to go to war against Saivan, and now she's saying we are heroes for watching millions die but saving the world before it imploded.

No, I'm not in a good mood now.

But at least it was just the five of us now. And Miyuki said that we'd gain the rest of our members after leaving the Dark Ages! Hopefully! That at least made me somewhat happy. More help is always good, you know? Princess Renata was standing behind us, her hand glued to Chio's shoulder. I guess those two had become best friends or something while everyone was working to rebuild stuff. Renata had visited me a lot while I was in the castle sulking and thinking about how much of an awful Summoner I was. I had to admit that I wasn't the best... Whatever Kohana did when she was a Summoner couldn't of been all that bad, right? I mean, at least the Dark Ages wasn't blown to shreds!

I scoffed, quirking my nose.

But then again, she_ was _the one that basically destroyed everything...!

I seethed, my face turning completely red. That's when Morta tapped me on my back. I'm not going to lie here, yeah. I jumped a bit, and I was scared at first because I didn't exactly know who was touching me. But it was good ol' Morta. She was holding her scythe in her right hand, locked in full Summoner mode. All of us were. "Sayuri, careful now, you wouldn't want to turn into a full-blown tomato." Was that supposed to be funny or something? Hmph. I rolled my eyes, looking straight ahead into a bunch of nothingness. Whatever Renata wanted to show us she needed to show us already! Sheesh! I didn't have much patience for all of this stuff!

I held my wand with both my hands, watching the sun reflect off it. How the hell was I going to beat Kohana with this thing...? I mean, I didn't have a pretty scythe like Morta had... I mean sure, the end of my wand was as sharp as your typical sword, but I usually didn't jab it around like that. I closed my eyes, swinging my weapon around until Mima poked me with her finger pointer thing. Okay, I'm tired of people scaring me!

"You seem better, Summoner Sayuri!" she muttered, bringing her pointer thing back to her side. Yeah, yeah, better. Kokoro brought his hand up, in all of his annoying glory.

"Yeah, doesn't she...?" He put his hand on his chin, tilting his head. "Miyuki really made her happy again after Alula tried to get her out of her room and failed... Sayuri, it was kind of mean what you did to poor Alula, you know..."

That's it! I was tired of people trying to figure me out! They didn't know what happened! I turned around on my heel, folding my arms and glaring at the so called Summoner of Fire. "Listen, I told you guys! You think Alula came in there to try to get me to come out? No, Alula came in there to irritate me! You guys think Alula is all sunshine and rainbows since she saved Valerie and all of those guys? No! Alula is a _Wicked Spawn_, no matter how you turn her, and she came in there to in there to interrogate me about Kohana." Okay, now everyone thought I was crazy. Urgh. I shrugged my shoulders, closing my eyes. "Believe what you want, but Alula kept asking me about Kohana, telling me to stay away from her and telling me how much Kohana hated me and wanted me dead."

I paused, turning around. "So, you know, I threw her through the wall because she was irritating me!" I opened my eyes, chuckling haughtily to myself. "I think she's jealous!" As a matter of fact, what the heck was Alula still doing alive anyway? Why was she even still here? All she did was follow Nenne and Klaus around! And she only followed Nenne around because he talked to Kohana or something, apparently. If Alula knew what was good for her, she needed to just... Stay the hell away from me. I took a few steps forward, expecting Mima and Misa to work their magic. "Can we just get this thing over with or what?"

"Don't rush, Sayuri!" Chio chimed, waving her staff. I rolled my eyes, but only a little. I couldn't stay mad at Chio, even though she almost ate me while she was that big snake thing. "We'll get there in a second—don't be so impatient!" She ended that with a giggle, but I didn't see what was so funny. After that, Mima and Misa tapped the ends of their finger pointer things on the ground at the same time, creating this wicked-awesome red anagram underneath all of our feet. I couldn't help but look at what we were standing on in awe. It's not everyday you get to see random anagrams coming out of nowhere... Chio thinks all of this is really pretty, with the way she's gasping and holding her hands. Princess Renata pointed an index-finger into the sky, her eyes glinting with focal energy and her amulet shining.

Once she did that, Misa and Misa pointed at the same spot with their finger pointers. "Time is easy to understand, but impossible to explain," Renata murmured. I guess this was some kind of spell or something. "Time runs out, the grains of the Hour Glass slowly, very slowly, falls towards their final destination where they will rise again, then fall. Time destroys everything we've worked for, lived for, dreamed for, died for..." Ouch. Why did she have to be so mean about it...? Renata was starting to make me feel bad. "It slowly blows it all away, indifferent, and uncaring. Time has no mercy or compassion. That is, truly, Time."

"Sayuri!" Miyuki calls out. "I'm so very sorry I didn't tell you what you needed to do to help us open the gate to this temple beforehand, but I'm going to need you to point where Renata is pointing, and use your time magic to do it. Don't worry, the others will eventually do it as well." I huffed, shaking my head and sighing. Okay, whatever. As long as it got us in. I inhaled, pointing a balled fist at where they were pointing and opening my hand up in a flurry of passion.

"Freeze!" I commanded, a time anagram spinning across the air. All of a sudden it locked in one place, and Renata smiled. Slightly. It was weird and creepy. After everything she said she started smiling...?

"The flames of hell are burning, burning, consuming the lands so dry," Renata chants. Oh, so I guess this was Kokoro's cue, then? He knew it was his cue too, because he got ready. "It burns beyond the forest, forest from the Inferno lost to time. It sweeps out everywhere, everywhere, destroying as it goes. Never to be stopped, rage forever on." As Kokoro lit the sky with fire, I closed my eyes, trying to make sense out of all of this. Why would Kohana want to destroy this world...? I still had no idea where she had gotten her logic from. I shook my head, trying to get Kohana out of my mind. Urgh, why was I always thinking about her?

I ran my fingers through my hair, closing my eyes as I started to feel cold. It was just a side effect to Morta's power, of course. Soon, this temple thing would have been opened! Good. I couldn't wait to see it. If I could get new techniques and abilities by just walking into this place, then I was more than happy to—_ganaaah! _

I was so stupid! I wasn't paying attention and then next thing I knew fire just came out of freakin' nowhere! It was all around us, and Mima and Misa had crossed their finger pointers to shield us from the flames. I was suddenly happy they were brought back to life, even though they were really magical entities created from focal energy. No matter what, they'd always seem like people to me. I still remember when Mima thanked me for getting her out of that stupid garden... She seemed... Happy. Once the flames died down, there was this big building standing in front of us. I don't know how to explain it. It was ancient, and had a statue of... Evreet sitting in front of it? Yeah. The sky was a different color around us, too. Kind of a blueish-reddish... Purple? A little bit.

Renata threw her arms out, smiling. "Summoners and Miyuki," she said, trying to sound important.

I looked at the temple one more time, trying to figure out what dangers would await us.

"Welcome to Abyssus Incendia."

* * *

_I wonder if you've already forgotten the silly things I did to make you smile._

* * *

"Hey, Morta, look at this!" I yelled, motioning over for her to come look at what I found. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before! It's red and small... It kinda looked like an orb. Like my weapon! It had fire inside of it and everything, but I didn't want to touch it. At least, not without Miyuki over here to tell me it was okay to touch it. We had just set foot in here and everything and I didn't want something bad to happen because of me and all! Sayuri's on the right side of the room expecting the walls, and Chio's looking at the fancy paintings etched into floor. This place was very well-crafted... There were pictures of Evreet everywhere and it was doing different things.

In one picture, it was even eating a bunch of people! It was cool, but it was kind of scary at the same time! I never wanted to get eaten by something like that...! Morta dragged her scythe across the ground—I couldn't tell if she was just tired or lazy, but it wasn't like her to drag her stuff around. She looked at the miniature circle sitting in some kind of slot in the wall, and she tapped it with the end of her scythe, arching her thick eyebrows. The Lithuanian took a moment to think, and then she turned around, inspecting the moveable pillar in the middle of the room. "Hmm. Kokoro, don't touch it. We still have to find out how to get out of this room." I don't know... I was tired of just sitting around and doing nothing. I wanted to save the day too, so as soon as Morta turned around, I reached out to touch it. The fire inside of it started dancing and it was like the fire was calling out to me...

Morta was right. There wasn't a door in this room, so there had to be something wrong here. … Maybe it had something to do with this orb then! I was going to touch it, but Shiva smacked my hand away, and it hurt really bad because she's practically made of ice! It burned, but I didn't cry or anything like that! I was a Summoner; I could take pain like this! It was a piece of cake! But still... My eyes watered a little and Shiva's gaze locked on the ball, nodding her head. "You've seen the pillar in the middle of the room, correct, Summoner of Fire?" I nodded, knowing I was in the wrong. Sorry, Shiva! I didn't mean to make you angry! "It can be moved." Honestly, I think this Cloister of Trials thing was getting on all of our nerves...

The pillar in the middle of the room—while it could be moved—had the same fire orb inside of one of the pockets it had. But because it was there, I think, it was making fire come from the thing! It had been shooting up into the sky! No one wanted to go near it, and I guess it had to be me who did it, huh? Shiva said she couldn't help us with this, but I think I got an idea! "Miyuki?" I called, catching my Guardian's attention. "You said that some temples use a different combination of Summoners, correct?" Miyuki was always so nice to me! She closed her eyes and tried to answer my question the best way she could.

"Yes. It takes a different combination of Summoners to be able to open the gate to get in the temples, and a different combination of Summoners to be able to solve the puzzles inside of the temple as well. As you all can see, this is a temple of fire." Yep, definitely a temple of fire. I could live with this! It wasn't like I was crazy about fire or anything, but it was where my powers were at, so I could control it with ease. It was pretty cool! I took a couple of step towards the pillar and Chio let out a small 'eep', bringing her hands up to her mouth.

"Kokoro! That's dangerous! Don't get to close to it!"

"I'll be fine!" I reassured, nodding my head. I put my entire arm through the flames and I wasn't hurt in the slightest! Sayuri looked kind of mad... I wonder why she was so angry! Aww, I only wanted her to be happy. I think I hated it when she was angry. I hated it when anyone was angry. I picked up the fiery orb super quick and held it delicately—who knows? It might have shattered into a million pieces if I dropped it, right? Sayuri had been standing next to a door-like thing, except it didn't have a doorknob. Just an empty slot next to it. Let's see... I had a hunch that if I put that orb thing in the slot... I looked back at Miyuki, and she nodded at me.

Here goes nothing...

I put it in, and as soon as I did it made a weird sound. Fire started to burn underneath the slot, and then it traveled underneath the wall. Next thing I know, the entire wall started burning in flames. The only thing left was a frame of what looked to be a door. Sayuri started freaking out big time, her grip tightening on her wand. She even swung it around! "Put it out, put it out, put it out!" she exclaimed. "You know we can't get out of here, the way out is locked! And if you let that fire get out of hand, we'll die here because I know my water Essence isn't that strong and—!" She kept babbling and Morta sighed, signaling me to pull the orb back out. As soon as I did, the fire disappeared and what was left of the door fell down in a pile of ashes. "I mean—! Bah, whatever."

I still had the orb in my hand, not really worried about it burning me. Shiva looked straight ahead and turned around to face us, ice crystals escaping her body. "What you hold, Kokoro, is called a Abyssus Incendia Sphere. You all will find that as you journey to other temples, they'll be other types of these Spheres, and you all will each complete puzzles according to your Essence, just like Kokoro is doing here."

"Great," Sayuri mutters, rolling her eyes. "I can see it right now. Cogs... Cogs everywhere! And I have to pick out which ones work, right? And I have to move them using my time magic, right?" Uh, I think Sayuri's being a bit too over dramatic again. She smashed her face with her hands, crouching a bit. "No, no, no! I don't have the patience for that! Miyuki, do something!" She paused once Miyuki didn't answer her. Hey, look! Miyuki had already started to walk into the next room with Morta and Chio! I had better follow them! "Miyuki...? Hey, guys, don't leave me! What did I tell you about leaving me all by myself!" Okay, so we made it into the next room. There was an empty pillar in this room, but there was another slot thing on the northern wall right in front of us. The pillar looked like it was holding another Sphere in it... Except it was green. I didn't touch it.

I didn't need anyone to tell me that I needed to put the Sphere in slot in front of us, so I did! I felt so smart! … But when nothing happened except the usual fire burning from it, I got really confused. Shiva walked slowly up to the slot and hovered her hand over the wall. A green symbol thing sorta started to light up and she turned around, nodding at us. "It's a glyph. It likes being touched. Chio?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind standing here for a moment?" Wow, what would we do without Shiva and her knowledge? "As soon as Kokoro figures out where to put that Sphere, I need you to touch the glyph."

Morta shook her head, glancing to her left. "Hey, Kokoro. There's a slot on the side of me as well. See if it'll work in there." Well, it sounded like a plan. Morta was really smart anyway, so I would listen to anything she said! I inserted the Sphere in the slot, and Chio touched the green glyph with her fingertips. It started to laugh, and it startled us. It even scared Miyuki! The wall started to shake, and then it went up, revealing the next room to us. Except all we could see was fire. It raged and touched the ceiling! No one went forward. No one moved. I think it would have been too hot for any of the others to go forward. Nodding my head, I grabbed the green Sphere from the pillar and put it in the slot on the other side of the wall, watching it do nothing.

"You guys can stay here." I said, nodding my head. "I'll see if I can get the fire to stop." And I meant every word I said! I ran into the next room, ignoring how hot it was and turned to the eastern wall, looking at the fire's main source. It was coming from another Abyssus Incendia Sphere. I immediately took it out, but it didn't stop the fire after all... Hmm... Running back into the room where everyone was staying at, I grabbed the green Sphere and put it in the spot where I took the Abyssus Incendia Sphere out of. When I put it in the wall, the wall blew up, making the fire stop.

Success!

"Hey, guys, come on in!"

Chio pranced my way, Shiva walked calmly to me, and everyone made it into the room really fast! I went down the small flight of stairs, grabbing another Abyssus Incendia Sphere out of the wall, and smiling. "That looks like it's the last door up there! All we need is this thing to burn the wall down like last time, and we can get inside, easy!" Sayuri started clapping her hands, smiling at me. Ah, I loved it when she smiled.

"Huh. Great job, Kokoro! Never knew you had it in you."

"Okay, Summoners. It's not over yet. What you're about to walk into is the Chamber of the Aeon. In this chamber lies Evreet... It also lies where the rest of you find upgrades for your powers. It might just be a new spell, so don't get too overexcited, Sayuri." Miyuki paused, glaring at her. Yeah, she was kind of twitching with excitement. "These upgrades won't make you unstoppable, but they'll be a great help to you when you fight." Chio jumped into the air, holding her staff and smiling.

"Yay! I get to be reunited with Evreet again! You guys remember Evreet, right?" Evreet? I scratched my head. I knew a lot of people, but I didn't know an Evreet...

"How could we not?" Sayuri sighed, narrowing her eyes. "Urgh, we're going to see that _thing_ again?"

"We're going to play with him, we are!"

"'Play?'" Sayuri reiterated, tapping her fingers on her wand. "What do you mean 'play'?"

Shiva stepped in front of Sayuri and the others, watching as I put the Sphere in the slot. Wow, now I really wanted to see who this Evreet was... "Are you that dense, Summoner Sayuri?" Shiva asked, looking up at the ceiling. "Though I wouldn't of expected you to know the rules of Aeons. Before an Aeon will willingly follow a Summoner, it has to test their strengths. It has to see if that party of Summoners are worthy for it to follow. You all fought me for the same reason, and this is why I follow you without fail. Evreet will test your strength, so get ready for a fight against him." I took the Sphere out, watching the fire vanish and the ashes fall to the ground again. We were going to fight Evreet? I didn't like fighting, but if we had to... I shook my head, watching as Sayuri started frowning.

"Urgh! Why...? Why do we have to fight that dog?" she complained. "Do Kokoro, Morta and I at least get the new parts of our powers first?" Shiva took a few steps into the hallway in front of us, leaving behind a trail a miniature crystals.

"Only if you ask nicely."

Following behind Shiva was pretty easy, except this hallway was pretty much destroyed. Something had ripped right through it, leaving holes and pieces of walls missing. Lances were stuck in places they shouldn't of been, and it was just... This temple had gotten a lot more destroyed the deeper we went inside of it. Like a battle had taken place in this very hallway... Chio stayed close to me and Shiva, not wanting to step on a bad tile. It looked like all the traps had been activated already! Phew, that was a relief. Once we made it out of the hall, we were stuck looking at a giant statue of... What I think was Evreet? Chio loosened her grip around her staff and grinned at the statue with bright eyes.

"A powerful djinn with control over scorching flames hot enough to turn the whole world to ashes..." she muttered. "This is Evreet. Brown skin, long horns coming out of its head, long claws, and a simple kilt-like cloth around its waist. Fire makes up its mane, the hair around its ankles and wrists, and its eyebrows..." She touched the statue, closing her eyes and smiling a bit. "Miyuki, should I call Evreet?" Miyuki and the others were busy looking at some sort of glowing thing in the ground. I walked over them only because I wanted to see what they were looking at too! I didn't like being left out! In the end, I really wish I didn't go to see what they were looking at, because it was a grave sight. Except you could see everything in the little bubble.

It was of a dark-skinned little boy, and his body was broken and battered. If you squinted a bit, he kind of looked like Evreet... Suddenly a ghost appeared in front of all of us, and Sayuri fell down on her butt after screaming really, really loud. It was just the little boy who was inside of the grave. He took a look at Chio, smiling brightly. After that, he looked at all of us, his gaze stopping at Shiva. "Ah, so you've come back, Shiva?"

"Naturally," she answered, nodding her head. "I'm sure this isn't your first time meeting these Summoners and their Guardian, correct?" He nodded his head, but why was this the first time I had ever seen him? "This is the first time they've ever been inside of a temple, so please, be easy on them." The boy standing in front of us really didn't seem like a boy. He had no emotions on his face if you ignored the smile he flashed Chio. He was... Dead. Unfeeling. It was then that I remembered he was dead already. The boy in that grave was him, and we were talking to his ghost. Shiva nodded her head and Evreet looked at all of us individually, and then he looked at the giant statue on the other side of the chamber. This place was really big! Everyone's voice echoed.

This statue touched the ceiling, and that was really amazing.

"Summoners," he said, his gaze never leaving the statue. "I am the Aeon that resides in the Dark Ages. My name is Evreet. I've been here for many years, overlooking the events that have taken place on this land. While I cannot say I am pleased with the events that have transpired, I owe you all my thanks for making sure this world hasn't perished. My home. As it stands, that amazing show of power alone should be more than enough to determine whether or not you all are worthy for me to follow. Extraordinary beings you are, each hailing from different parts of the universe. Before you came, I felt defeated. My energy was ready to deplete. Diminish. But now, the fire inside me burns strong. So I ask of you, Summoners. Once you obtain my power—the power of the Dark Ages—how will you use it to continue to save this world and others like it?"

"Umm..." I said, stroking my chin. Before I got a chance to say anything, Sayuri slapped her hand across my mouth. Hard, might I add! Ouch, why was she so mean to me? Chio bowed her head, holding her wand with both of her hands.

"Evreet, if I may!" she chimed, raising her hand. "We've already had lots of fun times together! You can play with Shiva, and we'd never use you! No, you're not a toy that we'll just use when the going gets tough! Ask Shiva; once you join our team, you're a part of the family!" Wow, that was better than what I was going to say! ...I couldn't remember what I was going to say exactly, but what Chio said sounded good. Evreet looked back at me, and then Sayuri.

"I'm sure Shiva could back up that claim..."

"Of course," Shiva muttered, nodding her head. "This is an interesting bunch of Summoners..." What was weird about that was the way she said it. She looked at us as if something were wrong with us... Shiva looked back at Evreet quick, nodding her head. "At any rate, this lot of Summoners want their new abilities before they battle you." He had to think about it at first, but Evreet was quick to make a choice.

"The world is veiled in darkness. Death lies at every corner, and the earth begins to rot. The people wait, their only hope a few people dedicated to the light. When the world is shrouded in that darkness, eight warriors will come. Remember always that the forces of the world must be used as they were intended—that the power of light must never be used for dark. For you are the warrior who crossed time. You are the bringer of light..."

His ghost started to fade away and he gave us one last look before he vanished completely. Aww...

"No one will ever recall the struggles the eight endured, for the breaking of the chain means it never existed..."

"Get ready, Summoners," Miyuki hissed, her cat genetics surfacing. My orb appeared in my hands and everyone got into a fighting position. Fire spiraled around us and hit the ceiling, leaving us untouched by the flames. Evreet's voice still continued to float around us. Sayuri didn't like what he was saying one bit. She swung her wand around, arching her eyebrows and scowling.

The fire got more wild, hotter. Some kind of being started to form in front of us, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that it was Evreet himself. He looked just like the statue. Big. Mean. Vicious. And an Aeon of fire. He was slumped over on all fours, clawing at the ground. Growling. Glaring at us. He pointed a claw at Sayuri, who just looked at him with equal determination.

"You are a fading dream," he murmured. "But one that has been touched by reality. Run, dream. Run on into the daylight. And walk into reality."

"Whatever!" she spat back, waving her arm across the air. "Guys?"

"I've been ready," Morta answered, spinning her scythe.

"Shiva!" Chio commanded, waving her staff to the side. Shiva followed her every whim.

"Feel free to attack at any time since you're so sure, Sayuri," Miyuki muttered, shuffling her deck of cards. I nodded my head, spinning my orb with my index-finger.

"No! What do you mean our struggles will never even exist? What do you mean I'm a fading dream?" Sayuri shouts, seething. "I don't know what you're talking about, but this is MY story! It'll go the way I want it to go, or _I'll end it right here!__"_

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, there goes Sayuri, trying to be all badass when she knows she's as intimidating as a stick... XD; I like the Aeons! They're interesting people, they are! Shiva is one of my favorites though. Following Siren and all, but we won't really meet Siren until... Well, a long time. XD

And of course there's a whole bunch of stuff Sayuri doesn't know about Kohana. XD I'm sorta mad she just came to that conclusion. But oh well. We've got a fight with an Aeon next chapter, and what about those new abilities? One can only hope they're beasty. XD


	62. Alive With The Glory Of Love

**A/N:** We're done with the Dark Ages as of this chapter! :D

Yep! Yep! Next chapter we'll find ourselves back in pretty Spectra. HQ. How exciting is that, guys? XD;;; Um... A good portion of this chapter is of events that have already happened in this story. As in, they're flashbacks from previous chapters from other characters' PoVs. They're in ittalics. They're just important moments in this arc that have drove the Dark Ages to this point.

3000 words of past moments in this arc, to be specific. XD

* * *

Once again the party finds themselves bent over backwards, struggling to gain their breath back from fighting Isleen. The former Summoner of Change has lost her wings; there's nothing left of her false sense of evolution. Isleen stands up straight, looking at the five Summoners standing in front of her. She takes one step back and the continues to fall, almost in slow motion. She hits the ground, arms outstretched and eyes looking towards the sky. Sayuri makes such a big deal out of this that she immediately takes off, throwing her sword on the ground and slowing time down, the echo of her katana hitting the floor vibrating through the empty space they're in.

Once Sayuri reaches Isleen, time is allowed to go freely again. With her emerald eyes she looks down at Isleen's small frame, frowning. She's not sure what to say... She wants to take a step back and run from what she's done, but Isleen's red eyes are locked on her, her face pale. "I-it seems... That I lose," Isleen says, closing her eyes. "I-I knew you were strong, Sayuri." At that notion Sayuri shakes her heard, her lips parting.

"It was... Really close... You... Were strong too." Isleen turns her head to look towards Sayuri and then she looks straight ahead.

"Ahaha. Ha. It's nice... To hear that. Because all... Because all I ever wanted..." Sayuri walks around Isleen, stopping by her head and kneeling down, extremely upset with how hurt Isleen is. "All I... Ever wanted..." The Summoner of Time kneels down by Isleen's side, her eyes wandering around her body.

"Isleen...!"

"Ha... What's wrong, Sayuri? That look doesn't suit you very well." Sayuri licks her lips, frowning even more.

"You... You idiot Isleen... You're just a big, hopeless idiot, aren't you, Isleen?" The wolf-girl remembers those words well and nods her head. After all, she remembers anything Sayuri says. Jessica runs to Sayuri's side, just to make sure she's all right.

"Yes... Yes, I think so too. Though it is a little vexing to find myself agreeing with you..." Sayuri turns around, glancing at the flowers tied to Isleen's cape. She closes her eyes tightly, looking at the others.

"Isleen I... I lied to you. You know those flowers that I said were too beautiful for you to wear? Those flowers that Jessica said clashed with your personality? I lied... I..." Sayuri balls up her fists, choking back tears. "They do look kinda good on you... But only... Kinda..." Her eyes start to water and tears fall down her cheeks. And so what if this Isleen standing in front of her isn't real? So what if it's a manifestation of her soul because Sayuri forgot to send her? She's real enough, and therefore is worthy of her tears. "I—I'm so sorry Isleen... I—I don't know what to say I..." The former Summoner of Change tilts her head, frowning.

"Thank you, Sayuri. It makes me... Kinda happy... To hear you say that."

After all of this turmoil, the rest of the Summoners stare at the three, at least until the entire infrastructure shakes, making them all lose their balance. Nina lets out a cry of distress and Leyiko catches her arm before she falls towards the ground. "What's going on!" Nina yells. The Summoner of Fire folds her arms, keeping her cool as always. Being more robotic than she is Nocuous, this comes natural to her.

"It would seem like the definition of this place has become unstable. I would assume it is because the energy supply cannot be maintained now that Miss Isleen has been defeated. Or to be more accurate, now that the Fragments that merged with her are being destroyed." Riona folds her arms, nodding her head.

"That makes sense. In other words, this place doesn't have enough energy left to hold itself together any longer."

"I believe that analysis is correct," Leyiko replies. Riona shakes her head and sighs, her long, black hair flowing with each movement.

"I imagine that analysis can probably wait. You're wasting time too."

Riona swings her scythe to the side of her and starts running in the other direction. Nina stands in one spot, staring at Jessica and Sayuri. Flashbacks start to replay in her head and her throat feels really dry. Once Leyiko grabs hold of Nina's wrist, her eyes start to water and she calls out Sayuri's name. The Summoner of Time ignores her, glancing back at Isleen, a faint smile dancing on her lips.

"C'mon. Let's go home." The sentiment of the word home... It makes Isleen blink. Sayuri _is _aware that she isn't the real Isleen, correct? Just a collection of her negative feelings... The negative part of her soul that never made it to the other side... She's not the Isleen she once knew, and she can never be that person. So why would the Summoner of Time go to such extreme lengths to make sure she's saved?

"Sayuri..." Isleen mutters as Sayuri slings her arm over her shoulder. Jessica takes a few steps back, making sure the two don't fall over. Her eyes twinkle with faint tears before Sayuri's green eyes lock with her own blue ones.

"Jessica," Sayuri says, nodding her head. "You go ahead with the others. Time is collapsing around us, isn't it?"

"Sayuri... But..." The Summoner of Water looks down at the ground, holding both of her hands. Leaving her leader? Since when is that ever an acceptable thing to do? Isleen glances at her and nods her head, solidifying Jessica's decision. She's going to listen to Sayuri like she's always done. She sounds like she at least has a plan. Still, the thought of leaving her two best friends to die like this... She runs forward, stumbling over herself with her eyes closed, tears flying out from them. She almost makes it a good distance away from them until the floor underneath her starts to crack. Not knowing how to use her wings yet, she panics, but all too quickly, for a robotic hand catches hers.

The chasm between the others and Sayuri and Isleen is _frightening. _Leyiko's jaw actually drops. "Sayuri!"

"We'll be—ah—fine!" the purple-haired teenager insists. "T-take care of Jessica!"

"But...!"

"J-just... Do it!"

Leyiko looks at the ground and turns around, but she gets another thought, facing her leader once more. "I believe in you, Sayuri."

Sayuri and Isleen continue to walk along the lining of the chasm, and the purple-haired teenager is more than determined to find a way out of this place for both of them. Isleen on the other hand... It's hard, hearing Sayuri's heavy breathing and pants, knowing full well that she is the cause of them. She looks at her leader with saddened red eyes, hanging her head low. Why is it that she's risking her life to save her? "Sayuri...? Tell me... Where did I go wrong? All I ever... All I ever wanted... Was to become strong... Like you. Sayuri, no matter how dark or difficult the path, you always came through it, growing step-by-step... I wanted to become a woman like you... Always walking forward..."

Sayuri shakes her head, still struggling to keep them walking. "That's... Nothing! You still can, you know! You're... Walking forward now! Aren't you?" She ceases her walking, looking into Isleen's face, and Isleen does the same.

"Hmm. I see. That's exactly where I went wrong, isn't it? I needed to keep moving forward... On my own feet... No matter how far... No matter how difficult... No matter how painful..." She pauses, looking at Sayuri again. "You told me that, showed me that so many times... But instead, I grabbed hold of the power I found in front of me. Because my heart was weak... Too fragile to withstand the sorrow... And pain... I gave myself up to that power... And became so proud... Ahaha. What a fool I am..." With every step they take forward, the ground behind them starts to fall into nothingness... A dark void with a ravenous appetite for anything and everything.

Before Jessica, Nina, Leyiko, and Riona can make it to the door they entered from, the entire bridge collapses, and Riona even drops her scythe in the darkness. Among all of the commotion, bright blue magic starts to manifest in front of them and Talla, a fellow Nenthiasitain, appears in front of them, pushing up her glasses with her index-finger. "We've got to hurry and get out of here. We are able to make transportation symbols with ease now, but time and space itself is collapsing. Hurry now! Summoners, we are in such great dept to you, but—!" Nina brings her hand up to her mouth and turns around, ignoring Talla's words.

Seeing Sayuri on the floor, she immediately forgets about everything and runs towards her leader, panic-stricken. She almost makes it to her, but the floor instantly gives out from underneath her. Nina's expecting to fall to her death, but someone catches her, their arms wrapped around her waste. It's Jessica, and her wings flutter in the air as far as they can extend. Nina, not enthused about Jessica being able to fly now, quickly snaps into a state of panic and flails her arms around, kicking and shouting against the Featherfolk.

"Let me _go!"_ Nina shouts. "Sayuri... Sayuri is still back there!"

"No! There's... No way I could let go of you now!" Jessica's grip tightens around Nina and she brings her to where Riona is standing, landing safely on the ground. The symbol starts to glow underneath their feet, and Nina keeps hyperventilating, screaming Sayuri's name. Grief-stricken, Jessica walks over to Talla, grabbing her hands.

"Please! You have to wait! Sayuri is still over there!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't wait any longer. The symbol is set to move... It'll collapse if we waste anymore time..."

Sayuri desperately tries to block out the screams of her teammates, hanging on to Isleen's hand. Bent over the edge of the chasm, her grip tightens on it. "I... Won't let go of you...!"

"Sayuri... Why are you... Trying so hard...?"

"D-don't... Look at me like that! You're going to be... Strong like me... Right...? C'mon, we're going to get out of here, all right? And then we'll... All be together again!" she says, forcing a smile—trying to get her mind off Isleen's eyes and the way they scream of lost hope.

"Sayuri..."

"Huh?"

"Hearing you call back to me from the end... Running back to you... Following your lead... Always trying my best to help you... I hope someday... I loved you, you know. We were so close back then, you were like an older sister to me. The smart one... The pretty one, the one I could always go to... And then you left me like so much... Dirt in the road. This is for what I was. This is for what I have become."

"Isleen...!"

"Sayuri... Sayuri, I know you can." And with that said, Isleen smiles, letting go of Sayuri's hand and falling down with the rest of the debris. It all seems like slow motion to her, and she stops breathing all together, her eyes widening.

A shrill yell echos through the darkness.

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Two: Alive With The Glory Of Love :-**

_Somewhere between happy, and total fucking wreck_  
_Feet sometimes on solid ground, sometimes at the edge_  
_To spend your waking moments, simply killing time_  
_Is to give up on your hopes and dreams, to give up on your..._

_Life for you has been less than kind_  
_So take a number stand in line_  
_We've all been sorry, we've all been hurt_  
_But how we survive is what makes us who we are_

— "Survive" — Rise Against

I grinned, hearing them all cheer my name. Prince Klaus, just how it was supposed to be. I wasn't quite ready to be king. At least, not yet. Not without the people I loved, and not without friends... True friends to guide me. Maybe one day I'd be the king that I had always envisioned myself to be—the king that rebuilt Austere and restored honor to the Nocuous... But for right now, I was happy. I had already found a new bunch of friends. A new start. A new beginning. And I owe that all to Summoner Morta, Kokoro, Chio, Sayuri, and their Guardian. Without them, I'd probably be the same brat that I was before they showed up in Austere on that fated day. And hey! Not everything was all gloom and doom! I got to stay in a castle! A real, tall, towering castle with Queen Renata and King Chase! I'd work on making myself a better man... I'd work on my swordplay, and continue to protect my people from all the vile darkness in the world!

I licked my lips, pushing some of my hair out of my eyes and nodding my head once the screaming and chanting had died down. I had never seen so many happy people in one place before... "You're all embarrassing me..." I muttered, my face turning three shades of red. I wiped my face with my right hand and looked back up, dusting off my pristine white suit-coat. "Err-hmm, I guess I should start this off by saying... Hi everyone! You all probably know who I am, and..." I stopped to look down at the microphone on the podium thingy... I had never talked to a crowd as big as this one, and I had never really... Talked into a microphone before! It was all so confusing... Queen Renata put her glove-covered hand on my shoulder and I looked back at her, giving her a nod. She was really pretty... Chase was a lucky guy to be able to have her on his shoulder! I was jealous!

She straightened out her dress, grinning at the crowd and adjusting the microphone on her podium thingy. I watched in awe. Guys, I got to see a professional handle something that I was having problems with! How awesome was that? "When I was little, I... I used to have a dream. Father and Mother would do things around the castle. Important things, like filing paperwork. Renatari used to play with her dolls, and when she was not doing that, she found some way to torment me. I think, the most amazing thing that happened in that castle—the one that I grew up in—was the fact that everyone had someone they followed without fail." She paused, her smile fading away and her expression more serious. She had my complete and full attention. Renata was such a great Queen!

I wondered what I was going to say next. She was so good at these kind of things, and back in Austere, no one bothered to listen to me. Not when I was the youngest of my family, and therefore unlikely to become heir to the throne...

"I followed my sister, my sister followed Aysel, and Aysel ultimately followed Saivan. It was a pyramid of following." I nodded my head. Huh. I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to jump into what she was saying... I just thought I had better shut up and listen. "People usually only follow others that they're close to. They share a common bond. A common fight, if you will. I became someone to look up to. I became someone to follow." She paused for dramatic effect. "I became the heir to the throne, Princess Renata—soon to be queen of the Palace in the Sky. And the new fight that I would have to endure? I wouldn't endure it alone, because my new friends were the Enlightened, the people who made up the kingdom I was destined to rule."

As soon as Princess Renata stopped talking, the crowd went wild again! They cheered, and they cheered, and I started to move my head to the sound they were making! Oh what fun this entire thing was. I wish we could have meetings like this everyday, because it sure did lift my spirits to know that everyone was so happy! I grinned my cheesy grin, straightening out my tie and grabbing my microphone, taking it out of its stand and walking around the stage with it. "Others were locked in a different fight, and I'm sure you all can remember who those people were! That's right, I'm talking about the Nocuous, and I was behind you all the way!" I paused, looking up in the sky and waving my hand out. "Birds of a feather flock together, huh?"

The crowd didn't answer me in words, no; they kept screaming and cheering, yelling my name even more. I cleared my throat and continued. "You know, I realized that I'm a lot like you people. We want a leader. A captain. And we want a ship to ride in, but more important than that... Really, we all want to ride together. There are some things you can't do alone... But they become easy with friends beside you." I stopped talking just to glance at my wonderful teacher standing behind me. Nenne, Professor Ever and Aline... Everyone was behind me wearing their Medals of Honor... And they deserved them. They deserved them for placing their lives on the line for the entire world! Alula suddenly transformed into her flying Wicked Spawn form, sitting daintily on my head. Aww, she was so cute!

"This is the lesson that we learned when we started those wars," Renata interjected. "It was power... And we misused that power."

I bowed my head, opening my eyes for the first time that day.

"We turned our friends and followers against each other," I muttered. "Forgive us."

Both Renata and I stood next to each other and bowed—hoping the crowd would accept our apologies. I thought they were going to scream and shout our names some more, but all you heard were their discontent sighs and things of that nature. Huh? They didn't want us apologizing or something? It was our fault the world almost blew up, wasn't it? "Somehow we forgot that there's a larger ship out there. A larger vessel. One that we've been riding ever since we were born." I paused, looking up and grinning madly. "That ship is called the Dark Ages, right?"

Aha! That was the response I was looking for!

No matter if they were Nocuous or Enlightened, the entire crowd knew what I was talking about and cheered louder than ever! Renata took the stand again, tilting her head and waving her hand in the air. "No one knows just where our voyage will lead us. But we do know one thing: One way or another, we will get by. We'll go on living. This moment of peace... It will continue."

I jumped up in the air before Renata could close this meeting up and before the crowd went wild again.

"Just one more thing!" I insisted. "We owe thanks to a very special lady and her fellow Summoners and that curious little Guardian of hers." The crowd agreed wholeheartedly, jumping up and down and shooting those confetti things at the mere mention of those guys.

"Yeah! You all know who I'm talking about! We really hoped that she could be here today..."

* * *

_I shirk my obligations, I miss all your deadlines, I excel at quitting early, and fucking up my life._

* * *

Thank God we had finally gotten out of that stupid temple!

For some reason, I felt better now. I mean, sure, we had got our asses kicked by Evreet, but Renata healed all of our wounds afterward! And plus, I got spiffy new powers! I wanted to use them—you know, to try them out—but Miyuki told all four of us that we couldn't use them right away. Bitch. So, yeah, I don't even know what my spiffy new powers are, and I'm probably not going to find out what they are until I'm locked in another battle. Joy. I had my arms folded while everyone flocked to... I didn't know if it was still okay to call Renata "Princess Renata", seeing as how she had gotten married to Chase while we were still inside of Evreet's damn inferno.

Yeah, they had gotten married, which is understandable, seeing as how time isn't the same in the Chamber of the Aeon as it is in the real world. Basically, we had been fighting Evreet for two weeks. Amazing. Some of that time could have been chopped up to Chio praying to Evreet, too. I guess Queen Renata was going to have some kind of correlation today, because she was dressed to fit the occasion. The golden hair she inherited from her parents was put into a beautiful combination of medium to long layers, cut through the sides and the back to enhance the movement of the waves added to her hair style to give it shape and class, I think. It was something to do with all of that crap, at least. I don't know—I'm not a hair stylist.

Of course she had expensive jewelry on, but her dress was different from the ones she normally wore. This dress was really white. I mean, really, really white. It was a blinding kind of white. It fell down to the floor, so I couldn't see what kind of shoes she wore. It had a lace-up spaghetti side, it was fully lined, and had a hidden back zipper. There was something about her face that just popped out at me. She was really bronze. I didn't want to get too close to Renata, because everyone was waiting for me to get this whole thing over with. Morta was standing behind me, watching over me like a hawk does over its babies or something. Tch. I wasn't a baby! The so-called Summoner of Death was also tapping her foot on the ground impatiently.

Shut it, gorilla-eyebrows! I'm doing the best that I can to get this thing over with!

Now, if only I could get through Chio, Alula, Aline, and any other baby-crazed females blocking me from getting to Renata. See, Renata is pregnant now, and has been for a long time. She had only started showing it like... I don't remember what Adel told me. A week ago, or something like that? Turns out she had been pregnant through the war and everything. While I was happy for her, I was more concerned about the baby. Professor Ever (who is all of a sudden this amazing OBGYN) said the baby was going to be okay. I shook my head, biting my lip. You know, if it weren't for me, I wouldn't have anything to worry about. I did keep her out of majority of this war, but... It wasn't enough to keep her safe...

I swallowed my pride and walked up to the crowd of women trying to lean against Renata's stomach—trying to feel the baby and I gave her an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of my head. It had been a while since Renata got to see me happy, other than the meeting she had held in her room the other day. Her golden eyes instantly widened at the sight of me and she let off a grin, which made me feel slightly better about everything. "Hi, Queen Renata," I greeted, nodding my head. "I came to see you today. Well, we all did, and—"

"Omigosh!" Chio exclaimed, standing up straight and holding her hands together. I quirked a brow. She was really serious about this whole baby thing, wasn't she? "It moved, Renata! This is so wonderful and sweet, you know that?" She paused, spinning around in a complete circle and grinning madly. "You should let me babysit!" I thought everyone was going to fight over who was going to be the babysitter, and I kind of narrowed my eyes and snorted, because Chio was going to come with us! It wasn't long before Kokoro ran up to her, giving Renata a handwave. You know, thinking he was cool and all.

"Queen Renata!" he said, bowing dramatically. "We're in a really big hurry now, and we've got to leave, so we wanted to tell you bye!" If there's one thing that Renata has told me, it's that she hates it when Summoners leave her world. I think she got too dependent on us, if you want my honest opinion. I was expecting her to pout, or mope, or get sad all of a sudden, but she didn't do any of those things. Actually, she continued to smile, which confused me. "We had said bye to everyone else, and you were the last person... We really wanted to make this last goodbye a special one! Morta...?" He looked back at the Lithuanian, who looked sort of... Okay, well, you can never make out Morta's facial expressions. I wanted to say she looked pissed and annoyed, but it wasn't quite that.

I'd have to get used to trying to read her again, huh?

She took slow steps towards us, her hands behind her back. Chio and Kokoro were just waiting to jump out of their skin when the Summoner of Death revealed whatever she had. I chuckled under my breath a bit. "Thank you, Renata, for giving us a place to stay in this world," Morta admonished, pulling out a handmade card. It looked like a project from a three-year-old, but nothing said 'I love you' more than Chio and Kokoro working on a collaborated card, I guess. Renata touched it with her gloved fingertips, her eyes twinkling with tears of joy. Aww, I hope she didn't start crying! Because if she started to cry, I would start to cry.

"How sweet of you, Summoners," Renata muttered, dabbing her eyes with a convenient napkin. At least she was still happy. "I... Do not know what to say. I feel like you all should not owe me anything. When I think of all the things I owe you..." She turned around, and I think she did that to wipe her eyes all the way. Poor Renata... I knew she wouldn't handle this as easy as she should have... "You all helped save my kingdom, and I believe you have changed it for the better as well! When I think of ways to repay you, I can think of none..."

"It's okay, we don't usually charge our clients—"

"Gah! Miyuki! Where the hell did you come from!" I shouted, waving my arms everywhere and staring at the apricot-haired Celestial Being standing on the side of me. Seriously, she just popped out of nowhere! I hyperventilated, trying to catch my breath. Aline and Renata thought that was pretty funny. Hey! If it had happened to them, they wouldn't be laughing now, right? I hate my job. Stupid...! Why did I have to be Summoner Sayuri? Miyuki rolled her eyes at me, and then she just kept looking at Renata.

"Oh, but I must repay you all!" Renata insisted, nodding her head. "You saved my people and I from the damned! How can I ever than you for giving your time to me?" Right then and there, Renata put her hands on her amulet, and it glowed blue like it always does. "This time is different... I don't know if you can fix my troubles now, because you all are the ones who need help. So... So please!" she implores. "Please, I will pay my debt, as you all's friend, and no matter how long it takes, I'll make sure I stick with you until the end. Which is why, Summoner Sayuri..." I was anticipating her words, but nothing could prepare me for what she was about to do.

She held her amulet—the one Saivan made for her—and took it off from around her neck. And after that, she put it around _my_ neck, which felt super weird. I wanted to protest because I knew how important that necklace was to her. And yet she just handed it over to me.

"I can't take this—!"

"Take it, Summoner Sayuri. It's high time I parted with it," she said, holding out her hands. I looked at her, looked at the amulet, and the looked at her. But wouldn't she... Not have her amazing magical powers anymore? "In this new world... Within this new Dark Ages, I do not need such destructive items." Heh. Renata was thinking like a champ now! "But I am sure that you all will need it, for there are more dangerous worlds than this one out there." Really? Damn. Did that ever destroy my spirits. I frowned, but Renata looked at me and smiled. "Look up, Summoner Sayuri. Though you cannot make it to the correlation—which is unfortunate—know that you've made your mark on the kingdom."

I know she didn't literally want me to look up, but I did anyway. It was amazing how blue the sky was. Maybe... Maybe this world did have hope after all. Miyuki looked at me and I nodded my head, summoning my Magic Wand. This would be the last time I ever saw Renata... Or anyone on this world again. I could leave, knowing they were happy. I clutched Renata's amulet with my left hand and held my wand in my right, watching her necklace evaporate into thin air, collecting in my wand. ... So Miyuki was right.

Renata's amulet was really just the energy Essence caged inside of a mere trinket.

Saivan was good.

Shaking my head, I thrust my wand out, purple time pentagrams floating all around me. Closing my eyes, I activated the Pendulum—the time gate that would take us off this world and into another. I was going to do it just like I had when I had transported us here from Spectra... Chio waved, Kokoro waved, and Renata waved back, tears falling out of her eyes. I looked at her one last time, and some tears fell down my cheeks too, only 'cause... Only 'cause...

I held my wand upright, watching the giant clock behind me glow. The romal numerals behind me twinkled in a bright purple light, glowing as I moved my arms towards them. Miyuki once told me that we could get horribly lost if I didn't concentrate on moving us to the right world. It's safe to say that I wasn't the least bit concentrated. In fact, I was... I'd never see these guys again...

The wind rushed past us, and the last thing I saw was a small part of Renata's smile.

* * *

_All smiles and sunshine, a perfect world on a perfect day. Everything always works out, I have never felt so great._

* * *

I looked down at my hands. Nothing could make me happier. I was married to the man that I had loved through this ordeal and... I wanted to smile! Not because I had to this time, but because I truly found something I wanted to look forward to. There would be no more wars, and there would be no more death. That was truly a blessing in itself! And there was a part of me that wanted to cry as well. Out of happiness? That may have been true, but there was something I had to address to these people. Klaus and I could not just sweep everything under a rug and tie it together with a pretty red bow; everyone knew what had transacted in this world, and we needed to make things right. I glanced at the Prince of Austere, and he nodded at me.

Together.

"Everyone... Everyone has lost something precious. Everyone here has lost homes, dreams, and friends. Everyone... But now, the war is officially over." I stopped to let everyone clap and cheer—they deserved it! Living each and every day of their lives in complete and utter fear... I bet they were all happy to know they could spread their wings. "Someone once told me that they hated the name of this kingdom." I paused, giggling. Lucrecia was always an odd woman. "She hated the way it was named "Aysel". Just... "Aysel". After my mother. She talked to me, and told me what she would name it, had she of had the choice. And she looked at me, and decided that since this was the Palace in the Sky, it would only be fitting for it to be called the Divine Garden. She told me she was only joking... But... I think it sounds lovely, right Klaus?" I looked at him, and he grinned at me.

"Of course, Queen Renata," he replied, bowing down.

"Now, the Dark Ages is ours again. Working together... Working together we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams. Although the journey will be hard, we have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild the Dark Ages. The road is ahead of us, so let's start out today." I turned around and Chase nodded at me. The others seemed to be happy as well! Smiling, I turned back to the crowd, who were cheering wildly.

"Just one more thing... The people and the friends that we have lost... Or the dreams that have faded..."

-x-

_"Power! I have a plan that will get the Wickedness on my side!" Aysel yelled, throwing her arms in the air as if something was going to come out of nowhere and hug her. "I will bring The Wickedness here, and I will mend with it!" Aysel stopped, laughing at herself. "I promise to make your deaths quick and painless ones. I am great, am I not? Bow to your queen!" My... Mother? My mother...? She tried to get my mother to work for her? I got up again, my fists shaking._

_"That's my mother you're talking about." Everyone looked at me, and I gritted my teeth. "Aysel, if you come within three feet of my mother, I'll kill you! My mother is not some game you can just buy and sell on the street, you hear me? Damn it, why are you treating her like an animal! She has feelings and aspirations... Dreams! … And she... Loves me. She really loves me. And if she loved me, there's no way in hell she'd work for you!"_

-x-

_"Listen lady!" I yelled, stomping my foot and smirking. "As a Summoner of the Magic Wand, it is my worldly obligation to, in fact, protect the worlds. To guard your world. Like it or not, I'm not only looking after Renata already—I'm guarding you too, so stop being so freaking anal and let loose." Ha! How was that for a thought? Obviously, the fact that Naira was way older than me and was an adult didn't faze me. Hell, I fought my own mother. Authority figures—that law no longer applied to me. I didn't know what I was talking about, but yeah!_

_"Such a sharp tongue!" Naira snapped. "Aysel would never let you in her guard, do you know how much I have sacrificed—" Naira didn't know me too well. Clearly._

_"Oh shut the hell up! Do you know how much we _Summoners sacrifice?"_ I yelled. "You see your family. Kokoro and I can't even see ours. Ever. Hell, they might be dead. Here's a note for thought, Naira! 'Aysel's guard' is nowhere _near _our level. And if I could underline in words, I would! At all! You guys fight backward-crap criminals. We, on the other hand, we're made to fight a big effin' whale capable of eating worlds and destroying time and space."_

_Renata just stood in awe._

_"There. Check that." I folded my arms, trying to look all cool pointing to Kokoro and leaning back a little. "We run this."_

_"You most certainly do," Renata replied, smiling._

-x-

_"Nonsense Defina! Really, it amuses me that you would say something like that in front of I, Queen Aysel! We need to focus on what is really important, and that is protecting me. Silly Summoner Sayuri, do we need to have a repeat of what happened several nights before? Ha! I, Queen Aysel, am the authority in my kingdom!" Sayuri bowed her head down and she started to shake a bit, her grip on her wand loosening._

_"You... You want me to just give up...?" she said. After that she looked directly at Queen Aysel, scowling. "You want me to just give up on Naira? You want me to just let Cecelia get away? To forget everything that Renata had to go through? You want me to turn the other cheek? To forget Aline attacking us in the church in Austere? _Fat chance!" _Summoner Sayuri put her wand down, fire in her eyes. "You may be the law, Aysel, but there's nothing that is stopping us from going against you!" Summoner Sayuri was so strong... "You can say that I have to give up, but I'm not! And let me tell you another thing—I'm not leaving this planet until I find out what is hurting my friends! Heh, I guess now you can call us Extraterrestrials now, because we're not going anywhere! We're going against you!" Morta stood up as well, right along side Sayuri._

_"And she's not doing this alone. She has us, Aysel. We don't need you to host us here if that's what you desire."_

_"Yeah!" the newest addition to their team said. She had been playing with her fingers this whole time... "I don't understand much of what is going on, but if our friends need our help, we'll turn traitor! At least we know it's for a good thing!"_

-x-

_"The worst thing that could happen is if I starting crying," I said. "And the wind... Isn't helping me at all." I looked at the graves and then into the sky. I prayed that they were both up there. In the sky. Smiling at me and telling me not to worry about anything at all. It hit me like a wave. My tears. I tried to stop them. I even bit my lip._

_Tears started to fall down my cheeks, and each one hit the space in front of their graves. They were hot. And I couldn't stop them._

_"Stupid... _Idiots! _I never... Got to... Keep my promise! I was going to take all the fighting away! Dammit, I—I—I'm sorry for everything I couldn't do!"_

_Renata put her arms around me. "It is okay, Sayuri. Let's go inside now, okay?"_

_"B—But I... I want to hear the sound of the rain, Renata." I hung my head down low. This was something she wouldn't understand. She couldn't understand. Renata looked at the clouds and glanced at the sun. She knew what I meant. I knew it wasn't raining. But inside? It was storming. And I didn't want to leave until the storm was over. "I like hearing the sound of the rain. It makes me feel calm... It's raining for them, you know."_

-x-

_"Our Father in Heaven, before we go into battle, every soldier among us will approach you each in his own way," Sayuri began, wiping some of her hair out of her eyes. "Our enemies too, according to their own understanding, will ask for protection and for victory. And so, we bow before your infinite wisdom. We offer our prayers as best we can. I pray you watch over my friends. The Summoners and Aysel's guard that I lead into battle. You use me as your instrument in this awful hell of war to watch over them. Especially if they're people like me, deserving of a future in your good-will and blessings. Amen."_

_"Amen," the whole room said, getting up._

_"Oh, oh! Wait. One more thing," Sayuri said, kneeling down really quickly. "Dear Lord, about our enemies... Ignore their heathen prayers and help us blow those little bastards straight to Hell. Amen." I smirked. So for once she was thinking the right fucking way. How admirable. She walked past me, but then she turned around. She didn't have any socks on. She was barefoot—which I found fucking disgusting. There was a million things on the floor. "But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. Heaven help me if I don't..."_

_She walked straight past me, like she was pissed for no damn reason. I kept smirking. The kid had been getting better after all. I twirled my hair with my index-finger. "The bitch is conflicted, isn't she?" I cackled, tilting my head. "She's _pissed, _Renata."_

-x-

_"Valerie... You could rule the kingdom instead!" He was shaking now. Now he noticed my blocks of terror all around him. "You could save Austere!"_

_"You know. If I wanted to be higher up... All I would have to do is kill you!" I yelled, swinging my blocks at him. They came at him with high speeds, smacking him in various parts of his body. One block even hit his head, sending him flying backwards into the cement. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he sunk into the concoction. He looked at the both of us as my students backed away. "I can save Austere _without_ your help you stupid-ass."_

_"Valerie... You... Why didn't you..."_

_I closed my eyes. "You'll help your pathetic country by staying right here," I answered, waving my baton in front of me. "You're going to become the wall that helps me sleep at night. The wall that blocks and incoming noise and the wall that protects me from my enemies." Some of his blood had got on my scarf. I took it off and threw it into the cement. He was already hidden in the grey substance anyway. It overtook him. I sighed, cracking my knuckles. "Akuma, if you would please. Tell the others that we've disposed of him. All the rest of you!" I yelled, being assertive. "Keep with what you were ordered to do! Make sure the concrete is not bumpy. And make sure you make it look nice for when I paint it. And another thing. If this gets out, you all make sure you tell them that I did it. No exceptions."_

-x-

_"Is this... Your first time killing someone?" My eyes widened. The blood was on my hands. His blood._

_I was never going to forget this._

_...I was never going to live this down!_

_"... I n-never let it get this far..." I said in a low whisper, unable to make my voice louder for her to hear. I wanted to disappear. I couldn't go back to the others. For them to say that I did a great job? That I took out a Shadow and I would be a hero for it? Was this how the Summoners felt? Winning a war wasn't by killing! What kind of man was I? Who was I to take someone's life? I started to hyperventilate, glaring at my shattered sword a couple of yards away from me. "I never let it escalate to this!" I shrieked._

-x-

_"...You... You okay?" she asked, holding a hand out for me._

_My eyes widened._

_I stared at Morta._

_And then I wailed. Really loud. And I wailed and I wailed. I slammed my hands into the ground and cried like a spoiled brat does when they don't get what they want. Except I was crying because I would never see my friends again. "Bring them back!" I cried. I covered my eyes with my right air, rubbing them. "...Bring them back please—graaaauh!" She helped me up and I almost fell over again. She grabbed my hand, dragging me away from the puddle of tears I was sitting in._

_"They're... Gone now, Klaus. But you have to tell us everything once everyone is awake, say?"_

_I knew that was her way of trying to make me feel better, but I... I started sobbing again. It was the only way I could rid myself of this pain. I started crying against her shoulder as she walked me upstairs. I didn't want to tell anyone about this, but..._

_A king didn't cry._

_I wasn't a king. And I was damn proud of it, because I wasn't going to stop crying for them._

-x-

_I clutched my hand, my eyes wandering around. I couldn't find the words. I wanted to tell them sorry a million times over. This... Wasn't what I wanted. "You win." I said, my eyes still glued to the sky. I took another breath. "I'm simply no match for you." I tilted my head towards Kokoro, a smile creeping on my face. "I did not want to fight you... But I was created to protect King Saivan..." I found myself frowning and I looked back at the sky. "I could not disobey." I closed my eyes, and then I opened them again._

_"Traveling... With you... Was wonderful." My smile was slipping away. I could feel it slipping away and I tried so hard to hold on to it. "I... Just wish... It had lasted longer..." I breathed, trying to reach out towards him. I only ended up clutching my hand. "Even in my short time being here... You treated me like a real person. It was... Nice..." I opened my hand towards him, hoping he would shake it or touch it... Anything... But he just stared at it with eyes filled with sorrow. Eventually he brought his right hand up to take mine, but my body had lost all power._

_"Full system shutdown."_

-x-

_The kiss was calm and, dare I say it, sweet. Nothing could go wrong, I thought for a second._

_Then I realized what I had done._

_And freaked the fuck out. But you know what? It was worth every damn tear. I had finally come to terms with my feelings, and I wasn't going to fuck this up by being stupid. Too bad he really was getting in my way. "Zed," I murmured. "I didn't tell you because I was scared you'd disappear like everyone else. I was really, really fucking scared. So I acted like I didn't care and I pretended. But really I—" I paused again. This shit would really come back to bite me in a few minutes. "—I loved you all along."_

_"And I have known that all along, Doctor," he replies, sure of himself. "That is the reason you will never kill me, after all!" I didn't know whether I should have been offended by that, or relieved. Either way he pulled out the key and unlocked the door into the badlands. I knew just how to handle this, even though I knew it was going to hurt._

_I tilted my head, scowling as I watched him fall backwards. When you put someone in a hot environment, and then suddenly make it really cold... Their heart tries to adapt and ends up pumping faster. Too much of a quick change and it explodes. I grinned, retrieving the key from his hand. "The Earth Eaters around here should take care of your body before we walk back out. You should have been more careful," I snorted. "I always keep my word."_

_I opened the door again and walked back into the alternate dimension._

_I wasn't going to let any fool live that thought that had the upper-hand on my emotions._

_What did I look like? A fucking fool?_

-x-

_I took another step closer to Lucrecia, grabbing her lab-coat and lifting her in the air. Where I got the strength to do that from, I'll never know. She just continued to glare and me and my eyes kept watering. I was so oblivious to my surroundings that nothing else even mattered. This right here? This was between me and her. The others could watch if they wanted to. "Of course I miss her!" I shouted. "How can I not miss her! She was my friend! And I'm not afraid of messing up again! Because if I do, I can only learn from that mistake! You're still alive, aren't you? _Aren't you?" _I wanted all my friends back so desperately. I wanted things to go back to the way that they were! It wasn't fair, but I didn't need it to be fair! All I needed to do was find the courage to stand back on my two feet._

_Lucrecia titled her head at me, scoffing. I shook her a little bit, throwing out my free hand. "You're alive! So that means I've done _something _right so far! That means I've learned! Though... Though..." I let her go, turning around and looking at the ground. "Though I might not have saved everyone... I've saved mostly everyone. Just you standing here means that this world hasn't gone to total and utter crap. It means that there's still hope. There's still time. There's always been hope and time." My voice was reduced to a mere whisper. "I'm still standing here, aren't I?" I cracked a smile, turning back around. I looked at her face and she was just... Still so stubborn. Still refusing to listen to me. "I don't know what you think of me Lucrecia, but you're my friend! And for the time being, you're my family. It just hurts! This hurts!"_

_"Do you know what it's like to lose a friend? Do you understand why I don't want to you die? Do you understand why you were completely wrong in killing him? Completely wrong! Miyuki said... Miyuki said as Summoners, we protect everyone. Because we don't really know who's good or bad. Are you getting this now? A world is nothing without its people, but the people without a world is just as bad. Vengeance begets vengeance, Lucrecia. Sometimes... Sometimes it's best not to seek for any at all."_

-x-

_"Don't do that kid!" Professor Ever exclaimed. "Queen Aysel, you are one crazy chick! Don't listen to her Renata! If you charge that thing... I don't know, but it won't be pretty!" Pretty... Pretty Princess Renata... That word rung in my ears. The only way I would be able to smile again is if I saw my friends all safe and sound... I... My hands started to glow and blue energy surged throughout the machine. The Mammoth Machine sounded like it was malfunctioning, the room that we were in glowing red. Mother started cackling and the wind picked up all around us._

_The southern wall broke down completely and the wind knocked us all off our feet. All except my mother, anyway. I could see the kingdom. What had I done? Was the Wickedness really going to come now? I could not hear anything over the sound of the Mammoth Machine overworking itself._

_"You summoned _the Wickedness?" _Professor Ever shouted. Her body paled and she was as white as her pristine lab-coat. She fell back on her hands, staring at the sky. "A—are we all going to die?"_

-x-

_"A kingdom is nothing without its king, but a king is nothing without its people. You've since been abandoned your people—and now I've forced your people to abandon you. You really want to know what your people believe in now?"_

_Ah! The king was getting irritated now, snarling at me! How cute~!_

_"Your people have forgotten all about you. The millions in Aysel now? They're putting their trust in Summoner Sayuri. Sayuri Outtaike! The Summoners and their Guardian! They've taken your spot and want you thrown off your high chair, Saivan! They want you stripped of your title." I held my sword with both of my hands, securing my footing. "They want you dead. I've wanted you dead for a long time too. You reap what you sow and you pay what you owe, Saivan. You owe those people the lives you messed over!"_

_"You—"_

_I tilted my head, letting the tendrils of my hair fall against my neck. "Your world? Heh. I _dominate_ your world. And many others. You see how quickly your kingdom fell? How all of your soldiers fell at my feet? You're not that powerful, Saivan. You're not that good at fighting."_

-x-

_"Dying and smiling are... Sort of the same thing, don't you think? Crying as you're smiling, smiling as you're crying, lying as you're smiling... It's all the same. So I'll smile as I die, and you can think of this as my revenge towards you, Sayuri. Thanks, Sayuri. It's because of you that I finally realized that I've been in the wrong all this time. And, of course, you all have to live..." I thought Sayuri was going to nod her head and agree with what Lucrecia was saying, but the Summoner outright lost her mind. She propped her wand and ran towards Lucrecia in a blind, sobbing rage, tripping over herself._

_"I won't let you, you're not going to—!" In just a millisecond, Sayuri's eyes lit up before she dropped to the ground. Lucrecia stared at her through her eye and walked over her, turning around and facing us._

_"Make sure the brat doesn't call my name consistently. It'd suck ass to hear her in the afterlife." I had to say something. What Lucrecia was doing was honorable. I wouldn't have the guts to do it, that's for sure..._

_"No problem," I said, waving my hand around. "Lucrecia? Thank you."_

-x-

I looked up, grinning as the wind flew through my hair. I glanced into the sky, putting my hand on my chest. My amulet was in good hands now. Spinning on my heel and looking back at the crowd, I nodded my head.

"Never forget them."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm not an evil author, see? XD;;

Okay, so, Sayuri and the others had been in the temple for about two weeks. XD;; Time is different in that place. In the span of these two weeks, Renata and Chase got married, making them Queen Renata and King Chase. Renata is pregnant, and has been right around the time Adair kicked her ass in the church when she was saving Aline—and no jokes Addy (or Sommy!), because the child is most definitely HIS. XD;;;

Renata gave Sayuri her amulet aaaaaaaand peace has been brought to the Dark Ages at last. XD;;

And somewhere out there, there is a Kohana, who is happy that these events transpired. XD;; *shot* Kohana actually foreshadowed a hell of a lot of stuff in this arc. You guys remember when she was telling everyone about the rain and what it symbolized? She had sorta kinda said the war'd be over soon, and that all of these deaths would bring "new life"—Renata and Chase's kid and all. But that was before Lucrecia had said something and Kohana went on her batshit tangent about annihilation and stuff. XD;;

And if you paid attention to all of the flashbacks with Kohana in them, she at least made some kind of prediction regarding the events of the arc. Like in Appassionato, she told Sayuri that she had better go talk to Klaus because he wouldn't "be the same" after that night. And then you know... His guard was killed and he ended up with baaad PTSD. XD Or even in the chapter where Lucrecia killed Zed, and she told Atropa that she—if I can recall without going back to the chapter—loved it when pawns killed each other? And see, when Sayuri and the others first came to the Dark Ages, Lucrecia near killing Sayuri was not in the plans, and that was the only time in which Kohana went out of her way to interfer with Fate and the future and all of that stuff to keep Sayuri alive. XD

Notice how she knew about all of those other events—like the Apathia, Naira and Defina, Cecelia, Klaus' guard—and did jack sqaut to prevent them. XD It's not because Kohana's a bad person, per se. Kohana's lazy as fuck. XD;;; People don't believe me, but it's true. She only does things she likes.

The point is, Kohana is a very dangerous antagonist, who not only can tell the future, but makes up futures as well. No matter how vicious and vile and extreme Kohana's methods were, her ultimate goal was to save the Dark Ages, as she has this huge thing with her pride as a Summoner. XD;; It has a hell of a lot to do with Isleen. In fact, Addy, to answer your question, Kohana hates everyone on the Dark Ages because of Isleen. You should be able to figure out why. XD;;


	63. Her Eyes Hold The Apocalypse

**A/N:** Don't you just love chapters that introduce new people?

And like, there's no fight scene? I don't. T_T

Okay, I'll stop bitching. XD This flashback is super amusing. At least, to me it is. Atropa and Kohana have this creepy-weird bond, and they make me laugh every time I write something with them in it, because they have this huge bromance with each other. I mean, they're married to each other, damn near.

There's some more foreshadowing in the flashback, so pay attention!

* * *

Kohana stands in a winter wonderland, looking at each snowflake individually as it falls down to her imaginary world. In this world, Atropa has her own body, and she's confused about what the little balls of white are. The mother snickers under her breath, finding Atropa's obliviousness to be amusing, but it isn't long before Atropa places her sea-green eyes on her, pointing up at the sky. "Wickedness... What are all of these? Why is it so cold?" It's a question that reminds her of Sayuri, and that makes her smile. Even the oldest being can know so little about the world and how it turns...

"It's snow, Atropa~!" Kohana sings, throwing her arms in the air and closing her eyes. "I love snow. It's like the rain, only..." She stops, tapping her index-finger on her chin. "Only frozen!" She grins, turning around at her partner. "It's so pretty to look at—so delicate to the touch. And it fools everyone, because it's not the sweet natural occurrence that everyone holds so dear! Snow is just as deadly as the rain, Ah~tropa~!" The woman turns around on her heels, marveling at the snow. "My favorite season is spring, however. Because April showers bring May flowers..."

"Interesting," Atropa assesses. "I've never had the chance to ever see snow. Or feel it against skin that belonged to me..." The pink-haired woman pauses, glancing at Kohana through the corner of her eyes. "I've been alive since the beginning of time, and it's a wonder I've never seen this phenomenon before..."

"Ah, indeed you have," Kohana replies, nodding her head. "You still talk to Suzuki?"

"Only when I need to."

"Hmph!" Kohana sighs, punching her fist into her free hand. "You're useless! You converse with my husband whenever you feel like it, and yet you never tell him about me?" She spins dramatically, holding her hands close to her heart. "To see snow in my dream signifies inhibitions, unexpressed emotions and feelings of frigidity. I need to release and express these emotions and inhibitions. Alternatively, snow means that I am feeling indifferent, alone, and neglected... But!" Kohana shouts, sticking an index-finger in the air. "To dream that I am watching the snow fall represents a clean start and a fresh perspective. It is indicative of spiritual peace and tranquility~!"

"Wickedness, I wouldn't have known that, being that this is my first time ever seeing snow—"

"Yes! It's just how Suzuki would have explained it to me—huh?" She blinks. "Atropa, did you just say this was your first time seeing snow...?"

"I haven't done a lot of things," Atropa replies, indignantly. "Just because I am the deity of Fate and Destiny itself doesn't mean I've done everything there is to be done." Just then, an uppity grin finds its way on Kohana's face, and she twirls around her partner.

"What, Atropa? You've never brushed your teeth? Walked your dog? Taken a shower?" Atropa narrows her eyes at Kohana and she can see the word 'amusement' written all over her face.

"Kohana, I am not human. I am not like you, and I don't need the things you need. Please, stop it. You're irritating me."

"Have you ever had your first kiss! Ha!" Kohana says, laughing haughtily. "I bet you haven't!"

"Shut...!"

"Have you ever had sex~?" Kohana asks, grinning devilishly. "Because if you haven't, I volunteer to give you your first time~!" Atropa's brain snaps in utter half, giving the Wickedness a slow turn of her head. The pink-haired woman's lower eye starts to twitch as she glares daggers towards the mother. She gives Kohana the same look she gives to her unsuspecting victims; the kind that has been known to slaughter poor, innocent puppies in the spot in which they stand. And even when she knows she's pissed Atropa off straight to hell, Kohana continues to smirk, her green eyes begging Atropa for an answer. Atropa takes one look at Kohana's eyes and she loses it. Absolutely loses it.

"Don't you DARE compare me to your kind, you sniveling rat!" Atropa shouts at the top of her lungs, making Kohana flinch and take a step back. Whoa, this is... Completely unexpected... Kohana actually gulps, her eyes widening as Atropa's eyes start to slit. "This insanity you hold is pure drivel; do you have_ any_ idea how irritating you are? You don't have room for wrong moves anymore, Kohana. Don't you see?" Atropa asks, letting out a chilling cackle. "I've entered your soul and you will not prevail! Don't try and run away from me because I'm deep, deep inside of you. Wait another minute and gaze with me through the memoirs of your existence before you die slowly!" Snarling, she tuns around, kicking up snow.

Each word that comes out of her mouth scares Kohana eternally. This is so out of character for Atropa it should be a crime. Throwing around threats like this? Who is this woman standing in front of her...?

"You should have never angered me. Now it's hell to pay! I've taken all I could take from you, Kohana!" She pauses, glaring at the Summoner of Time darkly. "You don't know how lucky you are. I've carried around the burden of guilt for many ages, but I will not withstand this any longer! You talk like you're all high and mighty! What? Are you happy because you saved the damned Dark Ages? Well, ohoho, celebrate like the Summoner you are, and let the failure eat you once you realize that you killed more people than you well saved! I'm sorry, Miss Summoner Sayuri, perhaps I haven't paid enough attention to you, huh? Maybe you would want me to bow down before you and your time magic, hmm?"

"I—" Kohana starts, her eyes still wide. She lifts an index-finger up in the air, but Atropa aptly ignores it.

"Delirious fool! Do not forget that it was I that had you tied up, bound and gagged. I had you screaming for hours on end, and it was me who had broken every bone in your body during that week were you were blindly tortured. That was _me_ who had you laying down in a pile of your own saliva, and it was me who had broken each of your fingers, and your toes, because I don't like you, _Ko_-_hannnnaaaa Outtaaaaiiiikkkeee_. Never forget the day in which you surrendered your entire being to me—stated that I owned you, and changed your name for me. Never forget that I had you cowering and rocking back and forward at the mere mention of my name!" Now Kohana feels... Really bad, actually. It's the first time in a long time that someone's actually put a dent in her pride. "Yes, you be sure to never forget the day in which you drowned several times over. I had your mind so warped that you thought you were your own _father. _You silly excuse for the Wickedness, I'll have you twisted so hard that they won't even find a body!"

She swipes her arm across the air, a thin line shooting for the palm of her hand. It's thin, yes, but it just sliced through every snowflake in its way, which makes Kohana's eyes widen. "Look at you—I can't even begin to describe the stupidity that comes from you! Here you are, a love-sick puppy that has to beg her own spawn of Hell for attention! You go around acting like you're the center of attention, and yet you haven't had a single person love you that wasn't _manipulated_ _blind _by you! You won't even find a spider's thread in Hell once I'm done with you!"

Cruel laughter escapes her lips as she focuses her gaze back to Kohana, who, by the way, is _sniffling_. "You say I'm your 'best friend'? It must be great to know you have a 'best friend' who is being held hostage inside of your body against their free will! I don't think there's an ounce of compassion inside of your soul, and I hope you die because of it. I still. Want. To. Kill. You!" She shouts into the sky, chortling loudly. "... So badly that it sends my body spasming with the overwhelming want to see you slaughtered in every way possible."

"You're so mean, Atropa!" Kohana shouts, wiping tears away from her eyes. "I didn't mean to... I was only kidding...!"

"Hmph." Atropa snorts, folding her arms. "What used to be the Wickedness has turned into a pile of inconstant garbage."

At that notion, Kohana slaps her hands over her face and collapses into the snow knee-first, releasing every tear she had been holding in since Atropa began her "special" scolding. It's an action that makes Atropa lift a brow, taking a step back because she's just so... Just so _shocked_. Is this Kohana? Is this Kohana really crying in front of her? No, she won't believe it, and Atropa even shakes her head just to make sure she isn't hallucinating. The flower fanatic lets out a huge wail, one that makes Atropa flinch. Kohana coughs and chokes on her tears—a scene that upsets Atropa down to her very soul. The shorter of the two licks her lips, tilting her head and taking a step near the Wickedness.

"Um, Kohana, I didn't mean to make you cry..." Atropa says, touching her shoulder. "I... Wow... I didn't know I'd make you so upset... I just had a bad day." She scratches the back of her head, a bad habit she's taken from Kohana herself. "You really know how to make a big scene, don't you? Waking up every morning being encased in someone's head really doesn't make anyone feel better."

Kohana gives her one look, her face wet with tears. "Ah-ah-ah-_Ahtroooopaaa!_" she whines, choking on her tears. "I-I-I—I love you!"

"I sure as _hell_ don't love you—I mean," Atropa says, catching herself. "What can I do to make this up to you?" She folds her arms, scoffing and looking in the other direction. "I'm sure you're not going to let me live this down."

"Come closer."

It's a strange request, but Atropa has no choice to follow it out. She gets as close as she can to the weeping Summoner of Time, and then all too fast Kohana grabs Atropa's leg and she slams into the snow—dress and all. Using this time to secure a position on top of the deity, Kohana's facial expression completely changes from sad and innocent to complete and utterly _batshit_. "Let's not bring up things from the ugly past, yes~?" Kohana asks with a tilt of her head. Subsequently, her eyes darken and she glints her fangs, snarling. "Don't you _ever _disrespect me like that again, Atropa. Never forget that you're the one locked in my chains. I control ever aspect of you, and I'll break that pretty face of yours into a million pieces, if you so desire~! And, of course, I look forward to you doing everything you said you would to me~!" A crooked smile stretches across Kohana's face as she leans over Atropa's frame even more-so, long, purple locks spilling around her body.

"I bleed for you, and long for you to make me bleed, and long to make you bleed for me, Atropa~!"

"Get off me!" Atropa shouts, shoving the taller woman away from her. Collecting herself from off the ground, Atropa immediately stands up, snarling at the purple-haired Summoner. "You wretched woman...!"

Kohana smirks, licking her teeth. "Ah, so now, yes, where were we? Back to your list of firsts! Oh, and back to the whole bowing down to my power thing..."

Urgh.

Atropa grits her teeth, slowly getting into position. However, it's much too slow for the Wickedness, and Kohana's eyes dilate. In the blink of an eye, Kohana's sword finds itself lodged in Atropa's knee, much to her surprise. _"I said bow!_" she hollers, watching blood stain her partner's oh-so pretty dress.

A grin stretches across her face.

"That's more like it! Think of this as a punishment for talking to me like that!"

Almost as soon as she's done saying that, Kohana wraps her arms around Atropa, who pulls the sword out of her knee. Her wound disappears with lightning speed and Kohana buries her head within the small of Atropa's neck, her eyes closed and a smile plastered on her face. "Oh Atropa~ You know I could never hurt you~!"

Sometimes she wonders...

"But what I said about offering to take your virginity—I was being very serious~!"

But then it's comments like this that make her curse her existence.

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Three: Her Eyes Hold The Apocalypse :-**

_Is it safe to say_  
_You made a mistake_  
_In the perfect way_  
_In the perfect way_  
_Cross your fingers now_  
_If you choose that lane_  
_You'll lose yourself._

_My friend, this is my testament_  
_If only you know_  
_I raise my glass this time_  
_In victory._

—"Falling Fast" — Eyes Set To Kill

Rayne had lost her mind!

Well, it looked like she had lost her mind! She saw us and just exploded in tears. And then she started hugging us all—even Chio! Grr, I didn't like to be hugged, but I guess it was okay, because I hadn't seen Rayne in forever... No one else knew we were back on Spectra besides Rayne, because when I had activated the Pendulum, I had made sure that we were all transported to the one place I knew we could trust—Rayne's laboratory. I mean, it's not like I had lots of good moments in there... It's just that Rayne's one of the nicest people that I knew on Spectra, so obviously I had to tell her that we were back. Personally. And it paid off. Nothing was as heartwarming as Rayne giving us hugs like it was the last time she was going to see us again. To Chio, this was a new world, so she was just awed about how everything here was much different from the Dark Ages. I hadn't forgotten that Chio didn't know which world she had came from, so I was always on my toes with that.

I pretty much doubted she came from Spectra, though, since she was sorta missing the wings and animal parts... Rayne wiped her face, getting her chin-length brown hair out of her eyes. "You guys actually came back! Oh, I was so worried about you all! Well, we all were, but... But this is amazing! Do you all want me to call Shirogane down? I mean—ah, I'm all over the place now, aren't I?" She was smiling now, tilting her head and staring at Kokoro. I wanted to ask her why she was doing that, but eh, I decided to keep it to myself. It felt good, being in Spectra again. It was just... I didn't know how to explain it. It was a feeling of, well, feeling safe. Like, I knew that no one was going to try and attack me, and I knew that no one here wanted to take over the world.

Well, I'm not too sure about Shirogane...

Just kidding. … But then, being here was bittersweet, because I still had Queen Renata and the others inside of my head. I only... I only wanted to make sure they were okay. "Kokoro, hi!" Rayne said with a nod. "You've gotten taller..." Oh great! Why did she tell him that? Now he was going to walk around this whole place with a grin glued to his face! And, yep, it was just like I predicted it. He was smiling like crazy right now, playing with the blonde streak in his brown hair.

"Ha, really, Rayne?" He stopped, plucking at his hair and walking around the room. "I knew I was getting taller! I tried to ask Morta about it, and she told me to be quiet." Morta's told everyone to shut up, so Kokoro shouldn't have thought he was special. But still... Where did she get off telling people to shut up? My gaze shifted towards Morta, who had her arms crossed. She was still wearing one of her sweaters, too. Traveling from world to world knocks us out of our Summoner transformations, of course. I didn't know why; maybe I would make Miyuki tell me why later.

"We were in the middle of training, Kokoro," Morta interjected. "I didn't think it really mattered how tall you were getting when we were being chased around by the lasers Miyuki had summoned." What the hell! Miyuki could summon lasers? She just lost twenty cool points! Twenty! I knew Miyuki could do all sorts of badass stuff! You don't get to be a Guardian when you're about as tall as a dog! But man, am I ever happy I wasn't a part of that laser training. Sounds tough. Chio must have been in on that training too, because her brown eyes widened into pretty circles and she clapped her hands together and stared at Rayne. Or not... Maybe she was just mesmerized by Rayne and her wings?

"You're so~ pretty!" Chio hummed, stepping on her tip-toes and moving closer to the Celestial Being. Chio's got this bad habit. Whenever she sees something she likes, she just goes into what you're seeing now. She forgets about everything else and only focuses on one thing. "Your name's Rayne, right? I'm Chio, the Summoner of Convene! Nice to meet you!" She stood back up straight, smiling and putting her hands behind her back. Rayne nodded her head, and then she looked at Miyuki, who had been silent this entire time. Maybe she was just too emotional to say anything? Or maybe Miyuki felt like me... You know, that bitterness to everything...

"Miyuki, it's nice to see you again, too."

The apricot-haired Celestial Being gave Rayne a look. I can't even begin to describe this look. It was like Miyuki was happy to see her, but then she she knew not to expect any good news. Or something. "Yes, it's nice to see you too, Rayne. Um, my team just came from the Dark Ages, and during our stay there, I noticed that communications were down. Was there a reason for that?" Of course Chio, Morta, Kokoro and I didn't know what the hell Miyuki was talking about. She never really talked about 'Spectra communications' with us. As much as I hated Miyuki, she was really a good Guardian. She never complained about anything, and didn't think about herself. When we were fighting Shiva, she helped us even when she knew she had a really bad fear of snow.

Rayne adjusted her glasses, turning around in her spinny chair and then waving her hand across the air. A computer thing appeared in front of us, except she wasn't at a computer! It was really cool; Chio's jaw dropped at the sight of it. "It's nice that you asked, Miyuki. During your stay at the Dark Ages, we were under attack by the Cyniclons. Three of them." It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that was bad news. All of us tensed, but Miyuki's facial expression didn't change. "Just three. But that's still more than three Cyniclons we should have here." She waved her hand across the screen again, and we got a look at the guys who invaded. Woah, look at how pointy their ears were! Ha! We would have kicked them back into space where they came from! "I did a quick search of them in my lexicon and found out some strange information about them. Their names, aspirations... Dreams."

I squinted my eyes. "That lexicon of yours still works?"

"Mmmhmm, Summoner Sayuri. I'll give you a more detailed rundown of it before the day ends, okay?" Wow, she was quick to answer my question. Maybe because she wanted to talk to Miyuki some more? "We found Rainbow Stone here on Spectra, and at first we thought they were trying to take it, but then we realized that they were actually after Anómino." Anómino? You mean that stupid brat that tried to kill me? What would those pointy-eared freaks want with Anómino? Miyuki nodded her head.

You could tell she was pissed. Fuming mad. It's different when you're fighting for another world's safety. You don't want to get everyone killed and all, but when you're fighting for your own world, your pride is on the line too.

Don't mess with Miyuki's pride.

"Anómino... Is she safe?"

"As she could ever be, Miyuki. Shirogane and Akasaka sent Linnéa, Moonlight, Anómino and I on a mission to retrieve said Rainbow Stone. Once we ended up being ambushed by those aliens, we found out that they have obtained technology similar to that of our Summoner Project. They've been injecting their kind with Chimera Anima DNA—and while it isn't as stable as the Essences we use, this is a warning sign. They're getting stronger." She paused, looking at the ceiling fan turn. How could a moment that was once so calm turn into this...? "They almost won that day, if it hadn't been for Moonlight offering himself to be captured and experimented on for Anómino's sake..."

"What?" Miyuki muttered. We could see her fangs and everything. "Moonlight better be okay—"

"Of course we saved him." Rayne's voice was reassuring, but she was taking special care not to make Miyuki more upset than she actually was. "Dogg commanded a team and they infiltrated the Cyniclons' planet, successfully saving Moonlight. He took Remy, Roxianna, Kyohaku and her sister Shichiyou with him." Pictures of all of them flashed past us, and Dogg looked like a complete idiot. First of all he was making a stupid facial expression, and then he was wearing only one glove... "Anómino insisted that we do something, and we had no choice. You know how rowdy the poor girl gets..."

Miyuki exhaled a sigh of relief, touching her forehead. "Th-thanks, Rayne." Miyuki? Stuttering? Oh dear God. "It's nice of you to tell me all of this. So I take it everything is back to normal?"

"Yes, everything is exactly as it should be, Miyuki," she replied, smiling. "But there is one more thing that I should tell you. While Moonlight was held captive, he found someone that I think would be beneficial to your endeavors." _Cling! _I mean, _click!_ Whatever the sound is when a light bulb turns on above your head. My mouth opened as wide as it could and I slumped over.

"Is it a Summoner?" I asked, giddy. Rayne didn't give me an answer; she just shook her head. On instinct, Kokoro and I jumped up in the air and hugged each other, spinning around because I guess he had been thinking the same thing I had too? Seriously though, this was really embarrassing. After we were done with our victory dance, I shoved him away from me, scowling. "Watch yourself, Kokoro."

"Won't happen again, Sayuri," he said, dusting himself off and rubbing his nose. I folded my arms and looked at Morta through the corner of my eyes. She was just... Staring at me. And kept staring at me! What! I appreciated a great find! And finding a Summoner was a good find, all right? It's like we can never have too much help, you know?

"What are you looking at?" I hissed, wiping some of my hair out of my eyes.

"I don't know, why don't," Morta said with a frown, "you tell me?"

"Are you trying to say I'm ugly?" I replied, gasping. "Kohana wouldn't like that, you know!"

"Maybe if you stopped trying to hide behind your mother, you could get more work done around here."

"Liar!"

"Coward."

"Gorilla eyebrows!"

"Shorty—wait, gorilla what?" she said, a look of amusement on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't know we had been thrust back into kindergarten." Gah! This was impossible. I gave her a death glare from hell and then turned away. We were back in Spectra all right. Joy. Chio glanced at us, knitting her fingers. She was probably concerned with our arguing. Bah, she should know this is a normal thing for Morta and I to do... Rayne thought all of this was super amusing, I guess.

Miyuki clapped her hands together, and an orange pentagram appeared between them. Next thing I know, she's holding a journal thing. And it's got a lock to it.

"This is a recording of every day spent in the Dark Ages. It tells what happened, why it happened, gives of list of people met, important dates... Everything. Make sure Shirogane gets this, Rayne?"

"You _what?"_ I shrieked, looking at how thick that thing was. "M-Miyuki! When...!"

"Oh, you guys wouldn't have known... As your Guardian, I not only have to watch over you all, but when we successfully leave a world, I have to give a full status report. Luckily, I didn't wait until the last minute to piece something together. I had been writing steadily. What did you think I was doing, Sayuri?" Sitting on your ass and doing nothing? I wanted to tell her that, but decided to keep my mouth closed. She handed the book to Rayne, and then she looked back at us. "Now, let's go see the newest addition to our team." With that said, Miyuki just walked past us and out of the door. Chio turned and looked at Rayne, bowed, and then she ran behind her.

Everyone else followed, but I didn't want to leave Rayne all by herself. "Are you sure you're going to be okay here? Alone and all?" Rayne was quick to give me an answer. That's what I liked about good ol' Rayne.

"I'll be fine. Now I don't think you want to keep the others waiting! Your new teammate actually isn't really too patient... He's different, Summoner Sayuri." Huh? Well, ffff, I hope this guy didn't think I was the type of person that was going to put up with his crap, either! Now that really got my adrenalin pumping. I turned on my heels, determined to give this guy an ass-whooping if he let something bad slip. You know, I almost remembered where we were walking. This was the hallway I was in when Anómino almost blew me straight into outerspace. They even fixed the staircase and everything. Morta and the others were already at the top of it, and Chio turned around just to wave at me.

"C'mon Sayuri! You're really being slow you know!"

"Shut up, my back hurts." And it really did! I took each step slow, making sure I didn't cause myself any unnecessary pain. I had been doing that a lot lately. I wonder if Kohana was ever in a whole bunch of pain whenever she got beat up. Nah, she was too awesome to be getting beat up like that. I reached the top of the staircase and Miyuki opened the door. We were looking into some kind of office, and what I saw just made me fear for my life. First of all, Anómino's _staring _at us all. That 5'2" brat. The one who tried to kill me. She's got her signature scarf on, and those skates..! Moonlight's in here too, and he looks as good as ever. In fact, I think he's the reason why Miyuki's smiling so hard.

But back to Anómino! My legs were twitching, because my body had learned to haul ass whenever Anómino was in sight. I was going to make a run for it, but Morta grabbed my hood, effectively catching me in mid-run and making me trip over myself. Bitch. But still, this blonde brat was going to be the reason why I ended up dying, right? I sighed, standing up straight again. Okay, so Moonlight was in the room looking the same as ever—his hair perfectly tended to. And then there's this guy sitting at a desk. The way he's looking at us sort of made my eye twitch. I didn't know... There was something bad about this guy.

He looked pretty weird, and kind of upset about something too, but as soon as his eyes glued on us, he got kind of happy. I guess. Anyway, he had really smooth, creamy skin—I thought he was gay, at a first glance, and then he started looking at Morta up and down like she was some kind of tourist attraction. And Morta saw that and started frowning instantly, folding her arms across her chest. What was the problem? I mean, she had that huge-ass sweater on. So this guy was kind of muscular, and he had spiky black hair with a fringe. The fringe was dyed red, which lit up his brown eyes.

"Ah, Miyuki—!"

"Summoner Sayuri! Summoner Kokoro! Summoner Morta!" Well, there goes Anómino, cutting Moonlight off again. She jumped up in the air and landed perfectly on her skates. And then after that she skated towards us at lightning speed. It looked like she was aiming for Kokoro, but somehow she moved fast enough to knock all three of us over at the same time.

All three of us!

Not even joking right now. Kokoro fell first, and he tried to grab Morta—and he did! So she fell with him, and I fell down just because. Anómino fell down on top of me, grabbing my arms and shaking me violently. "I missed you guys so much! I was telling Summoner Damien all about you all and he wouldn't believe how awesome you were! Hiya, Summoner Sayuri! You feel so lumpy! Are you still fighting? Did you think of me when you were in the Dark Ages? Did you tell everyone about me! Did you wish I could have come with you? Did anyone get hurt? Oooh! Can you guys tell me stories?" She ended that with a cat-like grin.

I used that time to push her off me.

I stood up, sputtering Anómino's hair out of my mouth. She was _shedding_. Joy. Just my luck. Well, I guess it was okay since Anómino was part fox... I coughed, trying to get oxygen back into my lungs. "Um. Yeah. Sorry. Anómino, please don't do that again?" Chio had been hiding behind Miyuki that whole time, and she had decided that it was safe to come out. Though I think, in all honesty, she was intrigued by Anómino. That fox Celestial Being saw Chio, and they both looked at each other. It was really weird.

"Hi, I'm Anómino!" Yes, Anómino. She's the only person I knew that spoke in nothing but exclamation points. She put out her hand to Chio. The Summoner of Convene stared at it for a little while, and then she decided she would take Anómino's greeting. Hesitating, she grabbed Chio's small hand, and they became instant friends. Okay, this was starting to get ridiculous. Could we just meet this new Summoner and take him and show him the ropes around here?

"My name is Chio, and I'm the Summoner of Convene. Nice to meet cha, Anómino!"

"Oh, the Summoner of Convene? Wow! Nice! Can you do awesome stuff? Did you have fun traveling with the others? Oooh! Did you fight aliens?" Chio looked really confused; she didn't know which question to answer first so she put her index-finger on her mouth. I blocked those two out. Could you guys believe Anómino was holding Kokoro and Morta's sleeves, pulling them in whatever direction she wanted to go in? Anómino must have thought they were her toys or something. Jeez. I walked over to Miyuki and Moonlight, and they were standing next to the new guy. He looked bored now.

"I heard you got yourself into some trouble Moonlight," Miyuki chuckled. Moonlight just scratched the back of his head, shifting his position.

"Ha, you heard right. Though... I got myself captured on purpose, you see! It was all a part of the plan! I had seen the Cyniclons coming down here way before they actually came, and I had been doing some research with that weird tracker thing Shirogane invented." He nudged his elbow into Miyuki's ribs, grinning. Moonlight's still the same old Moonlight. Pfft. "The Cyniclons had actually captured a Summoner, and I intended to go up there and save this guy by my own self. Except, I can't drive an air ship like Linnéa can. So I let myself be taken away. And thus, I found this guy." Ouch. That last sentence sounded really condescending. Like he was mad. I glanced at the guy, and he glared at Moonlight, tapping his fingers on the desk.

"I told you I had a name, bunny man."

"It's Moonlight," he replied, calm. Collected. Wait, bunny man? Where did that come from? Moonlight wasn't a rabbit... I think. "Anyway, so maybe this guy might hate me for the way I busted us out. But come on! It's bad enough when you're being tortured and forced to give up information. Damien, I not only had to save you, but I had to save my own ass too! When are you ever going to forgive me?" And Moonlight meant it. His eyes started twinkling and he put his arms out... Aww... I have to admit... I didn't like seeing Moonlight sad. Miyuki let off a faint smile, and then she pushed Moonlight out of the way, getting a good look at the Summoner. Cool. The next addition to the team.

"My name is Miyuki," she said, placing her hand on the desk, "Orellana. I'm from Spectra, and I'm also your Guardian. I'm sure the others here have told you all about the Summoner Project. You have special things injected inside of your DNA that makes you like the other four you see in front of you. Though you already knew that, right?" Miyuki waited a long time for a response. A really long time. I mean this guy was either so full of himself to the point where he wouldn't answer her back, or he was really stupid. Actually, he was starting to piss_ me _off. Eventually he tilted his head, putting on a confused look.

"My Guardian is a cat lady...?" he said, looking at Miyuki then at Moonlight. "Great. First I got stuck with Bugs Bunny, and now I'm going to be rolling around with Garfield?"

"_Pffffft_." Wait. Was that me? Um, that was me. But I couldn't help it! That was so unexpected and it was gold and... Was Miyuki going to respond to that? She just kept her gameface on, but Moonlight was seething in rage. He wouldn't dare snap off on a Summoner, and that's what I liked about Spectra. Everyone here knew their place, unlike the people in the Dark Ages. I turned back around towards my spiky-haired friend and lifted one hand up, smiling. "Oh, hey. Damn, this is the first time I've gotten to introduce myself normally to another Summoner since I met Kokoro. There's no fighting, no cursing... Anyway, I'm Summoner Sayuri!" I said triumphantly, striking a beast of a pose. "I'm that girl everyone has been talking to you about, I hope. I'm the Summoner of Time. That guy over there is the Summoner of Fire, that brown-haired chick is the Summoner of Convene, and Gorilla Eyebrows over there is the Summoner of Death."

I paused, waiting for any questions he might have had.

Okay, no questions, I guess. "So you are...?"

Before he replied, he gave me this smirk from hell, that actually looked pretty painful. "You should know already—Moonlight and the others have said it lots of times. Being treated like a king is sweet." He sunk down in his chair and I just looked at him. This guy had no idea what it meant to be a Summoner, did he...? "Hey, you were going to give me a shoulder massage, weren't you?"

"Now why the hell would I do something like that?" I said, unfolding my arms. Hey, that was pretty disrespectful! Did I look like I just gave out free massages? Was he trying to say I looked weak? Okay, okay, I was starting to sound like Anómino. I was standing there confused as ever, and that's when the others found their way towards me. Anómino actually let them breathe. Amazing.

"Hey! Is this the new guy, Sayuri?" Kokoro asked, pointing at him. I narrowed my eyes. Why did Kokoro have to be so loud all the time?

"Yeah, and he wants a shoulder massage." I was just being sarcastic, but apparently Kokoro thought I was serious. This guy walked over to the new guy, and the new guy pushed Kokoro away instantly. I would have too. But wait, now I had to apologize for Kokoro's stupidity. "Ah, sorry about that. Kokoro's a little touched in the head." I paused, waiting for him to answer my question. When he didn't, I just got mad. I had been holding in all of my anger and Chio was watching my body slowly turn red. I had my fists clenched and everything, biting my tongue back.

"What are you, stupid?" I shouted. Kokoro flinched; I guess he thought I was talking about him, but I was actually referring to the new guy. Which I made apparent by pointing at him. "I asked you who you were! Isn't it polite to tell someone what your name is? Jesus! It's like you only want to do things when you want to do them! I'll tell you right now that you're going to be listening to us. Well, more to me, but us, since we've all got seniority on your ass." This guy rolled his eyes at me, and then he played with the cuffs on his sleeves. Yeah... I was about to lose it. I slammed my hands on the desk, looking back at the others.

Okay. Nice Sayuri.

I can do this. I sighed, looking back at him. "So, I'm going to ask you one more time. Can you introduce yourself to us?"

I thought he was going to answer me this time, but all he did was dig in his ear with his pinky, staring at me. "You know, you really have a big mouth..." Why you...! "It'd do you a world of good with you could stick your big mouth in the other places you're lacking..." Woah, time out! What did he just say? I glared at him and noticed he was ogling my chest, so I flicked the guy on his forehead, immediately catching his attention.

"I'm up here," I hissed. "And anyway, you better behave yourself, new guy. Or I'll sick Anómino on you! Right, Anómino?"

Silence?

That's... Odd. Especially for Anómino… "Anómino?" Psh, okay, whatever. I didn't see her around anymore, so I just looked at the guy.

"All right, all right." He even put out his arms. "The name's Damien Yuzuki. I come from Betsaida, but I doubt you guys know where that is." There goes his signature, lazy sigh again. "First thing I know, there's this huge blast and then these black things are everywhere, and I just got pulled into space. I ended up on that planet, and then Moonlight took me here. I don't like these guys too much. I got pulled from world to world, and for what?" Now he's leaning back in his chair, getting comfortable. I'm serious. He's unbuttoning his shirt a little and stretching out in front of us. Yeah, I think it's safe to say that my eye is twitching. "And then they made me fight these black things and Anómino. So much for being treated as a king..."

I snorted.

He had no idea.

"Oh, and one more thing. Anómino and I went... What's it called? Essence hunting? And we caught about three of those things. That Shirogane guy has them. I guess we're going to have to stop by if we want them back." Oh great. Now I had to go see him again? I rolled my eyes and Damien got out of his seat. He walked past me, and then winked at Chio—which made me damn near bite my tongue.

"Hey, keep walking!" Kokoro and I shouted at the same time. We looked at each other, blinked, and then we even stomped on the ground at the same time. "Stop copying me, it's annoying!"

"Dammit Kokoro!" I shouted. I swung my arm out, pointing to the door. "Move it soldier!"

"Aye aye sir! Uh, I mean, ma'am!"

Activate mental facepalm.

"Yeah, whatever, just go walk." I followed him, and then Moonlight tapped me on my back, putting his hand on his waist. Everyone else was already out of the room.

"You know, I didn't like that guy when I first met him either." I couldn't see how anyone liked that guy. "But the kid has a lot of heart. He's skilled, Sayuri, and he's actually pretty smart when you get past all of the laziness. I mean, sheesh. For the Summoner of Lightning, he has to be strong." So he was the Summoner of Lightning, huh?

To come into our team like he's the best thing since bread?

He_ better _be electrifying.

* * *

**A/N:** So less dramatic stuff, and more family and friendship-driven crap. XD;; I'm so... Happy... I miss the fast-paced action of the Dark Ages already, but I know I can never have that back because Kohana killed everyone who usually cause trouble, right? Speaking of Kohana and Atropa...

I don't know why they're so mad at each other. Must be the stress. XD;; But all of that stuff Atropa said she did to Kohana really is true. And it was awesome. *shot* As for which of the two is stronger? Neither of them can beat the other, so I mean... They're still super fun to write! XD Atropa and her "I have no feelings," and then Kohana and her "I love you~!" XD;;

Kohana's a troll.

We should all know this.

I was kinda mad that Atropa fell for the whole crying thing. XD;


	64. She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty

**A/N:** Aaaand this is that filler chapter I was talking about. XD;;;

I dunno what made me write this... Mayhaps I just wanted to show everyone a different color to Kohana-something different to what the poor flashbacks have been showing you. But they're still cool, right? XD What happens in this chapter tends to happen often, but Kohana's still wonderfully badass. XD;;

* * *

Lights keep flashing red and sirens keep sounding off, but the group of four Summoners aren't going to let a bunch of parlor tricks fool them. They've already been through it all—it's going to take a lot more than that to get them to stop. The heels on the bottom of Sayuri's shoes slam into the enforced, cold steel of the floor in the military facility... This place is not right, and they're determined to find Nina at all costs. Jessica is, surprisingly, ahead of all the others, her hands clasped close to her heart and her angel wings fluttering. The others know that the sights in this military facility have deeply touched Jessica right down to her soul. Since when is it ever okay to experiment on so called "Extraterrestrials"? The Summoner of Water's lace bell sleevelettes flutter in the wind, her mind set on one goal.

Save Nina.

Save the other Extraterrestrials stuck on this alternate Earth.

And find the home of Nallely, a Forsythian with cream-colored hair running with the party of four. Jessica glances at the Felinefolk and her heart plummets. This is the girl that Fane wants them to protect. He, a scientist that worked for the military base, had it in him to befriend an Extraterrestrial... And he actually had the kindness to trust Jessica and the others? She clutches her fan. No, she will not let Fane down. After all that work he did getting them caught on purpose to infiltrate the base? It's something she will not permit. The aqua-colored diamond underneath the gold lacing on her baby-blue dress starts to glow—illuminating her determination. The party stops in front of a sealed doorand Isleen bangs her hands into it as hard as she can—actually making Leyiko flinch.

Unfortunately, banging on things isn't going to help anyone.

Sayuri waves her arm out, which really has become a signal for Isleen to calm down. And calm down the Summoner of Change does. Before Sayuri can say something, Jessica takes it upon herself to act. Bringing her blue fan in front of her face, she inhales before swiping her fan across the air. At first nothing happens, but an upright slice appears in it and water gushes from the wound in the door. The metal pieces fall down to the ground and Jessica thrusts her hand down to her side.

Impressive.

The others_ would_ use this time to stare in awe at Jessica's abilities, but they run towards the next goal. They realize that if they even have a chance of saving Nina from being experimented on, they need to move, and keep moving.

They walk into the next room and immediately stop, spotting an airship from Spectra. The same one that got them into this mess to begin with. "Wow, looky here, looky here," Sayuri mutters, taking a few steps forward. "Never thought I'd see this thing again, what with all of these soldier bastards surrounding it..." Leyiko uses this time to inspect the situation, while Isleen touches her fangs, nodding her head at Sayuri's claim.

"Yeah, they must have brought it in while we were trying to find Nina in here..."

"Their transportation technology is actually quite impressive for a third-world planet," Leyiko interjects, putting her hand on her chin. "I don't think even the Dark Ages has found the technology to do things like this..." Almost instantaneously after Leyiko finishes her sentence, all five of them are surrounded by guns being pointed at them. And naturally, everyone assumes a fighting stance. If a struggle is what these people want, Sayuri will not hesitate to bring her team into a battle. The Summoner of Time raises her hand, just itching to give the command.

"Stop! Who told you to point guns at them?" The voice is calm and collected, belonging to a woman. Sayuri looks away from her sword and glances at the statuesque woman standing amongst the crowd of soldiers. Obviously she must be the head general of this facility. Good. So she can tell them where Nina's being held. The woman's green eyes lock with Sayuri's, and she actually takes the time to bow to them. It's an action that internally pisses Sayuri off.

First you try to kill her and her friends, and now you bow to them? "I am the chief director of this base," she says, her shoulder-length blonde hair shining in the fake sunlight. "My name is Mallory. Welcome to our planet." Mallory waves her arms out, trying to emphasize what she means by "planet". Like they're unwanted guests. "...Friends from the stars."

"So you're the one in charge of this operation then?" Sayuri questions, taking a few, tiny steps forward. Mallory gives her a nod, holding both of her hands.

"Yes. I hope you'll forgive my subordinates' disrespect..."

"Huh?" Sayuri utters, a worried look plastering her face. "No! Err... Uh... Likewise..." Her gaze drops down to the floor and Isleen's jaw completely drops.

"Sayuri...! Did you hear what she just said? She just called herself Mallory."

"That's right, Isleen... Wait, are you...?"

"Yes, Fane is my husband. Or rather, he was my husband. Foolish sentimentality kept me from changing my last name." Both Sayuri and Isleen look at each other, then back at Mallory. Yes, this looks like it will be nothing short of challenging. Isleen sighs, touching her forehead.

"Uh, this could be difficult."

"Yeah," Sayuri agrees, glancing at Jessica. The Featherfolk uses this time to check on their newly found companion. She notices that Nallely looks a little sad... Is it because of Fane? Jessica closes her eyes and places her hand on Nallely's shoulder, tilting her head.

"Is everything okay...?"

Hearing Jessica's question, Nallely shakes her head and then she starts to shake all over. Hissing, she points an index-finger at Mallory and scowls. "I-I... I don't like that woman!" Her cat tail sticks up straight in response to the hatred she feels. The only thing Mallory does is shift her stance, her eyes glued to the Felinefolk.

"I don't blame you for hating me." She pauses, placing her hand on her heart and shaking her head. "I'm not asking you to understand. But I had no choice." Immediately Sayuri's glance leaves Nallely and reverts back to Mallory.

"You had no choice? What do you mean by that?"

"Urgh," Mallory sighs in disgust as Sayuri stands up straight, staring at the woman.

"We fought a lot of monsters to get here. You people call them test subjects. And this girl. Nallely? She tells me that you kept her locked up and you did work on her too! You made the decisions! You had a choice!" Sayuri shouts, stomping on the ground. This earns her the sound of several guns cocking and she calms down. Mallory extends her arm out—an action similar to when she wants to silence Isleen. The soldiers behind her stand down and Mallory looks at Sayuri. "I know my work here might be considered inhumane... The guilt is what pushed Fane to leave this place. But unfortunately, I have crossed the point of no return. There is something I must protect, no matter how much shame it brings me."

"And what's that?" Sayuri asks, rolling her eyes. "Your professional name?"

"Certainly not! I must protect our planet Earth! The situation on our Earth is very different from the future you hail from. Our energy is nearly depleted—in fact, it may not even last for more than a few years."

"Wha-wha... Wait a minute!" Sayuri implores, her eyes widening. "You just said 'the future'—!"

"Despite the uniform, I am a scientist. Such a deduction is not beyond my means. Though I must admit... Miss Nina's information was key in coming into terms with that conclusion." Simpering, Sayuri clenches both of her fists, taking a few more steps closer to Mallory.

"What have you done with Nina?" she demands. "Is she safe?" The Summoner of Time ceases her walking when the soldiers point their guns at her.

"I assure you that I have not harmed her in any way. She seemed rather exhausted from her ordeal, so I've given her a room to rest in." Feeling defeated, Sayuri looks at the ground, shaking her head.

"I-I see..."

A pause. A smirk. "If you would allow me to continue... To solve the looming energy crisis, our world has its eyes on a new type of energy." Mallory raises a fist in the air. "The most powerful force known to man. If you're from the future, I'm sure you know what that is."

"I wasn't a genius in Social Studies," Sayuri spat, glancing at the Summoner of Fire. "Hey, Leyiko. You say that this time period is 1957, yes? So, what was the strongest power source then?"

"My sensors indicate nuclear power," Leyiko responds, pressing a bunch of buttons on her arm. "Yes, there is no doubt in my mind." Mallory assumes a dramatic stance, nodding her head.

"Exactly. What would come of an energy source that can destroy the world? That's why I'm here. I seek a safer, more complete energy. I research Extraterrestrials for the sake of that ordeal." Sayuri snarls. Deluded bitch.

"That may be," Leyiko says, folding her arms. "But I cannot agree with your methods."

"Yes. I understand. But however..." Mallory's voice starts to crack... As if she's on the verge of crying. "For the people of E-Earth, and...! For the sake of all those yet unborn..." She lowers her hands down to her stomach, which makes Isleen quirk a brow, but only slightly.

"Wait. Are you—"

"The world in which you come from surely must have surmounted its energy problems a long time ago. Indeed, Summoner Sayuri. I'm sure the people that come from your time live upon their Earth in perfect harmony." Sayuri lowers her head, blinking. "The people of_ this_ Earth need Extraterrestrial supernatural power! An energy source so perfect, it brings with it no pollution!"

"A... Nonpolluting energy source..." Sayuri mumbles. "What if... And I stress 'if'... What if you had that power right now? Would this planet—"

"If we had that power, the planet would surely remain blue forever! That is what I and everyone else here wish for!"

"So you're saying... The Earth could stay blue... Stay beautiful?" Isleen gives Sayuri a look, clenching her fists.

"Absolutely. If you would but help us."

The purple-haired teenager clenches her fists, closing her eyes. "Supposing this lock on my Pendulum will never come undone... Supposing we can never get back to the world in which we were trying to venture to... If we could make a better future..."

"Yes," Mallory says, raising her arms into the air. "A beautiful future!"

"All right," Sayuri admonishes, nodding her head. "What do we have to do? How much can we save this planet? How much can we save this planet's future?" Leyiko grabs Sayuri's shoulder, making her turn around. With glowing, red eyes, Leyiko locks Sayuri in her gaze.

"Sayuri, do you understand what this could mean? To alter the future..."

"You idiot!" Isleen roars. "History could end up changing completely! Sayuri, this could effect you directly! And it's not just you! Something could happen to me too... Did you forget that I'm from this world as well?"

"I know," Sayuri mumbles. "I know! But I also know what happens to Earth. My Earth. I've seen it in dreams and visions alike. War after war... Massacre after massacre... Sometimes from my own hands..." Her eye starts to twitch as she looks at her fingertips. "That broken Earth that I see in my dreams is my home! And even if I can never go back there because I'm a Summoner... This is the least I can do. To stop the fighting. To destroy the Wickedness from ever being reborn!" The teenager nods, much to Mallory's content.

"Good, then. Let us begin!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Four: She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty :-**

_My heavy head is full of debris.  
Sometimes I wish this city would  
Sink in the sea,  
'Cause even when I find the love it's fake  
And everything I want to touch  
Would break._

_Our crooked feet  
Burn up this street,  
And every time we're passing by  
You feel the heat  
Of 50,000 burning souls asleep.  
There's 50,000 crying out to me.  
_

— "Stab City" — As Tall As Lions

There weren't many times when I felt like this~

There were green trees and bushes and flowers everywhere! And I loved them all so much that I started to run around like a senseless child, throwing my arms in the air and twirling whenever I could! Atropa would never understand why I did such things, but it was only to express the sheer excitement I felt, no? She would never see the joy I found in flowers. Flowers were my way to escape all the chaos and murder in the world, even though I was the one who was committing most of the crimes. If I was back home on Earth, and if I had a stressful day, I would just go in the backyard. To my garden. To plant more and more flowers. Hehe, I was just so damn happy~! I did one final spin, falling down on my knees and looking up at the sky. The sun was really bright here in the Dream World... The brightest I had ever seen it before.

I fell backwards, letting my hair wrap around blades of grass and unsuspecting flowers. It was here, in nature, where I was the most in tune with myself. Here in the outdoors, I hid behind no one, and I didn't put on a facade. What you saw me do in the garden was what you'd get. I didn't have a reason to suppress my antics now. I waved my arms and legs out, kinda like I would have if I made a snow angel or something. I smiled. Smiled so brightly! And I hoped Atropa saw each one of my pearly whites! The pinkett was watching over me with an exasperated look on her face and with her arms folded. Baw, I didn't want to make Atropa mad~ But I also didn't want to stop playing in this wonderful wonderland! It had everything I needed. Well, almost everything... The flowers around me had this effect on my mind.

They would open up my conscious... They expected me to poor out my whole life in front of them. My life would have been complete if someone told me I could spend the rest of my life with the flowers, but there was one thing that I would have been woefully missing! Such a tragic realization, it was! No matter how far away I was from my family, right now, there was no doubt that I missed them. If I was having so much fun in the flowers, I wanted them to have fun with me. My smile faded and I turned on my stomach, looking at Atropa through the top of my eyes. I nodded my head to an invisible song, letting a ladybug crawl up my arm. "Why do you look like that, Atropa~?" I asked, tilting my head. "I told you I was going to take you out to see the fl_oouuuu_wee_uur_rs again, right? I'm just keeping my promise to you!" And I meant it! It was such a sad fate that Atropa was cursed to not see flowers for the rest of her life!

Well, not literally, but I wanted her to see the beauty I saw in them. Suzuki saw the beauty in them, and so did Sayuri! And... Everyone I cared about. I came up with this defense mechanism in my mind... Friends were easy to find, yes. But if they understood the beauty in what I saw was beautiful, then those friends... Those family members were worth keeping around. Which meant... Sayuri was nice... I couldn't kill her too! And the others... I had promised not to lay a finger on them either. And as much as the feral instinct in me wanted to bite their heads off and spit them across the forest, I would kill myself before I slaughtered my friends. My family. I wouldn't dare let this thing in me...!

I tensed up and Atropa quirked a brow, shifting her footing. A damp grass blade crunched underneath the force of her boot. I laughed. Why did Atropa have to be so mean to the grass~? True, grass was... Grass wasn't as important as flowers. Grass also had this thing where it could never die. You could cut grass, but it'd grow back. You can't say the same thing about humans. You cut off an arm and whooo~ It's probably gone forever! Isn't that great? I love how that whole thing happens! And then the blood squirts all over the ground—the glorious crimson rain—and the screams and the cries and the—Um, um, um. Back to what I was saying... Grass fights all the time for the ability to live. You could burn it... Not a lot, but a little bit, and it'd still live. It'd be a different color, but it would still be standing. And the most wonderful part about that is the grass will be green again in no time flat.

Grass was truly Nature's way of telling us that she was down, but not out.

Sometimes I thought to myself... What would happen if Mother Nature really did lose herself in all of this bloodshed? And then other times, fuwaaaah~ I thought Mother Nature liked it when there's blood spilled on her hands! She's put us all in this world, and she can rip us out in an instant, straight from our invisible umbilical cords! I've never thought Mother Nature was a bitch... I...

I would be lying...

There were sometimes where I felt absolutely miserable. Cursed my name, cursed my parents, cursed the entity that kept watch over me, cursed Sayuri, cursed the whole damn universe for my sorrow. My depression. And I only did that because... Because I didn't have anyone else to blame it on, of course... It wasn't my fault, that much I was sure. I knew that I was a part of a bigger game. All of us were, but no one knew—to this day—how to play this game right. However~

I was a connoisseur of this game! You see, I've been playing this game long enough to understand how these things works. I understand what it means to be a hero. I've been one for a couple of years. And I've fought with heroes from different worlds, and kicked numerous baddies' asses. I understand what it means to be a villain—I'm playing the part right now! Fabulously, I may add! And I couldn't have it any other way. Despite a few discrepancies I may have, I-I... I-I was happy here with Atropa. For now. She was someone to talk to, someone to help pick me out of my slumps and someone to discuss important plans with.

I have no use for pawns that betray me~!

And I meant that in every sense of the word. Pawns that betrayed me were useless, and they would vanish just like the garbage that they were! They would fall at the whim of my voice! A_ha_ha_ha_! Atropa was a nice pawn, though, because I knew she would stay at my side. At least, until the last battle! Atropa could look at me like that all she wanted, but I knew deep, deep down that she loved me, and I loved her too~! This forbidden romance is what kept me going... Kept me plotting and making sure that I was not the next one to receive a big, fat, 'Game Over' slapped across my face. And... I appreciated Atropa making sure I didn't hurt myself, either.

Forever grateful... I was forever indebted to the people that helped me find my way. And I would find a way to repay them, even if that way could only be obtained by spilling the blood of others. "Must you sit on the muddy earth and look at me like that, Wickedness?" Atropa carped, putting her hand on her head. "I swear, this is all you do all day. You sit, watch what your spawn out of Hell is doing, stalk people you have an interest in, sadistically giggle at every little mishap that happens to everyone, marvel at flowers—you might sleep from time to time—and repeat the process over and over. You need to do something a little different." The frankness in her voice made my spine tingle~ Oh, I'd do anything for Atropa, I swore it on my grave! Anything to make her happy!

"Ah! Like what, Ahtroppaaa~?" I asked, standing up and rubbing my chin. "I mean, this is our day off." I paused, looking at the tasty, fluffy clouds. I loved the outdoors so much. The smell of all the flowers and butterflies and rainbows always got stuck in my hair! And I didn't care. I loved smelling like my dearest Mother. I turned towards my partner in crime, giving her a sly grin. "Villains don't work on weekends~"

"Funny," Atropa hissed, turning on her heels. "When I say you're the most hilarious host I've ever had the unfortunate pleasure of being with, I mean it." Aww, she said that like she was mad at me! I frowned, holding a long blade of grass in both of my hands. I didn't think she meant it like that. Atropa just had a funny way of saying how much she loved me, right? "I don't know what I'm going to do with you..." Did she want me to think of something we could do together? I really wanted to make Atropa happy today, because she made me so happy all the time... Just being here with me. I knew I could never fully return the favor, but I wanted to try! At least, for Atropa. She was the only person that deserved an ounce of kindness from me. I wasn't this irreversible monster that everyone saw me as, I swore it!

Sure, people pissed me off and made me angry all the time, and I usually gave them the quick clap, but...! "Hey, Atropa!" I exclaimed, jumping up in the air. "Want to train with me? You might win this time~!" I thought that would get her, but she rolled her eyes and brushed some of her pink hair out of her face.

"Is that your glorious Summoner of Time powers working wonders in front of me? Giving me the outcome of our 'future match'? Oh please, Kohana, I do not need your warnings, and I am not in the mood to fight with you." She paused, glancing at me and rolling her eyes again. "At any rate, you don't even 'fight' me. If you call that fighting..."

"Maw, Atropa, it's only because I love you and don't want to hurt you, I swear it!"

"Stop saying 'I love you,' it's completely asinine!" Atropa shouted, stomping her foot on the ground and crippling more of the grass. I twitched. "How ridiculous it is to know a woman—a middle-aged woman—that says 'I love you' at every chance she gets to someone that she should vehemently abhor! It's... It's..." She sighs, shaking her head. "Truthfully, it makes me feel bad..." Aww, bad about what? I slung my arm around Atropa, my hair getting in the way of her mouth.

"Don't feel bad, Atropa," I said, nodding my head. "I just respect you, is all."

"Not enough to fear me."

"Of course not," I snorted, stepping back. "I fear no one. And if you want me to stop telling you sweet things, then I suggest you do something about it." I took several steps away from Atropa, inhaling the nature and waving my arms in the air. "You know, Sayuri and the others are supposed to be going to the next world soon. I feel like I'm watching my daughter change right in the palm of my hand~!" I was so proud of Sayuri! She could take care of herself now, and no one was going to tell her what to do! She endured everything that happened in the Dark Ages, and she's still very sane... Unlike me. Had that have been me who had to endure that... I don't know. I would have lost it right in front of Isleen...

I knew Sayuri was mentally stronger than I would ever hope to be, which is why I knew she could handle just about anything the universe threw at her. I knew she was going to be okay. "Yes, you do have an extraordinary daughter... She learns from her parents, after all."

"Damn straight," I replied. "I would have been pissed if Sayuri turned out to be this weakling that couldn't take care of herself. Like I've told her time and time again, it's in her blood to be able to withstand the most difficult obstacles that are in her way. She has such wonderful blood, Atropa! But sometimes I wonder if... If I even deserve the happiness that she brings me..."

* * *

_And even when you find the love, it's fake. And everything you try to touch will break._

* * *

He sits up, exhaling as he rubs his face. The light of the moon shimmers through his satin curtins, irritating his purple-colored eyes. Something doesn't feel right, for the King of Essences is rarely disturbed from his sweet slumbers. Rather, he always stays locked in his dream world until it's time to get up. With one eye closed, the dream Essence—although half asleep—reaches towards his lamp and is puzzled to find that his light wont come on. It is then that he realizes that the power in his castle is out. Yes, very convenient. Somewhat irritated, he stands up, almost falling face-first into the floor. He adjusts his robe, blinking two times before noticing fingernail marks on his arms. He stares at them, tilting his head. Since when did those marks get there...? He pokes himself before shrugging his shoulders. Oh well, they can leave the same way they came. Clenching his fists, the marks on his skin disappear.

Oh, the perks to being an Essence. Suzuki inhales, blinking the last trances of sleep away from his eyes. Now that he's up, he might as well check on Sayuri. After all, Kohana isn't there; she has some other business to take care of. He shakes at the thought. Honestly, he doesn't really want to know what her 'other business' is, but if it's absolutely necessary... Right now she's on another planet, so he should at least go shower their child with love before he goes back to bed. He smiles at the thought of seeing Sayuri sound asleep and safe in her cradle. How is it that he was even able to _create _something so small and preciously wonderful without any draw or setbacks? Especially with a species other than his own... He opens the door to his chambers, stepping out into the hallway. He'll make sure someone puts the power back on after he sees Sayuri. She's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. He chuckles under his breath; he'd have to be sure not to say that around Kohana, else she might get jealous.

A thought hits him—does he even deserve his family? What has he done to deserve such a lovely, beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter? For more than half his life he's been a nihilist hating everything he's ever come into contact with that wasn't an Essence. He hated humans especially. To him, they were vile creatures. Creatures incapable of understanding. Creatures incapable of thinking logically. Creatures that could not, and would not, understand what war is doing to their own race. To befriend a human was a sin in his eyes.

But Kohana is different.

She is the first human to ever make him want to take back everything he's said about the race. At first he hated the purple-haired human. They first met when she was twelve, and all she'd do was bite him. He wanted to kick her in the mouth (since she was so short) but his friends kept him from doing so. Kohana was the dreamer of her generation from Earth. She had an obligation to work with him, as young as she was.

With Suzuki being the dream Essence, he had to gather the dreamers from the eight main worlds. Kohana was just one of them. And now he's forever grateful that he had the chance to even meet her. Without meeting her—without identifying her as Earth's dreamer—their love would have never blossomed. He watched her grow into the beautiful woman she is today. He watched her bud into this beautiful, purple and green flower which could only be named after her. When Kohana had nightmares, she'd call to him and he'd be there to lull her back to sleep. Gently, calmly... When she would be attacked by Wicked Spawn and other things that wanted to kill her when she was little, he'd always be there to protect her. She'd never thank him. Her ego was just that big. He chuckles at the memory. And when she first became a Summoner...

Everything happens so fast, and for a good reason too.

This, he understands, is why they were brought together. As soon as Kohana became a Summoner he saw her transform. She was still a stupid, vile, _ugly_ human, but she was willing to put her life on the line for the people on other worlds. He watched her take beating after beating for people she didn't even know. He watched her heart crumble, wither away and die... Just to protect the greater good. And in this short period of time, he, somehow, fell in love with the purple-haired teenager. The vile human who he was cursed to forever interact with even though he didn't want to... The king battled with himself. He was conflicted. Where were these feelings coming from? It wasn't just humans he hated. He hated everything. Enlightened, Featherfolk... Essence, even! He couldn't stand being around people because everyone was beneath him. Just fools focused on war and revenge.

Idiots using his people for power.

He pondered his love for Kohana for a while until he saw her near death and almost beaten. Had he not stepped in and vowed to fight with her, Sayuri wouldn't be in his castle right now. He jumped in front of Kohana while she was laying on the gravel, her hands placed over one another and bound in place with a sword piercing through the two of them—binding her to the ground. It was then that he confessed his love for her and explained why he was willing to die for her.

Because she was willing to die for everyone else. And if a mere human could do that...

Yes, he was easily beaten—flicked to the side like a helpless puppy, but it was that same defeat that fueled her rage and made her win that battle. And ever since then, the two of them have been together since. Reluctantly, of course. Because he is the light that shines in her ever impending darkness—the light that always saves her, and she is the darkness in his immortal light—the thing that reminds him that he's not exactly perfect, that he has flaws as well. Just reminiscing about that has made the king blush three shades of crimson. He'd have to tell Kohana how much he loves her when she returns. The king wipes his nose with his arm until he hears something similar to crying. Something... Something...

"Sayuri?" he utters, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He begins to run down the hall and chuckles at the thought. He's not faster than Kohana, no, but he hasn't been alive since the beginning of time for nothing. Once he makes it towards Sayuri's room, her cries turn into screams, something a child should never do. He doesn't hesitate. He opens the door and is instantly pinned down by someone. He slams into the floor hard, his breath catching in his throat. He mentally curses to himself, feeling the sweat drip off his brow. Someone decided to attack Sayuri and Suzuki? It's logical. This has to be someone that knew Kohana was going to be out today. He doesn't get a chance to ask his attacker his or her name. The mystery person lets out a disconcerting growl—one that makes the king pale. His people love him; no one would dare attack him at such late hours. So is this someone from another world?

Abruptly the mystery person collapses on him. Honest and truly collapses on him and he sharply inhales, using this chance to push the person off. He quickly assesses that the intruder is female, getting a whiff of her lilac-scented shampoo. He stands on his feet, but something ripples through him. Pain. Everywhere. The woman grabs his fingers after kicking him in the stomach and begins to crack them around in several different ways, _breaking _them. Suzuki may be immortal, but he can still feel pain, very much like ordinary beings. He screeches, almost as loud as Sayuri is in the other room. Still, he can't give up. This is his daughter's life in the balance, and he'll do anything to protect her. This is what Kohana would be doing, after all. He grits his teeth, biting his bottom lip so hard that blood trickles from it. Anything to keep his mind off his broken fingers. The woman starts to growl again, but this time she seems interested by something, sniffing the air as if she is an animal.

Then, without warning, she pushes the king against the wall, cracking the cement in the process. As a natural instinct he gasps, but before he can close his mouth the woman plants her lips on his. It's not even about a kiss—she appears to be lapping at the blood _inside his mouth._ Repulsed, he tries to say something but her mouth muffles his words. Her eyebrow twitches and she brings her free hand back. Before Suzuki knows it, blood is pouring all over the ground, leaking out of his frame. He can barely breathe and brings both his arms towards the wound in his stomach. He tries to step forward, noticing the woman isn't in front of him, but he can't move. It is then with further inspection he notices a sword stuck in his stomach and in the wall behind him. Dark as it may be, he recognizes the hilt... And those flowers.

"K-Kohana?" he says, absolutely confused and hurt. No, he doesn't want to believe himself, but... This has happened once before. This is _always _happening. She has a complete melt-down and starts attacking _him._ It's one of the perks to being the Wickedness. She forgets everything that makes her happy. The urges are too strong for her and she... Within that split second a tear slides out of his eye before he frowns again. He ignores it, pulling her blade out of his stomach and yanking it out of her hand,_ driving_ it through his own leg. Maybe if he focuses on that pain, he can ignore the pain rippling throughout his entire body. The king takes one step forward, and before he can use his powers she appears behind him and grabs both of his arms. She pushes him on the ground stomach-first, pulling them out of their sockets; effectively breaking them.

The sound of his own bones snapping makes his world disappear for an instant. Without the use of his arms, there's nothing he can do. And he can hardly speak to her... If he doesn't do something soon, she'll kill Sayuri. That thought is the only thing that's keeping him from completely giving up. Sayuri has a future and she must live... He manages to flop his body around, effectively kicking her in the face. She hisses in pain, staggering backwards and almost breaking Sayuri's door. Sayuri's cries fill the background... He doesn't know how much more pain he can take. "K-Kohana. P-please stop..." For a moment all movement stops. He thinks Kohana has regained her old self back, but this is not the case. He turns around and her emerald guys seemingly glow ominously in the dark.

"_Ah_ahah_aha_ha_ha_!"

His heart sinks as she runs her fingernails across his face, blood burbling from the marks. He yelps—the pain is so strong now that it seems almost _ticklish._ She laughs again and kicks his body to the side, walking towards Sayuri's room door. He can hear the sound of the knob being turned, and to this he trembles. "Kohana, stop, this... isn't you..." She turns around on her heels, walking towards the injured king and sitting him up against the wall. She wields her sword, poking his nose with her blade—giggling at him. Though he knows he can't die, he can fall unconscious, and if he does that Sayuri's life will be at risk. "I'll teach you to mess with my family!" she declares in a fit of rage, her green eyes still glowing. He knows their glow isn't due to any problems she's having... They just do that. But she thinks she's protecting her family?

Obviously... Obviously...

She lifts him up and pins him to the wall, preparing her sword to slice through his heart. Slowly fading in and out of consciousness, he blinks. "K-Kohana I..." Breathing is becoming a chore. He's retained some movement in his right arm, meaning it's repairing itself already. He lifts his hand up slowly, brushing it up against her face. Even when she's crazy, she's still very much beautiful.

Like a flower...

"K-Kohana I still love you." There is no lie to those words. He gave those words everything he has, even if they came out a bit shakey. His vision is blurred a bit, but he can feel the change in her demeanor—the way time has been forced to stop. Now Sayuri's not crying anymore. Now he knows he's finally got the old Kohana back. Only she is able to stop time like it's stopped now. The lights slowly flicker back on and the purple haired woman stands there in complete and utter shock. Her eyes dilate and her fingers shake, glancing at all the blood in the hallway—noticing that it isn't hers. Noticing that Suzuki's fingers aren't pointing in the same direction and noticing her sword unsheathed...

_No, no, no, no, __**no**_. Those words reply themselves in her head. She collapses on her knees in his puddle of blood. Gripping her head, her lungs feel constrained. Feeling that there's no way out of her madness, she lets out a loud, desperate scream. It's the only thing she can think of. She feels like she's just woken up in a horror movie, and now there's no way to go back to sleep. She shakes her head back and forward, trying to grasp the situation. He gazes at her at frowns softly—not because of his wounds, but because she's so distraught... After a few moments of silence and rocking back and forward, she swallows. Even that makes her want to scream again. "Su—Suzuki..." Her voice is barren, devoid of emotion.

Regaining the feeling in his legs and arms, he shakes his head. Though his wounds may be covering up, the blood is still stained on his clothes and on the floor. "Kohana, I love you. Please don't... Don't scream anymore. I'll take twenty more beatings if it means being with you..."

Twenty. More. Beatings? She never wants to see this happen to him again! What right does she have, beating her husband whenever she sees fit? Who does something like this? How is this even a little bit sane? Why does... Why does this hurt so bad and why is he so accepting of what just happened? With shaking hands she grabs Suzuki's robe. After that she wraps her arms around him so tight... So tight he feels as if his head will shoot away. "Kohana... I—" His sentence is cut off with a huge wail from his wife. He's never before in his life heard Kohana cry so hard and loud. Everything flows out of her. All of her emotions, her broken dreams, her damned existence. She lets it all out across his shoulder gripping him tightly, never wanting to let him go.

Words are beyond her now and her cries get louder, more desperate. She's been reduced to a sloppy mess of tears, snot, and crying out loud. By now he's fully healed. He runs his fingers through her hair, not wanting to disturb her release. If pain is the price to pay for love—_true love _that he has been waiting eons on finding...

Then come what may. He loves this woman, and no amount of broken bones will change that.

* * *

_In some strange way, it's like you're never there. You just float by, crawling in the air._

* * *

Released within a fury of broken cries, tears rolling down my cheeks and choking on my words, I lashed out at everything around me. Even Atropa. And as my dream started to breakdown, I felt myself locked in a black world filled with nothing but rain. I hated the infernal rain, but there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it! I went blind with rage, blind with fury... Felt the need to blow up anything and everything in my way, I—_ahaha!—_No one deserved happiness, because I was robbed of mine! Atropa glanced at me with her infamous glare, letting the heavy rain drop on top of her head. Violently. Her pink locks were stuck to her face and she reminded me of my mother so damn much that I—!

My eye started to twitch and my body started to spasm, coming to the realization that I was having a _terrific_ mental breakdown right in front of Atropa on my day off. Lovely. Just fucking lovely! I clawed my head, my green hairpins falling to the ground. And though we were standing on virtually nothing, my pins made an echo, concurrent to my hair falling down to my ankles. "The sound is a comforting sound!" I shouted into the darkness, cackling because it was the only thing I knew how to do correctly. I found solace in laughing! "It's a haunting sound! In a moment, I know this can all change..." I looked around, and suddenly I didn't feel so... Happy.

"I can change, hope I never change..."

Lightning cracked right in front of me, and thunder filled our ears. "Perverse the dead air, the smoke riots through the firmament." I held my hand towards my heart, my voice reduced to a low whisper. "My fingers are numb, and the blood runs down the street in bountiful amounts. And as I look into their faces... See their lives fleeing from their decaying bodies, something inside me tucks its tail in and dies." My eyes fluttered around the empty space until... Until I snapped completely. I snarled and turned around, balling up my fists and glinting my fangs.

"Words of your forgotten honor—meaning nothing to the world in which you so died for!" I yelled as loud as I could, sure I was going to puncture a lung. But I didn't care. My pain was beautiful, and my suffering was exact. Because I deserved it. "Wasting your lives for worlds that are doomed to never learn from their mistakes!" I stopped, my eyes widening. "Are you happy now, Isleen...? Is it okay now, Lucrecia? I did you all a favor, stupid idiots,_ I did you all a favor!" _I fell on the ground, closing my eyes and pounding my fist into the floor. "Favor, favor, favor, favor, favor...!" With each pound, black little chips floated off the ground and stayed submerged in mid-air. I just ignored them.

"Attack our senses, our intelligence if you will—and I'll admit it, Mother Nature! We don't know who we're fighting against. Now, the wounded just want to go home. But what home awaits them...? And if we do go home, glorious Mother Nature—can I take the flowers? Oh pretty please...?" I reached out towards the blank space in front of me, my eyes twinkling in despair. "The last words—_oh!—_your last words, words of your pride and honor are all meaningless! Meaningless when for a world you've died!"

I stood up, almost sure I should have fell. I gritted my teeth, scowling. "You're poison to my eyes, and your actions leave me shaking, Mother _Natuuuuueeer_. This is wrong, and I know it without fully comprehending the situation. Today, I refuse to grow up, trying to gain back what you stole. But I know, know it well that I can't ever get it back. Dull green eyes see all your kind in charcoal grey. You plague my memories—I can still feel you in my sleep while I constantly lock them away from you. Now I don't know time, stuck then as yesterday to future and distant years was when? Confusion with no more care. What color is truth? It's within me red, Mother Nature! I saw it trickle down my body and onto the floor. That was cold truth spilling. It... Hit me hard. I became sick with a fever and tried to cool it with the waters from things that made me happy... I wanted to wash away the dirty feeling and vomit. … I scrubbed so hard. But it wasn't enough. It'll never go away!" I shouted once more, my knees buckling. I let out another gasp of frustration. "And I hate you for that."

Should we cry over war?

Sobs overtook my body and I-I couldn't stop. I closed my eyes as hard as I could, but the tears bypassed my eyelashes and trickled on the ground. I was sure I would be able to create an entire lake of them in no time flat. It sucked so bad that Atropa had to see me like this. Again. I did this frequently. Sometimes my emotions proved to be too much to handle, and I ended up like this. A polar opposite of what I normally was like. For some reason, I didn't feel pathetic.

"Mother Nature, hear her cry! Bury her in an umarked grave among the trees and flowers! No one shall cry for her... Except me. I know she cares for all her children. I refuse to cry alone, so I don't cry at all... But She cries with me! She weeps for the universe! Sweet, sweet universe, embrace the body, and make her part of you again. For sweet harmony has never been a part of her life, likewise to mine. May She caress me, like mankind rejected Her. For you cannot be exiled from the grave... Blood, naked branches shall be her body, the wind shall be her soul, and the rain shall be her tears. Frozen lakes shall be her passion, and snow shall be her lover's kiss. And winter shall share her end. Water the ground, for she shall be the rain," I choked out, letting the rain afflict me more. "No longer will her sobs go undead, for she will become the howl of the wind. No longer will her heart grieve, for her heart will bear roses..."

I stared straight ahead, hearing Atropa walk towards me.

I didn't pay her any mind as she knelled on the ground and wrapped her arms around me, pressing her head into the small of my neck... resting it against my hair. "Honestly, Wickedness, I don't know what I'm going to do with you." I sniffled, my tears still running down my face.

Atropa loved to make fun of me, taunting me with images of things gone by. Of things I wish would happen again. I tried to fight her, to tell her that no, I couldn't be that strong. I could stand on my own two feet. But she always had other plans, and cackled at me under her breath. I had taken her bait time and time again after telling her I could make this war my own. I leaned forward, touched the flowers, and fell into the blooms, lost in their fragrance. I closed my eyes, watching the black space disappear. Finally, we were back in my sanctuary... The bountiful, wonderful land of flowers.

A smile crept towards my lips and I gazed around me. The flowers were more beautiful now than ever! But when I turned around to see Atropa I couldn't find her... I wiped my face, looking everywhere for her until I decided that I left her back in that black space. "Ahtropaaaaaaaaaa~! Where are you~?"

I stood up on my feet, concern spreading across my face like a wildfire. That's when she appeared, wearing that pretty dress of hers~ "Let this be a reminder, Kohana," she said, matter-of-factly, "that I don't plan to do that on my day off often. You'll be the universe's best poet, I'll tell you that." Heh. My eyes studied her, watching her find a spot on the ground and then sitting down, closing her eyes and glaring at me.

"Humans are idiots."

A crooked grin found its way to my face and I tilted my head. Our love was so painfully beautiful, and yet so beautifully painful~!

Atropa was such a plastic doll!

She wasn't even silk.

She was rayon.

And five percent polyester made in China.

I pranced towards her, bending over and getting all in her face, to which she growled at. "I could print this poetry down the slope of your back and make my words beautiful like they've never been, Ahtropaaaaa!"

"Really now?" she said in monotone. And she rolled her eyes again at me! Did she not believe me...? "Just a while longer and I'll be done with you_ and_ your idiocy..."

"Of course, Atropa!" I exclaimed, spinning on my heels. "I want you! No, it's more than that... I want to be the woman who fucked you senseless and kept you coming back for more. Because I'm a cherry Pop Tart that could rewrite the Karma Sutra and you're a sensitive badass—"

"For the love of—!"

"I want to make you see white sunbursts and twist your senses, so that you feel colors and smell sounds~!"

Atropa then got up, scowled at me, and then poked my nose with her index-finger, her eyes slitting right in my face. "You are so very evidently an unedified, incongruous, moronic and to the upmost egregious monstrosity of mortal twaddle to ever draw such undeserved breath. I am weary of you. Goodbye." And as she stormed off, I skipped behind her, waving my hand in the air.

"Wha-wha-wait, Atropa! Don't leave me, I neeeeeeed you!"

I stopped running after her, because I was tired. But then I smiled and clapped my hands together. Bwah, she made dirty words sound so pretty~! I sat on the ground, grinning as I held my katana in my hands.

I'd make Atropa so proud of me that she'd have to come back! I'd kill so many people she'd be amazed!

I unsheathed my katana, smirking at the thought.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, so this answers Addy's question! Kohana destoryed the Dark Ages because she felt people were dying for a good cause, but nothing was changing, so she 'forced' it to change for the good of her friends. That's people like Leyiko that came from there, and people like Macarius that wanted to make the universe a better place.

*nodnod* XD;;

And also, in this chapter, we find out why Kohana has such an obsession with nature! XD;; I dunno, she's a pretty hard character to follow, but we'll just keep going on strong with the plot, mm'kay? Also, yeah, Aysel was stupid; it did take Kohana a couple of years to actually keep her newly-found Wickedness powers under ropes. XD;;; As seen above.


	65. Those Who Fight Further

**A/N:** Man, okay, so I wrote this flashback a couple of months ago. XD;;

But the damn thing was _so _spoilery that I had to cut a bunch out of it, but I kept the original. Damn straight I did. I mean, why would I just delete a couple of words because something is spoil-tastic? Kohana doesn't like them, and neither do I, which is why she always keeps her mouth closed about stuff before it happens. But you can kinda tell she knows. XD;; I wonder how she feels about spoilers regarding herself...?

I don't think you guys know, but I love dramatic irony so much. XD

Maybe I won't use so much of it in the Forsythia arc? I dunno. There's something about the readers knowing what the characters don't most of the time. Gives you guys that sense of superiority over something, because I keep you in the dark about the plot all the time. And then I like to watch your pretty faces contort when both you_ and _the characters don't know what's going on. Dramatic irony gives you a special bond between reader and character that I like to play with. XD;;

* * *

Today. Was. Horrible.

Absolutely infuriatingly horrible! If Kohana knew any more big words to fit in that previous sentence, she would add them without a moment's hesitance. There are so many Essences that want to talk to her, not to mention the people that want to kill her from other worlds because she's the Wickedness now. Still! That's no excuse! How the hell do they even manage to get to Suzuki's world anyway? And why should the other Essences care about where Kohana chooses to stay? The purple-haired woman closes her eyes, letting the rain from the showerhead over take her senses.

She's home now and that's all that matters. And soon, she'll be able to see her darling king again. She smiles slightly at the though; he's really the only one that can make her happy, so she must see him. Kohana's no longer the Summoner of Time. That period of her life is over now, so the people of Suzuki's world need to get over themselves and stop fangirling and hating her. But... She supposes that the hate could generate from her being the Wickedness itself. She snorts, running her fingers through her soaked, purple hair. Essences don't even die, so what the heck are they worrying about?

Oh, if only Kohana could count how many times she's fallen today... She grabs at her knees, wincing silently. Her petite fingers trace the scars that dance across her shoulders and arms. They aren't anything serious—with her magic the scars will fade away in no time, but still... They bother her. The water at least makes her wounds feel better, as if kisses are falling down on them on by one.

She grabs both of her shoulders, feeling tears trickle down her cheeks, but swears it's only the water from the shower. She'll never be able to see her mother again—and it hurts her to know that she's actually crying about it. Kohana shakes her head, running her fingers through her hair again. She hates her mother, so why the tears? She's the Supreme Being now. The Universe's Conqueror. The Wickedness reborn. And... It hurts. It's a soul hurt. Hopefully Suzuki can make her feel better, because right now she feels like crap.

Tilting her head, she starts to think of the brown-haired king... Smiling as images fill her mind. Her lips curl into a slight smile. When she gave him the key to her heart, she silently begged for him to unlock her love. He's the only one that can save her from her imminent depression now. She turns the knob of the shower, watching the rejuvenating rain stop. She stands up straight and shakes her head like a wet dog and then wrings out her hair, covering her face with both of her hands. A sigh escapes her lips as she takes the purple towel from on top of the silver bar.

"Loving you is like a tide," she says to herself, regaining her usual flowery-self. "Determined by the moon. It's too easy to forget your force. And I slipped as you crashed above me and sometimes you'd disappear..." Her voice is reduced to a mere whisper as she tries to wrap the towel around her body. The woman is having... Trouble with it. "And everything was black. Everything was cold. But you always came back when I was high." She pauses, realizing the truth in her words.

Here she is now, in his castle. Out of all the people that would take her in...

"Loving you is like music," she says again, smiling. "Everything has already been done. So easy to move with, to forget, but certain notes don't mix together. Sometimes you'd disappear... And everything was quiet. Everything was dull, but you always came back and we'd move so easy..." With her towel secured around her, she pushes the curtains away and sets one foot on the floor. She follows with the other, but something goes horribly astray.

She completely slips.

This isn't an accidental slip either. This slip takes her by complete surprise and she has no time to recover from it. Her green eyes widen as she's sent flying backwards, knocking the shower door down with her right hand. She tries to regain her balance, but the slick residue on the ground makes her stumble forward, making her body twist sideways and causing her face to slam into the floor tiles. The impact is so hard that she barely has time to think—she's only interested in the pulsating pain in her now-reddened face.

Her legs go limp and she pries herself off the ground, gritting her teeth as she sniffs the slick substance that's on her arm. Butter. Butter? How the hell did butter get on the floor in front of the shower! Snarling, she stomps into her room and stands in front of the closet.

Someone sabotaged her!

She shakes her head again and opens the closet, only to see a big bucket of goopy green stuff splash all over her. She lets out a shrill scream as her face and chest is covered in it.

That's it.

"_Suzuki!"_ she shouts in all of her slime-covered goopy-ness. Never before has she felt to sad—so betrayed. Especially by the one she's loved for so long. She waves her arms in the air, trying to get the stuff off her. _"I hate you for this!" _she yells in frustration... She continues to yell incoherent things, shaking every inch of his caste. She blinks away a couple of tears, but now the only thing she can see is red. Sparks fly from her fingertips and she waves her arms in all kinds of directions, searing the sheets on her bed. On accident.

Now her room's _on fire_ and the smoke is irritating her.

She's hurt, she's exhausted, and she can't stop screaming. That is, until, she hears someone walking into her room. She swiftly turns around to meet face-to-face with a smirking Suzuki, holding a velvet box in his hand. "Kohana! Kohana. Please, Love, calm down..." he persuades, glancing at how wild she's acting. Swinging her arms around she accidentally causes a few vases to burst with her apparent wind magic. She gazes at Suzuki, not even noticing what he's holding.

"_You bastard!" _she shouts. "I hate you! I hate you!_ I swear to God I hate you!_" She stops, trying to get the goop out of her eyes. "I—_Argh!"_

And he has the nerve to laugh at her! She loves him, that she does, but now... Smiting him with lightning doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. He throws his arms out, tilting his head. Although he's shorter than her, he shows no fear. "Kohana, calm down, I love you," he chuckles. He gets down on one knee and opens the velvet box, revealing a purple, diamond engagement ring in the shape of a flower. Still fuming with rage and not noticing it, she stomps a few steps closer to the king.

"I _just _took a shower!" she exclaims. "I can't believe this! That was you with the butter wasn't it—?"

"Kohana, will you marry me?"

"_What?"_ she screams at the top of her lungs.

"I'm not happy here. My only happiness lies within you," he starts, smirking. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have been in love with you for the longest time. You cure my heart whenever it tends to bleed. I love seeing you, I love pranking you... Kohana I love you." She takes a few, clumsy steps forward. Kohana tries really hard to see past her angry tears.

"You better not be joking," she says through gritted teeth, shaking. That earns her a small chuckle from Suzuki, amusement written all over his face.

"We have been friends my love, for so many years. And we've adapted to each other in so many ways. In that time you have witness my transformation. So on this day I would like you to know that I want to take this friendship to the next plateau. With you I have fallen in love so sweetly..." With her slime-covered fists clenched she walks over to Suzuki just... Just staring at him.

"If you're joking this is_ really_ mean, Suzuki," she says once more, hyperventilating.

"You want to see if it's real, Kohana? Because you have proven to me that you regard me as more than just your friend. All my life I have waited for you to show up in my life. Inside of you is everything I hold so dear... The thought of you burns inside so deeply. As I rest here, my love, on a bended knee, I ask you, love, will you marry me?"

Still angry, she holds her thumb and index-finger in a 'c' shape and plucks the ring out of the box. She slips it on her finger, marveling at how pretty the purple diamonds are. Her mouth opens and she lifts her hand in the air, watching it sparkle in the light. She grins, doing a little dance in front of the king. "Ahahaha! Now what, everyone? I'm getting married! Woo hoo!" she exclaims, jumping up in the air. She snickers under her breath, grinning madly.

He laughs at her, standing up straight.

He doesn't need an answer, because every breath she takes whispers beautiful.

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Five: Those Who Fight Further :-**

_Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside_  
_Hiding all our hope, mocking what we treasure_  
_Battles we can win, if we believe our souls_  
_Hang in for the light, until dawn_  
_Fate will not leave you, fate will not heal you_  
_Pray and one day, peace shall flow everywhere_

— Serah's Theme — Masshi Hamazu

I guess this was really my second time seeing Shirogane, but he was the same person he was before we left.

And I mean, I might be the Summoner of Time and everything, but there's a really good reason why I'm pressed up against the wall and feeling like I'm going to vomit. Chio was trying to see if I was okay, but I was just losing it. And of course Miyuki told everyone to just ignore me. She said something about my body trying to adjust to the 'time change' of Spectra. Because you see, remember when Miyuki had to be a cat for a while down on Earth? She didn't have the right body composition. In other words, Miyuki isn't a compatible "Extraterrestrial" for Earth, and therefore she had to wait a while before she could walk around freely in her human-like form. But that has jack squat to do with me.

We had been in the Dark Ages for about a year, damn near.

And I was so used to the time composition there. And when I jumped here—it didn't hit me right away—but I just got so sick and woozy... I mean, seriously, you could tell I was out-of-my-mind sick. There's time symbols or whatever floating around me and my face is all purple, and Chio kept complaining about how she was having trouble breathing standing behind me. Oh, if she was having so much trouble breathing, then she could have just moved away from me, you know! … There was so much for me to learn, and so little time. Miyuki had just taught me about magical 'symbols', 'anagrams', and 'pentagrams' on the way here.

I could understand the 'symbols'. I could even understand the 'pentagrams'. But why would you call some kind of magic circle an 'anagram'? And then Miyuki told me that they all essentially meant the same thing. Pfft. I was so confused about virtually nothing! Still, the whole anagram thing still confused me. Wasn't that when you took some letters and mixed them up...? My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my stomach gurgling. My eyes must have dilated really fast, and the I looked at Morta, who was, more or less, glaring at me.

Kinda telling me that if I decided to throw up in here, in front of Shirogane no-less, that I'd be in a lot of trouble. I tried to stand up straight, but the most I could do in my state was lean on the wall. Sloppily, might I add. I had such a headache. Tch, I knew we Summoners each had something we couldn't stand tied to our powers and all... Like Kokoro getting all weak when it rained, and Morta smelling dead bodies, and Chio and her... Okay, I didn't think Chio had a setback to her powers, but I'm sure we'd find out what it was soon. But I didn't think jumping worlds and time and things would make me this sick...!

Damien was looking all cool. Like he already knew the procedure. So far, I didn't think anyone actually liked him. Sure, he had only been a part of the team for about an hour or two, but he really needed to step up his game. I was kind of excited to see his Summoner form, but whatever. I'd wait when the time came. Keiichiro was standing next to Ryou too, with his signature smile and long ponytail. "So," Shirogane said, his hands in his pockets and tilting his head. "How was your stay in the Dark Ages, Summoners?"

Okay, so I'd use this time to bitch about everything.

To bitch about how I was almost killed on several occasions.

To bitch about how I was used as a play thing.

To bitch about how my mom straight slaughtered everyone.

But that was what the old Sayuri would do. I was a new woman, and plus I think I was about to see my lunch again soon. What surprised me was that Kokoro, Chio, and Morta really didn't have anything to say about the Dark Ages. I was pretty sure Morta had a really good hunch that Miyuki had informed Shirogane of the events that happened. So that was probably why she was silent. Chio looked guilty as I don't know what. And Kokoro was just playing with his hands. Oh, come on! No one liked the Dark Ages, and I'm pretty sure Shirogane already knew that. He was just asking us that question to play with our minds. I shook my head a little bit, my face turning red from all the blood just rushing up there.

"Shirogane," I said, putting a hand in the air and stopping myself from falling down on the ground. "I'm all for questions, but that was unnecessary. We came here for the apparent Essences you have locked up, so if you would." I said that way nicer than I should have. I should have yelled at him. How dare he ask us such a personal question. He quirked a brow at me and then looked at everyone in the room, his gaze dancing from person to person.

"I hope you all don't get too comfortable," he murmured, placing his hand on his head. He kind of wiped some of his shiny, blonde hair out of his eyes too. "It's only going to get harder from here on in, so you have to grin and bare it." Sure, like it's that easy. He put his hands back in his pockets, walking around the room for a moment. "While you all were gone, we found Rainbow Stone for Kokoro's weapon, actually. Unfortunately, we haven't processed it, so we can't force you all to stay here and wait for us to synthesize it with his weapon." I didn't plan on staying here longer than I had to anyway. Of course, whenever Kokoro heard his name he just got happy with glee and wanted to know everything about everything. I rolled my eyes at him.

"So... About the Essences, Shirogane?" Damien said, putting his hands behind his head. He looked at the blue-eyed Celestial Being, and then he started to get his smirk on, folding his arms and standing up straight. "Unless... You lost them?" Something inside of my head started to click. Like a light bulb just went off. I didn't believe that Shirogane had lost three damn Essences, since Spectra was pretty hi-tech and careful about their crap. But Damien had a point, and the magically time powers inside of me were going haywire. I pointed an index-finger at Shirogane and gritted my teeth.

"Aha! Don't you lie to me!" I exclaimed. "I know you—"

And right on cue. I mean, right on cue. Miyuki kicked me in the spleen and I doubled over.

Tears started running down my face and I just assumed the fetal position. Oh, I kind of rolled around on the ground too, because dammit! Miyuki kicked me in the chest! I was so winded I didn't have time to complain. And what really made me mad was that she just kept on talking. She had perfect posture! Her hands were behind her back and she was calm. And totally ignoring my moaning. "I'm sorry Shirogane for Sayuri's unruly banter. She's obtained a habit of doing that." It's not a habit! My time-senses were tingling! I stopped rolling on the ground and glared at her, still laying on my stomach.

I licked my lips and glared at Damien, who was laughing at me. Whatever. He's slowly getting on my bad side...

"It's perfectly fine, Miyuki," Shirogane said, giving her a dismissive handwave. Bastard. "Summoners are bound to have at least some spots of... Imperfection." I'd ignore that. I'd just ignore that completely. Imperfection... Ha! Wait a minute though. That got me thinking.

I scrambled off the ground, my eyes twinkling with hope.

"Shirogane!" I exclaimed. "You knew Kohana, right?"

And for some reason, man. The room couldn't have gotten anymore quiet. Shirogane didn't even show me any emotion. The amusement on his face vanished, Keiichiro got to frowning, and Miyuki gave me a look. Like she was going to kick my ass when we got out of there. But I was determined to get an answer. Right now, I wasn't the least bit worried about what Miyuki was going to do to me. "I mean, you've got to know Kohana, since her name was Sayuri at first, and—"

"Sayuri..." Shirogane said, nice and slow. "...Who told you about her?"

I cracked my knuckles, feeling like I was back in control. Hur, hur. "Kohana, of course."

I expected his face to contort or something, but he kept his cool. Actually, his nose kind of twitched a little bit. "_Kohana t_old you? _How _did Kohana tell you?"

I turned around, folding my arms and letting my hair blow in the wind I just created. "I'm not telling you guys anything!" I shouted. I turned back around, looking Shirogane right in the eyes. "What Kohana and I decide to talk about is between Kohana and I. We don't have a mother-daughter bond for nothing, and if you intrude on our bond, you'd be interfering with a worldly affair." Heh! I showed him! I put my arms down, feeling confident in myself. But then I opened my eyes and saw everyone staring at me. "Um, what? I'm only telling the truth."

But then I realized that was where the problem was. Kohana obviously knew more stuff about being a Summoner than I did. Stuff that maybe Shirogane and the others wouldn't want me to know. Oh, okay. So I knew why they were all staring at me. All of the Celestial Beings on the computers and whatnot. They thought I knew something I wasn't supposed to. I waved my hand in the air, closing my eyes. "Don't worry. I asked Kohana to tell me everything, and she basically told me 'no'. So don't think I know some ground-breaking stuff, because I don't—"

"Sayuri," Shirogane cut in, walking up to me and giving me some kind of... Urgh, he looked like he was going to ask me a question I couldn't answer. "We really need to know how the _hell _that woman is able to talk to you."

"I told you!" I said, giving him my game face. "I'm not telling you!"

I thought that was going to be the end of it, but then my stomach started hurting really bad all of a sudden again. The wall was my only friend in this room, so I leaned up on it again. I wasn't done with Shirogane, and I was going to tell him off, except when I opened my mouth—"A_haha_hah_ah_a!"—that happened.

What the fuc—

I slapped my hands over my mouth and everyone just looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Sayuri? Is there something you want to tell us about...?" Chio said, placing her hand on her mouth. That did not even sound like me! I looked around the room to try and find an answer, but I just started cackling again.

"Relax~ It's just me, Shirogane!" I narrowed my eyes.

Kohana.

Is.

In.

My.

Mouth.

What the heck is going on? Not only was she making me say things I didn't want to say, but she was making me move places. She chortled again—I mean, I chortled again—or whatever the hell chortled again and my arms started moving in places I didn't want them to move. I had perfect control of my conscious, because there were moments where I looked absolutely confused out of my mind, aside from the completely insane look I was giving everyone. "Now, you see, Sayuri here is my puppet. And I can do whatever I want with her."

"I don't think she's lying about that...!" I exclaimed, trying to stop myself from walking forward. You could pretty much tell that Shirogane was torn between yelling "Quarantine her!" or "Listen to what she has to say!" but I really did want my body back. I scowled, looking up at the ceiling. Aww man, not in front of the new teammate, Kohana! Damien must have dropped everything he was holding to gawk at me. "Kohana! Dammit! I was standing up for you just now!"

"I know, dearest daughter~ But you see, I have to tell Shirogane myself." My body stood right in front of the man and I snarled at him. Pointed at him. "Just because I can't come down here and kill you all because you put your cowardly Wickedness shield around Spectra doesn't mean I can't kill you. Sayuri's a Summoner, and Summoners naturally have a higher mental defense than other people. And that's why it was completely bullshit for me to try and control Morta over there. Silly Defenses." I turned towards Morta and she kind of like just... Yeesh. Talk about being the Summoner of Death—she looked like she wanted to kill me. "Hello, Morta~!"

"That woman is insane," Morta muttered under her breath, folding her arms. This was totally embarrassing. I was never going to forgive Kohana for this.

Ever.

"Anyway, back to the point. You don't have any right to ask Sayuri anything she doesn't want to answer. I'll tell her as much as I want to about your lovely Project. And just so you know, I'm always watching, so please be careful what you say about my dearest daughter and I. Resume, please~" And just like that, I felt something just leave my body. I got really sick again and I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes and tilting my head.

"Oh Dear God why...?" I carped, letting all of these different kind of Celestial Beings put their hands on me. I was okay though, I think. I had to keep repeating mantras in my head. Like:

I will not lose it.

I will not lose it.

I will not lose it.

But then reality started to sink in. Kohana could easily kill me. Easily. I mean she just took over all of my bodily functions! Despite being galaxies away! Shirogane sighed, touching his forehead with his fingertips. "What I was trying to say from the start was that there's been some sort of a disturbance in the chamber where those Essences were kept. Not the main eight, but the three Anómino and Damien caught together." Heh. Special eight. "They went missing just a few hours after you all came."

"Fantastic," I muttered, feeling my stomach settle. "Any idea who stole _three freakin' fragments of Essences?_"

Kokoro tilted his head and looked at the ceiling, poking his cheek. "Maybe they just wanted to borrow them and forgot to put them back?" Kokoro's never late for a stupid comment. I turned around and glared at him. Next thing I know, the wind starts blowing really bad. But here's the crazy part. We're inside Shirogane's castle, so I'm like... Where the hell is all of this wind coming from? I shielded my eyes because I wanted to keep my eyesight. But at the same time, I was almost sure this newly-found wind was the result of some new Essence that came out to play, so I wasn't going to be stupid.

I tried to think, but I was too sick to actually... To actually transform. You mean to tell me I couldn't clench my fist for two seconds? As a matter of fact, I couldn't move my neck much, either. I tried to look at Miyuki, but all I could so was twitch a little bit. And then that's when I looked at my shadow. I don't know what possessed me to look at my shadow—maybe it was because I was just so delirious—but an idea quickly popped into my head. "Kohana, this isn't funny!" I shouted. And I didn't get an answer. So I knew it wasn't her.

Normally she'd laugh at me.

So, in all of my confusion, someone came busting through the window. And I'm standing there... Hoping none of the glass actually lodged itself into my skin. You know... Since I couldn't move! All of a sudden, Damien took two steps forward, and then he sighed, looking at the guy that just busted through the window.

I'm not even lying right now.

Miyuki must have jumped across the room and stood in front of Shirogane, getting into a fighting stance. No cards, no nothing. I mean, she was just going to go all in with the fisticuffs. Hello! I was still frozen in one place! It would have been nice to like, get some assistance! I wanted to yell at Miyuki and tell her how much of a horrible Guardian she was, but I decided to stop. The dude who busted through the window was kind of short and had a black hoodie on so I couldn't see his face. But I could see his wings. They were big and glittery, like all Celestial Beings' wings were.

The one thing that struck me about this guy was the fact that he had wind surrounding him. Crazy wind. I could see the wind practically threatening to destroy anything that came in its way. My body loosened up and I grabbed my head, putting on the most distraught look in the world. "Ah, Jesus H. Christ!" I complained. "Can I get a day off? Just one! Just one day off would be fine!"

"Sayuri," Morta said, walking up to me with her stupid scythe, and her stupid sweater, and her stupid Lithuanian eyebrows. "What's wrong with you?" I was going to answer Morta right away. Tell her that there's something wrong with me, my body, and my shadow. But my Goddamn shadow was gone! Gone, gone, gone! I kid you not, it just disappeared completely. My eyes widened, and, and, and... And I just didn't have enough mental or physical strength to stand through all this nonsense anymore.

So I promptly fainted.

Yeah, that's right! I took the coward's way out! But at least that meant I didn't have to fight. Now I could just lay in Rayne's laboratory all day, and listen to her tell me stories from her big lexicon.

Now you guys have been with me long enough to know that my ideas never work.

I guess Morta and Damien both flinched at me falling face-first into the ground. Oh, I was conscious, then! Damien must have caught me, and then the most wonderful thing happened. I heard this terrifying sound. Thunder. And lightning. And more thunder. And lightning.

And then I realized that I was being shocked. Very badly.

I screamed so loud I should have woke up everyone on Spectra. The first thought that came to mind was to get away from Damien, so I did. I rolled right on the floor and started coughing, my fingers twitching and whatnot. Even the hooded guy started to look at us funny. Chio and Kokoro made their way over, and Chio touched my shoulder.

"Sayuri! Are you okay?"

I closed my eyes one good time, glaring at Damien and then standing up straight. But before I yelled at Damien, I looked at Miyuki and gave her the best death glare I could muster. _"You never told me Summoner contracts still worked!" _Oh hell yeah, I was furious. The last time that happened was when I shook Kokoro's hand and he set me on fire! I wanted Miyuki to answer me, but she was locked on protecting Shirogane. And Shirogane? He was standing all cool. Calm. Collected. I would have loved to see him fight. I glanced at Kokoro and nodded my head, dusting myself off. "Damien..."

"Sorry, dude, I didn't think that would have happened..." he said. Even he was in awe. "You... Okay though? Don't look too hot." He said that like he was mocking me. I could hear the mocking tone in his voice. He had one more time to disrespect me! "Anyway, I was going to say something really important."

"And...?"

The guy heard me. I knew he heard me. But instead he turned away from me and fixed the buttons on his shirt, closing his eyes. "I forgot it, Sayuri. I guess you were too late to receive such information."

I don't think these guys saw me rage before.

But there was rage! Rage on top of rage on top of rage building up inside of me. And I clenched my teeth, clenched my fists, and stomped on the ground. Oh, I was going to unleash everything on this guy. ...Until Morta came out of nowhere and grabbed this guy by his shirt collar. Any and all animosity was gone at that instance. I blinked twice, making sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me again. See, Morta really wasn't that intimidating in her Summoner form if you threw away her pretty scythe.

Her Summoner outfit reminded me of one of those fancy Salsa dresses.

And she wore heels. Of course you wouldn't think she was a really badass fighter. Or a fast runner.

But you should have seen the way Morta used her insane strength to lift Damien up in the air. She didn't snarl at him, nor scowl, nor give him that look. She just just stared at him. "Look. I can tell you're lying because your lips are moving. Now, either you tell us what you had to say, and stop being completely ridiculous, or you can fight the person in front of us alone." _Now_ Damien changed his mind. Morta put him back on the ground and he folded his arms, glaring at me.

I'm not going to miss out on this no sir!

"I told you we had seniority on your ass—!"

"Excuse me, but would you mind telling us who you are?" You can always count on Chio to use her manners wherever she goes. She bent down next to the mystery person, holding her staff in her hand and smiling brightly. I facepalmed.

"Chio, get away from that guy..."

"Look," Damien cut in. All smooth. "I was going to tell you guys that the shadow thing that just happened to Sayuri a moment ago? That happened to Anómino and I when we were trying to get that one Essence. So that guy is obviously the dude we're looking for." All right! Now if he would have said that just a couple of moments ago! I looked down at my hands hoping to see my wand there. I had been holding it for a while, but it just like... Completely vanished. And I was just... Dumbfounded. All of us looked at the mysterious, hooded guy and what we saw amazed us.

This thing... Was holding my wand.

I couldn't get over this.

I was the only one who could hold my wand!

And I'm not lying either.

It's just that there's a certain law that comes into play with the Magic Wand. Only the Summoner of Time can hold it. And if anyone else holds it, it'll disappear and come back in my hands. Because I'm the Summoner of Time. Makes sense? So either the Magic Wand decided to find a new master (And if it did, I'm royally screwed. Not even joking.) or the person standing in front of me is some kind of... Some kind of...

"Heyah purple-haired freak!"

Twitch.

"You want this back, don't cha?"

Twitch.

"Come and get it!"

My instincts just take off. I don't think anyone actually saw me move. Like, two anagrams must have formed under my boots, and I went from standing on the ground to jumping out of the window, trying to catch the back of this guy's hood... Coat thing. Pretty sure it was my Summoner of Time powers working. Like... I totally just flash-stepped. How cool was that? I didn't have time to celebrate, though, because I stood on a roof slightly lower than the room we were in, and saw that the mysterious guy—who sounded much like a girl—was several rooftops away from me. Laughing at me.

Cackling at me.

Sticking her (his?) tongue at me and spanking her butt. And my eyes are just glued to my wand. _My_ wand! I was thinking of jumping to another building, but Shiva appeared next to me, complete with Chio on her back. I gazed at her, letting the wind blow my hair any kind of way. "So do you think the others are going to be able to keep up with us, Chio?" The brunette thought for a minute, putting her index-finger on her lips and looking up into the sky. Shiva was just as badass as ever, gazing at that short monstrosity getting away with _my_ wand.

"Umm... Maybe?"

Not good enough.

You know, it's a really good thing I can use my time magic without my wand.

Shiva took off and jumped from building to building really fast, leaving ice crystals in the dust that she left behind. I looked at her and thought I could do that too! Sure, it'd be easy, right? I got into a jumping position and launched off my feet, those symbols appearing again. I was doing so good that I caught up to Shiva and Chio in no time flat, watching as Chio clapped her hands and cheered me on. I had this! I had this! I saw that hooded-freak come within view, and I snarled.

"Give me back my wand you _bastard!" _I shouted as loud as I could, stumbling a little bit. I stopped completely at the edge of a building, holding my arms out and watching little rocks fall to the ground. That's when I realized how high up in the air I was. My face turned green, but only a little bit as I stared up at that guy again. Shiva jumped next to me again and Chio waved her arm out, her grip tightening on her staff.

"Heavenly Strike, Shiva!"

Her Aeon complied, swiping her arm across the air. That big, dumb block of ice appeared again over that guy's head, but he just spun out the way. Complete with an artistic arch of the leg. My face contorted.

I threw both of my arms out, gritting my teeth. "Freeze!"

My magic reached that guy, and then it just like... Fell. To the ground. Like... It didn't even do anything! How the hell...! I was so mad my insides were cooking. "Don't get too mad, Sayuri. We'll get your wand back in no time, no problem!" There was a problem, Chio! The problem was that this jerkwad had it in the first place! I felt useless. All I could do was stop time... And without my wand, I... I closed my eyes, waving my left hand in the air.

And then my body started glowing this weird, green color. "Sands of time, show me they way!" I shouted. "Turn the nights into days, rose petals so light and grace... Speed up time now, in this place!" My breathing got... Really fast. I was even blinking fast, now. Standing in one place was going... Fast for me. I looked around and even _that _was really fast. Shiva closed her eyes and smiled a bit.

"I see you learned the new technique Evreet taught you?"

"This is my new technique?" I muttered, looking at my hands. Well, at least my speech wasn't super fast. "You mean to tell me after two weeks of getting my ass kicked he only taught me how to make myself go faster?" Seriously, what a letdown. I thought I was going to be able to take down airplanes or something. I guess not, huh?

"It's a spell called Haste, Summoner Sayuri." Haste... Okay, well, I guess this would have to do.

"You're never gonna get this wand back~!" the guy taunted. "You're so slow! You and your friends! I wonder what your wand would do if I took it apart, huh! Then I'd see what really made you tick!" I did not like the sound of that. At all. "I can't believe you're the Summoner of Time! I'd make such a much better you~!"

I knew I shouldn't have gotten mad at that last line. But I could feel the anger secreting from Dark Sayuri. If that makes sense. So then _I_ got mad. I launched off the building, and the top of the building flew off in the other direction. I mean, it lodged itself in about four buildings behind us before it fell to the ground.

Shirogane was going to kill me.

Shiva did a triple jump in the air and did her best to try and keep up with me, but I was already in the zone. I was making her eat my crystal dust right now, and I was damn proud.

The dude in front of me was still fast, despite my speed upgrade.

I didn't even think I was running anymore. I was just appearing and disappearing in places. It still took a while to get use to, though, and I kept stopping because I was afraid of going to fast and falling off the edge of one of those buildings. Or running into one. But so far I was doing good. The dude in front of me held my wand by the end of it and pointed it towards me, still keeping up his fast past. I snarled. At least, until he started shooting fireballs at me through my wand.

Piece of cake.

I dodged them the best way I could, inching my way closer and closer to the fiend. And then that's when I must have tripped on something. Or _something_, man. My stomach cramped up again, and I rolled on the ground. Skidded across the ground is more like it. But you know I didn't make it out of that fall alive. When I finally stopped rolling, I was stuck on the ground. I couldn't move. I felt the exact same way I did inside of Shirogane's castle. Crap.

"Sayuri! Are you okay?" Chio yelled, coming to my side. She leaned down over me and touched the bruises on my back. She was not making me better and I winced in pain. Jeez. I spat some blood out of my mouth and the I licked my lips, glaring at the guy who took my wand. He was standing right in front of us. _Staring _at us.

"Chio. Listen to me," I said, nice and slow. "Take. That. Guy. Out!"

"Yes ma'am!" she replied. I watched Shiva disappear into a bunch of those multicolored orb things—like the ones we saw when I was trying to cure the Apathīa in the Dark Ages—and Chio thrust her staff out in front of her, her brown eyes sparkling with determination. She spun her blue staff around, fire emitting from the diamond part of it and forming a pretty circle. Pretty much, after that, a giant pentagram formed under her feet and she stood up straight, pointing her staff towards the sky. "Evreet, the Infernal... Spouting flames hot and hungry enough to consume all they touch, he shows his foes no mercy! The gale of red lotus flowers... Burn it all! Aeon Evreet!"

Great. Evreet. I was going to have a word with him when I got off the ground.

This Aeon came roaring from the sky and slammed on the building we were on top of. I was surprised my ass didn't turn to dust. And, you know, I was thinking about the building we were on and how that didn't just completely collapse under the humongous weight of Evreet. He stood in one place-his fire eyebrows furrowing-and then he let out this completely impossible scream. It shook my soul. Chio waved her staff to her side, giving me a rye smile.

"You know, Evreet was a Nocuous before he died..."

"And how do you know?" I asked, quirking a brow. Seriously, this wasn't a time for Aeon trivia. We'd do that later. "Chio, just hurry up."

"Right!"

"Ah ah ah!" the guy said, waving my wand around. "You wouldn't want to hurt me, would you, Summoner Chio! And you were so nice, too! I have the shadow Essence, and the other two, too! And I'll do really bad things to Sayuri if you make your big, big, big dog attack me!" I let out a groan of frustration.

"Do it anyway!" I managed to squeeze out. You know. Because I was pretty sure my ribs were BROKEN! "That guy is obviously bluffing! I haven't met one person that can look Evreet in the eyes and say something like that!" Chio's chocolate eyes got really big. Like she was going to cry. And then she nodded her head, swiping her arm to the left.

"Okay... Sayuri. You heard her, Evreet! Meteor Strike!"

So, I watched Evreet blow a ball of fire out of his mouth. It might have been a rock, I didn't know. And then he punched the ball of fire at said guy and the roof just completely erupted in flames. Talk about 'friendly fire', because I was sure I'd be dead by now. After the smoke and things cleared up, the guy was standing in the exact same position. His clothes were perfect. There wasn't a scratch on him. That's when I got up and stood next to the very confused Chio.

"How the hell! _How the hell does something like this happen?" _I screamed at the top of my lungs, clawing my hair. "Okay, first you do your wacky shadow Essence thing on me. And then you take my wand. Before jumping through a window and making winds so strong they knock me on my butt. And then you take my wand. And after that you run so fast _I_ can barely keep up with you! And now you're telling me that you can _survive_ an Aeon's attack? Bullshit! Bullshit all day!"

The dude in front of me just giggled. "Naw, Summoner Sayuri. I think this is the most fun we've had in a while!"

"Why you little—!"

I was going to run up to grab the little twerp by the neck, but a fire wall shot up between us and it wrapped around the guy. And this time, he was really confused. Or she was really confused. Whichever one worked. Of course I knew that fire didn't belong to Evreet, and I turned to my left to be met with Kokoro. "You guys ran really fast...!" Of course we did. He was hyperventilating, and Miyuki appeared out of nowhere next to him, holding Damien with her cat tail by his shirt collar.

"I see you've taken care of the situation, Chio," Miyuki said, nodding her head. "Very well done." Wait, what! But, but, but! I had done all the work! I had ran after that guy, and I had the broken ribs! Not Chio! The Summoner of Convene turned three shades of red and she scratched the back of her head, smiling like she never had before.

"I um... I'm happy you think I did good, Miyuki!" She ended that with a tilt of her head and a clap of her hands. The bastard in front of us threw his arms out, all distraught.

"No, I still want to play with you all, I—!" Before he could finish his sentence, Morta appeared with her scythe hooking around the guy's neck, making him stop and sigh. "Ah... You guys are really good..."

I was going to say something smart and witty, but Miyuki walked past me, extra smooth. She had her arms crossed and she even stopped Kokoro's flames. Once she reached the guy, she folded her arms and sighed. "Anómino."

_"Anómino?" _

The funniest part was that all of us said that at the same time. Even Morta. We were all so confused.

"Hiiiii, Miyuki!" she replied back, waving spastically at us. Like an idiot. I didn't know if I should have gotten mad, or angry, or confused, or, or, or... She broke one of my RIBS, here! Her hood fell down and she smiled sweetly at us, her eyes wide. "Did you have fun! Oh, are you guys leaving after this! Do you want these Essences? Can we play for a little while longer? Oh, I like your pet, Chio! I mean, Summoner Chio!"

I picked myself up off the ground and winced at the pain in my chest. I waved my arm across the air, totally pissed off. My wand appeared back in my hand again. I was the rightful owner of it, after all! Those bright lights flashed from under Anómino's hoodie and were sucked up into my wand. Cool. Everything was cool. Except for my ribs.

Miyuki picked up Anómino and fit her underneath her arm, holding her horizontally. And Anómino was still talking. "Summoners, I want you all to meet me back at Shirogane's castle. Get everything you need, because we're leaving for Earth."

"Earth?" I said, my jaw dropping. Kokoro got really excited and Morta sort of gave Miyuki a glance. A I-don't-care-just-to-piss-the-others-off-but-inside-I'm-squealing glance. "But... But why?"

"You'll find out." Damn you Miyuki. "Don't think this will be a vacation. We're to stop there and leave." She was actually right.

Japan was destroyed, so what good would it have been to just get happy? Kohana wasn't down there anymore... Still, it would have been nice to have my memories resurface. I snapped out of my emo state and turned to face the other Summoners, giving them a nice big smile.

"All right, Summoners! Time to go back to—Oh God my ribs!" I fell right on the ground, holding my chest and taking a huge inhale of breath. Miyuki narrowed her eyes, jumping to the next building.

"Someone please help Sayuri up?"

"No problem!" Chio exclaimed, jumping in the air. "Evreet!" Oh no. Not him. Not that thing! I was so scared I couldn't scream outside of my head. Evreet walked over towards me, nudged me with his head and lifted me on his back. I, of course, held on to his mane for support.

I'd glue my bones back together if it meant seeing Kohana again.

* * *

**A/N:** Anomino strikes again. XD;;;

That girl is borderline creepy, I tell you. There's something special with her, but I'm not telling. I liked this chapter. It was fun. XD;; I love messing with Sayuri because she's just so damn dramatic with everything. XD;;; She does it because she likes attention, much like another, certain purple-haired and green-eyed person we know... XD

I liked Evreet in this chapter too. There's something about Evreet that just makes everything... Better. XD;;

Summoner contracts are awesome. I don't think Sayuri created one with Morta yet. ... I'm pretty sure she did with Chio... I'll have to think about that. But anyway, until the next update! XD;;; We're heading back to good ol' Earth.

To go see good ol' Suzuki! XD;;


	66. An Army Of Sheep Led By A Lion

**A/N: **Woo! An update. I wasn't dead... I was just busy. XD;;

Oh, psh, I forgot. So, one of the reasons why I took so long with this chapter, is that when I was writing it I had found out one of my aunties had died, and you know, not cool. She stuck with me through this story for a while, since I was a kid and stuff, so yeah. This chapter is all for her and stuff. Too bad she won't get to see it when it makes the big time, but it's like that sometimes.

Anyway, so, at first I had decided that we'd only be on Earth for about one chapter. I lied. I think it'd be much better if it went on for two chapters. XD;; So... We won't get to Forsythia yet, but I'm kinda hoping it'll be April by the time I get there. So I can write chapters like clockwork. This is just the standard Kohana and Atropa flashback. Nothing flashy. Atropa being Atropa. Kohana being... Kohana. XD;;

I mean, the chapter is pretty straightfoward. No mindrape in sight. Weird... XD;;

* * *

Atropa was always skeptical about the strength of vines.

Regular, normal vines. There was no way in hell those vines would be strong enough to support Kohana _and_ be wrapped tightly to the branch of a sturdy tree, but Kohana never ceases to amaze her. At any rate, nature is so dull to Atropa. She doesn't feel anything from it, it makes her smell like salt water and bad dog breath, and it messes up her ruffly dresses. It's always bothersome whenever Kohana makes her go outside with her, and this moment is no exception. Except... This time it's peaceful. The Summoner of Time is content, sitting on the swing she made herself with her eyes closed—a grin on her face. It's the longest Atropa's ever seen Kohana with her mouth closed before.

Getting a tad sleepy, Atropa sighs and starts to lean her head against the tree. She's so... Bored. Why is it that she has to do all the things Kohana likes to do? Like play outside... Or destroy an entire civilization? Okay, Atropa can't lie about liking to deliver mind-shattering power to worlds that deserved to be wiped off the map, but she doesn't like standing still and listening to the sound of... "Nature." Or so Kohana says. Before the pink-haired woman gets a chance to lose herself in the realm of sleep, Kohana lets out a playful giggle, swinging her legs back and forth. The mother's grip tightens on said vines and she pouts, poking her cheek and glancing at Atropa.

Oh bother.

The deity grits her teeth, looking at Kohana before standing up straight. "Urgh. What is it that you want now?"

"Ahhhhtropa, don't be so mean!" Kohana says, laughing and covering up her mouth with her freehand. The sun has almost settled; though Atropa knows good and well that showing the faintest amount of fear in front of her partner can be _catastrophic_, she can't help but tilt her head at the orange hue that seems to glint in the flower fanatic's eyes. Kohana pauses, tilting her head and giving the pink-haired woman another sweet smile. The scary part, for Atropa, is that when Kohana smiles, she's dead serious. Her smiles aren't a game, or a ploy, or a sneaky way to get revenge. Sort of. Kohana can really, honestly, truly be happy for a long period of time.

A period of time that doesn't involve "flowers," or "infernal rain," or "playing with pawns," or "illustrious passions." Whatever the hell that last one means.

Atropa's said it once, and she'll say it again. Kohana does scare her sometimes, and this is one of those times. Closing her eyes and inching closer to Atropa on the swing, Kohana grins, holding both vines and swinging her legs even more so. "Push me, Atropa!"

"What do I look like?" Atropa hisses, folding her arms and quirking her nose. "Do you really expect me to push you on a—"

"I-if you don't," Kohana begins, her eyes shining with tears, "I'll cry!"

Atropa's nose twitches again and she rolls her eyes, looking up into the sky and cursing her existence. How many times has she done that? At this rate, she'll break a world record... She stands behind Kohana and starts pushing her back lightly, noticing that it really doesn't take much to push the purple-haired woman forward. Maybe it's because Atropa's stronger than most people... But... It's a thought that intrigues her. And as Kohana laughs and sways her head and marvels in the way the wind hits her face, Atropa starts to think. How is it that a woman who enjoys making leaf masks, going on seed safaris, burying "treasure" and measuring things with sticks manages to destroy countless worlds?

Not with her power—yes, she has lots of it—but with her wit...

This woman, who is the equivalent of a third-grader, has an overflowing amount of tactical skills. If Atropa didn't know Kohana so well, she would have thought she was a complete and utter idiot... Suddenly, the swing stops and Atropa snaps back into reality, gazing at the ground for a moment.

"Atropa."

The voice is dark—teetering with a looming gloom about it.

The deity blinks a couple of times before looking up, noticing that Kohana's face is completely hidden by the long tendrils of her hair. Though her grip is loosened on the vines, her hands are still glued to them. "I'm so appalled..." Kohana snorts. "I'm just so offended! I went from the favorite to the most hated, didn't I?" … What the hell is she even talking about? Atropa shakes her head, unwinding her arms and huffing.

"If you're talking about your work as a Summoner verses your work as the Wickedness, you can stop right there," Atropa chides. "I do not care to hear your woes about how you wish things could go back to normal." Kohana looks up and tilts her head, smirking devilishly. Atropa almost can't even wrap her head around this smirk. It keeps widening and widening, until she's sure it has twisted into some kind of tilted, moon crescent-like shape.

This is the same woman who tried to blow both of them up, on purpose, _for fun_.

And this wasn't even planned. Kohana just decided she was going to blow up time and space. _For kicks._ The pinkett narrowed her eyes in disgust. What did humans do for fun, normally? Fly a kite? Play a game? Hell, what ever happened to doing those things? Surely there were other ways Kohana could get a few laughs out of her system—ways that didn't include _severely mutilating and warping their bodies to the point of unrecognition, _right?

And this is why Atropa will never take one of Kohana's smirks lightly. Now, she's on her guard at all times. If she hadn't tackled her to the ground as soon as she saw those purple pentagrams, the deity would probably not be alive.

Kohana looks like her normal self now.

Arrogant, haughty and dangerous.

Okay, this is normal. Atropa exhales a sigh of relief.

"Of course not! You should address me as Your Highness, Atropa!" Fat chance. "I'm talking about how I'm the best in the universe. And yet, people treat me as if they don't know of my status~ Everything I dream, I watch it take shape! People are always underestimating me, Atropa! See, I'm so misunderstood, but what's the world without enigma? Life is the bitch, and Death is her sister. Sleep is the cousin, what a fucking family picture~! You know Father Time, we all know Mother Nature. It's all in the family, but I am of no relation~!" She pauses, jumping off the swing and throwing her hands in the air in a fit of glory.

"Kohana, watch yourself..."

"I won't trip this time, Atropa, I swear it! I lost my mind, it's somewhere out there stranded! My mind's so sharp, I'll mess around and cut my head off~ And I'm always speaking the truth... But I guess that's a foreign language to you people..." She shakes her head, putting her hands on her waist. Kohana spins around, obviously pleased with herself, and throws her arms around Atropa's neck, smirking sinisterly and gazing up at the sea green-eyed woman.

"Get off of me—!"

"Darkness of euphoria, spinning darkness death, pain bringer, hell taker, demon of dying breath~! The pain I command you, force you to face as part of the final step in my plan so unique! Nothing measures up to it! No blood or twitch! A pity ash will have replaced your remaining skin—No, not that silly blow of an ax given to another's victim, but by a way in which every aspect of death I sure to face! Yes, my friend, I won't be swift—my idea is so unique! And I'll keep any shredded skin to distinguish my territory, my victim! To mark my toy is part of what I yearn, and thus I'll scratch my name _in your_ _flesh~_!"

The Summoner of Time pauses, hyperventilating and holding her hands close to her heart. Atropa sweatdrops. Hard.

"You done?"

"Pretty much."

"Good, because you—"

"—Didn't we do this already?"

"... I guess you're right... With the whole Saivan thing?"

"Mmmhmm. Hey Atropa?"

"Yeah?"

"You do believe that I'm really dangerous, right?"

"..."

"Right?"

Atropa tilts her head, patting her partner on the shoulder. "You're competent enough, I guess."

And, in a burst of happiness, Kohana slings her arms around Atropa and embraces her in a tight hug, suffocating the deity. "Oh, Atropa, I'll make you so proud! _I'll destroy the entire universe, I will~!"_

Atropa quirks a brow, tilting her head. "Haven't you already destroyed countless planets?"

Kohana sighs, her eyes glossy and wide, letting Atropa go and looking up at the setting sun. "You're like the first person that has ever had the ability to make me so happy~ Besides Suzuki, of course. I asked him where was the magic in magic, you know? I had been searching for it for so long...! I told him I wanted to witness love because I never saw it close before... Atropa? _Ahh_~tropa? Where'd you go! Don't tell me you vanished!"

Distraught, Kohana looks around, noticing that Atropa—with her extravagant, ruffled dress, is sitting on the swing she made. A smile creeps up on the flower fanatic's face as it warps itself into a smirk. She taps the hilt of her sword, gazing at the faint stars in the sky.

"I'll fuck this universe, but this is just foreplay!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Six: An Army Of Sheep Led By A Lion :-**

_So please allow me to introduce myself_  
_I'm the one that you talk about_  
_Imagine if you held me any tighter_  
_It will be just as easy to leave me and let me go_

_It's the way that you are_  
_And you can't breathe without me_

_Stare, all you want_  
_Cause you know that were on top_  
_This is all that we know_  
_This is everything you want_  
_If you can't stand on your own_  
_Then speak up let us know_  
_Tones will change,_  
_Curtains will drop_  
_Who knew the top would be so fucking ugly?_

— "Clush" — Isles & Glaciers

This wasn't even funny.

I knew Kohana had caused a bunch of damage to Japan, but this was ridiculous. I had never realized the extent of her powers, and I guess I really wasn't ready to see this place in absolute shambles. It was... It was my fault for wanting to rush here and recollect my memories of the good times I shared with the people that lived here. Now, all I would be doing was picking up the pieces to what was once my normal, teenage life. Everything was dead. The buildings were crumbled and burned, there were still many dead, decaying bodies on the ground... Something was off about them though—like they were stuck in another time. I was right; they were. I sensed time magic coming off the bodies and I knew that was the work of Kohana. She was the only one who could do that.

It's not like I was upset—okay, I was very upset—but I wasn't frowning or smiling. I had a pretty emotionless expression on my face. She killed an entire _nation_. This was just a bleak scene all around. I was never going to be able to get this through my head. But I had so many questions. Like... So... If Japan was completely obliterated, how come the rest of the world didn't do anything about it? I would notice a place like this being completely dead. I'm sure I'd get the answer later but... I clenched my fists, looking down at the barren ground. I even felt the pebbles underneath my boots. I don't think anyone but Kokoro and I understood, but this was our home. This was where we came from, and we had such found memories of this place. We grew up here! And now all of that was... Gone.

However, we were Summoners now.

If I—we hadn't gone through everything we did in the Dark Ages, Kokoro and I would be miserable right now. But I took two steps forward, looking at the half-destroyed buildings scratching the sky. I learned that somewhere out there, there's a much worse-off place than my destroyed home. I had seen people die for no reason—people living in poverty just because they couldn't use 'magical powers'. People living in buildings made of dirt, and that's no way to live! I had seen so many people die right in front of me that this didn't even bother me in the slightest. And Kokoro felt the same way, because he had his head picked up, and his game face on. I refused to let the state that this place was in mess with my head.

I remembered all the people I let down here, and there's no way I was going to make myself forget what I decided to keep being a Summoner for. Just like I told Lucrecia, a world is nothing without its people, but the people without a world is just as bad. I'd protect all of the worlds that needed me! This place just reminded me that I had to learn from my mistakes. I was sure I had learned from them already. I wouldn't let this happen ever again. The only way my team would get better was if we learned from our mistakes. I watched Damien's eyes roam over the state Japan was in. He had his arms behind his head, all nonchalant and whatnot, but I could tell he was sorta shocked. I bet seeing all of this destruction would let him know what he was getting himself into!

Miyuki slowed down with her walking, taking a closer look at all of the destroyed buildings and things around her. I always knew Miyuki had an eye for things—within reason, too! She was half-cat... But it was like she could see the flip sides of things really easy. Like... She understood things way better than most people did. I didn't know if it was because Miyuki was thousands and thousands of years old or what... But... I felt safer, knowing that she was my Guardian. Eh, maybe this place was making me all sappy again. I shook my head, clenching my fists and Miyuki sped up her pace, folding her arms and glancing back at Chio.

"Yes, Chio... You know what Aeons are, and how they came to be, correct?" Oh great. Trivia time. This was going to be _so_ boring. I wanted to pull my face—to show how much I hated story time unless it was justified, but that would be disrespectful, and this wasn't the time for disrespect

Chio was a little bit shaken by the gruesome sights around us, but she nodded her head. "Um, of course, Miyuki!" She paused, putting her hand on her chin and thinking for a moment. "Aeons are humans who willingly had their souls sealed in statues in a state of dreaming." You know, that made a lot of sense. I didn't exactly know why, but it just did. Miyuki nodded her head, approving Chio's answer. The Celestial Being gazed into the bleak sky, furrowing her eyebrows a bit. Was she mad that she let all of this destruction happen? I mean, Miyuki wasn't the biggest fan of the Wickedness, sure. That much I could tell...

"They are people who gave their lives up to battle the Wickedness," she murmured. "A long, long time ago, the first Summoner of Time took their souls away from their still-living bodies."

"Woah, really?" Kokoro said. "How did they manage that?"

"Seriously!" I added, my hands trembling a bit. "I won't be able to do something so heinous like that, right? Right?" Eww! Touching living souls sounded so terrible and icky! I never wanted to be able to do that! Though it didn't sound like something I'd be capable of doing, anyway. Maybe I should have just let Miyuki finish her story...?

"No, there's nothing to be afraid of, Sayuri," Miyuki answered, shooting me a glare. "You'll never be able to reach that level of finesse, and this one particular Summoner of Time was special, because he had a bond with a person... A creature, if you will. The Deity of Fate and Destiny, if I remember." Deity of Fate and Destiny... Hey, didn't Kohana tell me some wacky crap like that a while ago? Yes! I was sure of it! My eyes lit up, but just for a moment. The atmosphere around me was really bringing me down... I don't think anyone could be happy in this kind of an environment... "The deity is able to mess around with the souls of others, and use to be such a kind and understanding being..."

"Yes! So kind and understanding!" Chio chimed, clapping her hands. Okay, forget what I was saying about no one being able to be happy. "Shiva and Evreet told me all about her! The deity was sad that people were dying... Because of her? She wanted people to believe in her, but she also had to kill them, so she wanted to make amends. The Aeons live forever, sure, trapped in the statues... But when a Summoner of Convene comes, their souls manifest and they rise up again." She closed her eyes, her long, brown eyelashes twinkling with tears. "That's what we call an Aeon."

"Psh, that's all just a myth," Damien said, throwing his arms behind his back. "Who honestly believes all of that hoo-hah? Deity of Hope? People wanting to die for nothing? Pfft, I'll believe the Aeon thing, sure, because back on my world, we have a temple and an Aeon there, but I don't think those guys were stupid enough to give their lives for a bunch of people they don't even know." He kind of had a point, but then I thought to myself. Isn't that kind of what we were doing? Going around risking our necks for people we didn't even know? If we could do that, then the Aeons could do that too!

I wasn't going to trap myself in a statue, though.

Chio swung her staff around, nodding her head and smiling again. "The Summoner of Convene's job is to coalesce the power of... Of... Um... Miyuki? You know what they're called, right?"

"Perspicuus Animus?" Miyuki answered, one of her ears perking up. "You mean those bright, multicolored orbs we saw when Sayuri was curing Apathīa on the Dark Ages?" So those orbs had a technical name? Someone told me they were floating souls! "Perspicuus Animus are an ambiguous, naturally occurring phenomenon around our universe. They are the form that disembodied spiritual energy takes."

Chio adjusts her glasses. How did she get so smart all of a sudden? "Yes! When a person dies, their body can't be put to sleep, you see. First, their soul—represented by those pretty balls of light—must be released from the body and be shown the way to the afterlife. The Summoner of Time has to do this with this weird... Dance." No one ever tells me about these things. I huffed, crossing my arms around my chest and pouting. I didn't want to dance! Not again, anyway. I lifted up my hand in protest, sighing.

"Miyuki, why do I always have to—"

"Yes, Chio, you're perfectly right. If the Sending is not performed, the body's soul is said to be trapped in the physical plane, growing first envious, then hateful of the living, and then the hatred eventually grows strong enough to manifest one's soul into a complete and utter monster. Currently, Spectra hasn't determined whether all of the recently-deceased must be Sent, or just those who have suffered a violent or untimely death..."

"So now we're all ghosts?" Damien spat, quirking his nose. "Keep your urban legends to yourself. I'm not trying to hear all of this."

"Then plug your ears," I hissed. Seriously, this was all good information! Now I was finally starting to understand just what happened back on the Dark Ages that day. But wait, if Miyuki said those who had suffered violent or untimely deaths had to be Sent... Psh, well, everyone should have been Sent, because I was pretty sure everyone had a violent or untimely death there... "So... So... Miyuki. When we last saw Kohana on the Dark Ages, she had those orbs floating off her body and she was all see-through. Any idea what that means?" Oh no! What if Kohana was dying and I didn't know anything about it? That would be terrible!

"I'm sure it was nothing," she replied, nodding her head. "Just some mere parlor trick. Anyway, the souls of people who turn into monsters usually turn into a class of Wicked Spawn, so you Summoners have nothing to worry about."

"Except that there might be an overflowing amount of Wicked Spawn here," Morta muttered, folding her arms. "If what you say is true, then..."

I bent over, groaning. "Argh, we're going to have to fight, aren't we?"

Miyuki didn't give me an answer. Why did she do that all the time? She could have just told us that we'd be running into plenty of monsters! Next thing I know, Miyuki got into a fighting stance, and even had her deck of cards in her hands. She was _not_ playing. We were actually going to fight right here, and right now. In the middle of a broken Japan. This was crazy! I didn't even know why we were even here in the first place! I opened the palm of my hand and my wand appeared, just in time. I mean, seriously! Why weren't we warned about there being a lot of monsters here before we came? A few seconds past and I started to get really paranoid, because nothing was happening. I had started to itch forward a little bit, but only because I didn't think it was safe to stay in one spot.

And then that's when I started to hear sounds.

Scary sounds.

Like someone was walking towards us. I mean, I must have been the only one that could hear it or something, because no one else seemed to notice it but me. The grip I had on my wand tightened ten-fold. Yeah! That's right! I wasn't going to be eaten by some monster!

Technically, I didn't kill anyone in Japan!

That was all Kohana, so... All I'm saying is that I didn't deserve to be eaten.

I looked to my left and actually got a look at Damien's weapon. It was a lance, of course! A really pretty—_hey! _That was the first time I had ever seen one. It looked badass... I wish I could have been holding that lance. Apparently Chio had summoned Shiva too when I wasn't looking, and the ice Aeon was looking pretty suspicious. Maybe she was in on everything! Ha! I dusted off my shoulders mentally. Except...

My whole face turned white and I bent over forward, completely confused. Okay, so that's not the truth exactly. I let out this high-pitched scream—a scream loud enough to crack windows—and what really made me mad was that no one tried to squish the monster who had, apparently, glomped me! Urgha! I tried to swing it off me, closing my eyes and screaming for dear life. This thing was really heavy! And suddenly, I felt... Fingers? Yeah, the monster was patting my head. But monsters aren't affectionate, right?

I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth. There was only one person I knew here that would really do something like that. _"Kokoro—!" _

I must have growled. I must have. Because I was angry. Very angry. I didn't like being scared! Or glomped! But then this chick... Guy or whatever started pulling on my ears. And that was very painful. I winced, trying really hard to get this guy off me. It wasn't Kokoro, that was for sure. Kokoro wasn't really to type of person to pull on my ears. In fact, that was just a really weird thing to do all together. And plus, that'd be really out of character for him. Once the guy got off me, I turned around on my heels and my eyes just widened. Time stopped for a full five seconds. (I'm serious—my time magic tends to do that whenever I'm really surprised.) I'm not even going to lie. It was so sad... I didn't... I didn't know what to say, and my eyes just started watering and...

I dropped my wand and watched it fall to the ground in a fury of bright, flashing lights and sparkles. Of course it disappeared before it actually hit the dead plants I had been standing on. I was so shocked that I fell down to my knees and looked at the ground for a moment, my hair spilling all around me. This wasn't real. I swore this wasn't real.

The man standing in front of me looked just like he did before Japan had exploded all over itself. I was so sure that no one had survived Kohana's evil game—her tyranny of men in the shape of vines and bodies—but for some reason this guy, who wasn't that much older than I am, was looking down on me like he was appalled that I would even think he was dead. Miyuki folded her arms and quirked a brow, like she knew this was going to happen. Damn Miyuki.

Damn Miyuki to hell.

My tears started dripping down the tip of my nose, and when they hit the ground, I swear I saw something sparkle. I clutched the dirt inbetween my fingers, happy that the others weren't making fun of me for crying like I was. I took a moment to really look at this guy. He had his brown hair pushed back behind his ears, a sly smirk crawling up on his face. The brunette was smirking at me so hard I thought his mouth would walk away from his head. He threw his arms towards me and I really got a look at the ironed, white, button-down shirt he was wearing. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he had a few buttons undone near his throat, exposing the top of a chiseled collarbone. I remembered that smirk like... I just remembered it so well. And Suzuki always did have some really bright, amethyst-colored eyes.

I started to get flashbacks in my head and—even though I wanted to say something, my voice was caught in my throat.

"What, you're not going to say hi to your king?" he said playfully, swaying his hand to the side as if it was required that I do so. He laughed haughtily under his breath and put one hand on his waist. "I bet you don't even remember my name, Sayuri. But oh, how could I ever forget yours? You're the most prettiest, dying flower I've ever seen..." I gritted my teeth through my tears, and then I picked myself up off the ground, attempting to clear my head. But it didn't work out like that. I guess... If this had been another world, or another time, I would have been crying my eyes out and thanking God Suzuki was still alive.

Yeah, that didn't happen.

I stood up, wobbling around the place, and then I managed to stand in one spot. And he looked up at me.

And smirked.

And smirked.

And smirked.

It scratched my soul and made it bleed. He waved his index-finger in the air and gave me this condescending look. "Now, now. Don't cry like that, Sayuri, it makes me feel bad." Gears were turning in my head—I was sure of that—but... Something snapped. Snapped completely.

"Suzu," I began, my eyes watering, "ki, you... You..." I balled up my fists and suddenly I was overtaken by rage. My eyes lit up and I guess I swung at him. Like, I really punched him. In the face. And I was just so angry, I... He really just took it. Suzuki didn't flinch or anything. "W-why did you lie to me you stupid... Stupid... Liar!" I started to punch his chest, just because it was the only thing that I could think of. "Do you know how worried I was about you? I thought you were dead!" I stopped hitting him and narrowed my eyes, prodding his nose with my index-finger. "Suzuki, how come you didn't tell me?"

For some reason, his face contorted and his arms fell down to his sides like limp spaghetti noodles. He touched his face with his fingertips, getting pale. "Kohana _told_ you?"

"Kohana?" I snapped. "Kohana? What the hell do you know about Kohana! I'm talking about how you didn't let anyone know that you could survive a blast destroying an _entire country!_" I paused, hyperventilating. I was expecting him to say something, but he slumped over and poked his cheek, confusion written all over his face. I clawed my hair and Morta looked at me crazy. She arched one of her bushy eyebrows and her scythe disappeared. How did those guys know that Suzuki was a good guy? For all they knew, he could have been out to kill me! Oh boy. My teammates were something else. Maybe Morta thought it was safe because Miyuki wasn't doing anything? They should all know by now that Miyuki's not a very good Guardian.

"Sayuri," Morta said, sighing. "I don't think this has anything to do with him being able to survive a blast like that." Bullshit! What the hell did Morta know about Suzuki! I knew him way better than she did, and ever would! He was my best friend before Kohana slaughtered everything. I mean... I threw my arms out, licking my lips and glancing at each and every one of my teammates. Even Suzuki.

"Don't you see, Morta? Kohana killed everything here. I'm surprised the buildings are still standing!" I shouted, shaking my head because... Because all of this death and destruction was just bad. "I know her better than anyone does, and if there's one thing I know she wouldn't do..." I paused, stomping on all of the singed, dead, broken flowers underneath my boots. "_This!_ Kohana wouldn't do this! She wouldn't destroy flowers!" Seriously, she wouldn't. She loved those things, so looking at all of this... This nature destroyed just made me... Angry. My mother didn't do this. I kept shaking my head, letting my arms dangle. I just didn't know anymore. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a Summoner at all. I paced around Suzuki, folding my arms behind my back and giving him a look.

"Nice to meet you, Suzuki!" Chio greeted, doing a petite bow. "My name's Chio! Um... Summoner Chio, but I also go by the Summoner of Convene too!" Stupid Chio. Stupid Chio being happy all the time. Stupid Chio and her stupid Aeon and her stupid ice crystals making everything cold. She opened her eyes again and tilted her head, giving us a great big smile. I had stood next to Suzuki for no reason at all. Just to glance at Chio. "You must really mean a lot to Sayuri for her to be on the ground crying like that..." She brought her knuckles to her mouth, her lips forming into a small 'o'. "Well, I guess you must be really nice, considering how you're Sayuri's boyfriend."

"Hey you—_ooufff!" _I tried to protest. I really did. I waved my arm out and everything. But the ground ended up winning. I tripped over a branch and faceplanted into the dirt. Before I could pick myself up off the ground, Suzuki pulled my arms and stood me back up straight. After that, he wrapped his arms around my neck, smirking and tilting his head. Oh, and he waved his arm out. Like he was someone important.

Oh dear God, not this shit again...

"Of course we are!" he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Sayuri here loves me, isn't that right, sweetheart?" My brain was overloading. I had this huge snarl on my face, but I couldn't help but blush. Who says something like that? I pushed him away from me as far as I could, my eye twitching. Suzuki did this dramatic turn, touching his chest with his fingertips and closing his eyes. "Poor Sayuri didn't know what she would do without me! She was so worried about me; I must have been the only thing on her mind! How did you all manage to save anything when she was so focused on me?" Okay, he had one more time to say something completely... Not true! I'd kick his ass and make him wish he died with everyone else!

I shoved my hand in his face and clawed it, looking at the others and calming down a bit. "This guy is lying. Anyway... So, Suzuki, how the hell did you even survive? You still didn't answer that." He stopped flailing around and straightened himself out, walking ahead of us. I see. This was going to take a while to explain. Just when I thought Suzuki was going to say something, Miyuki glanced at him.

"I always knew there was something weird about you..." she murmured. Suzuki just laughed a bit under his breath.

"Very smart, princess," he answered back. He stopped walking and gave Miyuki a very affectionate pat on the head. You know, this was the first time I had ever seen Miyuki flinch from being patted. After that, he started to message behind Miyuki's ears. That really got her purring. The rest of us are just like... Looking at all of that taking place. Woah! What the hell! It's like he had hands of magic or something! I petted Miyuki that one time and she yelled at me to stop. But now she was so into it. Bah. I was jealous of Suzuki. "Ten points for being creative!" He paused, looking at all of us. "Lovely Summoners—fighters of the universe—I am Suzuki Neigaigoto. The King of Essences." Wh-wha-wha-_what_? He wasn't serious, was he? Aww damn, I was so confused now. My head was spinning. There was no way! I had known him for years, and... And...

Ridiculous!

All of it!

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. _Ha!_" I said, laughing obnoxiously in his face. "Prove it."

"But wouldn't it make sense?" Kokoro said, raising his hand up a little. "He had to survive it somehow, Sayuri..."

"Shut up!" I shot, clenching my fist. "Anyone can say they're the king of something! Until I have some legitimate proof, I won't believe a word that comes out of his mouth! Is that clear, everyone?" I paused, waiting for a response. Chio was the only one that really nodded her head. Psh, Shiva was looking at me like I was stupid, but so! I didn't care. I wasn't going to be tricked again. But wait, that'd explain a lot. It'd explain how Adel knew Suzuki... And... Damn. Kokoro had a point. I scratched the back of my head, looking at Suzuki. "Go on. I didn't mean to interrupt you, _darling_."

He closed his eyes and tilted his head, a smile dancing on his lips. And his hand was still buried deep in Miyuki's hair, scratching behind those big ears of hers. "Ah, we're very affectionate today, Sayuri! I think I will. I," he said, pointing to himself with his freehand, "am the Essence of Dreams. You probably were never told this, but Essences can't die. We can feel pain, but that's the price of living forever. As for Kohana's blast..." He looked up into the sky and then looked back at me. Weird. "I wouldn't be hit with such an evil thing. I have people to take the hit for me. As for where they are? Well, that's another story." Woah... I would have never guessed Suzuki was an Essence himself. But he was so calm...

And cool...

And not crazy...

And he was so human-like... "I contacted Spectra simply because my people found one of your partners, Sayuri. Nice, huh?"

Woo! Another Summoner partner? This just keeps getting better and better! I smiled, but only a little bit.

"You see, they're keeping her somewhere safe. We can go get her now, if you want. But... I wanted to ask you some questions." He stopped petting Miyuki and she instantly snapped out of her trance, standing up straight and going back to being the irritating, no-use Guardian that she was. "I probably know Kohana more than you do, you know." Heh. Who was he fooling? Now I knew for a fact that he was lying. She was my _mother,_ for Pete's sake. There was no way he was telling the truth. "Have you seen her since she left here?"

"Yeah..." That word had came out with an air of disappointment. Oh, what was I supposed to tell Suzuki? Yeah, I've seen Kohana, but she's a psychotic maniac that destroyed a whole world and almost killed me three times and threatened to gorge my eyes out with a spoon and eat them afterward? No. I wasn't going to do that. I looked back up at him and he was expecting an answer. I couldn't talk about my mom like that... "She's... Very crazy." I sighed, because I completely did the one thing I said I wouldn't do. Demean my mother. "I can't even lie to you. She's so crazy, Suzuki. It's horrible! She destroyed an entire world, and killed one of my friends just because she called her 'crazy'! And I still don't understand why because that same friend had called her everything under the sun, but Kohana wanted to kill her as soon as she called her crazy? How insane!" Now I was locked into a full-blown rant.

Jeez. Kohana's going to kill me.

"And that's not the bad part. She wanted to kill me and all of my other friends just because I wanted to be with them more than I wanted to be with her. She's completely off her rocker, and apparently she's always been like that." I looked down at the ground and kicked at a few rocks. Yeah... This sucked. Suzuki nodded his head and smirked at me, looking at the watch on his wrist.

"Oh yes, I know all about Kohana. We're talking about the same woman, I'm sure we are! She's amazing," he said. "I am more afraid of one-hundred sheep led by a lion than one-hundred lions led by a sheep, and Kohana is a very beautiful, dangerous lion." He stopped and gave me a concerned look. "...Uh, any idea why she destroyed an entire planet?" Was that disappointment I sensed in his voice? Ha! He had nothing to be disappointed about!

"Psh, hell if I know," I replied. "Something about..." I looked up, trying to find the right words. "... Killing Saivan and getting rid of the competition? I have no idea, but apparently she went through all of that trouble just to kill this_ one _guy. She must of really had something against him or something. I mean, Suzuki! She killed an_ entire world _just to see _him! _To kill him! That's real dedication," I spat, folding my arms and narrowing my eyes. For some reason, Suzuki just got really sad. I don't know why—he just did. It was really weird.

"Heh, Kohana would never destroy countless worlds just to see me... What is up with that, anyway? Am I not worthy of her attention anymore? And who the hell is this Saivan character? I would like to be—"

"Stop perving on my mom, you skeeze!" I shouted, punching him in the shoulder. "She's like twice your age... Oh. I mean. Sorry, I forgot you were an Essence." Suzuki's face completely dropped and he narrowed his eyes at me. What? What did I do now? I wasn't doing anything wrong! I was just defending my mother... "Anyway. Back to what you were saying." He stood up straight, closed his eyes dramatically, and cleared his throat.

And then Suzuki just got scary.

I could only see half of his face, because the top part of it was hidden in darkness. And he was smirking! It wasn't the regular smirk... It was the demented, evil kind. The kind that... Actually, it reminded me a whole lot of Kohana. "How honorable!" Suzuki started laughing—no, cackling—and with each cackle he tilted his head. The Suzuki that I had been talking to a couple of seconds ago didn't even exist anymore. "Yes, yes, you're very amusing, Sa~yuri! So, then, why don't we start fighting a bunch of monsters? I'm sure they'll go a little biii~iit easier on you. But something tells me that you can't ha~andle it, _aha_hah_haa~_! Well, then, try, Sayyyuurrri-darrhhling! And we'll see if you can fight me after all, gwa~haha_hah~_!"

My jaw dropped.

"... That's the best Kohana impersonation I've seen in my fifteen years of living," I said, starting to clap. Yeah, I was clapping slow, but the others were too. They didn't know what the hell to make out of it. And truth be told, I didn't either. Suzuki smiled and turned around, the wind blowing through his hair.

"Thanks. I try." He stopped, looking back at me and grinning. "When you see Kohana next, tell her what I said about coming to see me, hey?" I'd... Try to remember? Wait. Come and see him where? Here? Pfft, Kohana wasn't coming back here for a long time! I snorted, but I kept walking. I didn't want to be left behind. "First, though, we're going to have to make it through that." He pointed in front of us and... At first I didn't know what he was talking about. I thought there'd be some kind of lava or something...

Or killer vines.

Or killer spiders.

Or Wicked Spawn.

Or a zombified Tanran.

That last one was mean. I'd take that back. But what the team and I were looking at was this huge... House thing. But it was terrible. I mean, there were a whole bunch of lights flickering on and off around it. There were balls of lightning dancing at the... Entrance, I think? And yeah, there were Wicked Spawn. But they looked more like giant-ass lizards than anything else.

This was gonna _suck._

Suzuki smirked, getting into a fighting stance. But what amazed me, though, was that he opened the palm of his hand. But when he did, a sword appeared in it! It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was... Really pretty. I had been staring at it for so long I had lost track of time, and Suzuki turned back around and smirked at me. Again. Except he cupped my cheek with his hand, tilting my head upwards so that we were looking directly into each other's eyes.

"Don't be scared, Sayuri!" he laughed, sitting his sword on his shoulder. His eyes darkened, and then he looked back at the big, scary tower... Or whatever the hell it was.

The moonlight glinted off his fangs and he looked back towards the tower.

And he smirked. Again. He did a lot of that, I noticed.

"After all, it is a king's duty to protect his princess, correct?"

* * *

**A/N: **Suzuki even insinuating that he would like it very much if Kohana went and destroyed a world just to come see him is pretty batshit. XD;;; But that's all Sayuri's parents are, anyway. I wonder how the heck Sayuri didn't turn out like that... XD Suzuki's just as weird as Kohana is, if not more so. Supporting incest shamelessly. What's wrong with him? XD;;

Anyway, I think you guys'll enjoy the next chapter. I've got a little spiral tower in the works. Monsters as far as the eye can see!

Fight scenes?

Oh yeah. XD;;

Nothing but the best. And plus you get to see Suzuki in action with his espada ropera.

That's his sword. It is a _real_ sword. A pretty one. XD He rarely uses it. Ever. XD;; Oh, and the story Miyuki and Chio were talking about in the start of the chapter? XD;; Where the Summoner of Time, a long time ago, made a bond with the deity of Fate and Destiny? That was obviously Atropa back in the old days. So part of the existence of Aeons is because of her exclusively. XD; Nice trivia for you.

The connections Atropa, Kohana, and Suzuki have with each other are _so damn important._ Pay attention to everything. XD;;


	67. Daddy's Got The Blues

**A/N: **Eh, wrote this flashback a while ago, blah, blah, blah. XD;;

Nothing but more Suzuki/Kohana fluff.

I wonder how much more of this stuff I can write before I choke on some of my hair. XD;; I'll kill myself on all of this romance before this story is all said and done, I swear it. XD;; Anyway, getting off that tangent, I wrote this chapter super fast yesterday. Yes. That confirms it. April fever has settled in big time. XD;;

So I'm going to be slapping you all with updates, starting now. XD;;

* * *

There the purple-haired goddess lays, her hair laid across the grass. It isn't pinned up like it usually is—she didn't exactly have the time to brush and comb through it. But that's okay, because the wind blowing her hair up into the sky actually feels nice. She knows how much her hair is a bother, especially when it's untamed, but for now it can't do her any harm. Her arms and legs are spread out across the ground. She can see Suzuki's castle from where she's laying, but the only thing that's really on her mind is catching her breath. Kohana inhales and then exhales, almost like she's singing a song with her breaths... The birds fly over her head, chirping a song that she doesn't know the words to. However, she's willing to learn them. She's just gotten done with running across the field, so why not lay down and be a couch potato for the rest of the day?

The others will never find her out in the field. They might look for her in the garden, but guess what? She won't be there! She snickers at the thought of all Suzuki's house maids and things looking aimlessly for her. Don't they know that they can't catch the master of hiding? She's too good at what she does! Well, it isn't like she's hiding, but still. She can just imagine everyone frantically looking for her. They'll never find her! Ever. She closes her eyes, listening to the sound of nature. Yes, this is just perfect for her. She's around pleasant smells and pretty flowers. She opens one eyelid, only to be met with Suzuki peering down at her with his purple-colored eyes. She smirks. He would be the one that eventually finds her, right? It's not the fact that he manages to find her—it's the fact that he's willing to _put off his things _to find her. Sometimes she has to remind herself how much she loves him.

"Well, well, well," he starts, folding his arms. His cape flutters in the wind behind him, the jewels on his crown glistening in the sunlight. Honestly, she'll never figure out why Suzuki is so beautiful. She almost feels shamed to be in his very presence—almost like she isn't worthy to set her eyes on his beautiful face. "Such a lazy, beautiful flower I've just found out in the fields. I think I should name it..." He pauses, tapping his index-finger on his chin. How can such a simple action—a simple phrase—make her blush like she is doing now? It isn't a faint blush either—it's a full-blown crimson-colored blush and it takes over a good portion of her face. She doesn't mind it; this is_ Suzuki _she's blushing over. He deserves every bit of discoloration in her face. Wait. This is the perfect chance for her to him what she got for him!

Nope. Too lazy. She doesn't move from her spot—she merely loses herself in his gaze. "Hello, Kohana," he says in a playful voice. "If you keep laying in the sun like that, Love, you're going to get sunburn. Isn't there something you should be doing in the castle?" It makes her heart flutter at how much he seems to care about her. Even when she's being a particularity bad flower. She laughs under her breath, tilting her head so she can see the brunette more clearly. "I was worried sick about you, Kohana. I didn't know where you were for twenty minutes. That's too long, Love..." His voice drops in means of pitch—a sign that makes Kohana pout. She never meant to make Suzuki, of all people, sad. He doesn't deserve to be sad. Still, she smirks, standing up straight. Her purple locks hit the back of her legs; she almost steps on her hair altogether.

"Look at the king, talking tough!" she says back, grinning. "Isn't there something you should be doing, almighty King of Essences? Don't you have a lot of paperwork you should be signing off?" She pauses, smiling at Suzuki's pout. He's so wonderfully cute when he pouts. Like she's doing something wrong. "Don't worry about me Suzuki, I'm fine. There's a lot of people coming to this world trying to kill me and capture you and kill Sayuri..." She pauses, putting her thinking-cap on. After a second of serious thinking, she smiles again. "Don't worry, Suzuki. I'll protect all of us. I'll protect this world. I'm the Wickedness, after all. No one will ever kill me!" She points at herself with her thumb and Suzuki chuckles at her antics. While she may be right... While she is extraordinary at fighting and everything associated with the word, he can still be worried about her, right? She runs her fingers through Suzuki's hair, an action that makes him twitch.

For a brief moment, he's reminded of how much taller Kohana is. He pokes his face in disappointment, but he's willing to take a blow to his pride for her. "And if anyone as so tries to capture you again, Suzuki, I'll make sure they leave your world in pieces, mm'kay? I love you... Way too much to see you hurt or captured to be used in some weird experiments..." Yes. He is the dream Essence. Many people from all over the galaxy will give anything to have Suzuki's abilities at their disposal. He's also the King of Essences, which means the others will follow Suzuki wherever he may venture. All-in-all, Suzuki being captured isn't an idea either one of them want to really think about. "They don't deserve you..." She brushes her hand over his cheek, her eyes softening.

Yes, no one deserves him.

She's not even sure she even deserves him.

"Kohana, you're my _wife," _he says, quirking a brow. "I think that entitles me to worry about you from time to time. Should someone come and try to kill you for being this so called "monster," I'll simply have to take matters into my own hands, now won't I?" She grins again. He's so cute when he tries to be serious with her. Still, Suzuki's powers and abilities are nothing to smile at. He can concoct some of the most terrifying beasts of nightmares she's ever seen in her life. Suzuki can make people feel pain from their dreams... He can do so much more without even trying. She knows well that if there ever comes a time when she's in trouble, Suzuki will not hesitate on killing someone for her. "To have the audacity to hurt my lovely wife... No one should deserve to live after such high-treason acts..." In truth, they both have each other's backs. "And as for Sayuri..."

There isn't any thinking as far as Sayuri's concerned. Both parents look at each other with intense eyes. If one should ever make the mistake of messing with their child, there _will _be hell on earth to pay. Sayuri is Kohana's pride and joy, one of the things that keeps her going. Sayuri's Suzuki's first and only child out of the billions and billions of years he has been alive. Because they both know they'll put their lives on the line for their daughter, the two of them burst into a lively laughter. "She's asleep now, right?" Kohana asks, tilting her head and clapping her hands together. "You know, I still hate when that little kid cries. Good thing we've got people that are willing to take care of her in our absences, right?" Suzuki nods his head, tilting his crown.

"Yes, she's asleep," he answers, smirking. "And she looks just like her beautiful, beautiful mother... She looks _nothing_ like her father!" In a dramatic fit of emotions he thrusts his arm in the air before bringing it back down, curling up in a little ball while seemingly kneeling down. Kohana lets out a cackle, but as soon as she does she covers her mouth with her right hand. Cackling? _In front of Suzuki?_ What has she done? It's then that she remembers what she wants to show him. Putting her hands behind her back, she tilts her head and smiles at him. "Hmm, Kohana? You have something for me?"

"Yep!" she exclaims, thrusting both her hands out. In her petite fingers is a box of chocolates. Suzuki looks at the box and then glances back at her.

"Kohana, you're allergic to chocolate," he points out, sticking an index-finger in the air. Oh psh, she knows that. She's always known that. But she doesn't care that she's allergic to chocolate. Still, there's a high chance Suzuki might reject her gift and that makes her ache on the inside. She pouts, her green eyes lighting up with fear.

"They're not for me, they're for you..." she mumbles before gazing back at the king. "Please take one? Please, Suzuki? Pretty please?" With each please that leaves her thin-lips, her emerald eyes get wider and wider. He knows he can't up and resist her; he loves her too much for that. He happily complies, removing the red ribbon from the box. Her smile widens. "See, I've got these from Earth. Otherworldly chocolates, Suzuki~ I think you're going to love them almost as much as I do—I mean..." She trails off, looking up at the sky. She takes a seat on the grass and Suzuki narrows his eyes at her.

"You're not eating chocolate are you, Kohana?"

"I... Err... Maybe."

"Kohana..." he says, staring at her. Almost as if he's disappointed. "What have I told you about eating things that can kill you...?" Now she feels horrible. Absolutely evil. How dare she rile Suzuki up like this! She wants to crawl in a ball and start crying, but she can't exactly do that in front of him. All she wants to do is make him happy... He notices the tears forming in her eyes and his breath catches._ Oh, don't tell me she's about to start crying, _he thinks, frowning heavily. _Oh, great thinking, Suzuki. You really know how to treat your wife... _"Fine, don't cry, Kohana," he murmurs in a sweat voice. "I'm going to eat these. I'll eat one now, in fact." Suddenly she doesn't feel so bad and she perks up, watching the king throw one of the chocolates in his mouth.

Here's the thing.

Suzuki _does not _like chocolate.

At all.

And he hasn't told Kohana this. It's painful. It's really painful. But he'll brave anything if it means she won't start crying. He tilts his head, feeling tears forming at the corner of his eyes. He can't let her know he doesn't like them! She'll cry if he says he doesn't like them! "Wow, these are really good... Chocolates," he says, forcing a smile and nodding his head. Kohana smirks. Success.

"Yeah," she declares, throwing an arm in the air. "They better be some good chocolates. I went through a whole lot to get them. You wouldn't believe all the trouble I went through." Suzuki stops, mid-chew. He looks down at the box of chocolates, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. No, it isn't the chocolate themselves (though he does feel like he'll pass out at any given second) it's Kohana's "method" of obtaining them. He gives Kohana a look and she's startled for a moment.

"Kohana, if you stole these..."

"I—I didn't steal them!" she protests. "I know how you get pissy about that kind of stuff anyway," she says in her defense. Suzuki gives her another look. He doesn't want to be eating terrible, stolen chocolates, after all. Suzuki tries to grab another chocolate, to show his appreciation, but Kohana takes the box away from him with her lightning-fast speed. He glares at the purple-haired woman. Hey! He really wants another one of those.

"Kohana, what are you—" He stops, watching her pick up another chocolate with her delicate fingers. She brings it up to his face and he sees his prize. Wait. Why does he want to eat something so terrible? So vile? Oh, because Kohana went through a lot of trouble to get them. He leans forward to eat it—yes!—the chocolate will soon be his! But she moves it towards her mouth and he—unknowingly—leans into her, against her mouth. He opens his eyes, watching as Kohana devours the chocolate treat. But that was his! The king just will not have that. He closes the remaining space between his and her lips, his taste buds taken over by the taste of the savory chocolate and Kohana's own, unique taste.

The combination of the two things are like a drug—a drug that changes Suzuki's chemical composition. Now it feels like lightning is dancing through his body. He wraps his arms around her neck and pulls her tongue into his own mouth in order to get as much of the succulent flavor off it as he can... But the need for air makes them both pull apart. Suzuki's panting now, and as he gazes at his wife, she's joyfully smiling at him. "What's gotten you so smiley?" he asks between short intakes of breath. Her grin widens, showing off her unsightly sharp teeth.

"I'm just thinking about how you really like the chocolate I gave you. That's all, Suzuki."

She takes another piece out and he—for once—can't think of a proper retort to her comment. He's always been the snarkier of the two—and for a good reason! He's been alive for aeons and aeons! His eyes are glued to the chocolate Kohana has dangled in front of him. "So what if I like..." he says, his attention obviously glued to the candy. He leans his face over to it. "Chocolate." He breathes as he follows the candy to Kohana's mouth. Their lips crash together, only this time she takes control of the kiss, teasing him with her tongue.

"You know, it's sexy when you make those delicious sounds," she teases, staring at his face. He takes offense to that, but only ends up moaning in the sweet kiss they share. Kohana's tongue caresses his, spreading that wonderful taste across his mouth. She attacks every contour, every point that she can find. She breaks the kiss and pulls back, staring at her husband and how flushed his face is. She smirks at her handiwork before bending down and licking the outer shell of his ear, causing his body to shiver. With her tongue, she traces down a wet trail as she moves towards his jaw. She makes her way down to his throat and starts to nip at it.

"If you keep doing that, Kohana," he advises, pushing her away a bit. "I'm not going to last another five seconds."

"Ah? Is that a challenge, Suzuki?" She grins.

"I'm trying to be nice," he retorts, glaring at her.

"Nice?" she laughs. "Ahaha! Please, don't make me laugh."

"You just did." He smirks.

Defeated, she glares at him before smiling. "Shut up, you." She attacks her husband's mouth, once again spreading around that—that forbidden candy. The kind that neither one of them should really be eating. And the more Suzuki thinks about it, the more he feels sick to his stomach. His vision blurs, and before he really knows what's going on, the chocolates that he shared with Kohana come back up—the wrong way. And they bring with them an army of the things he's eaten earlier that day. At this, Kohana pulls away from him, coughing and touching her chest with her right hand. Both of them look downright miserable.

Her face is puffing up from her allergies and he takes the initiative. He turns away from her, continuing to puke in the grass. Their woes are cut short when something appears in front of them—another challenger—another, dare they say, space pirate. He's armed with a sword in his hand, glaring at the two of them. He looks intimidating with the guns strapped to his back, but Kohana and Suzuki stare at each other before staring at the man. Kohana smirks, shaking her head and touching the hilt to her sword. Suzuki wipes his mouth with his sleeve and opens his hands, two leashes appearing in them. From behind the happily married couple appears a three-headed, vicious, shadow-like dog—one that towers over them like a building.

"It's game time," Kohana murmurs, standing up straight.

"Yeah—_accckaaa_—" Suzuki agrees, coughing.

If they can't share chocolate together, they surely can at least protect each other... Together.

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Seven: Daddy's Got The Blues :-**

_Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for?_  
_Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?_  
_When they know they're your heart_  
_And you know you were their armor_  
_And you will destroy anyone who would try to harm her_  
_But what happens when karma, turns right around and bites you?_  
_And everything you stand for, turns on you to spite you?_  
_What happens when you become the main source of her pain?_  
_"Daddy look what I made." Dad's gotta go catch a plane._

— "When I'm Gone" — Eminem

I don't think many people know how good it feels to see your own child be able to make their own decisions.

To walk and talk on their own—to look danger in the eye and basically tell it off. Hands and feet that I once thought were so small... Too small to be able to inflict pain were now deadly weapons. This was my daughter standing in front of me, not some sort of figment of my imagination, and I couldn't help but crack a slight smirk at the sight of her. She looked exactly like her mother, her long, purple tresses falling down her shoulders and hanging just inches above the ground, her green eyes looking straight ahead.

I didn't know what to make of this.

I was a being that didn't deserve happiness, and yet, seeing my only daughter fight for herself almost brought tears to my eyes. Half of me didn't want her out in the universe fighting God knows what. It was a dangerous trade. Anything could happen to Sayuri at any time, and I would be able to do nothing about it. It was a wonder she had even made it out of the Dark Ages untouched. She and her friends had a heavy burden to carry across their shoulders, being the Summoners of the Magic Wand... It touched my heart to know that they all had the will to fight for the universe.

What I was standing behind was, of course, a tightly knit team.

I had the other Essences that were stuck on this blighted world make a fortress to protect the Summoner in. While I believed in the system of chivalry, I wasn't going to stand watch for some... Summoner brat. Urgh, I'm not that nice. While I'll admit I've gotten better with dealing with other... _Species_, we'll call it, I wasn't the most lenient with other individuals' problems. That means I wasn't too keen on helping Shirogane out to the best of my ability. I had other things I needed to tend to. Who was going to do all of the paperwork when I got back to Royaume Rêveur? Certainly not those other lazy Essences. Many of them don't even know what the meaning of paperwork is.

Day in, and day out, that was all I did on Royaume Rêveur.

File papers. Sign papers. Make sure Essences were clear to leave my world, and make sure they were certified to come back to it, if need be. It's a pretty strenuous thing to handle. Which is why I was the only one doing it. There's just only so many people you can trust in the universe, and, I'm sorry, I didn't trust my own kind that much. Not with important papers. Half of them couldn't even pronounce their own names. I supposed it would have been nice to have some assistance with the paperwork that I did get...

That was a privilege Kohana could only have, and she was halfway around the universe.

As if I'd actually let her file my paperwork.

That's a disaster waiting to happen.

I closed my eyes, chuckling under my breath and cracking my neck a bit. Damien had his lance held with both of his hands as he walked through the threshold of the tower. He was a bit startled when he had stepped into the tower, his long, dangling, lightning bolt earring jangling as the wind stirred around him. His Summoner outfit was definitely the more... Interesting out of the bunch of them. He wore black fingerless gloves and had a small white cloak laying over a light blue jacket. The jacket had a huge collar that twisted around his neck and was layered with a smaller, more normal collar that laid down on top of his cloak.

He also donned white skinny jeans and a pair of black shoes. Very casual attire indeed. It made me tilt my head for a while, and then I gazed at his lance. All of the Summoners had very wondrous weapons. Whimsical, almost. I knew that they were going to be able to get through this tower with great ease. I stretched my arms out, letting my sword disappear into nothingness. Something told me that I wouldn't need it. "Hey, Suzuki!" Damien called out, looking at me with brown eyes. "So... Nothing is going to happen? Nothing shady, I mean. I've been alive for this long; I don't just want to up and die, you know." I chuckled under my breath, shaking my head and looking at the ground. After I had caught myself, I looked back up at him and the others.

"I assure you that nothing unfortunate will happen to you. You might feel a slight tingle," I said, gesturing my hands for added affect. "But it won't be anything that will hurt. Tell me Damien, you seem like a man that studies things before he dives in head first." I lifted up my head, hoping to get an answer out of the young man. If there was one thing that really grated on my nerves, it was when people completely ignored me or blocked me out. I was the Essence of Dreams! King Suzuki! I was the reason everyone slept wonderfully at night; you would expect to be shown a little respect in this damn universe. Luckily, Damien looked at me after he stepped into the tower.

"Whaddya expect?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not just going to run into something and not know what it is! That's how people end up dead around here, you know? My mom taught me better than that, old guy." Old guy? I quirked a brow at that. It had been a long time since anyone had called me old. Well, Kohana had a tendency to call me old every once in a while.

I knew how to make her shut up about it, naturally.

Heh.

"Judging from the show you put on earlier," Sayuri cut in, snorting. "You seem like you never know what you're doing. You know, you're lucky you got a big-ass lance to help protect your ass. Let's see what you can do inside of this place, huh?" He gazed at Sayuri and a smirk crawled across his lips. Damien's pace picked up too. So, my daughter had unintentionally fed this boy's ego and made him forget the mantra he was just trying to uphold a while ago? Sayuri was crafty... I tapped my chin, watching Chio's mouth form into an 'o' as she gazed at the walls around us.

"This place is really fancy!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands out and smiling. "There's lots of pretty magic floating around here, I can feel it. It makes me feel all warm inside." She brought her hands to her chest and squirmed around a little bit. What an interesting bunch of friends Sayuri had? I was getting more and more confused by the second. I thought these guys were warriors. You know. Didn't take anything lightly and ruined everything that tried to kill them? Here we had someone who had completely abandoned his morels to look good in front of his female leader and a girl who was reveling in how 'mystical' the tower looked.

I pressed my fingertips against my forehead. This was going to be a long journey.

At least their Guardian looked composed.

"So, shall I start the secret behind this little, lonely tower of mine?" I said, folding my arms and opening my eyes. Kokoro threw his arm up in the air, giving me a grin from ear to ear. How enthusiastic! It did my heart good when people really wanted to pay attention to me. "I see. Judging from how the Summoner of Fire reacted, I shouldn't have any objections, right?"

"Wrong," Sayuri cut in, sighing. "Kokoro's always like that. He's also not that smart, either." She paused and I quirked a brow. What would being smart have to do with wanting to listen to important details...? "I mean, Suzuki, you're not that exciting as far as storytelling goes. I should know. As a matter of fact, if I remember correctly, you suck at telling stories all together. You always end up putting me to sleep!" Oh, gee, couldn't there be a _reason_ why my stories always put Sayuri to sleep? I narrowed my eyes at her. Hello? Dream Essence, here? Maybe I just didn't want to hear her babbling mouth all day.

How cute.

I'd get her back for this later. Right now I really needed to talk about this place before monsters jumped out at us. "When Kohana blew Japan sky high, I knew I had to put some sort of barrier up so people across the world wouldn't get suspicious. I've surrounded Japan within a dream—a false sense of reality. Never fear, there are people who are here, right now. Tourists, people who transport goods... All of those things." I waved my hand in the air dismissively. I couldn't remember what exactly it was that humans did around this part of the world. "They're living in a false reality created by yours truly." I smirked, putting my hand down. "Once you get this girl off my shoulders, Sayuri, I'm going to need you to do something for me. I need you to maintain the dream."

I turned towards her, keeping up my steady pace. "It's really easy. You're going to use your time magic to propel Japan back to a previous state. What it was like before it was destroyed. Don't get me wrong, you won't be bringing people back to life. You'll just be putting up another false reality. Except everyone who is already submerged in my false reality will be warped back wherever they came from with your space magic and their memory will be wiped clean. Whoever should so much as to think of the word 'Japan' will have their thoughts erased in an instant. Japan will no longer exist. For the time being."

"That's sounds like a lot of work, Suzuki," Kokoro murmured, tapping his chin. "Are you sure Sayuri can handle the 'memories being erased part'? I can see the space and time magic, but—"

"That's where I come in," Miyuki interjected. They had a really smart Guardian with them. "One of my specialties are erasing memories. I can combine that with Sayuri's space and time magic with the slightest of ease. It shouldn't take long. Five minutes at the most." I nodded my head, giving the team a rye smile. They were peculiar, but they were smart. My daughter nodded her head, her grip tightening on her wand. "I must admit, Suzuki, that is a very effective plan. My superiors at Spectra wouldn't have thought of something as simple as that." She sounded honest when she made that remark. I snerked.

War is such a sacrifice oh so profound!

"I'm not a fool," I hissed, standing in one place. "I'm not a war-starting monster. One has to take a step back and gaze at the universe. My world is the only world where there are no quarrels between our own kind. That must mean something to you, right?" I quirked my brow at the way Miyuki had took what I said. I really did go too far with that. I sighed, straightening out my shirt and gazing back at the Celestial Being. "Sorry. That was biased. Completely biased. My apologies." Sayuri let out a snort, placing her hand on the railing of the staircase. Of course she had caught my attention.

"Pfft, Suzuki, what the heck are you apologizing for?" she muttered, taking a step forward. "It's not like we're all even listening to you anyway. You can say whatever you want. All we're interested in finding the next Summoner!" She obtained a little bit more bounce in her step as she climbed up the stairs. It made me smirk a bit. I remembered a time when she didn't even know how to crawl, and now she was walking up staircases like it wasn't anyone else's business. "Can you tell us who we're looking for?" I snapped out of my trance and shook my head, trying to concentrate on the goal at hand. Yes, her friend...

"It's not a problem," Miyuki murmured in a low voice that only I could hear. "It's no surprise that you can't stand the rest of the universe, being an Essence and all. While I can't beg and plead with you to see why we needed to start this war, I'm not going to give up my pride as a Celestial Being and say that this is all in vain, either." I had to remember my place. I had to remember that I was in the presence of adolescent teenagers, and that I was trying to help all of them. Miyuki had just pissed me off. How could she ever say that war was justified? No matter what the cause, war is nothing but a show of buffoonery.

Soldiers are toys that are played with by the higher power that controls them. Generals.

And the generals are a part of the game as well. In the end, audiences laugh at them all.

I am this universe's audience.

I've been laughing at them all since the beginning of time.

I just couldn't believe I had actually got my family dragged into this mess. I wasn't going to kill the generals that started all of this, no. I wasn't going to stoop to such lows. Me? I was supposed to set an example. There's no way in hell I was going to make myself look like trash. If I could say one thing, it was that I had more patience than anyone in the universe. I shook my head, standing next to Sayuri as we reached the top of the staircase. The only problem was that there were Wicked Spawn roaming all around the place. Just like I had predicted. I smirked, throwing my hands in the air dramatically.

"And thus, the fighting begins!" I declared. "Let's see what you can do, saviors of this poor, misguided generation!"

These were the lesser Wicked Spawn... Not like the ones that we had seen circling the base of the tower earlier. I knew they wouldn't be a match for these people. Sayuri sprung out first, using her wand as some kind of melee weapon and smacking each black monster she saw on the head, effectively causing them to disappear into a fury of multicolored orbs. Morta had joined in on the fun, swinging her chilling scythe a great distance around her and getting rid of the monsters quickly.

I clapped my hands, grinning. "Very good!" And when I heard growling... Vicious growling, I stepped out of the way and bowed a bit, showing them who their next opponent would be. They were vicious, saliva dripping from their fangs. I think the scariest thing about the lizard-like Wicked Spawn was that they had no eyes, and could predict every move you made. They had no noses, and yet could smell fear. They were really intriguing monsters, if I did say so myself.

Kohana didn't make trash.

The lizard Wicked Spawn brought along with them a group of lesser Wicked Spawn too. It was an army of black monsters, waiting to defeat them all. We wouldn't be permitted to go to the next floor if we didn't take them down. I smirked once more. "Have fun~!"

"Wait! Wait! You're not going to help us?" Sayuri whined, her grip tightening on her wand. Of course not! I rarely got into fights. Silly daughter. I forgot how much she reminded me of Kohana when she was younger.

"Just start fighting, Sayuri!" Morta shouted, her scythe glowing three shades of purple. She swung it around once and it started pulsating. A feeling a dread and woe overtook me; everyone else must have felt like that too, because their faces just dropped. Death magic had been known to have that effect around the person using it. "This is what I learned back when we were fighting Evreet. I didn't know how it worked, but now I think I can give it a try." She paused, stomping on the ground with her left foot and then swinging her scythe as hard as she could with her left arm. "Instant Death!"

I had never felt such a barren cold before. It twisted and turned around me like it wanted to steal my soul. I had to remember that I was an immortal being... But even just to be thinking like that... The wind snaked its way past her partners and attacked the monsters head on, wiping out a great deal of lesser Wicked Spawn and lizard Wicked Spawn in an instant, with little effort. Chio's mouth widened into an 'o' and she covered her mouth with her left hand, gazing at Morta with curious eyes. "That was really good, Morta! I wish I could do something like that!" The brunette nodded her head and adjusted her glasses, waving her arm out.

"Shiva!" she commanded, her voice loud and stern. The ice goddess appeared in a swirl of snow crystals and glanced at her mistress, standing up straight and bowing. "Clear us a path!" It amazed me how quick the Summoners were tearing through the horde of Wicked Spawn. The Summoner of Convene had amazing control over her Aeons as well. They listened to every command she had, no matter how dangerous or ridiculous. That was the sign of a really strong individual! Damien thrust his lance in the air, electricity dancing around the slender weapon.

"Woah! Watch it!" Sayuri yelled, looking around her back to see him channeling lightning into his weapon. He smirked and tapped the ground with his lance, using sheer power.

"Thundara, you crazy monster things!" he exclaimed. That was a secondary lightning spell, which meant that boy was already using Evreet's techniques. Very nice. Spectra knew what they were doing up there, it seemed. They were still a bunch of idiots, however. In no way was I praising what they stood for. The lightning ravaged the ground underneath the Summoners' feet, granting all of the remaining Wicked Spawn a quick death. Damien's smirk seemed to get wider as everyone looked back at him, nodding their heads.

"See, I told you guys I knew how to fight," he said, walking past Sayuri and pushing her out of the way. Hey. That was too rough. I quirked my nose, curious to see where he thought he was going. Maybe Damien would end up surprising me yet. Sayuri took two steps back, looking at her corset and then gazing at the Summoner of Lightning.

"Hey you!" she shouted up the staircase. "Be a little bit more aware of my presence next time, you big... Urgh!"

"It's okay, Sayuri," Kokoro cut in, nodding his head. "I'm sure he didn't mean it! He's just, uh, adjusting to life as a Summoner?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. He was just doing that by pushing me out of the damn way!" she hollered. I took one step back. Uh-huh. There goes the viciousness she inherited from Kohana, no doubt. She aptly ignored Kokoro and sidestepped around him, running up the stairs. "Damien, you better watch yourself! Not only are you venturing in parts you know nothing about, but you got my corset dirty you—_ooufff!_" The black-haired Summoner of Lightning was glued in one place, and it looked as if Sayuri had bumped into his back. The two of them, however, were stuck in a state of shock. I smirked, waving my arm across the air and sighing.

"No way," Sayuri muttered, glancing up at the man towering over her. Her green eyes widened and she grabbed the back of Damien's shoulders, kind of using him as a shield. Ah, she made me laugh so much! "Y-you're the water Essence?" Yes, the water Essence. I looked up at him, noticing how pristine and well kept up his suit was. He had been hanging around Wicked Spawn, death and destruction for a while now but still he maintained his sense of sophistication.

I liked that about him.

Damien was already scared because the water Essence intimidated him, but once he heard the words 'water Essence', he got really pale. Sayuri closed her eyes, swinging Damien around, much to his dismay. "Here, take him, he tastes like chicken! Please don't eat me—I hear obnoxious lightning guys taste better than nasty, icky Summoners of Time!"

"Get your hands off me girl!" Damien shouted, turning around and grabbing her by her shoulders. "Keep it together, will ya? Now the logical thing to do is RUN! Run high, and run fast!" How amusing.

He pushed Sayuri out of the way, determined to make it down the small flight of stairs first, and Sayuri tried to catch herself in mid-fall, doing a sloppy leap of faith before the water Essence grabbed both of them by their necks and stood them up straight. "Summoner Sayuri. It's been a while." His voice was monotonous, but I could sense a hint of amusement in it. I'm pretty sure he saw that I was standing right within a couple of feet. He glanced at me and then nodded his head. And, of course, I did the polite thing and nodded back.

"Sayuri! Damien!" Morta called out, starting to run up the stairs. Before she could lift a foot off the ground, a blazing fire wrapped around her and a fixture of fire started to form. The Summoner of Death was confused for a while. She was possibly wondering why her clothes weren't being seared through. That was due to the fact that the fire belonged to none other than the fire Essence herself.

"Gotcha! Now what are you going to do, little lady?" she crooned, smiling brightly. "Everything is under control, Master Sul—"

"Suzuki, Fire," I corrected, waving my arm in the air. Within a millisecond the silence Essence appeared and started running circles around Chio and Kokoro. The poor Summoner of Fire tried his hardest to keep up with her, but eventually he had gotten tired and stood in one place, his head rocking a bit. Hilarious bunch, they were. "Ah! Silence! I see you're doing well!" She simply nodded her head and grabbed on to Chio's head, smiling up a storm.

"Oooh, her name is Silence?" the Summoner of Convene asked, tilting her head. Shiva had disappeared once more. Chio must have thought it was safe now. I could respect that. Before I could answer, however, more Wicked Spawn just magically appeared out of nowhere. Yes, as if someone had turned on a light switch to a once darkened room. The Summoners and their Guardian had gotten into a fighting stance, but I simply closed my eyes and put my arms behind my back. There were mainly lizard-Wicked Spawn. The big fry.

I took one step forward.

And the monsters—two on each side of me—blew up spontaneously.

Now, I'd never reveal my secret to someone I don't even know, but I loved the way Damien's face contorted when I took several more steps forward, Wicked Spawn skin flying left and right before it disappeared within a collection of lights. Chio was more interested in the light show, it seemed. I couldn't hate a young lady who was enchanted by lights, yes? Sayuri, of course, took things way out of hand. She started flailing her arms around and going crazy.

"Suzuki how are you doing that that's amazing where can you teach me how to—oh God watch where you're blowing up stuff you damn jerk_ what is this on my face ohmyGodgetitoffgetitoff_—_oucch!_" Cue Sayuri running into a wall. I had to laugh at that one.

I gazed at my daughter laying on the ground and chuckled.

My subordinates released the hold they had on the other Summoners and they all grouped up together next to Water. "I guess this is where we depart, my dear friends," I said, taking a bow. I pointed to the room in front of me and smiled brightly. "The next Summoner is in that room. Ruby. Like a princess waiting for her prince to come." I paused, letting out another chuckle. "You are a peculiar bunch of princes, huh? Anyway, I'm going to take my leave now, with my comrades. I trust Sayuri and Miyuki will be able to preform the spells without me, yes?"

The Celestial Being nodded her head. "Of course, Suzuki."

"Good." I closed my eyes and inhaled, watching Sayuri peel herself off the wall and stand up straight. Fire must have caught a good look at her. Everything went down hill from there.

"Oh, so you're Suzlizes's kid! You look so pretty! You look just like your mother and father! Gosh, I thought you and Suzunee were the same person! He must have been really happy when you were born—!"

"Va te faire foutre, Fire!" I screeched with every fiber of my being. Once I said that, everything was silent. All of the Summoners were looking at me like I was crazy. I... Uh... I straightened myself out, running my fingers through my hair. Fire started trembling now; it was the first time I had ever gone off on one of my own. My muscles started to relax and the red color in my face started to fade. I wouldn't let Fire ruin my promise to Kohana.

Urgh, it's a Godsend that Fire didn't know how to pronounce my name the right way.

"I'm terribly sorry, Fire," I said bowing. I shook my head and looked at Sayuri. Now was my chance. I probably wouldn't see her again. I walked over to Sayuri and dusted her shoulder off, to which she blushed at, by the way. I was probably invading her personal space. Standing her up straight, I tilted my head and smiled at her.

"Wha-what do you want?" She said, trying to shake me off her, but just a little bit. I wouldn't let her go to another world without saying goodbye to her. I licked my lips and nodded my head, looking her in the eyes again. "Suzuki, if you're about to tell me how much I need to be careful, I know. I know already. These guys are with me, remember?" She gestured to her Summoner friends, and I had the utmost faith in them. I knew that would keep my daughter safe, but I couldn't be so sure, you know?

There was a part of me that was scared for her.

Scared for her future.

I didn't want her to go back out into that dangerous universe. Saving people who weren't worth it. Saving people who—no matter what—would still be irreversible monsters. I tried really long and hard to come up with the words to say to her. It must have been five minutes of the two of us locked in one spot—one position. God, I felt like Kohana whenever she tried to tell me she loved me.

When I couldn't find the words to say, I settled for a hug.

It was unexpected and it made Sayuri yelp and flinch, but I didn't care. It only made me hug her tighter. I inhaled her scent, feeling my own eyes tear up. I hadn't cried in so long. Could this mean I was desperate...?

"Sayuri... I love you. I love you so much..."

Obviously no one would have really understood that but myself and my people—everyone else looked at my sideways, but Sayuri was the more flabbergasted one of the all. She turned three shades of red; I didn't think she got that I meant platonic-love. There was only one Sayuri that I would love with all of my heart, and that was her mother. "I mean, it okay?" I paused and looked up at her, waiting for an answer. I think she was too confused to give me one, but she gave me a slight nod of her head. "I want you to be safe, honestly... Watch out for Kohana, okay? She'll honestly kill you."

"H-how do you know?" She asked indignantly, closing her eyes and scoffing. "You don't even know her."

"I know her," I replied. "I know what she's capable of and what she's been through, and she's been through a lot, Sayuri. Right now, she might not be able to tell if you're her enemy, or her friend. I want you to stay safe, okay? Don't do anything that you don't have the power to do. If you can't sway her, steer clear and do what it is you're supposed to, okay? Don't be a hero." I meant it. I meant every word I said. And I meant to be taken seriously. I looked at her some more and she started... Crying. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and I couldn't help but scoff.

"Dear God, you're such a crybaby," I interjected, stepping away from Sayuri and looking down at her, smirking. Of course she didn't like that.

I remembered when Sayuri was just a thought that only came into my mind when I had got around to showing how much I loved my wife in a robust act of passion.

And then there was that time when Kohana was pregnant, and Sayuri had kicked at me through Kohana's bulging stomach and I had felt it. Never before had I felt so... Happy. When I put my hand on her stomach, it was amazing when she had did the same, touching my hand with her own. From that day forward, I knew she was something special.

I was there, even through all of the screaming and things exploding on impact and being set on fire. I think Kohana set _so_ many people on fire that day, just with a mere glance. That was a scary time. It made me wonder why women went through so much pain in the first place. I had never seen anything like that before.

But I was the first one to hold Sayuri. And she screamed so loud... I smiled. That's when I knew how much of a crybaby she was. I watched her with bemused eyes as she taught herself how to flip over on her belly, run into walls, and crash into tables before she even knew how to work her own two legs. Heh, the stuff Kohana would let her do! Like... Poking forks into power outlets...

I wanted to look after her. Kohana knew I did more than anything, but I slowly fell out of being a father for her. I had a duty to fulfil to my people, and I stopped seeing my daughter more and more. Sayuri realized that too, and stopped running to her father. It was like she had forgot who I was entirely. I could recall times when Sayuri would walk into a room in only a way a toddler could—cute and unseen—and she would stare at her mother who always seemed to ignore her in favor of her father who could never get enough of her... Antics.

"You're going to cry, right?" I asked, looking down on her with dark eyes. "Uh-huh?"

Sayuri slapped her hands over her face and I smirked. Not because I was teasing her, but because I knew she hadn't changed in the slightest. I turned on my heel to leave, but Sayuri had grabbed on to my pants leg, making me look at her. There wasn't a single tear on her face. She was angry. Livid. It was... Different.

She stood up instantly, scowling up a storm.

How defiant.

"Save your damn speech," she growled, under her breath. "I am what makes this team!" Those were simple words. Anyone could have said them, really. "I love Kohana, and no matter what, I'm not going to kill her! She can kill me how many times she wants, but I'll never give up my faith in her. I know she's in there somewhere, and we're going to dig her out, Suzuki. So keep your bogus warning. I don't need it." I'd like to think those words were meant for that short, purple-haired girl to say. She stomped up the next flight of stairs to the final room. The others followed their leader without fail.

Miyuki gave me a glance, nodded her head at me, and the followed her squad of Summoners. What a quirky Guardian. My subordinates stared at them, and once Miyuki was finally out of my view, I folded my arms and closed my eyes.

"Vouz avez plein de merde, Sayuri..." I muttered, opening my eyes and turning around to leave. I tear myself away again from serene desert, from lonely coyotes, from her soft eyes and her glance captures mine. She hates to let me go again, I go—but I do look back for her.

Always home—always in my mind, a faded photo reminds me forever why I fight.

* * *

**A/N: **The first phrase in French? XD;;

Suzuki told Fire to "fuck off". Within good reason, too! XD;;; Silly Essence.

The last sentence of the chapter? Suzuki said "You're so full of shit, Sayuri." XD;;

Suzuki is so damn amusing. I had fun writing him. XD;; He just has this unusual air of superiority about him. Like he knows he's the shit but he doesn't even care. XD;; And then, of course, there's those little comments about Kohana he sprinkled through the chapter. XD;; Like, he's so slick and sly. XD;; Now, Suzuki warned Sayuri the best way he could. XD;;

But of course, Sayuri's stubborn. He's gonna be pissed if he has to go save her. XD;; All I'm saying. But guys. GUYS. XD;; Next chapter! We get to go to Forsythia~ It'll be great! It'll be wonderful! It'll be awesome! XD;;; And, of course, we get to learn about our new Summoner. XD;;


	68. The Bride Of The Archfiend

**A/N:** Okay, so we're in a new world now! A couple of new characters get introduced, and all of that jazz. As this is the first chapter to a new world, you should play attention. XD;; This flashback isn't just here; it's very important, and actually means something to the arc. Though Kohana's heroism will never cease to amaze me. XD;; She swears up and down she's this awesome bad guy, and then does stuff like this. XD;;

Which isn't to say she doesn't do a bunch of other... Crazy things, but. XD;;

Happy reading. XD;;

* * *

Overturned suitcase.

Overturned suitcase.

Overturned,_ opened _suitcase.

There are very few things Kohana is afraid of, but this? This opened, black suitcase? Nothing can describe the look of sheer terror plastered on her face. She feels like someone has smacked her in the face with a baseball bat. All of her limbs are numb; it's like pins and needles are sticking in every pore of her body. It's uncomfortable. It's scary. The purple-haired woman repeats the suitcase mantra in her head over and over again so it can really register in her mind. The edge of her mouth twitches slightly as her eyes dilate. The Summoner of Time's head jerks backwards, her face as white as the clouds in the sky.

There's only one word to justify this situation.

Stuck inbetween reaching for her katana out of sheer fear and screaming Atropa's name, she feels her breath catch inside of her throat.

This is bad.

Real bad.

Realizing how dire the situation is, she turns spastically to her left, then to her right, and takes one step forward, inhaling a huge intake of air. Mother Nature is really pulling on her strings right now. Oh, how deceiving that woman is! How dare she shove clear skies and bright, vibrant flowers in Kohana's face when there's a damn overturned suitcase—opened!—in the middle of nowhere! Now that fear has practically devoured ninety-nine of the Wickedness' mind, anger starts to poor in. And oh is the flower fanatic angry. She's _really _angry.

"_Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!_" Because really, that's the only word that can describe this situation. SNAFU could have worked. FUBAR? Most definitely. But this isn't the military. This is far from being the military. This is real life, and shit just got real. Kohana, with her katana held tightly in her right hand, runs her left hand through her hair in an attempt to calm her nerves. It doesn't work. "This is messed up," she murmurs, her eyes still wide from shock. "This is so messed up. This is physically, mentally, morally, aesthetically, performance-wise and theoretically messed up! This is messed up on so many levels of... Of...!"

The wind stirs.

Stirs.

Kohana looks over her shoulder, albeit slowly. There's only one thing left to do in this situation. _"Atropaaaa!" _And almost instantly the deity—wearing a new red-violet and green dress—appears in front of the Wickedness, a scowl on her face. What a beautiful new dress she's wearing. Kohana forgets about her fear for a split second, gazing at Atropa's beaded bodice and the way her dress has multiple pick ups and is ruffled all the way down to the ground. But that doesn't last too long. Before Atropa can even get a word out of her mouth, Kohana unsheathes her sword with lightning speed, and subsequently a huge strike of lightning appears that impales the ground in front of her.

Panting, Kohana opens her mouth to say something to her partner, but the ground underneath her feet starts to glow. She looks down immediately and her jaw drops. Completely. There's a fully-prepared pentagram drawn on the earth in what looks like... In what looks like...

"Feathers?" Kohana croaks out, like a frog. Yes, white feathers.

Well.

This is going to suck.

Her thoughts move at eighty-five miles per hour, trying to outwit her opponent. With so many things zipping around in her brain, she finds it hard to pick a solution. But she doesn't want to be evaporated into nothingness, that's for sure, so she picks one at random—which is really, really, insanely stupid—and tries to work with it. Stabbing her katana into the ground, she claps both of her hands together, purple lightning dancing in front of her face and creating a violet tint in her green eyes. "Roar, winds of time!"

Expecting the wind spell to work, Kohana exhales right after saying her chant, but the anagram beneath her starts glowing even more so and she furrows her eyebrows, putting on a look of pure terror. "You have to be _kidding _me!"

Just a split millisecond before the spell is activated, the earth crumbles underneath her feet, causing her to fall on the ground. But, with the earth broken, the spell can't be activated and she sighs, standing up. She knows this isn't over yet, not by a long shot. Once the debris clears, she spots a very unhappy Atropa with a six-inch, red stiletto-wearing foot perched on top of a boulder. So she was the one who caused the earthquake? Good. Opening the palm of her right hand, Kohana's sword props itself in the safe clutches of her fingers.

Snarling heavily, Kohana turns around, the tendrils of her purple hair whipping across her face. "That's really fucked up, Atropa! You completely fucked up this time!"

"What are you talking about?" Atropa yells, trying her hardest to make sure the purple-haired woman—who is several feet away from her—can hear her loud and clear. "You opened that suitcase, not me. I'm not an idiot, remember? How dare you accuse me of something so stupid! I was looking for you just so I could kick your high and mighty backside around a few times for being such an ignoramus!"

The pins and needles feeling comes back.

Not like before.

Oh no. These pins and needles are dipped in poison, and they're super effective.

"Well then if _you_ didn't open the stupid box, and_ I_ didn't open the stupid box, then _who_ the hell opened the stupid box?" Kohana fumes, swinging her sword to the left with all of her strength, creating a sonic boom that makes a couple dozen trees fall to their deaths. A bead of sweat slides down her forehead and she lets out a cry fit for an Amazonian warrior. "Atropa! You help me dammit I can't do this alone!"

Huh.

The Wickedness can't fight this thing alone?

Instead of jumping to Kohana's side, Atropa lifts a brow in sheer amusement. Needing help to take out the enemy? "Oh, is this the almighty Wickedness I hear asking me for help? The one person in the entire universe that can take out anything with its eyes closed?" Atropa looks around the area, just for added affect. She touches her cheek with her right hand, rolling her eyes. "Oh help. Save me. We're all going to die. If the Wickedness can't do it," she says, looking at Kohana directly. She's been waiting her entire existence for this moment, and puts on a wide smirk. "No one can."

And this causes the mother to snap. Completely.

With her nostrils flared she jerks back, her emerald eyes slitting. "Atropa you keep playing with me and I _promise you _that I will cut your legs off at the knee, grind the pieces up into chunks and make you _sit __there and bleed to death while I shove the parts into your mouth and make you_ eat_ them!_"

"Now honestly," Atropa answers, sighing and tilting her head. "Who's going to help you after a comment like that?"

Unfortunately, while Kohana's lost in a daze of sheer anger, the ground cracks underneath her and something shoots out of the chasm. Luckily, her reflexes are still in good shape. Moving too fast for the human eye, the Summoner of Time and the intruder shoot up into the sky. Using her space magic, Kohana sits sideways in the middle of the air before disappearing entirely, managing to jump on top of the white-haired person's head and flipping off it. "Atropa, I _need _you help me!"

"That's better."

Extending both of her arms out, Atropa flexes her fingers. The deity then pulls her arms back and a white bird appears in front of the suspended Kohana, gasping for breath as invisible strings—only seen from the light of the sun—cut through both flesh and bone. The bird falls to the ground in a series of sliced pieces, each one oozing out blood and hitting the ground with a sound similar to Silly Puddy being smacked into a ceiling. Once Kohana decides it's clear, she stands on the ground and sighs, rubbing her forehead.

"Jeez..." she murmurs. "Stupid... Bird thing..."

Despite this not being a time to laugh, the deity actually feels something building up inside of her. It's strange; hasn't laughed in thousands and thousands of years, but seeing the exhausted, sweaty Summoner of Time slumped over in front of her... Looking like she's going to catch a tantrum at any moment now... Scowling, Kohana steps right up towards Atropa and sticks her index-finger in her face.

"Stop laughing!"

"You were scared."

"Nothing's funny!"

"You were terrified."

"I bet you did this on purpose! Atropa, I'm going to kill you!"

"You're going to cry? Oh please cry, Kohana, it does my heart good to see you in pain."

The flower fanatic comes up with a quick retort in her head, but her attention is instantly pulled to the white bird—that's about the size of Atropa herself—standing behind the deity. Its mouth is open and white light coalesces inside of it. Not good.

For whatever reason, Kohana utilizes her time magic and sidesteps behind Atropa, putting her sword in front of her. The bird releases the white orb of magic, and everything just goes white.

There's pain.

Pain on top of pain towering over pain until—silence. The Summoner of Time's knees instantly buckle and her eyes dilate. This isn't like anything she's ever felt before. Stab wounds? Being tortured?

Nothing can compare to this pain, and so the proud Summoner of Time ends up... Not so proud, rolling on the ground on a soundless scream, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutches the grass with her fingers. She looks outright possessed, like there's something trying to crawl its way out of her body.

Atropa gazes at Kohana with no remorse. She has no shred of sympathy for the woman. The Wickedness tries her hardest to crawl towards the now-closed suitcase, and when she reaches it she stands up on her two feet with the help of her sword. Coughing, she leans over the case, staring at it with the utmost animosity. And then she kicks the suitcase as hard as she can.

"You oka—"

"Leave me alone."

"You sure?"

"I said leave me alone, Atropa!"

Sitting down in the grass and huddling up into a little ball, Kohana closes her eyes. But when she feels the presence of Atropa looking over her, she scowls. "Would you get the hell away from me?"

How rude. Atropa can't believe the insincerity Kohana has sometimes. "Thank you."

"Go die."

With that said, she vanishes into millions of multicolored flower petals.

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Bride Of The Archfiend :-**

_On sleepless nights, I want to dream_  
_I know what real freedom is like_  
_Where am I'm looking at, with my_  
_Lonely eyes_  
_It might be at you_  
_Please stay here by my side a little longer_  
_Please_

_Open the window_  
_Glare at the lonely morning_  
_Water the plants, but and I'm hoping_  
_Somebody will quench my thirst_  
_Like this someday_

— "Tokyo Nights" — Utada Hikaru

This world was breathtaking!

It was so beautiful! I didn't have any other words to describe it. On the Dark Ages, there was something about that world that made it seem so... Dark. Well, duh, obviously Sayuri... Sometimes I disappoint myself.

Anyway, the Dark Ages was a freaking palace in the sky, but this new world? It was like a tropical forest! We were all standing next to a big, beautiful ocean of some kind. Well, okay, if you wanted to get technical, we were standing next to a ginormous rock, but we could see the ocean easily behind it. There were blues and greens and the sand was just the right color... This place was just super beautiful. The nature alone just... Took me off to another time! I couldn't say another world... Because, yeah, this _was_ another world. I didn't want to sound stupid by saying that. Damien took two steps ahead of us, and we could hear the sand crunching underneath his shoes.

The wind smelled really nice too, by the way. Chio had her hands behind her back and was looking up into the sky, gazing at the sun. The sun cast a nice glare on top of the ocean sea, making everything around us feel so much better. I felt like I was on a vacation! Hell, I deserved a vacation, didn't I? Adjusting her glasses, Chio ran towards the water and let it cover her feet. "Wow!" she exclaimed, putting her hand over her mouth. "Look at the view! The ocean here is really alive...! Shiva would love to see this." Didn't Shiva already see the ocean? I mean, if she's an Aeon and can live forever... I shrugged my shoulders and Damien looked down at the sand, writing words or something in it.

That guy really knew how to suck the fun out of stuff.

Kokoro was looking at the mountain cliffs and everything, and Morta was being her quiet, observant self. I'd get her to talk sooner or later! I just didn't feel like doing that now. Feh, why should I have wanted that crazy lady to talk anyway? She was probably in deep thought or something. It would have been better just to not say anything at all to her, right? "Yeah yeah yeah, Chio, this stuff is amazing," Damien said sarcastically. "Whatever. It's just nature. Big whoop. It's everywhere." That guy. Argh. He just rubs me the complete wrong way. I was about to say something, but Ruby jumped up. Well, she didn't jump. She kind of twitched.

I looked at her and saw how the bright sun was reflecting off her black hair, making it seem like it was brown. Really, her hair was brown. Just a really, really dark shade of brown. She was the newest addition to the team—the girl that Suzuki had been keeping watch after. Really spunky too. I quirked a brow, watching her point a finger at Damien and tilting her head. "Hey! Don't knock what Chio was saying just because you don't like nature, you big meanie." She folded her arms and tapped her foot in the sand, which made Damien turn around and glance at her. The teenager was in her full blown Summoner outfit. Let's just say that it looked damn cool. I wish my outfit was like that.

She had on a corset-style knitted top that had what looked like slightly padded cups to it. But it was dark blue and cerulean-colored—darker hues than Chio's blue Summoner outfit. It also had a pretty lace up back too. Oh, and then there was her shirred knit cerulean skirt that had lace ruffles across the hem. And she wore a pretty garter around her thigh and stockings! There were times when I felt sorry for Morta, and this was one of those times. All of us—the girls anyway—have boots when we transform into Summoners. I've got boots, Chio's got boots, and Ruby's wearing these denim blue boots. But ours don't have heels! Morta's feet have to hurt. They have to. But what the hell do I care about her?

"Your name's Ruby, right?" Damien asks with a tilt of his head. He looks back at her too, all cool like.

"Yeah, what of it?" she answers back, with equal sass, putting her hand on her hip. "I said it's not fair. If you don't like this world, keep your mouth closed, huh?" Before she could say anything else, Kokoro walked inbetween them and put his arms up, trying to create some distance. Wow, Kokoro always had to be the top dog, huh? Jeez. He's so lame. I rolled my eyes, taking a few more steps towards the three. Ah, Kohana'd love this place. All the nature, and the big rocks in the ocean... There was a pier not too far from here. I could see it perfectly.

"Guys, now's not the time to be fighting..." Kokoro said sternly. And wow, here comes Chio in all of her brightness. I wouldn't get involved in this. Our team was way too big now, you know? Not only do I have to worry about Miyuki popping up whenever she wants and scaring me, I have to worry about Morta and her psycho-bitchiness, Kokoro and his dumbness, Chio and her... Too smiley-ness, Damien and his jerkassness, and now... Ruby and her... Huh. There's something about Ruby that doesn't immediately make me want to throw up my lunch. But she was really red, now. I don't know... She just got really red whenever she felt attacked or angry.

Maybe it's because I don't know much about her yet.

"Right! Can't we just enjoy the shore? It's so pretty, don't you agree, Ruby?" the Summoner of Convene insisted, nodding her head. I looked at the ocean one more time and sighed. Yeah, the ocean was really pretty. Chio was right. It would be even prettier if we could find a village or something. Maybe a city. A palace in the sky? Okay that one was a bit of a stretch... But we had spent like, seven hours trying to navigate through the higher land. We just made it out of the place. I mean, I'm not saying the high lands weren't beautiful either, because it was gorgeous too, but I was ready for a nice, soft bed.

Miyuki walked in front of me and her tail started swaying in the air. It usually just dragged on the ground behind her because she was so short. Or maybe it was because she was too lazy to pick it up. Nah. Miyuki being too lazy to pick up her own tail? I wouldn't believe that. Ruby looked at Chio and then she nodded her head, taking one step back and feeling calm again. Oh hey look, that rhymed. Uh, anyway, Ruby managed to sling her arm delicately around Chio's shoulder and walk forward. That was the spirit. "I think all of this looks nice! And you guys say we're going to be staying here for a while? I'm so excited about this saving the world thing." She stretched her arms out and basked in the sun, exhaling. "I love this outfit! So easy to move in and comfortable..."

"Glad someone likes their Summoner costume," I said, giving her a smile of my own. It surprised me that Ruby didn't even make a fuss about being chosen to go out and save countless worlds. Apparently she pretty much knew she had the ability to shapeshift a long time ago. Like with Chio and her summoning. Oh well, it meant less work for me and Miyuki and... Everyone else. We didn't want to go teaching her how to transform and all of that stuff. She seemed to get it pretty quick when we were up in the high lands. Then again, it's pretty weird how she transforms. She whistles. _Whistles._ That's not normal! I clutch my fist, Chio snaps, Kokoro stomps on the ground, Morta claps her hands, Damien does this weird thing where he pounds his fist into his other hand and Ruby... Whistles. Okay, so maybe it's not that weird. But still.

For whatever reason, Ruby took a look at me and scared the... You know... She just scared me, okay? It was just that her eyes are this freaky, dark-red color. And her face is all round, and her cheeks are sorta chubby, but not fat. She looked like a happy, demented ghost child or something. Her attention just automatically went from Chio and on to me. She even smacked me in my back, and that made he cough a little. Man, why did she have to hit me so hard? I almost fell on my face! "Heh, Sayuri, you're kind of funny, you know that?"

"Thanks," I muttered, trying to keep my balance. "I get told that a lot."

Oh gee. She gave me a head nod. That was pretty much it. We were getting closer and closer to the pier—which was in the shape of a 'y'—and things were starting to get clearer. That's when Chio looked to the left and pointed at this guy. We could only see the back of him, but he had on these completely weird clothes and he was facing the sea. His hair was blue, too, but what made Chio open her mouth and gaze at him in awe was his—

"Wh-whoa! A tall! He's got a tail just like yours, Miyuki!"

To that, Miyuki folded her arms and closed her eyes, sighing a bit. "Most inhabitants of Forsythia are tailed, Chio." That girl was so easily amused. She wanted to run straight to that man, but Morta gave her a look. You know, the don't-move-or-you'll-do-something-stupid look.

I approved.

Kokoro stood on his tiptoes and tried to look all the way down one branch of the pier, his mouth wide open, too. There was a girl sitting on the edge, dipping her toes in the water and swaying her legs back and forth.

"Now that you mention it," Kokoro said, tilting his head. "That other person has a tail too."

No duh. Urgh. My teammates were so stupid! What did Miyuki just get done saying? Argh! I was irritated now. Ruby took a couple of steps around our Guardian, stroking her chin. "So... You said you're from Spectra, right? Well, you look just like those people, minus your glittery wings. Are you sure this isn't your home planet?" What kind of dumb question is that? Now I had to start flailing my arms around. Miyuki was taking all of this really calmly, though. Strangely calm. It made me think something was wrong with her... But then again, Miyuki doesn't blow up and get mad at people.

"So what do we do now?" Morta asked. That was the best question I had heard all day. Damien rolled his eyes, of course, looking at her like she was stupid and then ogling her boobs. I'm telling you, one day Morta's going to stick her foot in his mouth and it's not going to be pretty. It's going to be pretty damn hilarious and I'm going to laugh really hard.

"Well, why don't we see if we can find some kind of, I dunno, place to stay?" he shouted out. Pfft. Didn't he think we knew that already? He calmed down a bit, probably feeling the strength of the glares everyone gave him. Well, mostly everyone. "I mean..." Damien paused, scratching the back of his head and turning back around. "I'd love to see what level of civilization is here. That is, if there's not anyone from Forsythia on the team, huh?"

"Just remember that you can't, under any circumstances, reveal who you are," Morta murmured under her breath. "Sayuri had a really bad habit of letting everyone know she was a Summoner on the Dark Ages. It almost got her killed." Great. Now she was giving_ me_ a glare from hell. Morta and her gorilla eyebrows could keep their comments to themselves. "Not only that, but she almost got us killed a lot just by revealing who she was. I'm asking you all to operate within the bounds of common sense, if that's possible." If that's possible? Hey! Was that a jab at me?

"Can it, Morta!" I shouted. "Why should I keep my mouth closed? I'm proud of who I am!" I declared that as loud as I could! The guy with the blue hair kind of twitched at the sound of my voice, but meh. What can you do. "I don't think we should oppress the fact that we're Summoners. I mean, people love us. Right, Miyuki?" I was hoping she'd answer me. Miyuki just blew me off and glanced in the other direction. That's it! I stomped my foot on the ground, frowning. "Stupid cat, you're just the same old no good useless Guardian!" Before I could say anything else, everyone started leaving me to talk to that guy on the pier or whatever. Hey! They couldn't just leave me like that!

I huffed and tried to catch up to them. The guy turned around because he must have heard us. He had big cat ears; how could he have not heard something? Kokoro gave him a big handshake and the blue-haired man was obviously curious. We definitely didn't_ look_ like we were from around here. I scratched the back of my head, trying to think of something to say. Because, let's face it, I was the leader! So I couldn't just stand there and look lost. I had to represent for the rest of my team.

Too bad the rest of my team took care of introductions for me.

"Hey!" Kokoro greeted, giving the guy a huge smile. Show off. "We're not from around here, as you can tell, but we saw you standing over here and wondered about this world. My name's Kokoro, nice to meet you!"

"And I'm Ruby," she joined in. Oh please. We didn't have enough time to introduce ourselves. Luckily, Ruby turned around and looked at all of us, squinting her eyes a bit. "Ah, don't tell me! I think I remember all of your names. That's Chio, and the girl in the back is Morta, and Miyuki's our Guardian... Oh, and Damien's standing next to the purple-haired girl named Sayuri." She blinked a couple of times, realizing she had gotten all of our names right. I wanted to clap to show how appreciative I was. "I've got skills huh?"

"Yep, a lot of them," I said, nodding my head. The Forsythian standing in front of us had beautiful, beautiful eyes. There's something about cat eyes that just look exotic and cool. And with the way the sun was reflecting off them...

"Hello there," he answered back. He wasn't afraid of us! … That's a first. He wasn't trying to kill us either. "My name is Autumn. I used to be a simple medicine salesman, but as I journeyed by foot from town to town, I started to wonder if there was something I could be doing with my time." He paused to scratch his head and let out a chuckle. After that he turned to look back at the ocean and then he put his hands behind his back. Forsythian people were so nice... "So now I'm a traveler, drawing pictures as a side hobby and chasing after a brand new set of dreams. I thought about becoming a famous painter, but... Well... I want to do more than that, you know? I want to dream big! You know how it is, right?"

Yep. Big dreams. I had a lot of those.

I could see the twinkle in his eyes. "Now what kind of dream should I go for..." The guy sat down on the pier and gazed into the ocean. "I hope you all have a nice time here!"

"You too, Autumn!" Chio said as she waved her arm in the air. This place is ten times better than the Dark Ages already. I felt at home here. People actually had something on their minds other than killing people blind! Hey, I rhymed again! … Err, see, what I was trying to say is that people were so serene here. Maybe I couldn't say that since we only talked to one person so far, but... We went to the end of the pier where that woman was. She was purring. Waiting for us to talk to her, perhaps? She looked up at us with wide, green eyes and cute little fangs.

"I'm planning to take a ship to the land across the sea, but I'm waiting for my friend to arrive first. Where is she? I hope she comes back soon." After the lady said that, she was instantly pulled into the lull of the ocean. Miyuki decided it'd be best to leave her to her thoughts so we turned around and walked along the mountains again. I was having fun, you know? But then something frightening happened. The ground started shaking and I instantly stopped walking.

"Gah! What was that?" I whined, putting my fists in front of my mouth. Everyone started looking around, but something came into our view. It was huge. Round. Fluffy. Pink. And it had huge long ears, too. They actually trailed behind it and it was_ hopping_. The big monster kind of looked cute. Like a crossover of a rabbit and a malicious bear. Except this thing wasn't anywhere close to being malicious. It hopped up into the mountains again and we were all just staring at it. Forsythia was full of surprises, that was for sure.

"It looked like a bunny rabbit!" Chio chimed, clapping her hands together. "So cute~!"

"Pfft, did you see the way it hopped straight through these mountains?" Damien muttered, half-angry and half-amazed. "Think about it. It just made its way through a huge chunk of these lush mountains and it took us_ seven hours_ to make it through a small part of them!" But that was only because this is a big place! It's not like Spectra or the Dark Ages; Forsythia is a vast, lush, nature-orientated world! Even I know that. So of course it's going to take us a while to get to any kind of village. Or town. The Summoner of Lightning put on a devious grin, and then he rubbed his hands together, taking a few steps forward. "What if we captured that thing and used it? I'm sure we could all fit on it or... Oh! We could all catch individual bunnies! We'd be badass!"

"Oh sure!" I spat, rolling my eyes. "Because a bunch of weirdly-dressed tailless people riding on the backs of 'bear bunnies' is just sooo badass, Damien." I'd never be able to get that mental picture out of my head thanks to that clown. I tried to get my mind off of it and I did the worst possible thing ever. I looked at Miyuki, of all people, who was _salivating._

What the hell.

My eye twitched and she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her outfit, shaking her head. "... If anything, it looked delicious." Something told me Miyuki was dead serious. Ruby found Miyuki amusing, I guess, and started petting Miyuki's head in the roughest way I've ever seen someone pet an animal before. Woah... And I thought I was bad? Ruby was even worse. And trust me, Miyuki was cringing her butt off. My eyes widened, most definitely. "Hey, Ruby? Could you be any rougher...?" I asked.

"Ha! Rougher?" Ruby responds, looking at me with her crimson eyes and continuing to kill Miyuki. "I had loads of cats and dogs back at home. I'm excellent with animals." Animals? Since when was Miyuki ever an animal? She was a Celestial Being! The Summoner of Change took her hand off Miyuki's head, much to my Guardian's relief. Huh. Why couldn't Miyuki just tell Ruby to stop it? Damien made his way over to us and stared at Ruby, tapping his finger on his chin.

"You can shapeshift, right?" he asked. After that, he pointed in the direction that huge bunny-bear thing hopped off in. "So then, why don't you turn into one of those things, and we'll ride you—"

I shook my head big time. I can't believe this.

What the hell!

I wanted to stomp around just to tell everyone how stupid my teammates were. "Hey!" Ruby shouted. "I can't transform into that thing... Even if I tried! And what do you mean you guys would ride me? Wouldn't that hurt really, really badly?" Yes, it would. I think. And there was no way in hell I was going to go around hopping on top of a bunny rabbit. Bear thing? Whatever the hell it was. I shook my head, letting my hair whip my face. Oh, and I was moving my arms around, trying to demonstrate my despair.

"No, no, no!" I shouted, stepping inbetween everyone. "Don't you guys get it?" I shouted into the mountains. I inhaled really big, because I was going to scream at the top of my lungs. I prepared my arms and everything. "We're in the middle of_ fucking nowhere!_" I slumped my shoulders and tried to get my breath back. "Err, um, excuse the language, but I've already bashed it into my head that we're not going to see a city for a while. Damien, stop saying ridiculous stuff, Chio, get out of the bush because it looks dangerous, and let's take this seriously."

As soon as I said that, Kokoro looked up at me and tilted his head. "But Sayuri! Don't say that. We could be in the middle of a big park and not know it yet." Oh sure! Because big parks have mountains and giant freakin' oceans! Wow. Just wow. I was lost in some intense bonding with a facepalm until Damien decided to poke my cheek. If he touches me one more time, I'll do him like I did Alula and throw him through a wall!

"What's got you so mad?" Damien cooed, making my nose twitch. "See, you're mad because we've been walking through the middle of nowhere, too." He paused. Which made me angry. I mean, if you're going to try and be a pain in my butt, at least finish your damn point. Damien narrowed his eyes and then stood up straight, putting one hand on his waist. "Oh. I see. You're upset because you had to leave your boyfriend." Okay, now I'm angry! My mouth opened, but only because I couldn't believe he would say something like that.

"Watch it!" I screamed. "Suzuki is not my boyfriend, and if you say that again, I'll—"

"We are not going to get anything done if you guys keep arguing," Morta said, sighing. Who cared about what she thought? Most of the time she was wrong herself anyway. I was going to cut Damien into pieces! Damien saw this as an opportunity to further annoy Morta, of course.

"Oh, so now the talking brick wall wants to say something?" he inquired, rubbing his chin. "You know, Morta, if you didn't have boobs, I would find you less amusing." What the heck happened to my team? I mean, when it was just the four of us, we still sucked, but now we suck big time! No one is smart, no one knows what to do, Damien keeps going on and on about boobs and bunny bear things, and, and, and... I'm going to lose my mind! I swear I am! There's too much stuff going on at one time. I was half expecting Morta to kill Damien now, but that didn't happen. I think she death glared him. Overkilled him is more like it.

And here comes Kokoro to the rescue. "Hey, Damien, show Morta a little more respect..."

"Pfft." Aww man, this guy's just asking to get on everyone's nerves. Damien threw his arms behind his head and took a few more steps forward. "Why are you always sticking up for these guys so much?" He paused and raised a brow. "Bros before hoes!"

"What'd you just call me?" Ruby shot, giving Damien an equally bad death glare.

I rubbed my cheeks with my hands. This is bad. Really bad. "Okay, okay, just stop!" I shouted. I walked ahead of Damien with my eyes closed, trying to get away from everyone, and then I stopped. There was something laying down in a lush, green patch. The sun was shining right on this thing, I tell you. There were these golden butterflies fluttering around the thing too. I put up my hands, being really careful not to step on it. Actually, it looked like a person!

The girl was obviously sleeping on her back with her right hand perched on her belly and a huge Cheshire Cat grin on her face. She had a hood on too, so her face was completely dark except for her huge, toothy grin and two red dots for eyes. Creepy-adorable, in a way. Her hood had these sewn on, black cat ears on them—I couldn't tell if her real ears were in them or not—and she wore a pink sweater dress that stopped just above her mid-thigh. Her sleeves were really, really, ridiculously long, stretching across her belly and on to the ground next to her. Her other hand was put outwards, and she was just in a really calm position.

Knocked out sleep.

I wished I could go to sleep like her!

Her long, blonde pigtails came out of two conveniently placed holes in her hood and were laying against the grass as well. "Meooow, meoowww," she snored, enjoying her dreams. Huh. Everyone caught up to me and looked at the dark-skinned Forsythian too. It was such a shame we couldn't see her face. I didn't think anyone wanted to anyway. From what we could already see, she looked scary.

"Meow... I can't eat anyyymore... Meowww..."

My face scrunched up. "Does she know she's sleeping in the middle of monster-infested mountains?"

"Technically speaking," Miyuki said, putting her hand in the air. "We haven't seen a monster since we got out of the mountains we first arrived here in hours ago. So far we haven't seen much of anything yet. That's an improvement, and her being here could mean there's civilization close by." Psh. Miyuki's always trying to outdo me! I just wished she'd go away for good. I folded my arms and peered down at the Forsythian, examining her.

"She's sleeping," Chio assessed, nodding her head. "So we wake her up?" Now her brown eyes were sparkling underneath her glasses. Guys, she was so excited. She even started jumping up and down. "Let's wake her up!"

"That'd be awesome!" Kokoro joined in. Of course he, of all people, would join in. I bet he didn't even understand the situation. Hello, guys? We didn't know anything about this chick! She could wake up and very well want to eat us! No way, not me. Not Sayuri Outtaike. I wasn't going to be eaten because a bunch of other people wanted to wake up some kind of cat person! I stepped in front of everyone and threw my arms out, determination written all over my face.

"No, we're not going to wake up this—" I took a step back, only because I wanted everyone to see me clearly behind Damien's tall self. Except, when I did—"Meooowwwwwrrorrr!"—that happened. I must have stepped on her black tail and she freaked out. She instantly curled up against my leg and that scared the absolute potatoes out of me. And I shrieked too. I jumped several feet away from her, hiding behind Morta. Because lets face it. If I was going to hide behind anyone, it'd be Morta. Not because she kicks ass... But, uh, because she'd get eaten first!

The girl sat up, hood on and all, and immediately started to lick her sleeve-covered right hand. She stared at us for a while with her beady red eyes. I didn't know what to say or do... The Forsythian yawned and went back to licking her sleeve. Huh. It must have tasted really good. "What do you want, random people? Flarence is stiiill sleepyyy meow." I think the funny thing about the way she talked was that she drew out her words. But it was more in an adorable way. And the 'meow' glued on the end of her sentence just made her seem more catlike.

It was obvious that she was still groggy. She wasn't the least bit scared of us! But again, I blamed that on her being half sleep. She looked like she had a lot more napping to do. Cool. This time I would be the one to introduce myself! I puffed my chest out and stepped from behind Morta, trying to look like a leader.

I bent down on one knee, trying to see eye to eye with the girl. "So your name is Flarence, right? Well Flarence, we were worried about you... You being laid out in the middle of the mountains and all."

"What about this piece of paper, meow?" she mewled, saliva dripping from her mouth and her expression changing from happy to kinda sad. Woah. What the hell was she talking about? It finally hit me when I looked down and saw her pawing at the diamond on the edge of my corset. Hey! That's not a piece of paper! My corset is... I'm wearing clothes, okay? "It's so thin," she said really fast. Like she was amazed. "...And it doesn't look at all that tasty." My face flushed, but I didn't want to be rude. Was this girl talking about eating me?

"Look, Flarence! If that's your name," I said, shaking my head. "You've gotta get out of these mountains, okay?" Oh sure. Like I could tell a Forsythian that's lived their whole life here what to do. "It's dangerous." Amazingly, the girl didn't give me any lip. She let out a big yawn, stretched out her arms and legs like a cat... And then curled up into a ball and fell asleep? What? I narrowed my eyes and kicked at her tail. "Don't fall asleep, Flarence!" I hissed. "I was going to ask you where the nearest city was! You'll forget about this if you fall asleep, and I don't want to have to remind you!"

Flarence waved her paw at me and closed her eyes again. Stupid cat! "I won't forget about it, meow... Ouch! Stop kicking my tail!" she whined, getting up and frowning at me. I took a step back, because she looked pissed! She had the whole Cheshire Cat grin on her face, but it was turned upside down, and her red beady little eyes were all narrowed. Her black tail was sticking up, too. Her tail was really pretty; it was tinted pink at the end.

"All right, meow. I guess I'll guess go take care of it. Where should I go now, meow?"

"Um, Flarence, right?" Chio said, smiling and clapping her hands. "Do you know where you are?"

"Meow, of course I do!" Flarence said, standing up and circling Chio. What was she up to now? "You people look really weird, Glasses Lady!" Glasses Lady? She must have been talking about Chio... That's super weird to give her a nickname like that, though... Chio adjusted her glasses and tilted her head.

"It's Chio..."

"Meow... Meoow!" She took one look at Morta and then she just lost it. Flarence started jumping up and and opened her mouth to reveal each of the points on her sharp teeth. "Meow! Meow! Meow! That meat... It looks sooo juicy!" And then she made these incredibly nasty sounds and started drooling at the sight of her. But... I mean... I think she was talking about Morta's boobs. We all got that. And Morta seemed to get that straight away. Next thing I know, she opened the palm of her hand and her scythe appeared in it. She was a bitch, but she wasn't stupid.

Flarence was really starting to sound like she wanted to eat us.

"Oooh! Scythe Lady, that's a really big... Scythe...!" Before Flarence could really say anything else, her stomach growled, and when it did we all heard it. It made my eyes widen because it was such a loud noise. Flarence's smile instantly disappeared and her Cheshire Cat grin flipped upside down again. "Wuaaahaaa! I-I'm starving meow!"

"Woah, don't start crying!" Damien said, waving his arms around. "Look, if you show us where the nearest city is, we'll get you something to eat, okay?" Who the hell is "we"? Last time I checked, _we_ didn't have any money! Let alone Forsythian cash! Flarence's face lit up immediately and she pulled a plate out of... Nowhere. Who the hell is this girl?

"Yay!" she shouted in her high-pitched, squeaky voice. "Meat, meat, meat! Jump, jump, jump!" She danced around us, and then she stopped in one place, pointing over a hill. "There's Vallesaccarda, meow! They've got lots of fooods down there, One Earring Guy!"

"Pffft," I laughed, covering up my face. "One Earring Guy, huh? I think that crazy little cat likes you, Damien."

"Flarence isn't crazy, meow," she shot, making me rethink my word choice. She yawned really big, and then she closed her eyes, giving me a huge grin. "Not only are your breasts flat, but you're also boring!" Whaaaaat? The stupid cat was giving me a condescending look with that stupid, toothy grin. And her tail was wagging back and forth. Argh! I blushed and crossed my arms around my chest—I wasn't angry! I was embarrassed! What kind of person says something like that?

"How dare you say something about my chest!" I shouted. "I'll throw you right down this hill, you stupid cat!"

Ruby put her hands on my shoulder, trying to get me to calm down. Huh, she was getting used to the routine already. I was snarling, I was mad, and Flarence stopped walking all together and looked at me, grinning her regular grin. "Huh? You want to play with Flarence now? In that case, I'm all for it, meow!" She paused and then started to tap her face with an index-finger through her long sleeve. "I can't believe someone with such small breasts would try to fight me..." That's it! I broke away from Ruby's hand, and then I lunged at Flarence, only for her to jump on top of my head and then stand behind me.

Once I saw her red eyes and sharp teeth... I lost it for a moment. "Meowwwwraaaah!"

I ran like hell, right down the huge hill. It was steep, but it wasn't too steep at the same time. I could have slipped and busted my face at any given moment, and plus, Flarence had more natural balance, being a cat and all. I heard Chio calling my name, but uh, I was more worried about Flarence killing me. On the way down the hill, I saw flowers that were so exotic and pretty that I had to look at them for a second. Bad idea. Because there were rocks at the bottom of the hill, and I was sure I was going to bust my face!

I jinxed myself. Of course.

I tumbled down the rest of the mountain, eating dirt and twigs and flowers until I came to an abrupt stop, smashing my face into the ground. I think my fall could be best summed up as "hurt". It hurt. Like hell. Argh, I was in so much pain that I didn't even want to pick myself off the ground. Before I knew it, Flarence came sliding next to me, peering down. Her mouth was formed into an overturned '3'. I'm not kidding.

"Flarence won, meow!" she exclaimed. "But Iyyyum pretty exhausted, and staaarving, meow..." She paused, taking a few steps forward and closing her eyes. "Plus... I'm getting sleepy, meow..." Next thing I heard was a loud thud, and I opened my eyes to see Flarence on the ground, curled up in a little ball. She must have lost interest in me... That was good, I guess, but it looked like it'd be a while until the others came down here. I touched my forehead with my fingertips and shook my head, closing my eyes.

"What the hell am I going to do about her?" I asked myself. "I can't just leave her here... And I mean, I did kind of make her run after me. But where am I going to take her? I don't even know where she lives... But she'll get eaten if she stays out here like this!" Stupid conscious! I hated being so damn nice all the time. I ignored all the bruises I had and picked Flarence up. Don't get me wrong, she was extremely heavy, but someone had to do it... Okay, eff picking her up. I placed her back on the ground and started dragging her by her arms.

The confusing part was that even though she had just fallen asleep, she didn't wake up for nothing! Nada! Zip! I saw the gates of Vallesaccarda and I just laid Flarence against them. Man, I was really tired and I was panting a lot.

The stuff I do for people across the universe, huh? She should have just woke up and went home. I didn't want to babysit a cat obsessed with meat! And I had to go back and meet up with the others.

But how dare she say my boobs were small!

… They're normal sized, right? I poked them a bit and tilted my head, looking down at my corset. Not that it mattered or anything, pfft. I mean, just because I didn't have big dumb boobs like my mom...? Their shape wasn't bad, though! That's all that counted.

"Hey, Sayuri!" I looked to the left and saw Kokoro running down the hill. It looked like the others weren't too far away from him. You know, I was wondering why Chio wouldn't just summon Evreet, and then it just dawned on me. It was because he'd set everything on fire, wasn't it...? "You guys ran fast!" Don't I always run fast? I shook my head and looked down at Flarence as everyone surrounded her. Urgh. Sleep. Again. This girl was starting to get on my nerves.

I shook her, because no one was going to give her the luxury of being picked up. I was sure she could move herself! Of course that didn't work though. Waking up Flarence the normal way would never work. I shook my head and put my hands on my hips, closing my eyes. "I hate to do this... But... I've got nice, hot, warm food for you, Flarence."

Almost as soon as that came out of my mouth, Flarence's red beady eyes shot open and she sat up, her tail wagging and a Chashire Cat grin on her face. "Food! Food! Where is it?"

"I don't want to break your spirits and all, Flarence," I muttered. "But there's no food."

I knew she was going to get mad at me, but I didn't think she was going to get that mad! She blew up on me, damn near! "Wh-wh-wh-wh-what the hell? That's one cruel lie, meooow! I'm telling you I've never been insulted this much in my entire life!" She was prepared to bite my face off but she looked at Miyuki.

Like she had never seen her before.

"Cat Person! Cat Person! Cat Person! Cat Person!" she shouted. "Flarence is so happy to see you, meow! Long time no see! What do you want me to dooo?" Flarence's attention span. Was about the size of an eyelash. Miyuki pointed towards the village, calm. Man, I wish I had her patience.

"You were taking us to Vallesaccarda—"

"Food! Food! Food!" Flarence shouted, grabbing my hand and dragging me across the ground. I didn't want to fall again, so I tried to move my legs the best way I could. The city was really nice! It had pretty grey stone everywhere, and there were lots of people walking on the streets—I wish I could have gotten a closer look at everything, but seeing as how Flarence was dashing at the speed of sound...! "Yay, yay, yay! Food! Bounce, bounce boing!" She was so annoying! She didn't have to add sound effects when she did something that involved action! I was gonna say something, but I saw a pink blur like... Fly backwards. I think she ran into a wall.

Yep. Wall. That explains everything.

But wait, wasn't I free to stop running?

I was just getting my balance back together, but I ran into something big. And tall. And fleshy. I fell on the ground right on my butt, and the others caught up to me, trying to help me up. "Wow Sayuri, you just can't catch a break..." Ruby said, putting her hand out. I took it, obviously, and rubbed my head. Ouch, man, whatever I just ran into sure was unkind to me! I licked my lips and looked up at the apparent wall I collided into, and my eyes widened.

Something about this guy just spelled bad. I could hear the ominous music playing in the background and everything. I immediately frowned, because I'd never seen anything like this guy. The first thing I noticed about the guy was that he had tiger stripes on his face. Three on each cheek. And then I noticed his long, luscious red-orange hair tumbling down his back. His eyes were the same color—he had cat eyes, but... It's not every day you run into a tiger man. His claws were... They made me gulp, and he gave me a rather exasperated expression, staring at me like I was some kind of puppy in a factory full of cheetahs.

Not good.

I reached my hand out to dust off his pristine suit, but he started to hiss at me.

Really, he _hissed _at me. Every curve... Every cut... Every detail... Every muscle that popped out and shaped his arms underneath his black suit coat scared me. "I do not care to find out who you are." Cold. Uncaring. Sarcastic. "Do find out where you are going soon—I haven't the time to stand here and tolerate your foolish running. Unless, you want to apologize," he said, quirking a red-orange brow and peering down at me. He seemed really important... I figured the first thing I would do was apologize for bumping into him, even though it was Flarence's fault.

I gazed back at her and she was pressed into a nearby wall.

Urgh.

I took a deep breath, clapping my hands together and letting the bangles on my arm cling to one another. "I—!"

"You seem to be of worth. You dropped in at a convenient time, Summoner Sayuri." Wait. What? How did he know my name? Before I could get the chance to turn around and look at him, he put one hand on my head and turned my entire body around. He forced me to look at him. He forced me to pay attention to him and him only. I wasn't liking this situation.

"How do you know my—"

I was instantly silenced by the twitch of his mouth. I saw fangs! Fangs! Oh, what the hell were my teammates doing? Help! Help! Summoner in distress, dammit! "The sound of your voice utterly _kills_ me, Sayuri Outtaike. It's been years; haven't you went through some form of puberty?" He loosened his grip on my head and I glared at him, throwing my arms in the air.

"Hey, that's not nice! That's actually, really, really mean. I don't know who you are, but—!"

I mean, come on, I was expecting the guy to cut me off again (since he had been cutting me off since we met) but not by _raping my mouth!_ Because that's exactly what just happened. He put his lips on my mouth and—because I was so shocked—I opened mine and he proceeded to tongue rape me, tilting my head up towards his with his right, tiger-striped hand and my thoughts just went haywire. Haywire! Stuck inbetween screaming and panicking, I did what only a smart person would do. If I was going to stand here and be disrespected, then I would disrespect him back!

I pushed the intimidating guy away from me, and then I created the nastiest glob of spit ever created in the universe. And then I spat in his face.

In.

His.

Face.

I spat again, but this time on the ground. Just to get that bad taste out of my mouth. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but it tasted horrible. My team looked pissed though. I'm looking back at them and they're in full blown fight mode. I wiped my mouth off with my arm and balled up my fists, steam coming from my ears. "How dare you do something like that!" I shouted. "You say you met me years ago, right? No, that was my mother. I'm nowhere near the Sayuri you met, and I'm not going to let something like this happen again! The old Summoner Sayuri you know is gone and dead, and... And... Argh!"

I was just so caught in the moment that I didn't notice the vicious growling the man in front of me was doing. His entire face was red, his eyes were slitting, and he just did not look happy. I blinked a total of three times before I stepped back, noticing what I had done. I had just spit in some cat man's face._ Tiger_ cat man at that. I was confused, but I think everyone else were even more confused.

Once he calmed down... Because it took him a really long time to calm down, he tilted his head and traced his claws across my face, making my nostrils flare up. Seriously, this isn't funny! I'm going to _kill _Kohana!

She just couldn't name me something else, huh?

"A taste only fit for the bride of the Archfiend..." he muttered, straightening himself out. "In my mind, you're the only Sayuri Outtaike I know. And in this world, you belong to me, and no one else." He growled under his breath and I completely froze up. Bride? Archfiend? What the hell! I was so confused. I was no one's bride, and what the heck was all this talk about an Archfiend? This guy standing in front of me wasn't an Archfiend, was he? Was he...? "You owe yourself to me, you persistent itch on my back, and don't you forget that you promised me holy matrimony."

"I didn't promise you shi—!" I caught myself this time. Ha! "I'm going to—"

"You know, it's not cute when you talk. Not at all." He pulled a handkerchief out of his coat sleeve and wiped his face off, growling at me still. He gave my teammates menacing looks, and then he turned around on his heels. His orange hair twirled behind him... The way the sun made it look all glossy...

"Welcome to Forsythia." It was sarcastic, that I knew, but the way he just left... We watched him disappear into the city and Chio hopped in front of me, her eyes wide.

"Are you okay, Sayuri?"

"Yeah, that dude sounds like trouble," Damien said, jumping in. I nodded my head, and I was about to say something until Flarence came skipping around us, holding her head.

"Wh-What the heck was that, meow? What just happened to Flarence, meow?" No, what the heck just happened to me? Anyway, it sounded like she had just forgotten about everything that just went on! Or maybe she just didn't see it... Or... Or... Argh! So confused... "Oh well. I wonder if there's anything fun to do around here~!" But I-I...

"Flarence," Miyuki said sternly, folding her arms and looking at the excited Forsythian. "We need you to tell us everything you know about this Archfiend."

"Ooooh!" Flarence chimed. "You mean the Kitty Man, huh? The big scary guy? I know someone who knows looootssss about him! I'm suppose to be chasing him down right now...!" She looked down at the ground, poking her face. "I think."

"Hurry up and get to the point, Flarence!" I said, folding my arms in disgust. "Can you take us to her?"

I knew I shouldn't of asked that question, because Flarence took my hand and ran me through the city. Again.

"Yeah! I'll take you to the Boobie Lady!"

* * *

**A/N:** Sooo we should all know quite a lot about the Archfiend from a few flashbacks in the Dark Ages' arc. Lord Agathangelos... Does that ring a bell? It should. XD;; And if it doesn't you can get off your lazy butt and go back and find several flashbacks with the Archfiend in them. Yes, we're in a new world, and Forsythia's vastly different from the Dark Ages. For one, Forsythia is a lot bigger than the Dark Ages. XD;

And has way more people.

And it's bright, and colorful, and it's pretty vast and amazing. Very pretty world with lots of wildlife.

Flarence isn't that bad. She means well. XD;;;

As always, we'll be meeting more characters. XD;;; And learn more about Forsythia, and its people, and the culture. What about this Archfiend guy? We'll find out next chapter! ... Apparently the Boobie Lady is gonna tell us all about him. XD;; Ah, I'm terrible. XD;;


	69. It's The Boobie Lady!

**A/N:** Wooo! Don't you just love the smell of new arc?

I do. It makes me feel like more of a woman, I tell you. XD;; Seriously, this chapter was a load of fun for me. XD;; I love all the new characters and this new world and baaah. All of it is great. XD;; Including the plot.

* * *

This is a phobia of phobias.

The small.

The destined to disturb and disgust.

The eight-legged demon that causes despair in and out of the Dream World.

The arachnid.

The spider.

With an eyebrow arched, Atropa sips Earl Grey tea from her cup, her attention completely focused on a spider's web hanging from a purple flower. Like the smart insect that it is, it's waiting. Watching. Lurking for some unsuspecting fool to step into its territory. The edge of her lips curl in amusement. No matter how powerful a being may think it is, if it doesn't have a brain it will surely crumble, falling into the arachnid's trap. She puts her porcelain teacup on the miniature plate in front of her and gazes into the blue of the sky.

Nature is prettier when you have a nice chair and table to sit at.

The pinkett grips her cup with her lithe, delicate fingers, letting out a petite sigh. She hasn't seen Kohana in a long time. We're not talking about a few hours; we're talking about full blown days._ Days._ That's a shattering record. Normally Kohana's breathing down her neck, doing anything to get her attention. N-not that she misses that attention or anything. She likes her peace and quiet. Nothing is better than sitting down and drinking tea.

Two sips and she sits the cup down, an exasperated look on her face. Okay, so maybe she does miss Kohana and her antics. Without her to add color to nature, everything seems dull and boring. It's a disconcerting thought in and of itself. Could it be that she actually enjoys her company...? A fixture of air materializes in front of the deity and she chokes on her tea, her eyes dilating. Some of her Earl Grey tea spills on her elegant, dramatic, floor-length dress and she blinks, witnessing multicolored flower petals float around her.

Damn Kohana.

Atropa's half expecting Kohana to laugh at her, but she's wearing a look of absolute sorrow.

The deity wants no part in her angst. Turning sideways, Atropa diverts her attention to a nearby tree. Bringing her teacup to her lips, she closes her eyes and lets the steam of the tea moisturize her lips.

"Kohana."

"Atropa."

They stare at each other for a while until Atropa takes another sip of tea. "You look upset." Both of them know quite well why Kohana is upset. Neither one of them make a sound. There's just intense silence for a while. The only thing that can be heard is the sipping of Atropa's tea. The deity grins a rye smile, looking back at the spider. This isn't necessarily bad silence, is it? She glances at the Summoner of Time, taking another sip of her tea.

Atropa quirks a brow, only because she knows this should be pissing Kohana off to the high heavens. I mean, let's get real. Kohana's an annoying, obnoxious, manipulative, nerve-wrecking masochistic sadist.

Anything outside of those sub levels is _extremely_ rare.

So for her to be standing in front of Atropa with her face flushed, her posture terrible, her hair a mess and chewing her lower lip? This is the definition of true payback.

"I-I'm not happy!" Kohana whines, her fists clenched.

Pfft.

Atropa almost chokes on her tea, but manages to keep herself composed.

The first phrase that immediately comes to mind is "What do you want me to do about that?" but she decides that she's not going to be cruel. She's going to handle this logically.

So instead, she gives the Wickedness a glance, taking another sip of her tea. "Why are you not happy, Kohana?" she asks, trying to be as gentle as possible with the flower fanatic's feelings. Even though she doesn't deserve it. The purple-haired woman's mouth slightly opens as she throws her arms out towards the deity, her eyes big and round.

"You! I... I don't like it!"

"What? What is it about me that you don't like?"

Kohana's face twitches and she quirks her nose, staring at Atropa from the bottom of her eyes. "It's not fair! You're... You're—!"

"—Intimidated by me."

As soon as Kohana hears those words floating out of Atropa's mouth, she puts her arms down and her face drops. She looks like a kitten does when someone takes its milk away. After that brief period of depression, Kohana narrows her eyes. And then she snorts.

"Are you crazy?" Funny, the Summoner of Time didn't shout at the deity. Normally she'd throw her arms around and go on and on and on about how great she is. Even though that last sentence wasn't said in a shout, the Wickedness' voice wreaked of poison. "But... I-I'm not happy, Ahhhtropa!"

"Dearest darling—"

_Sip._

"—I cannot fathom why—"

_Sip._

"—Anyone would prolong something so innocuously futile. And I'm sorry if I used too many big words just now. But you see—"

_Sip._

"—It's an involuntary reaction for me to compensate for your constant use of ridiculous pet names."

Suddenly, Kohana has an overwhelming urge to see Atropa's teacup smashed into her face.

She acts on it, of course, but quickly falls on her face, tripping over Atropa's foot. Blinking and scrambling to get on her feet, Atropa takes another sip of her tea. Once she's done, she studies the Wickedness and what she sees amazes her.

Kohana looks like an absolute child now.

A small child.

Toddler.

Perhaps even an infant.

Her cheeks are big and puffy, her eyes are watering, and she just looks so damn _bad_... "No! No! No! This is all wrong! This is completely twisted! Contorted! It's not supposed to be like this!" she shouts, going into another one of her temper tantrums. "Dammit Atropa," she says, looking at the deity with wide, green eyes. "You're supposed to fear _me!_ You're supposed to be on your knees begging me for forgiveness! Waaaaaahaaaa~! Why aren't you scared of me? Angry? Show some emotion, Atropa!"

She pouts.

"You're not fun!"

"What?" Atropa mutters, her lips on the edge of her teacup. "Don't forget who you're talking to. I simply have better things to do than to tend to the likes of you. People who are far more intelligent and need me to sort out when and how they will die. The entire universe needs me, Kohana."

"Bwaaaaaah!" Kohana shouts, stomping around the deity. It's an action that startles Atropa, at first, but then she tilts her head. This is expected of Kohana. Reduced to acting like a mere child. "But you're _mine,_ Atropa! You're mine, you're mine, you're _mine!_ _I_ want to hear you plead for mercy!_ I_ want to be the one you carry on your back, and_ I_ want to be the one that beats you into submission. Not those guys! They don't love you the way that_ I_ do!"

Yet another sip. "I don't remember you getting ownership of me."

"Raaaah!" Kohana shouts, gripping her head. "You're playing a cruel and sadistic game, Atropa!"

"Let's hope that game isn't called 'Waaaahaaa Bwaaaaah Raaaaah'. Because I don't know what comes next, and to be honest, it sounds pretty dull."

"I'll make you love me forever, Atropa!" Kohana exclaims, giving the deity a worrisome look. "You'll bleed for me, and... And... You're really pretty when I break you into little pieces... And when you turn that shade of blue when you bleed...! All of that belongs to _me_." Now she's stomping on the ground. "You're _mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!_"

"Very interesting love confession. I've never seen one with a madness mantra in it before."

"I don't love you!"

"Pffft."

"You think I'm lying?" The Summoner of Time glares at the pinkett, scowling.

"What's spooky and comes out to play at night?"

Kohana taps her index-finger on her chin. It's not that she doesn't know the answer to the question... It's just that the question is very random. It has nothing to do with what was just being discussed. "A ghost," she mutters, folding her arms across her chest and scowling. Atropa takes another sip of her tea, the end of her lips curling.

"Good. Now what did you eat yesterday?"

"Rib roast?"

"Now what do you put in a toaster?"

"Toast!"

_Sip._

"ARRRGH!" Kohana yells, gripping her head even tighter.

"Wrong. Bread," Atropa murmurs, grinning faintly. At first there was a clear look of surprise on Kohana's face, but now there's sheer anger. Atropa actually has to stifle a laughter. The Wickedness scratches her head and narrows her eyes, growling underneath her breath.

"I suggest you start getting serious with me, or I'll show you how I can make the hilt of my sword fit in every sensitive part of your body."

Ah. Good old Kohana.

It's nice to see her again.

Atropa exhales and sits her cup of tea on the table, adjusting her position in the chair. Folding her hands over her leg, Atropa gazes into Kohana's green eyes. Now it's time to be serious. "So. You've heard about the Archfiend down in Forsythia?" Upon hearing the word "Archfiend," Kohana bursts out in extreme laughter. The Archfiend? The thing that those crazy people tried to resurrect years and years and years ago? Tears stream down her face as she tries to hold her stomach.

"Good one, Ahhhtropa~!" she says through her giggles. "The Archfiend? You mean the guy that doesn't exist, right?"

_Sip._

"He looks pretty alive to me."

"Ha! Don't pull my leg," Kohana mutters, folding her arms and tilting her head. "I closed that case so long ago. It's a silly folklore story. The Archfiend isn't real!" When Atropa doesn't answer her, her eyes dilate and she knits her fingers together.

"Right?"

"I suggest you get out of the Dream World and tend to your daughter." Atropa's attention diverts from the flower fanatic to the lone spider and how it sits on its web, waiting and watching for its next victim. Its very survival depends on these things. As Kohana disappears in a fury of frantic flower petals, Atropa smiles against the edge of her teacup.

The spider weaves a tale of love.

Bravery.

Fears.

And yet Kohana seems to enjoy the tragedies of a story more than the happy endings. The deity can feel the Wickedness wrapping around her with silk self made, a cocoon that both protects and destroys her. She's a victim of kindness, desire and trust. Truly a beautiful product of her own creation.

Atropa likes spiders.

* * *

**-: Chapter Sixty-Nine: It's The Boobie Lady! :-**

_Don't start, don't start shaking again_  
_She can make the salt taste like sugar on her hands but_  
_If love is a way out, then please let me in_  
_Don't start, darlin'_  
_Don't you turn my nightmares into dreams again._

_These are the veins of the way that we love_  
_These are the hearts of lonely people ripped in front of us._

_We all did what we had to do._

— "Hills Like White Elephants" —Isles and Glaciers

You know what I said about liking this world a couple of moments ago? Yeah, I'm not feeling so hot about that now. It was good at first—that I'll admit—but now I felt like so much crap. I'm sure everyone could tell I was dragging my face around in the boat we were on. Yep, we had to get a boat to go to the next town over or something. Forsythia was huge and pretty, but... But I just wish I had gotten some answers. That's all I wanted.

Obviously Kohana had done something while she was a Summoner here, and there was a part of me that _did not_ want to know what that was. She can do some pretty crazy stuff when she puts her mind to it! I slumped over and listened to the sound of the big wheel turn on our boat. The chirping of the birds was calming and... It wasn't like we were on a _big_ boat. It was more like a sailboat. I shook my head, sighing. I didn't know all of the different kinds of boats. Flarence was standing on the edge of it, looking over the beams and gazing into the water, licking her lips. She's got a one-track mind for sure.

There's one thing I don't understand about Flarence.

How can she be so nice and happy-go-lucky to people she barely even knows? She jumped at the chance to show us who this lady person was. We were all standing up, but I felt I had to let Flarence know that I was sorry about insulting her earlier in the day. She didn't deserve what I said. Even if I was just kidding around, that wasn't enough to justify why I called her a mean name. I took serveal steps towards her and her black, pink-tipped tail jumped up. She could already hear me coming and she turned around. She was still wearing the same Cheshire Cat grin on her face—if she's not smiling one of those, she's frowning one of those.

Which means that her teeth are always showing, no matter what.

It kind of made her scary. "Hahah!" Flarence laughed, looking at the water and pawing at it. "This is fun, meow!"

I inhaled and closed my eyes, trying not to look at her and how hyper she was. The team followed me, of course. Damien looked absolutely bored. He didn't get this whole nature thing. Honestly, the nature around us was starting to cheer me up! It was just what I needed. "Flarence, I'm sorry I treated you wrong earlier," I murmured, nodding my head. I decided to look her dead in her red, beady eyes, showing her how sincere I really was. Seriously, I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with anyone. "It's really nice of you to show us the way to this person."

"Meowww," Flarence purred, glancing back at the water. "There's no reason to thank me Lacking Lady! I'm just doing what I do best, yes. People like us have to stick together, you know? I like you weird people, so I'm going to help you all out because that makes me feel all warm inside. Don't you have instances like that?" Wait. I narrowed my eyes. 'Lacking Lady'? What the heck was that supposed to mean? I heard Damien start to laugh behind me, but he was covering his mouth with his hand. He was doing a real crap job at trying to stifle his laughter! Whatever, Flarence could call me whatever she wanted.

Even if she was insulting my boobs.

I sighed again and looked down at her. "Thank you, Flarence." It was the only thing I could do! What was I supposed to do? Yell at her when she was being so nice? Chio took another step towards us, holding her staff in her right hand. The wind was blowing her brown hair all sorts of places, so she brushed it out of her eyes.

"Hey, Flarence?" she asked. "Are there a lot of other cat people out there like you? We saw lots of them back in Vallesaccarda, but they looked nothing like you. There were people who had ears, but theirs were droopy, and some people had ears that were all bendy, and...!" Chio was hilarious, trying to demonstrate what she meant. She kept touching her ears, and then she would make ridiculous hand gestures. It got a chuckle out of me. "And their were tails, but some were all crinkly and short and long, and dragging on the ground like Miyuki's does sometimes. They sure didn't look like cat people! In fact, you're the only person I've seen that really looks like a cat person." You know what? Chio was right!

I nodded my head in agreement and Flarence touched her face with an index-finger, nodding her head. "Raaawrrr! Flarence is Felinefolk!"

"Felinefolk?" Kokoro said, tilting his head. "What's that? Is that the name of your race?"

"Thaaaat's right, Tall Guy!" Flarence shouted, throwing her arms around and skipping around us. "Sometimes people call us Tail People, but it's all the same meow. We come in all sorts of biiig and wacky sizes. Some of us have ears and no tail, a tail and no ears, sharp teeth but no claws, and it all just depends on what you ask for." That sounded stupid. Flarence didn't know what she was talking about. Or maybe she did. Urgh. I couldn't tell with her. "So now we're going to Liore, Glasses Lady!" She paused, shaking Chio's hand and then letting it go.

Weirdo.

"It's a big port town on the west coast of the conti... Conti..." Oh Jesus Christ! Flarence looked outright constipated trying to get that word out of her mouth. And the worse part was that I couldn't tell what she was saying. She looked so lost and confused that she made me start to feel lost and confused. I started to move my hands, trying to pull the word out of her mouth. Okay, so I was more or less trying to help her spit it out. In the nicest way possible.

"Continent, you mean?" Ruby answered. Hey, I think that was right. Flarence's beady red eyes widened and she looked up at the Summoner of Change, nodding her head.

"Yeah, that! Contiyanet."

"Continent," I corrected, folded my arms. Flarence just kept smiling hardcore. There's normal smiles, and then there's 'Flarence smiles'.

"Oooooh!" I jumped. Really hard. Flarence had a look of absolute passion on her face, her Cheshire Cat smile turning into an upside down 'v' as she flailed her arms in the air. "I know that place!" I couldn't believe how excited she was about that. No, wait, seriously, what the hell was going on here? She started smiling her regular grin again and put her arms down.

Ruby couldn't believe it. She exhaled and then patted Flarence's head two times. "You sure are interesting, you know that...?"

"Fluffy Hair Lady?"

"Um," Ruby muttered, pointing a finger at herself. "You're talking to me?"

"Yep!" Flarence exclaimed, nodding her head and bouncing.

"Yeah?"

"What's a continent?"

What the...! My face scrunched up and everything just got dead silent. How is Flarence trying to explain stuff to us using words she doesn't even know? The birds started to chirp even louder and I put my hand on my forehead. Ruby was still trying to get her head wrapped around that. I just sighed. Look, we weren't here to teach Flarence about stuff, were we? We were here to meet this person she was trying to show us. I really wanted to be sure that I'd never run into that creep of a tiger man again. I would sleep much easier at night if that was obtained. Before I could ask Flarence about that lady, she skipped around towards Miyuki, her tail waving in the air behind her.

"Cat Person? Yaaay, Cat Person!" Now she's attacking Miyuki. The Celestial Being just followed Flarence around with her pink eyes, folding her arms. "I have a question to ask you, meow! You have a tail just like I do. Why aren't you Felinefolk?"

How many times are we going to answer that damn question?

"It's because I'm a different species, Flarence," Miyuki murmured, nodding her head. "You've got to have an idea of different species. You've probably only seen Felinefolk on this world, making it difficult to understand what we are." So. Flarence tilted her head slightly, put her hand against her cheek, and grinned that same Cheshire Cat grin we all know and love.

"Species? What's Species?"

Miyuki actually flinched at that question, but she quickly collected herself. Sort of. See, Flarence was too much! Even for Miyuki! "Well, I guess if you were to put it in simpler terms... Different species are like different people. They look different, or they might have different abilities."

"I see," Flarence said, nodding her head. Did she really? I bet she didn't understand a word of what Miyuki just said. Tragic.

"There are lots of human-like species in the universe, Flarence," Kokoro continued, scratching the back of his head. Oh jeez. Now _he's_ going to try and teach Flarence the rules of the universe? I don't think so! This was not going to end well. "You're one of those," he said, grinning from ear to ear. Idiots. Both of them! Flarence threw her arms up in the air again, grinning like mad.

"So Iyyuuum special?" she purred with sparkly eyes.

"Yeah, I like that word... 'Special'. I'm going to call myself that!" he declared, putting his hands on his hips. I bet he was really proud of himself. I touched my forehead with my fingers and sighed. Oh jeez. This was starting to turn into a trip from Hell. Yeah. 'Special' was a word I'd use to describe them both. Once again, Flarence put on her confused look and touched her face with her hand, staring at Morta and me.

"Um... So are they from two different species?"

"Huh? Oh. Sayuri and Morta? No, they're both humans!"

"What?" Flarence said, her Cheshire Cat grin forming into that overturned 'v' thing again. She threw her arms in the air, her blonde pigtails brushing against her back. She looked really sad. I wonder what she had trouble with understanding now. Argh. "But their boobs look totally different!"

"What the—!"

"What the—!"

Dammit, Morta needed to stop saying stuff when I said it! It was bad enough her voice was already deeper than mine, but dude! Why was Flarence so damn mean to me? What did I ever do to her? I even apologized to her and she still persisted on ragging on me. What did I have to do to get her to shut up about me and my boobs? She already decided on calling me "Lacking Lady" because of my "lack of boobs". Or at least, that's what I think she meant by that. Kokoro's eyes widened a bit and he took a step back.

"Th-That's a little different, Flarence. With Felinefolk, I'm sure you guys have different types of cats. Like tabbies and short-hairs. Humans are just like that. Just because you dress differently or have weird-colored hair doesn't make you another species, right?"

"Ohh, I get it! So it doesn't matter how small your boobs are!"

"Pahaha! I like this kid!" Damien shouted, laughing up a storm. Ha, ha! Very funny! I'd kick his ass right now! I gritted my teeth, but Chio gave me a concerned look and reached out towards me.

"Poor Sayuri..."

"Whatever! It doesn't even matter!" I folded my arms and pouted, looking off into the other direction. "Anyway, Flarence! Dammit, who the heck is this person we're supposed to be meeting! I'd like to be meeting them soon, and I'm tired of riding around on this stupid boat, on this stupid river, in this stupid world...!" Yeah, I was pissed. I started to kick at the air and Flarence's beady little red eyes got really big. She turned around and stared at me.

This wouldn't be good.

"What did you say about the Boobie Lady, meow?" she exclaimed, bouncing all around me. She looked like she was suffering from some kind of twitchy disease or something. Jeez! I didn't say anything about a 'Boobie Lady'. What the hell is a 'Boobie Lady' anyway? "Are you talking about the Great Sage? The Holy Maiden Boobie Lady?"

"Holy Maiden?" Chio squeaked, putting her hands in front of her mouth. Ohoho! So she knew something about whatever the heck Flarence was talking about? I was still trying to collected parts of my exploded brain and glue them back together.

"Boobie Lady...?" I murmured. Chio jumped in front of me, her eyes sparkling. She really wanted Flarence's attention.

"When I was younger, I read about her in a picture book! Kaelyn and the Feline Gourmand!" Is Chio lying or is she actually telling the truth? I mean, for one thing, if she read a book about this woman she'd have to be from this world. And it's painfully obvious that she's not. But on the other hand... Flarence was nodding her head like she was a broken toy... This could lead to somewhere. "In the story, the Holy Maiden Kaelyn brings a glutinous cat with her, and goes around saving people in trouble with her incredible powers!" Chio turned on our heels to face us. Man, was she ever extremely happy.

She reached towards the mountains and looked up into the sky. "Lady Kaelyn was beautiful...! And kind! And wise! And pure!" The Summoner of Convene stopped reaching out everywhere and brought her hands in front of her mouth, closing her eyes and rocking around. Dramatic, much? "She devoted her life to helping people and helping the world!"

I took two steps next to Ruby and gave her a glance. Just a glance. Nothing more. "What do you think?"

"Err, honestly I can't say," she answered. "It could be nothing more than a picture book. It may have nothing to do with the real person."

"But it does!" Chio said, getting all defensive. Woah! I flinched big time. I didn't want her to go all snake woman on me. She looked pissed. "Lady Kaelyn really existed! She led a whole bunch of her followers to save the world, Ruby!"

"Um, this is sounding more and more crazy," Ruby said to me, shrugging her shoulders. I agreed completely. But still, I couldn't be so sure... Flarence looked like she was still pawing at the fish in the lake we were traveling across.

"Well, I mean, this Lady Kaelyn sounds like she still could be alive," I interjected, nodding at Chio. After that she just got really mad. I swore I could hear her muttering something under her breath! Growling, almost! I looked at Miyuki, just to make sure Chio wouldn't magically turn me to stone again, and Miyuki gave me a reassuring look. Jeez, no one wants to hear anyone else's opinions! It's like I can't say anything anymore without getting beat up or tongue raped!

"Boobie Lady is amazing!" Flarence shouted, spinning around Chio. "She's helped so many people that've lost their way by showing them what they needed to do to get back on track meow! And we're going to go see her right now in Liore! Look, there goes the shore now!" Flarence wasn't lying at all. The shore came up fast and I was relieved when I saw it. Man, this is why I hate boats. Flarence gave me one last look with her beady red eyes and smiled a toothy grin at me. "She can tell you alllll about the Kitty Man!"

Once we reached the port, it didn't take long for us to get off the boat. This Liore place...? It was beautiful. Everything in Forsythia was beautiful, but... This city was amazing. It was grassy—very down to earth. All of the grey-stoned buildings had green stuff on them... I don't know... Like moss? But it didn't look as dead and dangerous. It actually added to the shine of the city. The sun was shining brightly, and lots of people walked the streets. There were people with pink tails and green tails and ears of all different shapes and sizes, and Flarence just ran us into the right direction. We ran past a pretty fountain... I guess it was the sight for the town square, and we stopped in front of a house.

Flarence triumphantly waved her arm out and grinned, letting me step in front of her. "Boobie Lady lives here."

"Yeah. Boobie Lady," I murmured, shaking my head. The house was really big... And it was secluded from the city, too. It looked like it was in the back of Liore. There were two trees on the side of it, and there were a few boxes just laying around. They looked full, untouched. Whatever. I knocked on the door, trying to put on my best game face. "Hey, Lady Kaelyn! We were sent here by Flarence and she told us you could help with some things. Are you home?" I stood there for like, three minutes and I didn't hear a response.

I was not weak!

I knew I hit that door with some pretty awesome strength!

I turned around and shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe she's out?"

And that's when Flarence walked straight past me, irritated almost. "The door's not locked!" She just turned the knob and walked right in. We kind of just stood there in shock, because what kind of person just walks into another person's house? "I'm going in, meow!" I shook my head and turned back to look at my team. I couldn't believe we were doing this.

"I guess that decides it," I said. "Let's go in. See what we can find." So, the first couple of steps were pretty safe. Kokoro closed the door behind us, just so that if Lady Kaelyn came back we'd have some time to explain ourselves.

Or run out.

Either or.

This was the standard home. Kitchen, rooms, bathrooms... Nothing about it was really significant. We all tried to look for something we could use—a book would even work—but nothing came up. We all met in the middle of the living room and sighed.

"Well?"

Kokoro walked down the steps and shook his head. "There's nothing up there... I don't know where Kaelyn is... And I can't find out where she might be."

"Same exact results my friend," Damien muttered, scratching his head. "I swear, we should just leave. There's obviously nothing here. I didn't find jack squat."

"Me neither," Ruby said, slumping over. "She must be really good at Hide 'n Seek..." So yeah, Chio got all wide-eyed again and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'd expect nothing but the best from Lady Kaelyn! Regular people like us can't hope to match her Hide 'n Seek skills."

I swear to God I was about to say something.

I swear, it was on the tip of my tongue.

But I started to hear something, and it didn't sound good. In fact, I'd say it sounded bad. Like there were a bunch of cattle running around outside for no reason at all! Even Kokoro and Damien got the hint and started looking around. Flarence—with her Cheshire Cat grin—started sniffing around. And then she drooled all over the floor.

"Smells like food! Food! Food! We're burning, and we're gonna taste _so_ yummy!"

"What!" I shrieked, looking out of the nearest window. Everyone looked at what I was looking at, and no one was happy. There was _fire_ in all of the windows, which meant that someone set the house on fire while we were inside of it! I wanted to blame Kokoro so bad, but we had to find an exit out of this place. My mind didn't even start to think. I immediately ran towards the door on the side of the staircase, but fire just exploded my way. I stopped dead in my steps and put my arms over my face. Poor face! I didn't want it to melt all over the ground!

Fffffuuuu—

Everything pretty much started to roast up, and Kokoro pulled Flarence away from the fire. We started coughing and I covered my nose with my hand. "Someone must have set the house on fire!" As soon as I got done saying that, this weird, green circle appeared underneath our feet. I swear, it was a circle of doom! I looked down on the ground, saw it shining, saw my body shining, and I just lost it. "Wha-what the...!" And then we all vanished into darkness.

I thought I was dead.

I was sure I was dead.

But then I woke up. I was in some kind of murky place... Like a cave. I could hear the _drip drip drip _of the water hitting the ground. That's a surprise, seeing as how the beating of my own heart was louder than anything I was paying attention to, at the moment. We were all standing in the same spot, but man it was dark! Dark as all hell. Damien pointed an index-finger up and it sparked with electricity, giving us a light to see with.

"Nawww," Flarence whined, yawning. "We were in Boobie Lady's house just a moment ago..."

And before I could really answer, I heard footsteps. The footsteps of someone who wore heels. We were all piss-scared. Well. Except for Morta and Miyuki. They're always freaky-calm about everything. I turned around and looked at this sort of lit-up spot. "Waaaah!" I shouted. "Someone's coming!" I couldn't see very well, but from what I could see, there was a woman walking towards us with black, heeled boots on. She wore a really long green skirt thing that went all the way down to her ankles... It was swaying with each step she took, and was cut out on the sides. Oh, and she was holding a lamp too. Once she reached us, she raised it towards her face and that's when I got a good glimpse at her.

First, she had green hair, and tendrils of it hung around the sides of her face, hugging it. She had more hair hanging on the left side of her face, though. The rest of it was pinned up in the back by yellow... Pins, I guess. She looked up at us with a blank expression... The light really reflected off her green eyes. You know what really caught my attention? Her popped up shirt collar. It was really high and rested against her neck... I could take my attention off the low-plunging neckline of her white button-up shirt, sure, but she was wearing some kind of weird, golden butterfly design on it. Kind of like armor...

"It's the Boobie Lady!" Flarence shouted, gasping like a child. We were all prepared to fight her a second ago... But wait. Wait. This is the Boobie Lady? Flarence ran up to her and buried her head into her chest, squeezing her tightly in a hug. "Hey Boobie Lady! I came to visit."

"Huh?" I muttered, standing up straight and straightening out my corset. The armored woman in front of us brushed Flarence to the side, never taking her eyes off me. That's when I got a good look at her long, green, furry ears protruding out of the side of her head. They went outwards instead of up like normal cat ears do. They were so pointy...

"I knew you would come, I knew you were Flarence's friends, and I knew the house would burn down, nearly taking you with it." Wait. What. How? How did she know all of these things? My brain was proceeding to eat itself, yes it was.

"Uh, we—"

"That's why a prepared a transfer symbol for you wretches. Show some appreciation." This woman was terrifying. She just came out of nowhere and demanded that we kissed the ground that she walked on? I mean... She just cut me off! What was it with people cutting me off in this world? I did the one thing that I did best. I stared at her and mustered up the courage to speak again.

"Huh? Um, th-thank you," I said, nodding my head and knitting my fingers. "Very much."

After that, she looked at my team. "Are you deficient? Show some appreciation. All of you." Ruby turned around and bowed. You know, she was trembling a bit.

"Oh, um, of course! Thank you very much!" Everyone followed her lead. Even Miyuki. Jeez. I guess the green-haired lady appreciated what we did and she nodded her head. She didn't show us a bit of emotion in her face.

"Very well. You may now rejoice. I am she whom you seek." Her grip tightened on the lantern she was holding. "The one and only. Lady Kaelyn. Come, I don't recall ever summoning you," she said, turning sideways. I could see the slit in her skirt and her upper-thigh, but now I could see her tail! Her green tail! She had a tail, but it wasn't like a cat's tail. It was really long, and bushy. I had to fight the urge to touch it. She took two steps forward and her tail moved with her. It was... Weird. I reached my hand out towards her, stuttering.

"Wha-wha-wait a minute please!" I begged. She turned around slowly, the light from the lantern illuminating in her eyes. "Are you really the Kaelyn Flarence was talking about?" And speaking of Flarence, she was a little preoccupied with Lady Kaelyn's chest... Her eyes were glued to it!

"I won't say it again, Human." Yeesh! What force in her voice! "Come."

"Yes ma'am!"

She nodded her head and snarled, growling under her breath. "And don't dwadle." Tch! She started walking forward and I turned around to face the rest of my team... Kind of flabbergasted. I took another glance in the other direction and then sighed.

"So... That's Kaelyn, huh? Not... Quite what I was expecting, after all the things Chio said about her..." Oh well. I was used to being disappointed. It wasn't like I had already pictured Lady Kaelyn to be this kind of goddess anyway. I chopped that thought up and started walking ahead, shrugging my shoulders. Lady Kaelyn's kind of a bitch, actually... Chio started walking with us too, but her head was down. Boy, was she upset. Ruby saw how sad she was and patted her on her shoulder.

"Chio... Is something wrong...? You don't look too happy..."

"She's probably just in shock," Damien muttered. "Kaelyn must not have lived up to the image of the 'Holy Maiden'." Look. I'm walking. I'm not even paying attention to what these guys are saying. And Lady Kaelyn stops in the middle of the hallway. She doesn't turn around. She doesn't move. She just has one hand propped on her hip.

"I can hear you." Impressive. She turned to the side and gave a snap of her fingers. Like magic, all of the torch spot thingies in the cave just lit up, easy. Kokoro could have done that! It wasn't even special! "But Holy Maiden has a nice ring to it," she said, touching her chin with the back of her freehand. "I think I may start calling myself that. Lady Kaelyn, the Holy Maiden." She said that all in a slightly condescending tone, of course. It just crushed poor Chio's heart.

She ran past us and then stopped, extremely distraught. "Don't... Not my beautiful bubbles! Stop bursting them!"

And yet, Lady Kaelyn kept walking with the same switch in her step, her tail swaying behind her. "Hmph. Be sparing with your praise. I'm bashful."

"It's _not _praise!" Chio shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "Waaahaaaaa!"

Well.

"She's a bully, huh?" I murmured under my breath to Damien. He just glanced at Chio once more.

"Yeah, definitely."

"That sounds just about right, guys, but maybe she does live up to the name with her powers!" Kokoro said, trying to be bright and sunny. Psh. If he couldn't tell this Lady Kaelyn was a bully...

"He's right," Miyuki mumbled. "She not only knew of our relationship with Flarence and how we were coming to see her, but she even predicted the fire..." Chio turned around and balled up her fists, looking at the ground and gritting her teeth. Woah. She was really mad at all of this wasn't she?

"Well then I wish she would have saved us a little faster!"

Lady Kaelyn stopped again, but this time she turned towards us with the same hand propped on her waist. She must have been really cold with her back all bare like that. "If I had, then you wouldn't know the proper gratitude. I saved your life. And in doing so showed you how precious it is." Her lips curled into a slight smirk. "I think I ought to be thanked for that, not blamed." Really, how mean was this lady going to be to her? Chio looked up to Lady Kaelyn! The Summoner of Convene shook her head... Maybe she was trying to wake up from a bad dream?

"This is wrong," she said, frowning. "This is all wrong!" The brown-haired Summoner looked down at the ground. "Lady Kaelyn's supposed to be beautiful! And wise! And kind!" Well. Lady Kalyn turned around again and started walking. I could hear the claps of her heels against the ground clearly.

"You see," Lady Kaelyn said, closing her eyes and slowing down in her walking. "That's me to a 't'."

Cue Chio growling underneath her breath. The anagram on her hand looked like it was pulsating too. I yelped, stepping far, far away from her. There was no way I was going to turn into snake food! "Don't Trance out on me! Do it on Lady Kaelyn, not me!" Flarence was nowhere to be found, so I guess she ran towards Lady Kaelyn's house? Ruby took the initiative. She put a little bit more pep in her step and caught of with Kaelyn, looking up at her.

"Hey, Lyn," Ruby said. "Is your house this way?" Of course, Lady Kaelyn stopped again, but this time she grinned faintly at the Summoner of Change.

"Heh. Lyn, hmm? How amusing. Lyn the Holy Maiden. That might be even better."

"Oh please!" Chio shouted, throwing her arms in the air. "No more!"

"I have a hideout up ahead, ragamuffin," Lady Kaelyn said to Ruby. What the heck is a ragamuffin? Bah, Lady Kaelyn's footsteps were starting to annoy me! Why the heck did she have to walk with such a hard switch? We could all tell that she was a voluptuous lady already; she didn't have to beat that into our heads! "There's more after my life than I can count, you see. Here we are. We've arrived." So. We stopped in front of this door. Which is, apparently, the door to Lady Kaelyn's hideout. I was so confused. She opened it and I guess we just walked in. It was a small place... Nothing special.

We all grabbed a chair and sat at a table, and she just looked at us. Flarence was sound asleep in a nearby bed. I was pretty uncomfortable, and talking is the only way I know how to make myself not uncomfortable, so I took a chance. "Lady Kaelyn... Do you really see everything? Please, tell us. Who the heck is the Archfiend?"

"Don't rush me." She was frank with her answer and she pulled up a chair, sitting down in it. "Everything will be revealed in due time." Damien smacked his lips and she glanced at him, folding her arms. "There are those who secretly threaten this land. I imagine you've heard of them. A rather tawdry group that calls itself the Church of Hyboria. They are the ones who burned my house down. Those wretched people are called Hyborists and they follow the Archfiend without fail."

"Why would they want to burn your house down?" Kokoro asked, tilting his head. Good question.

"They are bonified idiots." Ouch. "No. Worse. Imbecilic creations. Although so many heroes gave their lives to defeat the Archfiend, this dogged little cult has continued to worship him for a millennium. They've always seduced new converts in secret. That is, until the Archfiend was resurrected not too long ago." … That didn't sound good at all. "Back then, that was all the Hyborists were concerned with. Resurrecting the Archfiend. The Hyborists lust after my power. They abrade me join their cult, but I'm sure you can guess what my answer was."

The look on our faces... I can't describe it. Lady Kaelyn put her hands on her hips and glanced at us. "What. You look as if you all think I'm talking nonsense."

"What? No. That's not it at all!" I said, trying to get my thoughts together. She rubbed her legs and tilted her head.

"I don't think it's such a strange tale. After all. You lot sitting before me now... You came to this land across the vast universe." Pfft. Okay. Now we were all looking at her like she was crazy. How did she know so damn much? "If you ask me, both tales are equally nonsensical. Don't underestimate me."

"And you learned this through your... Fortune telling?" Morta asked.

"Not exactly fortune telling. Augury, to be more precise. It's very taxing, but far more accurate as you lot have just demonstrated. I had foreseen that Flarence would send me intriguing guests. How right she was." She paused and let out a little chuckle. Hey! Nothing was funny! I gritted my teeth and she looked at me. "You're most intriguing indeed, daughter of Sayuri Outtaike." Holy Jesus! If I didn't believe Lady Kaelyn's powers, I sure did now. I wanted to stand out of my chair but she gave me a glance that told me I'd be better off sitting down.

"H-how do you—"

"I received a message from on high and was waiting. Waiting for you lot to arrive from the stars."

"You were waiting? For us?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yes. You are the only ones that can save this world from the Archfiend."

"U-us?" I stuttered. Man! I was_ not_ looking forward to fighting an Archfiend! Damien's face paled as he looked around. He was just as shocked as I was.

"Save th-the world?"

"All of you who stand here before me. Travelers from across the stars. I tell you once again. You must stop the Archfiend who is coming up with a plan to destroy this world even as we speak. When your mother came here, Sayuri Outtaike, your mother was in charge of stopping the Archfiend from being resurrected. While I cannot say she did a shoddy job, the world obviously found a way to bypass her intervention. I told her that the Archfiend must not yet come. It was too soon."

"You spoke as if his resurrection was inevitable," Miyuki said. Lady Kaelyn just gave her a menacing glance and nodded her head.

"Of course it was. He's alive now, yes? I told her and her team that the Archfiend would indeed be resurrected. But. Not quite yet. I told her that when the time came, a band of warriors would rise up and destroy him. You lot are those warriors. I told her that those warriors were not she and her team. And yes. Indeed. That was another one of my auguries. But that's beside the point. The point is vanquishing the Archfiend."

"Vanquishing the Archfiend? But wait. What if we fail?" I shrieked, my eyes widening. Then what? Would he destroy us? Destroy me? Destroy the world? Lady Kaelyn didn't give me an answer. She grabbed both of her hands, and then she let out a painful wail... It made me flinch. She fell down in her lap, but after that this white light started to dance around her. And then she started glowing! She slowly sat back up again...

"She's..."

"The holy virgin garbed in white walks a bath towards the alter." Wow. Her voice was velvety. Smooth. It was sweet-sounding, too. But she looked lifeless. Like a puppet of the white light. Maybe it was because the green in her eyes was gone. What was going on? Lady Kaelyn floated out of her seat and just kept doing her freaky glowing thing. "The shall soon be cleared, feathers of the purest white staining the deepest crimson, scattered upon the winds. The vile Archfiend, bayed forth from his realm of deepest, darkest darkness, shall awaken to fest upon the corpse the virgin. His corpse shall herald the end of days."

Ruby touched her lips with her fingertips, staring at her. "It's... It's almost like she's a different person..."

Kokoro shook his head. "Would this be... An augury?"

"As the world is immersed in flames of renomination, there is no quarter, no escape. All shall be reduced to ash. Thus are all things annihilated in infinite beauty." She stopped glowing, and then she sat back down in her seat. But she was hyperventilating. Bad. I mean real bad! She started coughing, and she broke out in a sweat, and... I didn't know what to do! Chio's eyes widened.

"Lady... Kaelyn...?"

"I figured... It would be faster... To simply show you. … In that augury is the fate of the world in which you fail. I... I cannot stress this enough. When the Archfiend was resurrected, he was supposed to cast the world in all-consuming flames. Everything was to be destroyed. All wildlife desolate. And yet, he did not do that. Please, Summoner Sayuri!" Oh jeez. Now she's pleading with me. This was extremely out of character. "... I... Daughter of the illustrious Kohana Outtaike, you have an... Obligation to fill. You must marry the Archfiend in order to keep that from happening."

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

_What._

"What's wrong with you?" I shouted, standing up and swiping my arm across the air. "Who the hell are you to tell me who and who not to marry? That's crazy talk! I don't want to marry anybody, and I'm damn sure not marrying an Archfiend!" Lady Kaelyn was still bent over in her lap, trying to catch her breath. I shook my head. "No. No way. I'm not doing that. I'm not even from this world!"

"Silly Human!" she snapped. "Did you not understand? This world was supposed to be destroyed already! We, the people of Forsythia, are walking on on the borrowed time that you provide! Summoner of Time, prove your worth to these people. If you don't do what is asked of you, this world will cease to exist in the universe." I balled up my fists and gritted my teeth. She was right. Everything she said was true. She even did an augury right in front of me.

"But I—"

"Stop your bitching and do it already," she spat, coughing a bit. "If not for anyone else... Do it for the fate of this world." No. No. No! Not me. I wasn't going to! "I would do something about him myself, except my body is too weak from the things I am known all over the land for. As is, I am also outnumbered. Over the years, the Cult of the Archfiend has grown. Most of the population follow him without fail. Summoner Sayuri. Friends. I am asking you—pleading with you to not let this happen! Please, Summoner Sayuri..."

I got out of my seat and stormed out of the room, slamming the door and leaning against the wall. After she said all of those things about me I couldn't bare to look that woman in the eyes again. I slid down the wall, looking at my hands. Kohana made this all happen. It was all her fault.

But I couldn't possibly let all of those people die...!

I sighed, looking up at the stone ceiling.

I wish I wasn't so nice.

* * *

**A/N:** We all wish you weren't so nice too, Sayuri. XD;;

Man, I love writing Flarence and Lady Kaelyn! They're so much fun! XD;; And everyone was fun, and I liked writing Chio's freakout. So yeah. Kohana and co did stop the Archfiend from being brought back to life when Kohana was a Summoner. Kohana thought she handled business pretty nicely, but this is beside the point. Which is why she's freaking out so bad right now. XD The Archfiend is most definitely not one to be messed with. Of course, we'll learn more about his intentions on who he is next chapter.

And what about the Cult of the Archfeind. Who leads those people?

I love how bitchy Lady Kay is. XD;;;


	70. All About Poly Tits

**A/N:** Before everyone starts mauling me about the weird chapter title. XD;;; It makes a lot of sense. Read. That is all. XD;;

This chapter is completely silly. Way silly. Too silly, in fact. I love it. XD;;

* * *

There's only one way to get to the bottom of all this!

And that way is totally bitching at Kohana to see what the heck she did on Forsythia! Seriously, it shouldn't have to come down to me marrying a freaking Archfiend! I'm so upset I feel like bursting into millions of tears. Alone. In the darkness. In a corner. Marriage is a big thing, and I don't want to marry a stupid Archfiend! Dammit, this is not what I wanted at all. So I've decided to pay Kohana a little visit, hoping to see her doing her stupid exercises, or sharpening her sword or something.

That's not what she's doing at all.

She's sitting on a couch. She's reclined. Comfortable. Her arm is outstretched on the couch and her head is tilted back. Oh, and she's snoring pretty good too. I narrow my eyes. This isn't the time for her to be sleeping! The fate of my future is in her hands now and she could determine whether or not I have to really marry this stupid Archfiend like Lady Kaelyn says! I should be the one sleeping like I have no care in the world. Not her!

I'm trying to make something that makes sense come out of my mouth, but all I can manage to force out are garbled cries. I'm really upset. "Kohana!" I yell, which makes her instantly snap out of her daze. Eww, she's got this really yucky line of saliva hanging from her mouth... She blinks twice, looking to her left and then looking the other way.

Of course.

She doesn't even notice me. Again. She sits up and wipes her mouth with her arm, giving me a look before yawning.

"Sayuri," she says, shaking her head a little bit. You can tell that she's still tired. She probably wants to go back to sleep. "What are you doing here?" I open my mouth to protest, sticking an index-finger in the air. I have to keep telling myself that I have to stay calm. No matter what, I have to stay calm. I can't let all of this Archfiend stuff go to my head, because if I do, I'll automatically lose and everyone on Forsythia will turn into ashes. I. Am. Freaking. Out.

But Kohana's here! She's my mother, right? She's supposed to be the woman that makes me feel better. She's supposed to be the person that makes all my fears go away, because she can chase away all the shadows and ghost people and everyone else who want me to fail. And plus, Kohana can't be all that bad. I mean, at one point she was a Summoner!

That's good.

It looks like she saved a few people.

That's good too.

Oh my God I'm doomed!

I'm never going to make it out of this alive! _Kohana_ being a good person? Kohana slaughtered an entire world because she felt like it! There's not a hint of goodness in her! I'm trembling now, and she rubs both of her green eyes with her hands, licking her lips and getting another look at me. And that's when she sort of... Panics? Yes, she's got a look of terror on her face, like she's afraid of me. I, of course, put on my confused look; Kohana's scared of me now? What did I do? What's going on? Does the Archfiend have anything to do with this? I furrowed my eyebrows, scowling at her.

Does she know that I'm going to get married to the Archfiend? I bet she knows why!

Grrr! Old lady! She better not know, because if she's just been sitting here sleeping all day...! "S-Sayuri!" Kohana stutters, shaking her head. Wow, her hair is a mess. It's tumbling on the couch and it's laid on the ground and it's all knotted and tangled... Did she have a bad day or something? She knows that when you have long hair, you can't just let it get tangled like that... Especially if it goes down to your ankles! I've never seen Kohana's purple hair so messed up before... It's going to take a long time to straighten it out. Anyway, she flinches at the sight of me and the brings her petite fingers up to her face, touching her lips.

"Sayuri! It's, uh, nice to see you again!"

"_What did you doooo?_" I ask, as dramatic as I possibly can. I slump over and throw my arms in the air, putting on a look of absolute distress. She quirks an eyebrow at me—huh. It actually looks like she cares about my feelings. Good. I have her. For at least a moment. "Kohana, seriously, this isn't funny! Tell me, what the heck did you just do down in Forsythia? I get there and then _bam! _Tongue rape by an Archfiend and now I have to _marry_ him?" Well... The look of being concerned for me just vanished. It's now being replaced with a look of amusement.

She doesn't understand my pain!

She doesn't understand the pain of being named after a serial killer!

"Tongue rape?" she snorted, cackling under her breath. I'm going to kick her! This isn't funny. "That's a very... Interesting way to introduce yourself~"

"Stop playing games!" I shout, sticking my index-finger in her face. "You know something about that Archfiend, don't you Kohana? And you're not going to tell me what it is, are you? You're hiding something!" I'm totally going to bet that she's hiding something! She can smirk at me all she wants to—nothing's going to change the fact that she's hiding very important facts that are essential to my survival! Kohana stands up and stretches a little bit, putting her left arm behind her back and yawing again. And now the smirk's back.

"Oh please, Sayuri~ What do I have to gain by hiding very important facts from you?" Gulp. Now she looks mad. She leans over into my face; we're just inches away from each other. Gah, I wish she'd stop doing that! "Honestly, who do you think you are? My nanny?" She has no reason to get mad at me! She's not the one who's going to get married to a damn Archfiend! Kohana stands up straight, puts a hand on her waist and lets out a sigh. "Honestly, do you think I'm that crueeeeel~ Do you really think I'd lie to you, Sayuri-dahhhling, just to protect what last bit of dignity I have left~? Kyhahahahhaha!"

It takes me one second to form a retort in my head.

"Yes."

"Aww, that's so cruel, Sayuri~!" she purrs, sitting back down. "Don't you trust me anymore? Your dearest mother~?"

"No! A billion times no!" I yell, throwing my arms out. "You lied to me about a bunch of bad stuff! You told me you wouldn't hurt anyone on the Dark Ages, and then you turned that against me and made Aysel do it! You never told me you were a Summoner before... You never told me you cut off Lucrecia's arm before, and you never told me that you were going to kill lots of innocent people just because you wanted to kill _one _man! And no, that's not including the _entire world_ you slaughtered just so you could do all of that! You're a liar, Kohana! That's all I know you as, and I wouldn't put it past you to lie to me again!"

I pause, trying to get my breath back. I like air. Air is nice. And air doesn't lie to me.

"Hmm..." Kohana mutters, touching her chin and looking me dead in the eyes. "It's not like I said I wasn't going to help you now, is it?" Wait. What? She's going to help me? My face completely lights up. There's hope in the world after all! With Kohana by my side, I'm sure the Archfiend'll go down! Yep, Kohana can take down anything because she's just that badass, right? Yep! I want to laugh I'm so happy, but then I remember that she likes to crush my feelings, especially when I'm feeling happy. So I stop smiling. She unsheathes her sword (I should be feeling really scared right now, but I'm calm) and raises the blade in the air, grinning madly.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I exclaim, wrapping my arms around her. "This is the only time I'll condone you being really crazy! Thank you, Kohana! I'm so scared!" I look up at her and step back. Only this time I'm freakin' terrified of her smile. It's... It's surreal! She looks so crazy and demented and malicious... And with her sword drawn it makes her look even worse! Her face is darkened so I can't really see anything except for her sadistic grin. I yelp.

"Don't worry Sayuri-darhhling! I'll save you, ahahhaha!" She lets out a chortle, putting her arm down and gazing at her sword. "I'll make sure I'll mess up the Archfiend entirely!" Wait. What? "The smell of new meat, the gory scene... Fwaaaah~ I can't wait until my blood high starts to kick in! Some people love it, some people crave it, but I... Just do it for fun!" … Enthusiasm... Falling... Fast... I'm starting to feel really sick and...

"Kohana!" I shout. "What the hell are you talking about! Please... Please just stop! You're making me scared!"

"I can't begin to describe the feelings it gives me! To see one tremble, beg and sob~ And all of this—dignity, faith, and hope—this I plan to rob from that Archfiend bastard! I love the way he hates me with a passion. It's amusing," she says, pausing. She touches the tip of her sword with her index-finger, watching blood burble from the puncture wound. I claw at my head, closing my eyes. Okay, happy place. Happy place. I can get over this. I can get over this!

"ABCDEFG, HIJKLMNOP..." Every time I say a letter I tap my fingers together. I mean, I know Kohana's probably not used to trying to help someone, but dammit, you don't do all of those horrible things! Waaah, I need to get out of here!

"At least I think so," Kohana continues, waving her sword around carelessly. Why did I open my eyes? Why, cruel world? "My sword is cold and lonely, Sayuri~ You don't want it to be this way forever! It needs to be warmed! It needs to plunge past skin and drink on the blood of the Archfiend! To coat itself in his sticky life...!" Why the hell is she so mad all of a sudden? My eyes are starting to water, but I'm sure she doesn't notice.

I'm doomed!

I'm going to marry a stupid tiger man, and then Kohana's going to kill me!

"QRS—"

"It'll only come out painted with his color, I swear it! I'll cut him once, but after that, my sword'll still be lonely! And then it'll tear away his face because he made it angry, Sayuri-darhhhhhling! It'll cut off lots of skin because he left it alone!"

"—TUV—"

"Oh, he should have been nice! And there'll be no use begging! Life is the cruelest crime! All that matters is that I am the one holding the sword! And he'll be the one to get stabbed! And I guarantee you, Sayuri, I will not miss! But if for some reason he gets lucky, I promise you this; I will hunt him down without mercy! Do you know that I can never tell I lie?" she sings, tracing the lining of her sword with her fingertips. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!

"—WXYZ!" I shout, opening my eyes again. I'm all out of options. I cover my face with my hands, slide down on the ground, and I just start bawling. I've been holding it in for too long, and I'm coming to terms with my fate. I hear Kohana walking towards me as she sheathes her sword. And this woman—smirking and all—has the audacity to pat my head.

"Don't worry, Sayuri," she says, as if she's trying to reassure me that everything will be okay. "It'll be quick~!"

"Waaaaaah!" I wail, coughing through my tears. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"I'll giggle girlishly as his fate is decided! I'll explain that it was all a game! Laugh manically as he's impaled by my steel, and scream in victory as I sizzle in pain. _For I am God!_"

I swear I've never cried so much in my life.

"Bwahaha! I love torture! So much fun! And I'll love inflicting this man with my murderous tease, because I want him on his fucking knees!"

"You're doing this on purpose, Kohana! Stop it!"

"How did you guess~?"

"Argh! I can't stand you, you're terrible!"

"But I'm telling the truth, Sayuri dear. Though, um, when you do get married to the Archfiend..." Oh no. So she's not going to help me? That's worse than going on batshit tangents about how she's going to kill the Archfiend! I'd rather have that! I look up at her toothy grin, fearing for my life. "Don't even worry about it~! It might take me a long while to save you, but see, nothing's going to happen!" Her entire demeanor changes. I don't like this. She sticks her index-finger in the air and her mouth turns into an 'o'. "See, all that's going to happen is your cherry is going to pop, and it'll probably hurt for a while, but then after that it's all smooth sailing~"

I choke on my tears. "Wha-wha-wha...!" Yeah... I can't even form a comment to that. Kohana knells down and wraps her arms around me; I bet she thinks she's done a real good job of cheering me up. I feel like I want to die. So before I wake up, I cry into my mother's shoulder.

Like normal mother and daughters do. Except now she's crying too.

"I want to go back home!"

"Waaah~ I'll write my name in his screams and his blood! Oh, it'll be beautiful~!" she shouts, her eyes sparkling with tears.

Life can't possibly be this cruel.

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy: All About Poly Tits :-**

_Today it begins  
I missed it before, but won't miss them again  
I keep having the same dream,  
And I think I just realized what it means._

_All I see is fireworks_  
_All I see is fireworks_  
_Every night it's fireworks_  
_Every night it's fireworks_  
_All I see is fireworks_  
_All I see is fireworks_  
_Taking off like fireworks_  
_Taking off like fireworks_

— "Fireworks" — Drake

Yay, I got a mission from Boobie Lady!

I was going to make her proud, meow! As long as I kept my head up and did what a Felinefolk does, I could do anything! But um, first, what was I doing here in this big, big town? See, I forget things really, really quick! Sometimes it troubles even me. Like, like one time I was going to go back to Boobie Lady's house, but I forgot where she lived, meow... She gave me a good scolding for that, but I was going to make up for it. Before Lacking Lady and her weird friends showed up near Vallesaccarda, I was on a mission! A very important mission meow! Something that no one else could attempt. And I would take this mission with my Felinefolk honor.

Maybe Boobie Lady didn't really tell me to go on this mission, but I love her and her meat buns, so I would do anything for her. Firstly, I wanted ta... I wanted those mean bad guys to stop burning down Boobie Lady's house. Yeah, that's it! I think that wasn't the first time they had set it on fire and tried to turn me into a tasty Flarence! Not that I'mms complaining! I wondered how I would taste if I was all crispy... Anyway, so Boobie Lady was talking to the others about some magical, magic stuff that I couldn't understand. So I decided to go out and look for the guys who set her house on fire.

Bad men!

Bad enemies of Boobie Lady!

I'd take them out myself with the awesome powers Boobie Lady taught me, meow! So I skipped to the next town over. Out of Liore! And it's a big city with all kinds of lights and it's amazing! I've never been to this town before, so I turned around and looked at everything. The big buildings, the neon lights, all of the signs... Meow, I wished that I lived here! Mayhaps I did and I just... Forgot. That made my ears droop down and I touched my face with my hand. Ha! No one was allowed to see Flarence's face because I had my hood on all the time! Many people wanted to touch and feel it and see it, but I'd just bite their hands.

Not even Boobie Lady had ever seen my face! I leaned over, bending my tail a bit. I was just skipping through this bright, colorful town! Everything looked so bright! And... Edible! All of the different blues and greens and yellows... Waaah.

Yellow is for banana, and blue is for blueberry pie... And green is for Boobie Lady!

I started to salivate, but I walked passed this big building. And something pulled at the strings in my nose. Using my extra-special Felinefolk sense of smell, I examined the air. It smelled like... Smelled like...

"Something smells reaaaaaally good, meow..." I tried to wipe my drool up with my sweater sleeve, but I couldn't decide on what to do first. I wanted to see where that wonderful smell was coming from, but I also wanted to make sure I didn't look like a particularly bad Flarence in the middle of this nice city! I didn't want people thinking I was a terrible person for drooling all over their nice sidewalk...! I followed my nose and I made it! There was this restaurant. Aww. But I had no money. My ears drooped down again and I covered my mouth with my hand. The only thing I could do was look through the window, meow!

When I looked through it, I saw a man with white hair. Ooooh. My eyes widened and I pressed my nose against the glass, sniffing some more. "The smell seems to be coming from here, meow..." And that's when I saw it. The biggest slab of meat I've ever laid my eyes on! I-it was so big! And juicy! I grinned a smile full of teeth and started jumping up and down. All of that meat in my hands? I'd eat good for days! "Meow? _Meow, meow, meow,_ that _meat!_ … It looks_ so _juicy—_huussslllsm_!" Bad Flarence! Stop drooling everywhere! I was trying to remind myself to look classy, but my stomach started growling really, really bad and I frowned, my tail sticking up.

"Wuaaahhaaa! I-I'm starving, meoooow!" I took another look through the window and gazed at the white-haired man. "Huh. Maybe I'll just eat this guy!" It didn't sound like a bad plan! I waited until someone opened the window, and then I jumped right through it! Yep, it didn't take long at all! Caution? I didn't need to take caution! I didn't even know what caution meant! I put on my game face, standing right in front of the weird-looking man and balling up my fists.

"Meow, meow, meow!" That was my battlecry! Pretty good, right? The white-haired guy's eyes were all circly and round... I wanted to play with them! They reminded me of Lady Kaelyn's meat buns! But this guy was pretty weird... He had white, long hair, yep! But it was all spikey, and he had a spikey mohawk in the middle of his head that went down his back. His hair was pretty though! Yum, he looked so yummy... Kinda scrawny, though, but I could manage. He'd be a great meal! He jumped out of his chair as soon as he saw me, and that made me look at him again...

He was a pretty boy, meow!

What with his bright colors and pale skin and long white hair and bright blue eyes... He'd taste W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L~! I looked up at the pretty ceiling lamps. For some reason, everyone had been looking at us! I didn't really pay any attention to them. This was all about me and the white guy! I put on a big smile and I closed my eyes really hard until they looked like greater than and less than signs! He looked really confused, that white guy.

"What the heck is going on?" he yelled, throwing his arm behind him and looking at me.

"Ahahahha!" I laughed. "Be quiet, and just be my flesh and blood, meow!"

"What? Me?" While that stupid white guy was trying to understand the situation, I reached over his table and took all of his meat! His juicy, juice, delicious meat! He wouldn't miss it too much. That white guy looked like he didn't eat much anyway. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" I opened my eyes again—they were glued to the food! Errhmm. I had to remember to stop drooling, but I couldn't help it.

"Thanks for the delicious meal, meow!" I paused, getting into a fighting position. Well. I noticed I still had the meat in my hands, so I just stuffed it all into my mouth, licking my lips. "If you want it all back, you have to take it from me!" The white guy looked devastated; he pouted for a moment, and then he looked behind him, scanning the blank faces of everyone in the restaurant. That's when he gritted his teeth at me. And he growled! Growled like a... Dog...? That's when it hit me. This white guy wasn't a Felinefolk at all! I noticed his white ears... They looked like mine... Only they were different... Like a wolf's ears! And his tail... His tail looked like a wolf's tail too!

Flarence didn't want to be eaten by a dog!

"Can't I have a meal in peace?" he said, shaking his head. "Tch, you're not really going to give me much of a choice here, are you?" Second thoughts, second thoughts, second thoughts, meow! I was scared for a little while, but then I remembered that if I beat this guy, I could take all of his money, buy more food, and eat him too! My eyes were sparking with determination and fire! The white guy extended his right arm and a big ring appeared in it. Oooh! It looked so round! And shiny!

I'd eat that too!

He had a little handle where he was holding it at, and the ring wasn't even that sharp. Nope. It was more square around the edges. Only the insides were circular... He put his hand behind his back and the light from the lamps in the restaurant gleamed off it.

S'okay... M-maybe the ring _was_ sharp after all. "Whenever you're ready! I will not permit some random catgirl to jump in front of me and steal my food!" Hey, that was insulting! This white guy obviously didn't know me! He looked back again towards the crowd of people eating, and then he smirked at me, waving his big wheel thingy in the air. "I'll go easy on you, little girl. It wouldn't be fair of me to beat you up in front of all these people. I am the leader of the Cult of the Archfiend, after all!" Oh, I felt it in my blood! In my veins! I was going to wipe him all over the floor so I could eat more delicious meat!

If there's one thing Boobie Lady's taught me, it's that I'm really fast! I launched my foot off the ground with only power I could possess and I bent my knee in mid-air, stretching it back out and kicking the white guy in his mouth. I watched as his face do this weird contorting thing and he flew across the restaurant, dropping his ring thing and slamming into the wall. Wow, pretty! The imprint he made in it traveled all the way towards the ceiling, knocking a bunch of those lamp lights down. Everyone started gasping, but I didn't know what they were gasping for. I'd do anything for food! Anything!

"Oooowww! Why'd you go and do that!" he whined, pulling himself out of the wall and flailing his arms around, closing his eyes and throwing a tantrum. "That hurts, that really hurts!" He touched his face with his clawed hands, moping around. After that he noticed everyone was staring at him. "I-I mean! H-how dare you kick me into the wall! I let you do that, you know!" This white guy was weird. He scurried over to his big silver wheel thing and picked it up really fast, getting into a fighting position. But he was trembling.

Mmm.

Trembling meat.

"I-I bet you won't do that again!"

"Waaaah! You're so boring, White Guy!"

"White Guy? Do you have any idea who you're talking to, girl?"

I used this time to jump from table to table, making my way over to that big slab of meat! His eyes widened again, but this time I wasn't going to be distracted! I grinned, launching into the air over him and doing a flip, preparing my leg for some serious attacking! Once I felt like I was ready, I kicked at his head, but he put his ring thing out in front of me, causing this biiiig, scary sound to reverberate through the restaurant! He looked scared! Sweat was rolling down his forehead, and he was chewing his lip, too. I jumped back, landing on my feet and licking my hand through my sweater sleeve.

"Would you just leave me alone?" he muttered, really, really low and under his breath. "I have a reputation to keep here! Look, I'll give you whatever you want. Money, clothes, whatever you cat people use nowadays..."

"I want you, White Guy!" I shouted. "You'll make an extremely good meal that Flarence wants to taste!" I started drooling again, and his eyes dilated. Oooh! Miniature meat buns! He ran behind some innocent civilian, cowering and dropping his ring thing, again.

"You want to_ eat_ me?"

"Yep!"

"You're crazy, stay away from me!"

"Aww, but why, White Guy?"

"Wait a second!" some random person shouted at the top of his lungs. He looked really funny, too, but he was a Felinefolk just like me! Oooh! He pointed an index-finger at White Guy and opened his mouth really wide. "You mean to tell me that the leader of the Church of Hyboria is being manhandled by a little lady? Bwahahhaha!" White Guy looked really sad for a moment, then he started to scowl. After that, he threw the person he was hiding behind in front of me and made a run for his ring thing. I had to make sure the person was all right, so I sat her on the ground gently. No one would get hurt when Flarence was around!

"Tch! Now I'm going to have to take you out, little girl!" I wasn't little! I was Felinefolk! I shook my head and watched White Guy's hands glow this bright white. And then, right before my eyes, his ring thing split into two of them! "Hahaha! What are you going to do now, you annoying pest?" Was that a question...? I was confused... I stood up straight and touched my cheek, staring at him. "I have_ two_ weapons now! And you have_ none!_"

I tilted my head, grinning. "Flarence doesn't use a weapon."

His entire face dropped. "Say what now?"

"I said, Flarence doesn't use a weapon, meow!" I got into another fighting position, spreading my legs out and getting a nice footing on the ground. "I use something better! Anyway, White Guy, what are those things you're holding?" He was really confused for a moment, but then he tilted his head, raising his right hand.

"You mean my rig saw blades?"

"Yeah! That!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down. This was fun! "What are... Rig saw blades?"

White Guy didn't even answer my question. He just rushed towards me with his two rings, a huge smirk on his face. I blinked. Wow, he wasn't going to answer my question, meow? "Why don't you find out yourself!" he shouted, stopping in front of me and swinging his blades. I smiled. Like always. My smiles were beautiful. I lifted up my left hand, my sweater sleeve hanging over my fingers. When I did that, I stretched out my hand, my claws coming out to play!

They're really long, and really sharp, and really strong, too! This time they came out to like... Say, ten inches?

Once White Guy saw that, his jaw dropped completely and I used my great strength to slash him right across the chest, blood squirting across the sky. I bet it tasted delicious~! He staggered backwards, dropping his rig saw blades. They disappeared in a white light, too! This was amazing! This was great! Wait until I told Boobie Lady what happened! I started drooling again, my eyes back to their normal greater than and less than signs.

"Flarence won, meow!" I shouted, looking down at White Guy. "I'll take your leftover meat as my prize!" I pointed to his table and he gasped for a moment, tears filling up in his eyes.

"What...?" he said, shaking his head and standing up. So he wasn't that hurt by what I did, meow? "...Are you _that_ hungry, little girl?"

"Woaaaaaah, are you a psychic or something, White Guy?"

"Gah!" he shouted, straightening out his really important, pastel-orange coat and shaking his head. "Your whole body is screaming 'I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry.' If you just asked before attacking me, I would of let you have some, you know." Food! Food! Food! I jumped up and down, shaking my head and grinning. White Guy folded his arms and closed his eyes, sighing.

"Really really, White Guy?"

"Yes, really," he muttered, gesturing to the table. I had never met someone who was so nice to me before! I felt like crying! He wore these stylish black boots, so it was easy for him to make it through all of the debris and things like that. I followed him without fail!

"Yay!" I shouted. "I give up now. You can win if you want to! From the looks of things, both White Guy and Flarence win!" When I said that, all of the people in the restaurant stopped looking at us and kept on eating like they were doing before I jumped through the window. Weird. I sat at the table and I was all leaned into it, looking at the plate of meat...!

"Stop looking at the food like that!" White Guy shouted, shaking his head. "It's not like it's going to get up and walk out of this place, you know.

"Meat, meat, meat!" I shouted, pulling out my trusty plate. I loved my plate! It has a paw print on the end of it!

"... Um... You're strange. Why do you have a plate with you...?" He didn't seem scared this time. He actually looked impressed. Yay! I impressed someone! He started taking some meat, and I took a lot, too! I wolfed all of it down, savoring each bite. Wah! This was the true meaning of heaven...! White Guy's bright blue eyes widened again and he looked down at me, grabbing a napkin. Ha! Napkins were for kids.

"Jeez! How hungry were you? Are you even going to try and chew your food?" I was too busy swallowing everything in my path to actually pay attention to him.

"Phew. That was soooooome meat, meow!" I shook my head, laid it down on the table, and looked at White Guy. "Flarence usually forgets a lot of things, but I won't forget this debt ever... I _think!"_ This was the moment where White Guy shot up to the top of my list of good people! Yep! The number one spot!

"It's nice of you to thank me. At least you have manners, huh?" he said, laughing under his breath. "So, aren't you going home?"

"I can't go home yet!" I shouted, wiping my mouth with my sleeve. "Flarence still has a mission to fulfill!"

"Flarence huh? Well, the name's Lysimachus. Nice to meet you!" He paused, putting his hand out. I shook it with my own, because that's the polite thing to do! "Mission, huh? Well, that's a good thing, I guess. Good luck with it. What's your mission, anyhow? You seem really nice... You were nice enough to get all of these people off my back, and I have some spare time." Lyseeeemachuaasis. Uh huh. Hero Guy was a good enough name!

"Thanks, meow! In order to fulfill my mission, I need food! Foooood, meow!" I watched the steam coming from the plate in the middle of the table. Oh, it looked better now! The savory smell of the meat... All I could see was meat! And the hot, sizzling grease and... The delicious juiciness...! "I'm diving in now!" I've waited so long for a meal like this! I opened my mouth as wide as I could, drool dripping from my lips, and then some kind of black shadow swooped down from the sky and stole my food! I was mad! Angry! I jumped out of my seat and stomped around.

This was an outrage!

"Meow, meow, meow! You come back here, stupid crow!"

Hero Guy chuckled at me and arched a brow. "Ha. Well, it's all gone now. I'd just forget about it if I were you."

"Y-you... You gotta be kidding me, meow! Food-related grudges are scary, meow! Flarence's... Flarence's meal! I'll get it back at any cooooost, meow!" I was going to leap out of the window, but Hero Guy grabbed my ponytails and I fell down on my butt. Bwaaah. It really hurt.

"Don't go out and do something stupid, Flarence. Besides, aren't you looking for something anyway? You're on a mission, right?"

"Yeah, my mission!" I yelled, standing up straight and throwing my arms out. "I'm supposed to be destroying the Cult of the Archfiend!"

"Cult of the Archfiend?" Hero Guy knew what I was talking about? He was smiling, too. "I know what that is! I work at the church, you know!"

"Oh really, Hero Guy? So you'll take me there? This is sooooo coooool! Now people will stop trying to burn down Boobie Lady's house and... Yay! You're my best friend now, you know that? You're really nice!" I nodded my head, grabbing his hand and swinging his arm around. He looked like he was really going to cry!

"That's the nicest thing I think anyone's ever said to me," he said, sniffing. "We're gonna be best friends, you and I, Flarence. Just you wait! I'll take you far! But just... Who's Boobie Lady?" Ah. Boobie Lady. I loved telling this story to everyone I met.

"Boobie Lady's my teacher!" I exclaimed, smiling. "She took me in as her apprentice, and she teaches me lots of stuff about magic and how to fight! She's really nice, Hero Guy! The fortune telling lady!"

"Ah! Okay. So Lady Kaelyn's Boobie Lady. Can't say I actually like her, though. Grr. She ruins my plans every time with her stupid fortune telling abilities!" Why was Hero Guy all mad all of a sudden? "It makes me look bad. Well, anyway, before I help you and your quest to take down the Cult of the Archfiend, um... Do you even know what the Cult of the Archfiend is?"

I had to think about that for a while. I knew Boobie Lady told me something about it... "No?"

"Well, before I tell you what it is, you understand the politics of Forsythia, right?"

I threw my arms in the air. "Poly tits? Awesome! Is that a new type of boobies?"

"Uh. What the hell. I need someone to help me out here..." He paused and touched his forehead with his fingertips. "Bah, looks like I'm on my own here, huh? No. I meant 'politics'. You've heard of the Archfiend? The big, bad, scary man that lives in the giant citadel not too far away from this town?" Oh, of course! How could I ever forget who the Archfiend was? He's Kitty Man! I jumped up and down and clapped my hands together, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah I know who the Archfiend is! I just learned allllll about him!"

The White Guy put his hand on his chest and started smirking, waving his arm around. "Well, the Archfiend is absolute! He's powerful, and strong, and he's really smart, too. He doesn't take no for an answer, and he can pretty much do whatever he wants on Forsythia because we all respect him."

"I see," I answered with big eyes. Oh yeah, that's right! I'm not supposed to like the Archfiend.

"And I'm the leader of the Cult of the Archfiend, got it?" Hero Guy said, pointing at himself. "It's our jobs to make sure the Archfiend is comfortable, and worship him without fail. Oh, and we make sure there isn't anyone around trying to deny his existence, you know." Existence? What did that mean...? We were walking out of the restaurant until this really weird lady walked up on us. She looked cranky! She had a frown on her face, and her skin was tan—almost like mine! But mine skin is darker... Anyway, she had yellow hair, and these bright orange eyes. Her hair wasn't that long; it went down to her mid-back, but...

"Boobies!" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air and staring at her. They'd never come close to Boobie Lady's boobs, but they were close enough. She wore this strange lab coat and... she had these shorts on with this orange belt. And her tail! Her tail was crazy... She had _three_ yellow tails coming out from one! Ooooh, aaah! She looked at Hero Guy with a smug grin on her face, swiping her shiny arm across the air and pulling out a little book.

"Ah, Lysimachus. Fancy meeting you here today. Did someone say 'Disprove the Archfiend's existence?'"

Whoa! Hero Guy knew this woman? He quirked a brow at her, patting me on my back. "Janeavah. Uh. Nice to see you again." Hero Guy leaned into me and his voice got really, really quiet. "This is the kind of person you don't want to be around. Gah. Janeavah's nothing but trouble." Oh. Okay. Trouble. Got it. I took several steps away from Hero Guy and pointed at the Three Tail Lady.

"Meow? Who's this tail lady?"

Hero Guy groaned under his breath and sighed, watching Three Tail Lady's mouth widen at the sight of me. "Oh. This girl? This is Doctor Janeavah. She's a scientist."

"Woah, a scientist? Wow!" I exclaimed, grinning and jumping up and down. "That's awesome!"

"Ah!" Three Tail Lady said, closing her eyes and grinning. "The girl from Lady Kaelyn... She seems a little... Simple, but she does seem to be a good judge of character. What's your name?"

"I'm Flarence! I'm Felinefolk!"

The Three Tail lady pulled out a blue book and she looked in it for a long while, touching her face with her claws and sighing. "Flarence huh? You're quite fast. I saw you pummel Lysimachus back inside of the restaurant. Not very powerful, though... Would you like me to fix you up a bit?" What? That sounded like it would hurt though! Hero Guy stomped on the ground and pouted, folding his arms.

"She did_ not_ pummel me...!"

"Fix?" I shouted, poking my cheek. "But Flarence isn't broken!" It would be really cool to be 'fixed', though! I threw my arms in the air, waiting to find out what Three Tail Lady would say next. She smiled at me and adjusted her glasses, pushing them up her nose.

"Hmmm... I think with a little work I could improve your speed. And power. Maybe hydraulics or... Or microservos..."

"Oooooohh! So I'll be stronger!"

"I think I'll call you... Mecha-Flarence! Pretty cool, huh?" she asked, nudging me in the stomach with her elbow. Hero Guy looked like he was getting really mad, though.

"Wait! Why would my name change?"

Three Tail Lady put her book up and she grinned at me, her tails waving back and forth. "Well, you need a name that fits you. New person, new name." I shook my head. Three Tail Lady was fun and all, but I didn't want to change my name!

"No way. I like being Flarence. Flarence is an awesome name!"

Now she looked irritated. She put her arm out and waved her hand at me... Almost like she was telling me to shoo. "Oh. How unfortunate. Looks like we'll never see eye to eye, then..."

"Yeah, pretty much!" I answered back, smiling again.

She turned towards Hero Guy and tapped her face with one of her claws, tilting her head. "So, you're teaching Flarence all about the Archfiend, huh, Lysimachus?"

"Well, I mean—"

"Yeah! I'm going to take out the Archfiend and his stupid cult! Are you going to do that too, Three Tail Lady?"

"I'm a scientist. I introduced myself to you earlier." Bah. She sounded mean.

"Cool! Do you get to see a lot of meat buns working as a scientist?"

"Flarence, I really think meat buns have nothing to do with this..."

"Oh... Flarence. Don't listen to Lysimachus. Are you interested in becoming a scientist?" What kind of question was that? If I got to see lots of meat buns like Three Tail Lady's, then I was all in!

"Yeah! I'm _really _interested!"

"Hey! Stop it, Professor!" Hero Guy shouted, stomping his foot on the ground. "She's just a kid! Stop trying to recruit her into your stupid group."

"What? You don't want her to join?" she growled, showing her fangs. Oooh. Scary.

"No. I don't. Flarence doesn't know anything about being a scientist and your wacko group. She's just excited because it's something new." Woah, now they were both glaring at each other! They weren't going to start fighting right in front of me, were they? I hoped not! How would I get more meat if both of them were hurt? Three Tail Lady wasn't very happy about being rejected so quickly!

"Then why don't you teach her about it?"

"Psh. Flarence doesn't need to know about your nut-job organization."

"What are you calling a nut-job organization? You eat small children!"

"Those rituals were done since ancient times! There's nothing bad about that, and babies are delicious! It's all a matter if it's cooked right or not." Yaaawn. These guys were boring...

"If she even stands a chance against the Archfiend, she's gotta know all about this word, right? You're as stubborn as always, you big pile of trash. You know what being a scientist means. Just explain it to her. And use small words."

"That was mean, Professor..."

Three Tail Lady pulled out a bag of chips out of nowhere, and she just started attacking them, throwing chips in her mouth unlike anything I've ever seen before! Woooow. Hero Guy shook his head, looked at me, and then he looked back up at Three Tail Lady, sighing. "Uh. Janaevah. Stop snacking and help me out here!"

"Huh? You're giving up already? My goodness."

"Fff, fine! Anyway, you've heard of the Cult of the Archfiend, Flarence. And don't say you haven't, because I just explained it to you."

"Yeah!" I shouted, throwing my arms up. See, Flarence pays nice attention to everything!

"The New World Order, is the complete opposite of that. That's the stupid organization Janaevah is a part of. Annoying, too. They do everything they can to disprove that the Archfiend exists, when clearly he's here and he's alive right now. But don't worry. There's only about... Two people in that crummy organization anyway. They use science and technology while we use magic."

"Science...? What's that...?" I touched my face, hoping to get an answer. Hero Guy raised an eyebrow at me and then tapped his fingertips together.

"Well, uh, see, they build stuff. Even though we stopped using science _ages_ ago."

"... But I still don't get it..."

"What?" Three Tails Lady murmured, narrowing her eyes. "What's so hard... Jeez." She stopped eating her delicious chips and then looked at Hero Guy. "You see? I'm trying to work on giving people artificial parts. Like... See, if we had the resources, I could work on putting giant rockets on Lysimachus' body!" My eyes went big and I started jumping up and down in the air, smiling really big.

_"WHOOAAAAAA!"_ I shouted. "Wow! Woooah! That's so cool! Can you really do that?"

"Of course not—!"

"It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it would work very well on someone's arms. Especially Lysimachus' scrawny ones." Hehehe. I said the same thing earlier about his arms! She grinned, tapping her cheek with her index-finger. "Take him for instance. If I _did_ give him awesome rockets, I'd put it on his chest. Or on his dic—"

"Uh! Professor! I don't need that kind of... Uh. Enhancement."

Wow, this was so cool! I couldn't stop shaking! Three Tail Lady extended her arm and smiled at me, nodding her head. "You see there, Flarence? The power of science! Even _you_ should be able to comprehend that."

"That's soooooo crazy! If everybody used science, then the whole world would be awesome!"

"See, that's the thing. Only the New World Order uses science in its pure form. Science requires a great deal of study to master, so you need intelligence and determination in quantities not everyone possesses. It also demands one understand the proper techniques and processes involved... And our energy sources are limited. Magic is easy to use and free, where science is... Not. It's not a surprise that people use magic more than they do science. Science is hard."

"Yeah, I don't like hard things either. Science sucks."

"Tch!" What, did I make the Three Tail Lady mad? Hero Guy groaned and stomped on the ground a little, but I still smiled. "Alright you little idiot, pay attention! There's no point in trying to explain anything else to you."

"But what are you gonna use science for? To take out the Archfiend?"

"Ha! She only wishes!"

"Pffft. No. But you're more clever than you look, girl. I'm going to do something that will be ten times better!" Hero Guy started laughing out loud, shaking his head and looking at me.

"So, what do you think, Flarence? Are you still interested in being a scientist?" Hero Guy asked.

Oh. That's an easy question!

"Nope!"

"AAARRRGH!" Three Tail Lady growled, touching her forehead. "Whatever! I'm leaving. I got shit to do." Aww, did we make the pretty Three Tail Lady mad? She was storming off pretty fast there... The Hero Guy and I looked at each other, watching her tail sway to the left, and then to the right. Hero Guy was going to say something, but there was this crazy fixture of air that took shape right in front of us! It was cool! And then these two guys popped out of it, and wow!

"Master Lysimachus?"

"Huh?"

"We did it! We captured the Summoner, and our team is taking her to Lord Agathangelos' quarters right as we speak!" Lord... Agathangelos...? I tilted my head, touching my face. Hero Guy just started smiling really hard, and then jumped in the air.

"Ha! Yes! That's so cool! Thank you guys! Wait until I tell Jenaevah this!"

Wait a second!

Flarence remembers now.

Aren't they talking about Lacking Lady...?

* * *

**A/N:** I love Lysimachus. XD;; He and Flarence are so silly. XD;; She keeps talking about how she wants to destroy the Cult of the Archfiend, and he's all "Yeah, let's go do that!" ... But he's the _leader._ XD;; And now they're best friends and this is just way too silly. XD;; I know Lysimachus doesn't seem like a leader... What with him getting his ass handed to him by Flarence and whatnot.

But Flarence is actually one of the strongest people in this arc, despite what Doctor Janeavah says about her. XD;; And Kohana and Sayuri are silly too. I had fun writing this chapter. XD;;

Kohana's so... So... Weird. Who tells their daughter something like that... XD;; I'm talking about everything, but mainly about the cherry thing. Oh well. It's not our problem. XD

Seriously, the cast to Forsythia is very colorful. XD;; We haven't met NEARLY everyone yet. And already things are grand. XD;


	71. Kiss Me, I'm Contagious

**A/N:** Okay so, time for a disclaimer. XD;;

No, I've never seduced a stick of celery before. I don't even like celery. I think it's vile. XD;; T-that's not to say I've done it before... *shot* XD;; Yeah, just... Kohana. That's all. I loved this chapter. XD;;;

* * *

Who is this man in front of her? He's so gorgeous with such a look of arrogance.

He probably has a smile that could stop breathing and every train of thought.

Who is this man so lovely, with such delicate eyes that could make her question if she should return the same look of irritation? Obviously, this man is a killer, pretty, appealing and could murder an entire world in less than a few seconds. His sharp teeth are pointed swords, and they should be tainted with the blood of all who have fallen trying to take him down. She giggles to herself, not caring if he hears her.

The purple-haired woman licks her lips, looking at the man standing in front of her. Ha. This will be no challenge at all! Kohana smirks, but only slightly. She doesn't want to underestimate her opponent. Especially when he's the Archfiend himself. She lets her petite fingertips glide over the red on her lips, tilting her head and examining the precious piece of sculpted art leaning into the washed, white wall of her dream.

Kohana's never seen the Archfiend's true form before. He's a sight that tickles her. She's only seen him in the form of a shadow whenever they talked when she was young.

Much younger.

Young and _stupid._

Her smirk comes back again in full force. Oh, she doesn't regret a single thing she did when she was still trying to figure out how to be a competent Summoner.

Not. At. All.

In fact, the sight of the Archfiend makes her giddy, even while sitting at her office desk. Strands of her purple hair fall in her face as she tilts her head, trying to make sense of his facial expression.

He looks down at her through the bottom of his eyes.

He has every right to be angry.

Absolutely furious is more like it.

She doesn't blame him; she would be angry too if she was brought here while in the middle of sleeping. She adjusts her red-framed, square glasses, dancing in her chair a bit as she counts numbers down in her head. Kohana's just waiting for him to explode. Itching for the tiger-striped man to explode on her or lift up a clawed hand to gasp her unworthy neck... In truth, she's just itching for a fight with this man.

Because she does not like him.

At all.

The animosity in the room is thick enough to cut with a knife.

Though she invaded his dream on strict business, she can't help but want to mess with his head.

The Archfiend senses this. He knows exactly what she's after, and though his deep hatred for her is _extremely obvious,_ he doesn't let it show on his face. His orange, slitted eyes are usually calm. Collected. Archfiend he may be, he will give _no one_ the pleasure of saying he's a uncoordinated antagonist. That he can't keep his cool. That he's just like all of the other wash ups out there that ultimately fail.

He takes the role in his world fairly seriously; this scantily-clad woman in her office uniform will never be enough to rile him. An irreversible monster? Yes. A heartless man? Most certainly. A sadistic being only capable of destruction? Maybe. But he will never be graceless, inelegant, or—God forbid—_crude_.

What does she take him for? An idiot?

There's no way that he is going to allow her, or anyone else to think that he, the most powerful being on the face of the earth and on several planes of existence, is in any way _not_ a proper, high class warrior.

As such, it's taking him everything he has not to hit this woman.

"You know, I once seduced a celery stick, Misake~!" His eyebrow twitches. Is. She. Serious? Did she summon him just so she could tell him that? The Archfiend doesn't let his impatience show. In fact, he's quite good at doing just that.

But the purple-haired woman aims to break him and everything he stands for. "Held his green against my red skirt and told him to be quiet while I ate him~! He whimpered and cowered, but still I crunched as I took him in my mouth, sat still on my tongue as I considered his length and girth, the texture of his starch, how he burned calories instead of adding them to my shapely hips... Very amazing, he was~! He was of water and did not assault my senses, but did not create fire in my loins for his bland flavor. So you know what I did~?"

Urgh. How vulgar.

"I coated his smooth body in thick peanut butter, licked my lips and engulfed him in, whispering a mantra to myself. All the better to eat you with, my darling~!" she says with a wink, tilting her head. He clasps his hands together and closes his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

It isn't working.

Kohana can hear the growling underneath his breath and is quite happy with it.

"Please, please, _please_," he says, baring his fangs as he brings his eyes towards her. "Tell me you brought me here because you had something of worth to talk about."

She grins, watching his eye twitch. "Nope~!"

"I hate you _so_ much."

"Aww, but hate is such a strong word~ Honestly, you think I made you come here just to talk about how much I'm the whore of your fucking dreams? Not even!" Kohana declares, getting up out of her seat and slamming her hands on her desk. "I came here to do business, Misake." She snorts, cracking her neck and walking to the front of the desk. "See, I decorated just for the occasion, Mr. Moody~!" The Archfiend folds his arms, glancing in the other direction.

"I don't care."

"You do care~ Otherwise you wouldn't be getting angry with me!" Kohana mumbles under her breath, growing a bit irritated. Who does this guy think he is, ignoring all of her tactics to make him go insane? Oh well. Seems like she'll have to try harder. "Anyway, I didn't put you here to terrorize you. Let's be sensible people here." Suddenly, all the book shelves fade away. The desk, the stupid nameplate on top of it... Everything vanishes, and Kohana's standing in her normal attire—clothes that don't include an impossibly-small miniskirt.

Shrugging her shoulders, she closes her eyes and sighs. "I mean, you of all people know why I'm here! You're the Archfiend, and I'm the Wickedness. I'm sure you can guess why you're standing here today." He rolls his eyes.

"Do tell."

"It's because you have my daughter right now!" Kohana declares, her tone getting dangerously low. "Look, I know how this is going to go. I'm the damn Summoner of Time! I'm not here to argue with you either. This is a bitter situation filled with stupid marionettes and figurines tied to wires that smell like the most wonderful perfume, right Misake~?" He doesn't answer her, of course. Much to her irritation. "And they say I've lost my way, my mind, and my charm!" Kohana yells, snarling. "But they're the ones dancing in your hands twisted and tangled in your stupid traps."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. And it doesn't make sense," he says, narrowing his eyes and quirking a brow. "Will you start making sense?"

"You dance atop your hills and pyres, manipulating all of them on your wires...! Like dolls you hold them in your hand and you'll do all of the thinking for them. I know, illustrious Archfiend! You're one of the best manipulators I know." She pauses, looking straight at Lord Agathangelos. "We both go by many names, but just know this: Before the conclusion of your bitter situation... Just before the end of your drawn out game, and just before you've thrown your world into a pit of fire, I will be the one to tie a string to _you_."

"Such lovely threats. How do you think you will achieve such an amazing thing, Sayuri?"

"Don't you call me that, Misake!"

"It's 'the Archfiend'," he says with a coy smile. She grits her teeth.

"Likewise, it's 'the Wickedness'. Now shut up and pay attention! No one is allowed to call me by my name, and if you do it again I'll cut your tongue out and shove it where the sun don't shine, so you can get a taste of the shit you're spewing out of your mouth!" She pauses, hyperventilating. He could could care less. Hmph. What arrogance! "We're like a reversible chemical equation, you and I. But see, I have a killer smile~!"

She demonstrates this by giving him a grin that's a cross between an arrogant smirk and a slasher smile. "Now then, you'll release my daughter, won't you?" Her voice cracks and her expression changes. Kohana looks downright _demonic_, nostrils flared, fangs bared and her eyes dilated. "Trust me. If you don't, I will soon remind you of all your imperfections, Misake! One by one. And in doing so, I'll be fulfilling one of my deep, psychosexual dreams~! I am the queen of fate, and death is my science! So full of myself, but with all of this power why wouldn't I be~?"

She turns around on her heels, throwing her arms in the air.

"Adrenaline surges through my veins and my heart starts to pound! I am the reckoning! The demon! And I assure you, my partner in crime, that my mind will switch over to slaughterhouse mode so quickly...! I'll be locked in rage, and I _will l_oad! I'm a lone soldier, and I _will _start a war with you."

Okay, enough of this. She actually thinks she holds any merit in this conversation? Does she have any idea who he is? He wipes tangerine-colored strands of hair out of his eyes. "Ah, so it's your daughter that you want. Don't worry, I'll take very nice care of your pretty daughter. I'll show her things that only I can teach her," he says with a cock of his head. "But I can't promise I'll be gentle."

Wait.

What.

Rage. Everything turns red in Kohana's vision, and for a moment she can't breathe. What the hell did this man just say? "She's quite pretty, your daughter. You do know that, right?" He pauses, glancing at her so he can see the batshit anger on her face. "Looks just like you, I must say. But I'll slaughter that which is beautiful... She'll be exactly like you, Kohana. It's as you said earlier. When I'm done with her, she'll be kind of a whore, feeling the natural beauty of—"

"Ohohoh! I'm going to kill you, you sorry son of a bitch! I tried to be reasonable here, but you're going to leave me no choice—!"

Misake snorts. "You? Be reasonable. Oh please. You're scared of me, and that's the only reason you haven't lunged at me yet." That's scary. It's a scary thought, but the lump that forms in her throat isn't there for nothing. She snarls, getting into a defensive stance, totally forgetting that this is a dream and therefore can't do any damage to the man. But oh, he can hurt her.

Real bad.

"_I'll break you!"_ she shouts. "_In so many ways! _Don't you dare challenge me!" she roars, her voice echoing throughout the void. He looks at her with a blank facial expression, his arms still folded. "I'll destroy your pathetic world just like I did all the others! You think you're special? If you touch Sayuri I will cut off your fingers and stick them in your nose while I shove my sword down your throat! Oh, you have no idea who I am, do you!" She pauses, instantly calming down.

Which is sort of creepy.

"Of course you realize this is war."

"You've started a war you can't win."

She has a proper retort on the tip of her tongue, but she's silenced by an abrupt white light. She shields her eyes, and once the light dies down she looks around and her jaw drops.

White birds.

Hundreds of them.

Surrounding her with their deadly white feathers. She breaks out in a cold sweat, her eyes dilating. This isn't real. This isn't happening. Not these stupid damn Holy birds...! In the back of her mind, she finds herself calling out for Atropa, _who isn't here_.

This is going to suck, big time.

"You cheater!" Kohana shouts, unsheathing her sword. "If you ever let me get my hands around your neck—!"

The Archfiend nonchalantly turns around, waving his hand out. "You can try, but you'll never win, Kohana Outtaike. I hear dreamers and masochists are one in the same."

"Pfffft, you think you have jokes, huh?" Kohana screeches, running her palm against the steel of her blade. Blood drips from her sword and onto the ground, making a small little puddle next to her foot. "I don't need Atropa for this! I can defeat them all on my own. And then _I'll kill you blind!"_

"Ah, you can play the game as much as you like, Kohana," Misake says, giving her a look full of anger. "But you'll never win. Eventually you'll have to forfeit and I won't be as nice as I am going to be to your daughter." And with that, he actually leaves Kohana's dream _himself_—something that's never been done. Ever.

She usually decides when things are over.

What a slap in the face!

She grits her teeth, determined to run after him, but the birds block her way, each one pulsating with the need to see her down on her knees. Kohana stands up straight, letting her blood drip on the floor. "Ha! Whatever! I like a challenge~! But not today. Ciao, you stupid birds!" Her aim is to wake up out of her own dream, but that doesn't happen. What. She's been able to do it so many times, so why not now?

Seriously.

This isn't funny anymore.

Sweat starts to roll down her forehead and it isn't until then that she realizes what just happened.

"Urgh! That bastard locked me in my own dream!" she shouts, picking up her sword and gazing at all of the birds crowding around her. "Manipulative bastard!" she yells, readying her sword. "You think you can beat me at my own game? Well you can't! I _invented_ it!" With a crooked smile, her sword starts to glow red, lighting up her green eyes.

"No pain, no gain! Be good, birds! Show me what pain really is! Paint the walls red with my blood—let the sight of it excite you! Slice my wrists, tear out my hair, rip me into little pieces and light them on fire~! Because I certainly will do worse to your dear manipulator!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-One: Kiss Me, I'm Contagious :-**

_She's like a bullet through an ocean,_  
_I still remember how you moved so slow._  
_You tried to kill me with a shotgun._  
_Bang! Now we're even_  
_We don't stop till someone's bleeding._

_But baby no, sometimes things don't work out the way we planned.  
To live is just to fall asleep,  
To die is to awaken.  
Maybe we're meant to lose the ones we love,  
But I'll fight for you till then._

_I've broken bones for you, and for you only._  
_I make money, but fuck money we want love._

— "Million Dollar Houses" — Pierce the Veil

The whole world felt like it was spinning around my head.

And it was laughing at me too!

Urgh, I felt terrible! My head was throbbing and my stomach didn't feel quite right. And ow, what the heck was I leaning on? I couldn't open my eyes all the way because there was this bright light trying to turn them into a disgusting eye smoothy. Or maybe I was just overreacting. Truthfully, I didn't know where I was. Maybe I was back in Lady Kaelyn's hideout or something where the others were? I mean, they were sleeping, just like I was... Whatever. I'd have to get Lady Kaelyn so I could get rid of this painful headache...

Gah, Kohana was no help at all! All I wanted was for her to set things straight around here. She probably told the Archfiend something stupid. I mean, she wouldn't sell me off to some guy, would she? … Would she? I sighed, shaking my head and looking down at the floor. The floor looked really different, but hey, who was I kidding? I wasn't really in the right mind to be remembering how floors looked before I fell asleep. I mean, who does that anyway? I didn't know too many people that studied floors. But this place... This place looked kind of big for Lady Kaelyn's hideout...

Come to think of it...

This place looked entirely different!

I had to stop and look at everything. The walls were really well-decorated and nice... There were paintings hanging on the walls, and this place was so big that I could hear the echo of my breathing! But it was sort of cold... I blinked twice, holding my arms and taking small steps down the corridor. There's a thing about all of this pretty art, though. And the sculptures. They're all arranged in a way so that it looks good together. Not just all right, but_ good._ Not only is Lady Kaelyn a famous augurist, but she's a collector of art, too? This stuff was pretty impressive! There were so many different cultures clashing together, but the way they were positioned made it all _work._

This was scary-creepy.

Well, there was only one way to go, and that was forward. But before I kept walking, I wanted to push my hair out of my eyes. But that was really difficult. Insanely difficult. I brought my hands up to my head, and I noticed I wasn't wearing my usually ponytails. In fact, someone had played in my hair and changed it all entirely! I gritted my teeth, going through a list of names in my head. Argh, I bet it was Flarence! She's the only one I knew who was crazy enough to do something like that!

She'd hurt me, though. Probably from pulling my hair too hard. Nah, it couldn't have been her.

No matter. No worries. I could always fix my hair and change it back to the way it was. It was just that it was strange. The way my hair was styled now was almost a little_ too_ different. I had two, long drill pigtails pinned back, laying on the sides of my face. No, actually they were hugging the sides of my face. And then the rest of my hair had been wrapped in two individual white bandage tubes to keep it from being out. They hung down my back, and the rest of my hair was pinned into neat buns at the end of those tubes. Very strange... Whoever messed my hair up took their time... Lots of time...

How didn't I wake up from that...?

Oh yeah. Because I was too busy yelling at Kohana. Damn Kohana...

I shook my head and touched my face, but something else caught my attention. I had on gloves! Long, elbow-length gloves! And they were purple, to match the apparent purple dress I had on, too. Um, what? What was going on here? Now things were not making sense. I wake up in the middle of a big corridor, I have on all of this formal stuff, and there's antique paintings and statues everywhere of Forsythian people I don't even know? Something sounds fishy. Really fishy.

Or.

Or.

Wait.

Something _smells_ fishy! My small nose starting twitching, and then my eyes started watering really bad. I hadn't felt this way since I met Miyuki back on Earth almost a year ago... So that meant that there was a cat nearby! Wait, that was a good thought. I was on a world full of cat people. Why wasn't I allergic to them? Oh, yeah. Because Miyuki bit me and gave me that weird serum stuff that stopped me from being allergic to cat people, not cats in general.

I needed to find this cat!

And destroy it!

Gah, I hated cats! Hated them so much! I could die right now and no one would be able to help me out because I was lost inside of this huge house thing! I looked behind everything. Behind that big black bunny-bear rabbit thing, and across the corner I had come from... I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find a cat. Damn. "Here kitty kitty kitty!" I called, waving my hand out. "Nice kitty—_achuu!_—kitty kitty kitty!" At this rate, I'd sneeze my brains out. Oh, whatever, I gave up! I was tired, and sad, and I really just wanted to go home.

I wasn't lying to Kohana when I told her that. I desperately wanted everything to go back to normal. I wanted to live in Japan again with everything still alive and breathing. It... Wasn't fair that we had to have our lives taken away to save people all over the universe. I looked down at the ground and slumped my shoulders, sliding down the wall. I guess it was supposed to be like this after all then, huh? Things would never go back to normal. I opened my eyes a little bit, and I saw something move!

Aha! I had found that damned cat!

I was ready to pounce on it, but when I opened my eyes, my entire face paled and I swear my heart skipped three whole beats. I brought my hands to my face and I could have sworn I let out the biggest, most baddest scream in all of existence! Except I didn't hear it at all. But I could feel myself screaming—every fiber of my being twisting and contorting and trying to show the whole world my discomfort. Kokoro? Morta? Ruby? Anybody? They needed to come save me from this sudden hell! I backed away from the creature, my body trembling from nothing but fear.

This isn't any ordinary cat.

This is a lion!

A full-blown _lion!_

_Who_ keeps lions as pets?

I let out a loud yelp, and I started backing away even faster. I wanted to know where it came from. Was it hanging from the ceiling or something, because I definitely didn't see it a while ago! I was sneezing, and my eyes were watering, and my face was starting to puff up... Dammit, I'm allergic to cats! Why didn't anyone respect that? That lion recognized my fear and gave me one menacing look with its green eyes. Hey! We both had one thing in common! We both had green eyes! So... That was a good enough reason for it not to eat me, right?

It wasn't a male lion, since it didn't have a mane, but other than that it looked like a normal lion. A coat of golden fur, a long tail, and really sharp teeth. I just couldn't catch a break, could I? Well, the lion picked up its head and its tail swung towards me and then swung the other way. Now the thing was standing up on all fours, giving me this look. Like... Like it was expecting me to say something. All, "Rawr, why are you in my territory you purple-haired freak!" or something like that. There was no way I could give an answer to that animal.

I always wished that I could talk to animals, you know.

For situations like this. How do you say "Please don't eat me!" in lion-talk?

I guess you said it by standing up straight and pointing at the thing. My knees were knocking into each other and I started backing up even more. But this thing! This animal kept following me! And then it started growling, showing me all of its pretty, sharp teeth.

I am going to die.

I've pretty much accepted my fate. Being killed by a lion is much better than being killed by Kohana_—wait a second!_ … I'm a Summoner! I can kill this thing! With my newly found plan in mind, I quickly transformed. Oh, and my sparkly transformation light momentarily blinded the thing. That was just a little bit of extra work. I fixed my footing on the ground and held my wand with both of my hands, letting my hair hit the back of my ankles. Cool. I liked my hair better that way anyway. Down and flowing freely.

Here I was.

Standing in front of this animal.

With my wand.

I mean, I was the dangerous one in this situation!

But those eyes...! And those growls...! I seriously didn't want that thing to roar at me, because I was sure I'd turn into a puddle of nothingness! I must jinx myself really badly all the time, because right after I thought that the lion let out a roar loud enough to blow my eyebrows away. A lone tear rolled down my cheek for dramatic effect and I dropped my wand, detransforming in an instant. Yeah, now I was going to be eaten. I closed my eyes tightly, but both the lion and I heard footsteps coming our way. Slow footsteps. The important-sounding kind of footsteps. The lion instantly turned around and stopped growling and everything.

That's when I got a good glimpse at the person. Expensive black, pressed pants, long, orange-red hair that swayed at the waist... Yeah, that was totally the Archfiend I had bumped into back in the town Flarence dragged us towards. Wait. The Archfiend? I had to look back up at him to confirm it. Yep, that was differently him. There wasn't anyone else I had met with two tiger stripes on each of their cheeks. He looked at me with a piercing gaze, but the air around him didn't seem as jerkish as it once was. Actually, I felt kind of calmer... Maybe it was because he had saved me from a dangerous animal. He was so pretty when he wasn't trying to throw me into the ground, or tongue-rape me.

But tigers were always pretty animals.

Humph! Still didn't change the fact that he was a crazy bad guy that I needed to stop! I was going to yell at him for giving me that unwelcome welcome back in Vallesaccarda—yeah, that was the plan—but I could only stand there and watch as the lion slunk its way around the Archfiend's legs and purred against him, sitting next to him and waving its tail. Wow, such loyalty... I guess he really didn't seem so evil right now. Or maybe I was just hallucinating.

"Very good, Nola," he said, his voice making me feel sort of... Weird. I don't know... It was scary because he had an underlying animalistic tone under his voice. Like every word was said with a silent purr to it... But that also made him scary... It intimidated me, is what I want to say. He gave a slight glance at the lion, and it walked off somewhere. I couldn't exactly tell where the heck it went. But boy was that lion taking its sweet time getting out of the corridor we were in. That's when the Archfiend turned his attention towards me, strands of his tangerine-colored hair falling into his face. He opened his mouth slightly, showing me some of his own sharp teeth.

I didn't know what to say.

Hi?

Thank you for getting the tiger away from me?

Where the hell am I and how did you get here?

I wanted to scream, but I decided that wouldn't be the best thing to do. So I just waited for him to say something. The Archfiend closed his eyes and nodded his head, putting his arms behind his back and walking closer towards me. "Nola must have scared you, yes?" My mouth twitched. Wasn't sure if I should have answered him or kept my mouth closed. Why was he being so nice to me...? "You shouldn't really show that you're scared in front of a lioness. They sense that fear... Beautiful cats they are, they won't hesitate to break their toys." He looked back up at me and stressed that last word. Toys. Like I was a toy to that lion. Like I was a toy to_ him._

I was nobody's toy!

I gritted my teeth and balled up my fists, stomping on the ground. "Look, I just don't get you! You're the big bad Archfiend, right? The guy that Lady Kaelyn was telling me about, right? You know, 'Many heroes died in order to bring the mighty Archfiend down,'" I murmured to myself, trying to impersonate Lady Kaelyn as best as I could. I'd admit that I wasn't doing a good job... But it was perfect enough for me. The Archfiend, I guess, looked at me and straightened out his white pristine button-up shirt. He was gorgeous, but he was also pure evil! I didn't want any part of this dude. At all. As a matter of fact, when I found a way out of this place I was _so_ going to leave. For good.

"Ah, Lady Kaelyn," he mused, tapping his chin with a clawed index-finger. "An old friend of mine."

He was mocking me! He must have been mocking me! I clawed at my head and closed my eyes. "What is going on!" I demanded, grunting. "I don't get this! I don't get this at all! What is it with you, Kohana, and Lady Kaelyn? It's like you guys are all buddy-buddy! Lady Kaelyn says you're an idiot, and yet you say she's an old friend of yours. Why would she be your friend when she wants to see you go down? And Kohana..." I rolled my eyes and folded my arms. "Kohana is just going to let you go around doing whatever! What's the deal here, guy?"

Abruptly, he walked straight up to me, which made me yelp. Tigers are exotic creatures. This man is also exotic. He's even more intimidating up close.

He leaned into my face and gave me a little smirk, something I wasn't feeling. "You've got a lot you learn, little idiot." His voice was extremely cold, but the way he took my hand was insanely warm. It was like his body language was sending an entirely different message. He yanked my hand, by the way, damn near pulling me down the remainder of the corridor. "I appreciate the flattery, honestly I do, but you are to call me Misake, which is my name. Got it?" I found myself nodding my head. Not because I wanted to... But because_ he_ wanted me to... It was weird, and I couldn't explain it.

He glanced at me again and started growling underneath his breath. Oh, he sounded exactly like that lion from before! "Your mother is a complete idiot. I don't like to be associated with the likes of that infuriating, obnoxious woman. I'd like it very much if you refrained from talking about her to me. Just the mere mention of her makes me want to tear out all of my hair." That would be bad, seeing as how it looked like he took really good care of his hair. It was shiny and full of luster... It bounced with every move that he made...

Still, I wasn't just going to stand here and let him talk bad about Kohana. "What makes you think that you're better than Kohana? To call her an idiot... Don't you know that she'll blast you into next Tuesday and make you wish you were never born?" Obviously this guy wasn't there for all of the death threats she was spewing in that dream. I was sure if he heard all of that, he'd tuck his nonexistent tail in and run for the hills.

"I somehow doubt that."

Everything he said was so frank and to the point. Misake really didn't walk around the bush regarding anything. I was going to say something else, but we walked into this really pretty room. Spotted tiger lilies in a Grecian vase really should have been an eyesore, but he made it _work_. Misake was a really artsy person, and—"Achuuu!"—cats everywhere! Laying in awkward places, sitting on really pretty and important couches and hanging on elegant chandeliers...! I couldn't stop myself from sneezing, and every time I sneezed Misake twitched. Twitched really bad. I was on my twelfth sneeze when he violently swung me around by my wrist and glared at me with his slitted, tiger eyes.

"Will you _shut up._"

"But I'm allergic to cats!" I whined, shaking a bit. Yes, I was really intimidated now. If I wasn't before...

These were big cats! I'm not talking about small, nice house cats... I'm talking about _tigers, lions, leopards and cheetahs!_ In this room alone—which was more like a main hall—there were about fifty cats in here. Just roaming around doing whatever. Was Misake even scared in the company of all of these dangerous animals? No one on Earth would have been stupid enough to do something like this, that I knew!

"And what, my dear Summoner, is that supposed to mean?" he growled, arching a brow. Well. Duh. What did he think it meant? I wasn't going to stop sneezing any time soon. I was surprised there wasn't any cat hair just floating around. In fact, this place was pretty clean...

"I—_achuuu!_—won't stop—_achuuu!_—sneezing!" I let out a few sniffles, watching the anger just cake on his face. My eyes widened at the mere sight of his face contorting with rage; I had to do something! Anything to make him not want to fling me through a wall, since he was more than capable of it! My eyes trailed down to the flail wrapped around the belt on his waist. Yep, he could totally kill me and get away with it, since he's supposed to be the Archfiend. And people adored him for it. Where was the justice that I deserved? Some of the cats started to leave, traveling into various hallways. This place was big!

But that wouldn't take my attention away from Misake's pissed-off expression. "My Guardian is some sort of cat_—achuu!—_thing, but she_—achuu!—_did something freaky to keep me from sneezing." Now if only I could remember what that was... Misake was glaring me into the ground right now. He was unforgiving...! If his looks could kill me like this, then I didn't want to think about what he could do in a fight. No way. There was no way I was going to be able to take out the Archfiend by myself. Maybe with the other Summoners, but... Not by myself. Kohana could take him easy! I mean, she destroys entire worlds for fun, right?

I was just one person. I couldn't possibly end years and years of the Archfiend's tyranny...

"You know, you could always stop breathing. I'd like that." What kind of response was that? Now he was making me mad! And he had the nerve to start walking off on me. Where the heck did he think he was going?

"You're not serious—_achuu!_—are you?" I shrieked, trying to keep up with him. I didn't want him to leave me alone with a bunch of cat people. I stepped in front of him and he shoved me out of the way pretty quickly. Almost like it didn't take any strength at all to fling me into three_ leopards_! Oh, and he was growling under his breath too. You know, that was one thing Misake was good at. Growling at me underneath his breath.

I didn't even let him shout at me.

I screamed at the top of my lungs (sneezing and screaming at the same time is more like it) and one of the leopards didn't like that. It took its paw—claws and all—and slashed at my hand, cutting it open pretty bad. My blood, more or less, splattered against the white of the wall, and Misake turned around, obviously fighting off a wide, toothy grin. Did he like seeing half of my hand dangling? Seriously, it wasn't supposed to be like that! I wanted to cry, but all I could do was scream. Scream. And when I screamed, everyone felt it. All of the lions, tigers, cheetahs, and leopards. And Misake. Definitely Misake.

This was just... Great. Just great.

Now I was crying. Crying. Because the cuts hurt so bad. And they were all on my fingers. "I don't know what I'm doing here!" I shouted, shaking my head. "Why am I here, and why are you being so mean to me!" I wanted to sound intimidating. Like Misake. But obviously when you're crying and shouting at the same time you sound pathetic. At least, Misake thought so.

"A pity what happened," he said, a smile on his face and in his voice. Nothing about this was funny! Is he going to help me or not! I jumped out of the dangerous pit of leopards and ran towards him. Look, in situations like these, you go to the one person who you think can help. It was either him, or hundreds of giant cats. That I was allergic to. Yeah. Not much of a selection, but... I'd yell at Misake later for everything. Right now, I needed help.

I could barely move my left hand. And I needed my left hand! I was so confused and sad and confused that I really couldn't think of words to say. "Think about it," Misake murmured, touching his face with his clawed fingers. "This is exactly how your friends will go. All of their efforts, destroyed, in one single diplomatic swing," he said—no chided! As if he was God or something. "I would hardly stand for it. But then again, this isn't my war. How angry they will be once they realize all of their sacrifices have gone to waste..."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I exclaimed, watching my own blood drip from my heavily-lacerated hand. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"You are full of questions, girl." Argh. I'm bleeding here! "And if I refuse to answer them?"

"What! Seriously! I'm really hurt, and you're just playing around here!" I didn't like being toyed with! Like I said, I wasn't a toy! To him, nor anyone else! "If you don't help me, then I'll have to make you help me, you coward!" Okay, so maybe I might have been a little too forward with that. That insult hung inbetween us, suspended in midair. It was just... There. Misake narrowed his eyes at me, judging, evaluating, and considering.

And then he snarled.

He had the _exact _same problem Kohana had.

Call them anything you wanted, anything except for a _coward_.

"Who are you to call me a coward, you insignificant little girl?" He spat that last word at me and grabbed my wounded hand, not being careful at all. I let out a yelp and he sort of squeezed my hand, but just a little bit. After that he was really gentle with it, but he didn't take a long time to examine it or anything. Here I was, thinking he'd work some kind of magic. I was expecting to see an anagram, or a pentagram, or a symbol, but I didn't see anything.

Apparently, he shoved my entire hand in his mouth, which was really, really, really weird. I was so shocked that I just stood there. And he just glared at me the whole time while he was doing it. Yeah, I was somewhere stuck between being repulsed, and scared for my life. Was he going to eat my entire hand, or what?

After that I started trembling. Because he still was staring at me—which was very creepy—but now he pulled my entire hand out of his mouth. And it was soaked. In. Spit! Nasty, icky tiger spit! I thought he was going to release me, but he held my hand with both of his, closing his eyes and sucking each of my fingers individually. Painfully slowly. It looked like he was enjoying it for a moment. He opened his mouth and his tongue started dancing inbetween my fingers—argh! I really wanted to snatch my hand away from him!

But I had to build up enough courage to do that.

Man, eff this! I jerked my hand away and he opened his eyes, looking at me through the top of them. He was definitely surprised by my action. "Don't tell me I misjudged you, Summoner. I never misjudge."

I was still shaking, but I grabbed my hand which... Didn't really hurt anymore. Wait. What? It didn't hurt anymore? I looked at it and it was fully healed! Amazing! I stood there in awe and he quirked a brow, walking towards me.

Just when I thought he was going to turn back into the bastard that he was, he ended up pinning me to the wall by my wrists.

Just great.

I think the sound of my heart beating through my chest was louder than his breathing. In fact, it was. And it was scary that I could even hear his breathing at all! That meant that he was too close to me. Hello, personal space here! It's being invaded! I wanted some white flags to wave around, but hey. We can't have everything. I wished I was stronger so I could defend myself against this guy. I still didn't know what he was about, why I was here, or why he seemed to have nice connections with Lady Kaelyn and Kohana, who seemed to be totally against him!

Just who the hell was this guy...!

"A clever girl, and—if you were trained properly—a dangerous one. Of course I would hardly hunt down someone who complied so easily to me. Obedience will be taught later, I suppose..."

"Listen!" I shouted, but then I realized I wasn't sneezing at all anymore. And yet, we were still surrounded by dangerous, smelly, vicious lions, tigers and cheetahs! "I don't even know what you are!"

"Did you think I was a ghost?" he snorted. Clearly, he was not amused. "Some witch's magic sent to plague you?"

"A devil, maybe!" I yelled in his face. "You are an Archfiend, you know!"

And then he laughed. Short and sharp.

"I've been called that before." His grip tightened around my wrists and my eyes widened. Then the unthinkable happened. He managed to kick me out of my Summoner form. Easily. I don't know if it was from fear, or that weird finger-licking thing he did, but it was definitely freaky. "Devil, demon, monster, Lord Agathangelos... And a number of words I doubt you even know." Argh, he was insulting me! Again! I hated when people did that.

"I'm going to kill you if you don't let me go right now—!"

"How unfortunate for you that I never lose."

Such arrogance! I glanced to the side of me, refusing to look into his... Weird orange eyes. They were strange... "Don't look at me like that," I muttered. "It's like your eyes don't belong to you."

"Oh, I can assure you that they're mine. Always have been." His eyes would be okay, if it weren't for the _slit pupils. _"Let's talk about you, Summoner Sayuri." Now he said my name. It was the first time he had said my name since... Since a couple of days ago. "An eternity to fight for worlds you owe nothing to, suffering through your losses forever. The loss of a friend, or maybe even a loved one." My fists tightened. He was pissing me off. He was probably talking about Kohana. I wouldn't let her die. "Is that what you want?" Misake gave me a wry glance when I looked back at him. "As tempting as that sort of thing is, I would reserve punishments like that for people I absolutely abhor, not Summoners with such potential and beauty far beyond that of a common woman."

Okay, that made me blush.

"I know very well how you fight. I have seen you. Admired your skills. Admired your beauty. You serve only for your friends? How unfortunate. I would give you _far more_ than that." And now he's twirling his fingers in my hair. I was very uncomfortable now. "Far more than what your friends offer you. I wouldn't want to see you get lost in that fate, pretty girl..."

"I would never side with you," I hissed underneath my breath. I wasn't playing now. Kohana took the time to save this world from him, and I would too. No questions asked. And I would do so with my friends.

"Such dedication. And if you die?"

"Then I'll die." I broke out of his grip and walked behind him. I think my dedication slapped him in the face. He twirled around on his heels, absolutely enthused.

"That would be such a waste of your strength and your talent. As would any form of death. You will go unknown into the darkness, with no one left to mourn you except your other pitiful partners with similarly bleak fates." Lies! Those were all lies he just told. B-but I wouldn't let that happen... I couldn't let that happen... But he was right. So many of my friends had already died... In the Dark Ages... On Earth... I turned around.

"You're talking like you could stop it. Stop the deaths."

"If only you let me." Tch. "You see, Summoner Sayuri, there is a reason why you're here. I wanted to see you much later—not now. It was never in my plans to see you so soon. But those baffling idiots brought you to my doorstep." Baffling idiots? Wait. What was he talking about? Misake could see the confusion on my face and he snarled. I didn't think he was snarling because of me, but there was a good chance he was snarling because of me. "The Church of Hyboria. Idiots, all of them."

He sounded just like Lady Kaelyn.

"But wait!" I shouted. "Isn't that a cult made for you? Just to make you happy?"

He growled really loud, and I yelped, backing up against the wall. "Meddlesome idiots. I_ do not need_ a group of people worshiping me blind, and especially not those people." He spat out 'people' like he wasn't sure that they were actually... Well... People. "They must have kidnapped you from somewhere. Whatever the case was, I opened my door to find you, naked and wrapped in a red bow. Unconscious, might I add."

Now that's just low.

I got mad. Real mad. But Misake grabbed my cheeks, forcing me to look at him and his rye smile. "And upon seeing you, I slammed the doors to my citadel. Almost left you out there. But then I realized that would be no way to treat a Summoner. Especially one of your magnitude." That sucks. That really sucks. "I had my pets take you in and dress you. You'll see that they are very intelligent creatures, just like all cats are." So cats dressed me up in fancy clothes and did my hair? What? This was all sounding a whole lot farfetched.

I shook my head, refusing to believe it.

"Summoner Sayuri, I will never let anyone hurt you. No, I'll call you Sayuri from now on." Well yeah, duh. That's my name. "You were brought here for a reason, and one reason only. You are _my_ bride, and no one else will get to claim you." I closed my eyes, because there were so many voices in my head screaming, "Protest, protest, protest!" But this was probably for the best. This is what Lady Kaelyn wanted, right? This was the first step towards saving the world... No matter how bogus it sounds...

And Kohana promised to save me...

This couldn't have been that bad...

"I can give you anything you want, sweet girl," he said, breathing along my neck. Okay, all I had to do was stay calm, right? Right? "Strength. Unmatched power. Immortality, even. Save you from the hell you're damned to. Save your friends and your family. All for one thing. One useless thing."

Useless thing...?

I found myself mouthing what that useless thing was.

And then Misake's entire demeanor changed. He went from nice and seductive to just plain mean again. He shoved his index-finger into my chest, poking the dear life out of me. Did he forget that he had really sharp claws? "Our children."

That made me stop.

Stop everything.

My breathing, my heart... Everything. My face paled, and I just started throwing out random words... I was so flustered, and I kept flashing back to what Kohana told me... It was all just too much...! He grabbed my arm again, turned me around with brute force, and pointed me in the direction of my blood painting the wall.

"I have the power to destroy this world in less than a few seconds," he whispered into my ear, caressing my cheek. "Lady Kaelyn warned you about that, yes? In that augury she showed you?" He knew too much... Knew things that he shouldn't have. "The virgin's feathers that were tainted in blood? That was _you._" Gulp. "I'll destroy it all. With you, Lady Kaelyn, and your Summoner friends on it. Now don't you want to play my game, Sweetheart...?"

What an asshole!

I turned around on my heels, frowning like I never frowned before.

"I like to play with people. With their minds, their hearts... I like to toy with their emotions. Make them happy. Make them feel pain. I manipulate people. Situations. To me, you're just my toy. My toy to play with."

He bit my ear and breathed, "Good night, toy."

And he turned me around, expecting me to say something. What was that supposed to mean? Was it a way of him announcing his affections? Oh God, I was so confused. But... I felt more scared than anything once I looked into his slitted orange eyes. If no one came to save me... No, I'd rather die than that...

I was reluctant, but I intertwined my fingers, gazing up at him. He smirked.

"I love you too."

* * *

**A/N:** Who could possibly keep their head on straight around Misake! XD;;;

Phew. XD;; Man, I love that man so much it should be a crime. XD;; Gah. I hope I don't make a habit out of blushing profusely whenever I try to write him. XD;; Man, I squeed like a little girl writing some parts. Had to take a break. It was getting pretty hot. XD;; *shot* I squeezed this out right before my ACT test. There would have been no way I could have concentrated on that test when I knew this chapter was still only 2k words in. XD;; So I wrote all of this in the last... Two hours or so. Not really that strenuous.

I can write fast.

But damn is Misake sexy. XD;; Not even kidding right now. XD;;;

*fans self* XD;;

Don't worry. As the story goes on I'll try to keep a handle on my lid. XD;; *shot again*

On a more sane note... Misake has the worst temper I've ever seen. XD;; It makes me laugh. XD;;


	72. Licked Clean From Head To Toe Everyday

**A/N:** Aww man. So I know there's no excuse for me not updating, dudes. XD;; But I did. Here it is? I've never been slacking off on the job; I had been writing bits and pieces of this chapter for a while but I never got to tend to it due to Marching Band stuff. Well, Band stuff in general. I'm in five types of Bands... XD;;

And then there was my AP English stuff and yeah, you catch my drift. Anyway, here's a hot, fresh chapter for you. XD;;

I hope it makes up for my embarrassing absence. XD;;

* * *

There's no doubt about it. Atropa's come to a staggering conclusion.

Human beings suck.

They're weak.

Delicate.

Fragile.

Meek.

But they keep themselves going with their pitiful hopes and dreams...

The pinkett waves her arms in the air with graceful arcs, her sea-green eyes closed and a slight frown on her face. Green pentagrams float a few inches away from her fingertips, glowing according to her movements. There's a huge pentagram underneath her heels, flickering as she moves her feet to an invisible song. Furrowing her eyebrows, she lets out a sigh.

The deity does this everyday.

Assigning a method of death to every living person in the universe. It's a daunting task that she's sure no one else would want to take up. It takes an insane memory. Commitment. Atropa knows a lot about every person in the universe. That's what she hates about her job. She's been alive since the beginning of time, but she can only recall fragments of early events. But if you asked her who was the seventy-eighth person to die on... Say... The Dark Ages, she'd be able to tell you their name, martial status, date of birth, date of death, what they were involved in... Everything.

The problem with Atropa is that she knows a lot about people. Too much about people. There are some things people keep to themselves for obvious reasons, and yet she has to invade their personal lives to see how they will die. Perfect.

However, out of all the years of killing people, determining when they die, she hasn't seen such a more pathetic race.

Humans.

Atropa blinks, flinching at the word. Not just humans from Earth; species who resemble them as well. Celestial Beings, Enlightened, Felinefolk... Humans. Just... Humans. Vile creatures they are. They're very disgusting at times.

They're ants to her. Each and every one of them. She plans to squash them all underneath the heel of her red stiletto boot.

She sees no reason for them to even exist anymore.

It seems that with each passing day, Atropa grows more and more irritated.

Why can't anyone seem to act logically anymore? The pinkett folds her arms, staring into the setting sun of the Dream World. She's been here for ages, but she'll never get bored of the way the wind caresses her wavy, carnation pink-colored hair. She's done assigning souls their deaths for the day. And she's tired. Atropa stretches a bit, placing her lithe fingers on her glossy lips and yawning. After that, she composes herself, standing up straight and looking into the sky.

There used to be a time where she would plead to see the sun set...

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she saunters over to her table and takes a seat in the chair, making sure she doesn't mess up her expensive, red-violet dress. Where the hell is Kohana? She was supposed to be here by now. As a matter of fact, the more Atropa thinks about it... She hasn't seen Kohana all day... Is she really sleeping that much? No, Kohana doesn't oversleep. She either sleeps a little bit, or gets the exact amount of sleep she needs. The Wickedness has since been mastered the ability to control her dreams. Oversleeping isn't something the Deity of Hope and Destiny would have associated with her.

Atropa places her hands on top of the table, gazing at the sunset. Kohana has taught the deity something, at least.

That she needs to continue to be unfeeling.

Atropa's not dumb; she sees what Kohana's emotions are doing to her. She sees the pain that woman unnecessarily goes through, and that pain comes from trivial things like love and trust... Pfft. You won't catch Atropa doing any of those things.

But that woman... That insane, crazy woman insists that Atropa can't feel good things without letting bad things come her way. That being tricked sometimes does the soul some good. How the hell does Kohana figure that? Atropa works with souls all the time and she has the nerve to spew that garbage? The pinkett stifles a haughty laugh underneath her breath. Atropa's seen what trusting someone can do. What love does to a sane person.

Besides.

She's not human.

She'll never be human.

So she'll never have emotions.

It works out for everyone, because Atropa would rather the world be unfeeling anyway.

Surely it would at least take a few fatalities off the death toll, which means less work for her.

After she's done thinking to herself, something happens.

Atropa can sense a disturbance in the air around her, and this time she's not drinking scathingly hot tea! So no, she won't spill Earl Grey tea on her dress. She's prepared to see Kohana materialize out of multicolored flower petals, but that's not what happens at all. She sees the purple-haired woman, but she doesn't_ like_ what she sees.

Kohana's hair pins clatter against the ground, letting her purple locks wave freely and tumble down her back and onto the floor. Atropa's eyes then travel to the huge puddle of blood underneath the Summoner of Time's feet. What the hell just happened? Instead of getting angry or demanding an answer, Atropa stares at the woman, expecting her to say something. With a good portion of her hair in her face, Kohana brings her lacerated arm up towards her partner.

In fact, her entire body looks just as bad as her arm. And it looks _bad._

"Kohana, what did you do...!"

She's shaking. Trembling. Twitching. Convulsing.

All in one go.

And still, Atropa can't help but just stare at her, holding no sympathy for the wounded flower fanatic. Kohana takes three steps—three steps total towards the deity before she tumbles forward, her eyes devoid of pupils and glassy. Extremely glassy. Before Atropa knows it, Kohana collapses face-first into the ground.

Once again, Atropa's surrounded by silence.

Standing and picking up her dress, Atropa walks towards her partner and kneels down. Yep. Kohana's knocked out cold. Unconscious. Laying face-first in the dirt. Strange... Atropa rolls the Wickedness' body over a bit, examining the cuts on her arms. She knows that it won't take much to heal her wounds. With a bit of magic, Kohana'll be back on her feet in no time. Atropa opens up the palm of her hand and a pentagram shines against her fingers. She attempts to touch her wounds, but white lightning strikes out against her, making the deity rethink her plans.

"Holy magic...?"

Atropa scrunches her nose, standing up straight. Holy magic. Where the hell did Holy magic come from? I mean, this did kind of make sense. Contrary to popular belief, the deity had nothing to do with that bird appearing in the Dream World a couple of days ago. She _really did_ think that was Kohana's doing. Daintily, she turns to her side, looking ahead of her with a dangerous gleam in her eye.

"I can't _stand _humans."

She swipes her arm across the air, closing her eyes and watching the space in front of her light up the sky with a pink light. The light dies down and there's a girl standing in front of Atropa. White hair, barren eye-sockets covered with white bandages... No eyeballs, stitches on her neck tied neatly in a bow... The girl stands up straight and looks around, her white, upper-thigh length dress swaying in the wind she was summoned in.

The things Kohana creates...

Standing at a mere 5'0", the Wicked Spawn girl looks around and her face drops. "Hey Klaus don't be greedy I wanted the last of the cereal you're so mean, I...!" Blink. Jaw drop. The girl can hardly contain herself when her barren eye-sockets lock on the pinkett standing in front of her. The girl's grin gets wider and her monstrous, green hands—contradictory to her pale skin—start to twitch with glee. She's so happy she can hardly get words out of her mouth. "Ah-ah-ah... Atropa...!"

"Alula."

"Atropa!"

Atropa sighs, looking at Kohana and then gazing back at the Wicked Spawn girl. She has a lot to explain. The Wicked Spawn then gazes to the ground, like a love-stricken fangirl that sees her idol in real life.

For the first time.

Atropa lets out another sigh, gesturing towards Kohana before Alula gets a chance to squeal at her commander. Words can't begin to describe the love Alula has for Kohana. She's her mother, in every sense of the word. Or at least, that's how Alula sees it. She created Alula—brought her into the world and tied her stitches with the utmost care and dedication. The white-haired monster wants to up and glomp the Wickedness, but she finally realizes that her idol is laying face-down in the dirt.

A look of terror takes over her face and green, deformed claws that aren't her own rise up and touch her cheeks.

"Oh no!" Alula shrieks. She wants to touch Kohana—to make sure she's okay—but isn't that disrespectful? To touch Kohana without permission? Forget the apparent pool of blood Kohana's laying it... What if she drowns in it? "Atropa, what happened? What's going on? Koh-koh-Kohan—!" Even though Alula has_ no eyes_, she starts sniffling, on the verge of a wild and sporadic temper tantrum. Alula's going to cry. She's going to cry, and Atropa's going to be _pissed_. Gracefully, Atropa pulls down the ruffles of her dress and closes her eyes, grumbling under her breath.

"Don't cry." It wasn't mean. It was monotonous. "Alula, I did not summon you here to drive me crazy. I summoned you because I need you to keep an eye on Kohana from now on." Alula's pale, stitched-together face lights up.

"You really mean it, Auntie Atropa?" Like an excited child, Alula jumps up and down, wrapping her undead, slightly rotting arms around the deity. And it makes her frown. So much. This is like Kohana all over again. Except more annoying and not as childish, surprisingly. The feeling of Alula's arms wrapping around her body burns. Why is this abomination so... Sickly sweet when she should be terrorizing the deity, regardless of who she is? Alula's supposed to be a scary monster/zombie/Wicked Spawn type thing.

Be scary, dammit!

"Aun... Auntie Atropa?" the deity manages to choke out. The white-haired Wicked Spawn nods her head.

"Yep! Kohana told me that I should call you that!"

"Damn Kohana," Atropa growls under her breath, glaring at her fallen partner. She's more trouble than she's worth. Atropa quickly recomposes herself. "Whatever Kohana got herself into is, naturally, her business. However, I will not stand idly by and watch her make a completely and utter fool of herself. I don't know what Kohana did to end up with such heavy wounds, considering how much she—"

"Kohana's so strong!" Alula squeaks happily, clapping her zombified hands together. "And pretty, and smart, and... Why can't I get married to someone like her?"

Atropa blinks one time, taking a step back. She's babysitting right now, isn't she?

A little, ditsy zombie baby and a big, obnoxious, unconscious baby.

"Of course you can't marry Kohana. Alula, you're supposed to be a weapon of mass destruction. When I call you, you are supposed to be ready for anything. Though, you intrigue me. Who put the thought of marriage in your head?" Atropa expects a high-pitched reply, but the monster hangs her head down, swinging her arms around the ruffles of her too-short, white dress. It's a scene that puzzles the deity for a while, so she tilts her head.

"But I love h-her!"

"You're talking absolute nonsense. You don't know what love is. It's certainly not that," she says, pointing at the purple-haired woman on the ground. But then, Atropa stops, thinking to herself. How does she know what love is? She's just as inexperienced with it as Alula is... And the more she thinks about it, the more she gets angry. How is it that this simple little girl—Who isn't even_ real!_ Just a collection of various monsters packed into one body, one soul—is able to understand a concept that has driven many to their deaths, thrown them off the edge, and has confused Atropa almost to the point of mere insanity?

And the little girl understands because of _her._

The useless, inferior woman who looks downright hilarious laying down in a puddle of her own blood.

Love! Ha! What a silly concept formed by mere humans that don't understand that love is not a comforting word or phrase or something to desire—it turns people insane! To hollow shells walking without any guidance... Turns people to aimlessly look for their demise at the hands of Atropa, the deity of Fate and Destiny. Or was it Hope? She can't remember anymore because it's been so long.

Love.

It irritates Atropa. So damn much.

Love is an illusion, just bits and pieces of imagination linking them all into existence. It proves as an intrusion, and it's not worth the pain.

"But Auntie Atropa...!"

"Oh dear God!" Atropa yells, throwing her arms in the air. She's officially reached her breaking point. "I'm surrounded by _idiots!_" And with that, she vanishes right before Alula's eyes, leaving her with Kohana, who is still bleeding profusely. This woman... Seems to have an effect on people. People like Alula. Who shouldn't be able to feel... The more she thinks about it, the more she gets angry. Mad.

_Kohana's in love with you, you know._

Bullshit. But the words replay in her head. And every time they do, she twitches violently.

_She'll do anything for you._

A slight smile curls on Atropa's lips as she leaves the Dream World. "And this is why she'll die at my hands. And she will die. Terribly. In agony."

Hope. Destiny. Fate. If you take all of those things away from a person, they become puppets that Atropa can twist and spin at her will until they break.

"I _refuse_ to love you." And even when saying that, her voice cracks. "I will not be stupid. I will not be blinded. I _am not _weak." She pauses, her voice brought to an incoherent whisper. "I am not a human."

Pfft. Love.

Screw everyone who understands it.

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Two: Licked Clean From Head To Toe Everyday :-**

_Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag_  
_ And bury them beneath the sea_  
_ I don't care what the people may say_  
_ What the people may say about me_  
_ Pack up your troubles get your old grin back_  
_ Don't worry 'bout the cavalry_  
_ I don't care what the whisperers say_  
_ 'Cause they whisper too loud for me._

— "Pack Up" — Eliza Doolittle

I ran back to Boobie Lady's house as soon as I heard the news that Lacking Lady had been captured! Except, Hero Guy had to help me remember where her house was. Flarence doesn't really have a great memory meow... But I found her house regardless! As soon as I got there, Boobie Lady was looking at me with her arms folded over her round meat buns. Mmm. Meat buns! Meat buns, meat buns, meat buns! I wanted some meat buns. The thought was making me drool all over Boobie Lady's floor, but then I stopped because she looked kind of mad... I didn't want the Boobie Lady to be all mad at me. Not only was Boobie Lady looking at me, but the others were too!

One Earring Guy, and Scythe Lady, and Glasses Lady, and Redhead Lady...

Um.

Did I do something wrong, meow?

I touched my face with my hand, tilting my head. "Flarence is really, really sorry," I insisted, my ears drooping down and my tail falling on the ground. "Boobie Lady, I didn't mean to stay out all last night. For honests!" I thought Boobie Lady would forgive me, but she was still staring at me. Was it mean if I couldn't concentrate on her? I was too worried about those meat buns...! Yummy! I started drooling again, but the Boobie Lady flicked me on my nose, making my eyes water. Aww! Why'd she go and do that? I burst out into tears, because it hurt! It really hurt meow! I loved Boobie Lady; I didn't want to make her so upset with me!

"Quiet, ragamuffin," Boobie Lady said, unwinding her arms. Oooh! Muffin? I want a muffin! It'd make me feel better! Oh, speaking of better, a meat bun muffin didn't sound so bad right now! Meat, meat, meat, meat, meat! It's a man's best friend! And I want my meat to be in the shape of Boobie Lady's meat! I started smiling really big and wide, but Boobie Lady narrowed her eyes at me. "Flarence, where were you residing? You were gone for a worrisome amount of time." She pauses, showing me her really sharp teeth. Waaah! Boobie Lady is scary when she's angry. "I want you to tell me."

"Boobie Lady, I—!"

"And don't_ lie _to me."

Boobie Lady was beautiful, she really was! She was really, really beautiful, with her long, green hair always pinned up in that meat bun on her head. And the tendrils of her hair swaying on the sides of her face, but there was always more hair on the left side... She was perfect in every way, and I knew I wanted her to teach me everything! Everything there was to know about anything. Because she was the best. All I really knew was that everyone in my small little village looked up to the Boobie Lady. Everyone knew her name... They all still do! I remember I wanted to figure out what made her so popular. So talked about around the continent! Ha, Lacking Lady, I finally said that word right. Meow, anyways, I never realized Boobie Lady had such nice, large meat buns until I met her one fateful day... I'd remember it forever. It's not every day that you get to set your unworthy eyes on a woman with long green hair! … That confuzzles me, and Flarence doesn't like being confuzzled...

One Blonde Streak Guy walked towards me and he even keeled down, too. Boobie Lady watched him like a hawk; sometime she could really be mean if she wanted to! I've seen her yell at people before, but not me... My ears drooped down and my Cheshire Cat grin turned upside down. I glanced at the One Blonde Streak Guy and looked at his hand. It looked really soft and... Fleshy and... Yummy and...! I licked my lips and my grin flipped over. Now I was happy. Really happy! "Look, Flarence, we really need your help right now. Can you tell Morta, Damien, Ruby, Chio and Miyuki anything that happened to you while you were gone? We really don't want to lose Sayuri to an Archfiend." Aww, he sounded kinda sad. Which made Flarence sad, so my ears drooped down again.

I was going to say something—tell him about how I met an awesome White Guy who fed me all kinds of delicious, tantalizing, smokey, mouth-wateringly tasty meat, but One Earring Guy snorted and I looked over to him. He took my attention, he did! But he didn't look nearly as tasty as One Blonde Streak Guy. Not even a little bit. He did make my stomach growl, though. Mmaw, where was the food? Usually Boobie Lady made me lots and lots of food. Maybe she didn't make her delicious meat buns because she had all of these strange, multicolored guests in her home. They all looked like walking pies! Yum. Walking meat pies!

Want!

"Oh please," One Earring Guy said, folding his arms. "It's not like we all want that girl to come back. I think the Archfiend'll take nice care of her—"

"Hey, Damien. Shut up." Ouchy. That had to hurt, huh? It was the Scythe Lady again. She was strange, because I had only heard her talk a few times. I didn't need to hear her talk though, because her bouncy boobies did all the talking for her. "I've just about had it with your attitude." Look at the way those bushy eyebrows twitched! They look yummy too. "Whether or not you like it, Sayuri's the leader of this team. As obnoxious as she is, we don't need you berating her every chance you get. It's like she said before. We all have seniority on you, save Ruby. Sayuri saved an entire world with our help—she's more competent than you think." So many big words! I tilted my head and touched my face with my fingertips through my loooong sweater sleeves.

"Whaaaa? Lacking Lady and her friends had to go to a world to save a world? ...Flarence is very confused..." I was still grinning, because I was really happy! The Scythe Lady looked down at me with her dark eyes, and some of her dark, chocolatey hair got in her face. It was really wavy. Like chips made out of... Chocolate! My Cheshire Cat grin turned upside down again. Why were Lacking Lady's friends so tasty looking...? They were messing with my appetite! One Earring Guy started glaring at the Scythe Lady, but she looked at him again and he glanced the other way, shrugging his shoulders.

"Whateve—"

"It's not that hard to understand, Flarence." Hey! She cut the One Earring Guy off! Awesome. I started jumping up and down with excitement. Oh goody! I was going to learn something awesome today about worlds within worlds outside of worlds and—meow there's other worlds out there? My eyes started to sparkle. "Yes, we go around saving worlds, supposedly." Cat Person walked over to us with her pretty orange hair, and put one hand on her waist, nodding her head. Oh, so she agreed with Scythe Lady?

"Morta has a point, Flarence. My team of Summoners go around the universe helping the worlds that are in trouble. It's not a very competitive job—seeing as how it's very dangerous. Going into the enemy's territory and challenging them in their homeland is bad enough, but when you go to their _world_ and do it... Not many people do that. Except for us." Ah! That was very interesting! … But I was still confused. I put my thinking look on and tilted my head.

"Competi... What...?"

"It's really hard to succeed." Cat Person sounded frank when she said that. And I think she sighed too, but I got it! My mouth formed into an 'o' and I stood on my tiptoes, leaning in closer to the Scythe Lady. Boobie Lady was just watching us. Maybe she was waiting for my answer?

"Meow?" I shouted in awe, my tail waving back and forward in the air. "Does that mean Flarence couldn't be a sparkly Summoner?"

"Being a Summoner just doesn't happen like that," Cat Person answers for me, rubbing her hands together. That's when she started walking. Aww! Her tail was so soft. And cute. And longer than mine. It dragged across the floor, but she didn't mind it. That would send me up the wall, hahah! "We already have our Summoners, but you could join the Academy in order to become that next Guardian for the future Summoners that'll come after them. In order to get in, though, you have to take a series of tests to gauge your ability..."

I started clapping my hands together, my mouth turning into an overturned three. "Flarence's reeeeeally good at beating up people, meow! It's like the green grass that horses use to make silk purses on the other side of the fence!" One Earring Guy was drinking some water methinks, and he immediately choked on it and spit it out. I wonder why...? It was really funny, though! Redhead Lady walked over to me with her staff and sighed, knitting her fingers together. Her and those red eyes... They looked like cherries. Flarence really does love cherries! One day, I hope to eat Lady Kaelyn's cherries. They're the best!

"I think you're going for 'easy as pie', Flarence," Boobie Lady added. She closed her eyes and walked over to us. All slowly, though. I was still clapping my hands and grinning as hard as I could, watching my hair fly all over the place from the two holes on the bottom of my hood! No one would get to see my face! Not even... Not even Cat Person! And Boobie Lady! And, uh, Hero Guy! "You see," Boobie Lady said, with no real facial expressions. I'd kill just to see her smile! Just once! I like smiley faces on my meat buns! "The tests just don't test your physical strength."

"What was that, Boobie Lady?"

"Yes," Cat Person added, putting her arms behind her back. "Not only do they measure your physical strength, your stamina, and your academic level—you also have to take a series of Essence sensory tests."

"Aheheheh," Glasses Lady said, holding her long, blue staff. Oh! I hadn't heard her say anything in a while! Not ever sense she had got mad at Boobie Lady when we were walking through the cave. So she felt better now? "It might be a liiiiittle tough for you, Flarence."

"Huh?" I gasped, touching my face. "Why would it be tough for Flarence to get in? I mean seriously! Even the Lacking Lady became a Summoner...!" What? Why was everyone looking at me like I said something bad? Flarence was just speaking her mind, meow! There was nothing wrong about that, right? I shook my head really fast, clapping my hands together. "When! When I saw Lacking Lady and Scythe Lady and Glasses Lady and Red Eyes Lady standing next to each other Flarence was so happy, meow! I saw three sets of boobies... And one cutting board! Oh well! We have to go search for this Cult of the Archfiend thing to go get Lacking Lady back, right? But... I have no clue as to where this 'church' thingy is..." I paused, wriggling my nose. "Flarence really hates getting lost... Meow... Oh well. If I get lost, I'll just pull the whole 'cute kitty in the cardboard box' routine... It worked pretty well last time meow..."

"Cute?" One Earring Guy muttered, waving his hand across the air. I heaaard him! "You're anything but cute, you little hooded monster."

"Flarence can't hear youuuuuu!" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air triumphantly. "I guess you've got a small voice to match the kind of meat buns you get!"

"Flarence, mind your manners," Boobie Lady said. Aww, what did I do wrong now? It didn't matter. I still had my arms in the air with my pigtails hanging against the front of my sweater. I felt so comfy and warm! "You shouldn't speak like that to our guests. Though men are vile and deserve it." She paused and looked at the others—they were shocked at what she said. One Blonde Streak guy stopped moving all together. "I must apologize for her behavior. I think she forgot to clean her ears this morning." Hey! That wasn't true! I grinned a smile full of teeth and touched my face, jumping up and down. I was really hyper!

"Meow? Flarence may look like this, but Flarence's always clean! Flarence licks herself clean from head to toe everyday meow!" I swiped my arm across the air, watching everyone freak out in front of me.

"_Huh?_"

Everyone said that! Even Boobie Lady! I've never gotten a reaction out of Boobie Lady like that before. All of the colorful people threw their arms in the air, expect for Scythe Lady and Cat Person. They just kind of stood there are stared at me for a while. I had my trademark Cheshire Cat grin on, my eyes wandering across the room. Boobie Lady straightened out her long, green skirt and closed her eyes, folding her arms. "At any rate. Flarence, you have a gift for taking three steps and forgetting everything that transpired, don't you?" I wasn't listening. I was moving my head back and forth. There was a song in my head and in my heart.

"Hmmmm. _HMMMMMM_."

"Whatever is it, pussycat?"

"I remember the question now, Boobie Lady!" Or at least, I thought I remembered... I kept shifting around, and I really didn't know what to do with myself. Boobie Lady kept saying things and I started tuning them out. I had a really great day yesterday... I didn't get to sleep at all... I think she was telling the colorful walking Skittles some things, but... Sorry! I was already long gone! And I had a comfortable spot on the floor too! There was a snot bubble that kept coming back in my nose, and there was a puddle a drool underneath me. Really, I had only been sleep for about a minute! Honests! Well... I think...

I started to smell something, but then something hit be! It was round and... White-brownish and... I knew what it was! My mouth started to water and I instantly got off the ground. Boobie Lady went to go get an entire plate full of towering meat buns! Meat buns! I took the one she threw at me an examined it. Yes... Look at all this... This meat...! "Meow! Meat buns are the best!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air. I started drooling, too. Cat Person pressed her fingertips against her forehead and nodded, looking at the steam rise in the air. Mmm. Tasty steam...

"Well, it's time for us to start planning how we're going to get Sayuri back..." Scythe Lady said.

I jumped up and down, swaying my arms in the air. I wouldn't eat one. Not yet. Boobie Lady said it's rude to eat in other people's faces like a wild animal. Boobie Lady wiped some of her green hair out of her eyes and glanced at the funny-dressed people. "Oh, but I made enough for you all. Please, help yourself. I am quite a very competent cook. I can do anything you know." Glasses Lady shook her hands and smiled, tilting her head.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose..."

"Meow!" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air and frowning. "You mean, you're not going to have one of Boobie Lady's firm, all-natural meat buns?" The injustice! Who could turn one of them down meow! My face darkened and my voice got deeper. "Iyaaa wiiill striiike down upon those with greaaaaat _vengeance_ and with_ fuuuuurious_ anger those who attempt to defame and resist the power of her delicious mean buns..._ Meowrrrorrrr!_" Glasses Lady took several steps back and looked at me funny. So? I didn't care! Boobie Lady's meat buns were absolute!

"Oooookaaaay," Glasses Lady sighed, laughing nervously. "Anyway, she has a point. I think... It would be a shame to waste food, you know. So I'd love to help you out with those." Now she was talking! Everyone grabbed a meat bun, but I grabbed two. Or three. Or eight. Something like that. I had lost count. All I remember was stuffing those things in my mouth. Boobie Lady's cooking...! I wish I could live with her forever and ever and ever! I was stuffing my face more, but then I saw a lady come in. A lady who looked... Really familiar! She had long, perfectly straight yellow hair that sat on her upper-back, and really bright, yellow eyes and... And...

That cleavage!

Three Tail Lady?

She walked in with her eyes closed and her hands in her lab coat pockets. Everyone looked at her. "Greetings, lost children!" she proclaimed with a smile, very dramatic. It's like the spotlight hit her dead on! Cool! "I am Doctor Janeavah." Now she was walking around the room with one hand out and her eyes closed. "Genius scientist and ruler of the New World Order laboratory. Well okay, we aren't in the lab at the moment. This place can sort of be my temporary lab." She paused, putting her clawed hand over her mouth and looking at the ceiling. "Actually, I don't know what the hell this place is." Three Tail Lady opened her eyes and looked at Scythe Lady, waving her hand around frantically.

How'd she get in here? I dunno, but now I was excited! I started bouncing up and down, stuffing meat buns in my mouth.

"Well, simply put, it's a mysterious room. A room where you can do anything you want. To be honest, it's a paradise for all those sad, little lost children who couldn't save their dear Summoner Sayuri. A sort of limbo." What is she talking about? I started to smile. This was Boobie Lady's hideout! "If you're one of those nutbars who's all, 'I don't need help' or 'I only want to save Summoner Sayuri so we can get off this stupid world' or 'I'll just summon the Wickedness to come down here and do work,' then you can _piss off!"_ She paused, and then she looked Lady Kaelyn.

"Janeavah. Nice to see you again. I owe you my thanks for bringing Flarence home safely." Woah, Three Tail Lady brought me back to Boobie Lady's house?

"Someone had to," Three Tail Lady muttered. "I went back to give that idiot a piece of my mind, because I had heard his thugs had successfully managed to capture a Summoner." Now she was irritated. She put her hand out like she always does. Her pretty, yummy hand... "I was all, 'C'mon man, this isn't the place for fighting, all right? Even a jackass like you should be able to figure that out. So... Get lost. I'm sick of your white-ass.'" She paused, clapping her hands together and sniffing. "And he was all, 'White?'" Ahaha! She was doing an impression of the Hero Guy! Ah, I see I see. "After that, well, Flarence here passed out. Slept. Someone had to take her home."

"Who the hell is this scary chick?" One Earring Guy asked, pointing at her. All of a sudden, she just got really creepy. Really mad! Ooooh, Flarence was shaking in her boots! "Don't tell me we're going to have to fight her too! Looks like she kidnapped Sayuri. Well, I'm going to do the right thing for once and help you guys get Sayuri back. Bring it on, Bitch of the Abyss! Stupid furball!"

"Say that again, and I'll fill every one of your holes with my special candy!" Wow! Special candy? I want some special candy! Three Tails Lady was snarling really badly. That's when One Earring Guy took several steps back.

"Look. Let's be reasonable. I don't want to be here, and you don't want me here. So how about we just do what we gotta do, and then go our separate ways, huh?"

This was boring. Boooring. Lacking Lady was more amusing than this... I laid on my stomach, watching these guys from the top of my eyes. "Hmm. Your logic is sound. I'd expect nothing less from a Summoner kid. Considering that I'm trying to help you guys out and all."

"All right then. What do you say to a cease-fire, lady?"

"Fine. All right. What's your question? C'mon, spit it out. I don't have all day to sit around listening to _your_ crap. What is it? You want to live? You wanna show me your true form? _What?_" One Earring Guy thought about it for a while, but then he kinda sorta just gave up. He looked at Boobie Lady and Scythe Lady and everyone else and then shrugged his shoulders. Aww, he was going to quit that easily? I heard something open and Three Tail Lady pulled out a bag of chips out of nowhere, shoving them in her mouth with the same irritated expression on her face.

"I don't even know what we were arguing about! B-but I'll leave if that's what she really wants me to do..."

"Bet your ass I do. And don't you ever come back. I see your scrawny-ass around these parts again... Don't expect any mercy." I thought they were done bickering with each other, but One Earring Guy started smirking, and then he turned around. Three Tail Lady actually looked pretty happy when he was about to step out of the room. He could take some of Boobie Lady's meat buns if he wanted to!

"You stupid idiot cat!" he said, turning around on his heels. "Seriously? Like I'd come back to see your ugly face!" He thought that was really funny too. Three Tail Lady's eyes widened, and all of a sudden I couldn't see anything! Everything got really dark! Really, really dark! All of the lights cut off like magic, and I couldn't even see Three Tail Lady's meat buns!

"Snap."

Suddenly, I started hearing this weird music... Godlike music. It was soooo scary that I started shaking in my boots. Meow, I couldn't see anything, seriously! I could only hear voices and sounds! "Huh? What's this? I can't get out, I can't... H-hey, Janeavah? U-um... I mean, Your Highness... Your Majesty? Please, have mercy on a poor—_What's that thing?"_

"Shut it. All you need to know is that this baby is going to send you into deep space."

"W-wait! Hold on! I was just—"

"Hey, stop it!" Huh? Glasses Lady? "He's our partner, Janeavah! We need him to go save Sayuri!"

"Hmph! Such is the fate of all those who defy a god!"

"Janeavah. Stop it."

Woah! Boobie Lady has Godly powers! Just three words and the Three Tail Lady turned the lights on again! Except One Earring Guy was hanging upside down and there was this huge machine suspending him in midair. His shirt was bunched up around his neck and he looked really red. And scared. And yummy. Mmm. "Damn cat lady..."

"Anyway, so, hello guys," Three Tail Lady greeted, waving her hand in the air. "I've already introduced myself, and I don't want to hear your names. I know you all already. Don't ask me how either; that shi—stuff tends to get annoying sometimes. Lady Kaelyn and I were talking about how the hell we're going to save your leader—it ain't easy. When she let herself get taken by Lysimachus' goons, I took a hit to my pride. I need to show Lysimachus what happens when you go against me and my group of scientists. So I've decided to help you all get Sayuri back. But—and this is a big but—Flarence here is a complete idiot."

Flarence was no idiot... Three Tails Lady touched her forehead and sighed. "If only there were some way to make sure the knowledge sticks with her... She forgets everything you tell her. She's like a black hole." Glasses Lady skipped towards me and started patting my head. Puuurrr~ It felt really good!

"Flarence isn't an idiot, Janeavah! She's actually pretty smart!"

"Hey, what's going on in here, meow?" I asked, throwing my arms in the air. "It really got lively all of a sudden!" Boobie Lady looked at Glasses Lady for a second, and then she sighed.

"You obviously have no clue as to how humiliatingly painful it is to teach Flarence anything..." But it's easy to teach me stuff, right? Boobie Lady was still in the middle of her sentence, but then her entire face lit up. I've never seen her so surprised before! "Hmm. How could I have been so foolish? I completely forgot about that 'thing'."

"What thing meow? Food?" I asked, touching my mouth. Was it more meat buns? Boobie Lady opened the palm of her clawed hand and there was this round, black ball that appeared. It didn't look very tasty... The One Blonde Streak Guy threw his arms in the air and stared at it for a while.

"No way! Are those glowing bits of... Something... Actually...?"

"As if you know, ragamuffin. These are collected bits of the mighty Mentat plant. Medicine, if you will."

Aww. Now I was so confused! "Men... Cats? Wait a second Boobie Lady! Flarence is still a young kitten, you know!"

"Hush Flarence. Now where was I? Oh, yes... The Mentat plant is a mysterious plant whose miraculous properties have been passed down through the ages. It's good for almost every aliment under the sun, from achy joints to migraines to reversing full renal shutdown. While Flarence isn't physically ill, I'm pretty sure this might—no—this will make Flarence's mind more responsive to new ideas." Okay, now it just sounded very yummy! Boobie Lady was gonna give that stuff all to me, right?

"Oooh! All right, let Flarence try some meow!" I took it out of her hands really quick—the medicine was about as big as my hand, but I still managed. I stuffed the entire thing in my mouth and started chewing as fast as I could. Boobie Lady looked back at me before I could get it down, expecting an answer. She was so impatient!

"Well, how is it?"

I gulped it down, but then my face dropped. "It tastes like... Hurting meow. I don't think I like it very much, Boobie Lady."

"Well, how it tastes isn't important!" she shot, growling at me. My ears drooped down and my arms hit my sides like spaghetti. Mmm. Spaghetti. "What's important is how your head feels. Do you feel any smarter yet?" I had to think about that.

"... Hmmmm? I'm not really sure meow." And then I started giggling, because that was a strange question! Boobie Lady sighed and touched her forehead with her hand, and then Three Tail Lady slung her arm around her shoulder. Boobie Lady flinched really hard, and then she glared at her. She wasn't in a good mood today now was she? But look at how Three Tail Lady's meat buns smashed into the side of Boobie Lady's meat buns!

"Don't give up yet! This is herbal medicine we're talking about. It's gonna take some time for it to kick in. But I just remembered!" Three Tail Lady said, putting her hand on her waist. Oh, she had really pretty yellow claws to go with her really pretty, yellow hair! She glanced over to Boobie Lady, her white coat swaying in the wind. Brr, it was really cold in this place. When were we going to get a chance to try Boobie Lady's ultra tasty delicious meat buns? Meat buns yay! "There was a method I used to use back when I was a student... And it had noticeable results!" ... What's a noticeable? Can I eat that too? Ooh!

Boobie Lady's green eyes lit up, but just a little. She rarely gets excited. Aww. "That sounds promising. Well, what was it that you did Janeavah?"

It was strange, meow! Three Tail Lady always had these bags of chips with her, and she'd just start munching them no matter what the situation was! She was really strange. All of the special people in the back of the room were staring at her and I was staring at her meat buns. Mmm. Meat buns! Three Tail Lady threw her arms in the air with an extra-proud look on her face. I wanna be proud too!

"Eating!"

"What?" One Earring Guy said. He sounded sleepy. "Didn't we already try that just now?"

"Yes, I've heard of that before," Boobie Lady said, shifting her stance. Maw, Boobie Lady was always so stand-straight-y and well composed! Why couldn't I be like her? "Scholars from ages past frequently used that method. They would literally eat the pages they studied... Swallowing them whole."

"And I've got a dictionary right here, Lady Kaelyn!" Three Tail Lady said. She smiled at me kind of creepy, but I could only smile at her and stare. Boing, boing, boing goes the meat buns again! She tapped on the book with her claws and looked at me, trying to get the appropriate eye contact. "Here's a book you little idiot," she said, shoving it into my face. After that she started smiling again, folding her arms. Huh... Maybe this would taste as good as Lady Kaelyn's meat buns? I was curious! "Now eat it. Eat ALL of it." I grabbed it... But it didn't feel like a meatbun! ... It felt hard and... And...

"You want Flarence to eat this? Is paper tasty meow?" I asked with my mouth wide open! I was trying to get the feel of the book against my teeth. Three Tail Lady waved her hands out, sighing.

"Oh no. You can't just eat it straight. It... Doesn't taste very good. You'll need to season it with something. I recommend ketchup! Or peanut butter! Or both!"

"R-right!" I exclaimed, throwing the entire book in my mouth. Man, it was kind of hard to chew, but that was because of the book cover! But once I got that out of the way it was like... Smooth sailing. Everyone was looking at me funny... Everyone except Three Tail Lady. She was really happy all of a sudden! … My stomach started yelling at me, so my ears drooped down again. "Meow... This tastes horrible. Flarence is very disappointed..."

"Yeah, well, of course... I kinda expected as much..." Red Eyes Lady said, slumping her shoulders. Next thing I know, Three Tail Lady pulled out some kind of helmet! It had red buttons on it, and it was made out of steel! Where the heck did she keep getting these machines? It looked sorta scary... Flarence doesn't like scary things...

"I have this!" Three Tail Lady explained, holding it in the air and grinning from ear to ear. "I made it a while ago! The revolutionary Ludovico Brainflex O-Matic model 1984!" One Earring Guy looked at the ground, and then he sighed. The name sounded edible!

"Well, judging it solely by its name... I'd say it's suspicious as hell, but... Wait a second... Why are you carrying it around with you?"

"Oh? Does Flarence need to eat this one too?"

"Actually," she said, her smile still on her face. "You put it on your head kid. Like this!" Three tails Lady just slammed it on my head, and I giggled.

"Meow!"

One Earring Guy sighed again. Didn't he know that everyone was ignoring him? "My money's definitely on 'fail'."

"Oh, don't be like that! Now let's flip the switch, and...!"

"_Abababababbababababaaa!_"

I felt... Nothing actually! Everything started hurting really badly! I swear I could see my own skeleton. Like I was being zapped with a whole bunch of lightning! Red Eyes Lady was really surprised you see! She threw her arms in the air and everything.

"Th-that can't possibly be healthy for her! Turn it off! Turnitoffrightnow!"

Three Tail Lady snorted. "But why? That's what it's supposed to do. At least I think so... Okay, fine. Turning off the switch now." She stayed true to her word! But no I felt really, really... Not good in the head...

"Meow! … I don't feel smarter at all! … I feel... Tingly."

"Oh God," Boobie Lady said, shaking her head. "Well, I guess we need to come up with something else." Three Tail Lady just doesn't quit. She jumped up and pointed her finger at me, smirking.

"Heh! I just had a brain wave! Individually, none of these things worked. But how about we try them all together at once? That's it! Everyone always says, 'Two heads are better than one!' This is just like that! So let's do this together, Lady Kaelyn!" Boobie Lady had to think about it for a while, but before I knew it I was wearing that big, clunky helmet again, holding a dictionary in my left hand, and that black ball thing in my other hand.

"Yes, stick that in your ear... And eat that stuff Lady Kaelyn gave you... And be sure to eat that damn dictionary!" Three Tails Lady commanded. "Together! _Together!_"

"I-I don't think..." Glasses Lady didn't even get a chance to continue. Because I did all three things! And as soon as I did, I felt so wonderful! So amazing!

"MEOOOOOOOOOW!"

Everything got really dark, just like it did when Three Tail Lady was going on kill One Earring Guy! My eyes started glowing, and they were like spotlights! Like... The ones that are on stages! Glasses Lady started gasping, and then she got scared. Really scared.

"Eh? Eh? Eh...? Eeeyaaaaah!"

"Yes, that's amazing Flarence!" Three Tail Lady said, clapping her hands together. "See? What'd I tell you? Mecha-Flarence is so awesome!" Red Eyes Girl stomped on the ground, and then she scowled.

"How can you call this 'amazing' with a straight face? _Turn in off right now_, _before the Wickedness itself comes down on us!" _She didn't have to scream so loud meow... Three Tail Lady cut everything off. I was so... Dazed and confused...

"Meow... I see stars... Lots and lots of stahaars..."

"Aww, look at you. You're... You're smoldering..." Boobie Lady said sarcastically. "Are you okay? Do you know who I am?" She paused, cracking her neck. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting this turn of events so I didn't prepare for this. Flarence, is there anything you'd like to learn from Janeavah and I before we go find the Summoner?" Actually, yeah! I started smiling and I threw my arms in the air again.

"Let's see... Oh yeah! How about those clothes you guys are always wearing meow? How come they almost look the same! Do you guys swing _that_ way...? Flarence would definitely love to learn more about _that!_" Three Tail Lady took a step back and kind of looked at me funny. After a while, she stood up straight again and regained her composure.

"I-I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what you mean by that..."

Whatever! I looked at the meat bun plate and they were all gone... Aww. Who ate them all? It wasn't me, was it...? "Boobie Lady! Where's the meat buns?"

"Holy your horses, Flarence," Boobie Lady said, turning her head towards me. "They're not ready yet. However, on a completely unrelated note. Flarence, this is the perfect opportunity to put all of your studying to use. Now... Show everyone here the new and improved, dangerously leveled-up..." She paused and I got really, really, really excited! I started twirling my arms around and danced a bit. Boobie Lady even cracked a smirk at me. "Super Flarence. Show them what you can do." Okay! I turned towards everyone, and One Earring Guy started laughing. What for...?

"What's she gonna do? Make more jokes about Sayuri's chest?"

His laughing got louder, and louder, and soon he was the only thing you could hear. Oh well. I was going to listen to Boobie Lady and show everyone what she taught me! I walked to the center of the room and almost fell. But I caught myself before I did. Why did everyone look so... It was like they didn't believe in me? No matter. I inhaled to the sound of One Earring Guy's cackling, and then I bent my knees and put one arm in front of me and the other one behind me. A pretty symbol appeared underneath my feet and it glowed a really pretty white light.

It was amazing!

My eyes turned white too, and a clear mist started to come from my eyes. Next thing I know, this really strong wind just started blowing! It blew everything around! Tables, chairs, you name it! Things collided into the wall and broke on impact, it did!

"What the hell...!" Three Tails Lady yelled, shielding her eyes. Her coat flew straight off her shoulders and it was getting really hard for her to stay on the ground. One Earring Guy immediately stopped laughing and tried to hang onto something to make sure that he didn't fly away like that other stuff. But really, the wind was really, really, really bad. It was a wonder everyone else wasn't getting cut up to all hell! Boobie Lady was the only one who was calm. The only thing about her that was being affected by the wind was her skirt ridding up.

Aww.

I wish her shirt would do that too!

I took one step forward and extended my arms, two big, beautiful Holy birds spreading their wings and flying straight in the air. They were birds at first, but then they turned into pretty slivers of light and flew through the ceiling! Not only did the ceiling crumble—it disintegrated! The walls were disappearing too. And the floor, and the chairs...! I took another step forward and glass started to break all around me. It was dangerous, but Boobie Lady wanted me to show them, right? I sighed, bringing my arms towards my body and the bright light disappeared completely.

All that was left standing was a very happy Flarence!

The light was so bright, I don't think anyone even got a chance to see me work my magic. Daww.

Boobie Lady walked over to me, patted me on the shoulder, and then everyone recomposed themselves. I think they were too stunned to say anything. "This is Flarence," Boobie Lady said, smirking wildly. "This is my student."

I grinned my Cheshire Cat grin, waving my hand in the air and jumping up and down frantically. "Hi!"

"Flarence the new Holy Maiden..." Boobie Lady said, standing up straight and turning around, facing the direction of the sun. Her green tail swayed back and forth... She was excited!

"Let's go beat up that foolish cult now, shall we?"

* * *

**A/N:** Man, you guys got off lucky. Alula, Flarence and everyone else? Janeavah, too? XD;; You guys didn't know what to do when you read this chapter. I bet you thought I was going to stay with Sayuri and Misake, right? Truth is, you might as well say goodbye to Sayuri now, because this arc isn't even gonna be fixed on Sayuri like that. As far as I know, she's gone. XD;; Better get used to a new main narrator. XD;;

And no, it won't be Flarence.

Even though I know some of you wish it was. XD;;

I love Atropa and Kohana. XD;; They have such a bromance. Anyone can tell that they really love each other deep, deep down inside. And Atropa's just extremely jealous of Alula, is all. Or at least, I like to think so. Or maybe she is. Maww. Atropa's just not used to her feelings yet. Or does she even have them... She makes you think... XD;;

And Janeavah's so mean to Lysimachus. XD;; White-ass. XD;; Huh. XD;; That's hilarious. XD;; But Janeavah's crazy too... Eating paper...

Who in the story isn't crazy, anyway...?


	73. The Riddler Who Won't Solve Riddles

**A/N:** Hello guys!

Greetings!

Now to get right down to business. XD;; This chapter is one big riddle. Yep. You heard right. One big, confusing riddle told by Kohana. And if you can figure it out, you get a prize that's at the bottom of this chapter. Because I like writing A/Ns for the top and bottom of my fics. Things just feel... Empty without them. XD;; I am not giving you guys any hints, nor am I telling you guys little information that I usually do. XD;;

Yes, this chapter is confusing, like Kohana says, but... But you should all be able to get what happens. XD;;

What you need to keep in mind, while reading, is that you need to try to figure out who is the culprit in the riddle. It's like a game of Clue! :D Chiharu-haru likes hearing ridiculous theories, so if you have a ridiculous theory, be sure to tell her. XD;; Only one person knows the answer, and, aside from Kohana-nana, that would be me. XD;;

Good luck~

Also, the flashback doesn't have anything to do with it. XD;

* * *

Nina taps Isleen's foot two times before a smile stretches across her face. It's been so long since she's seen Isleen—since they all have, really. Jessica is standing next to Isleen's bedside, clapping her hands together as the wolf girl's arm and leg start to glow a bright, light blue. The Summoner of Convene continues to prod Isleen's skin, staring at her in awe. "Look! Look guys!" she says with obvious excitement in her voice. "She's squishy again! Isleen was like a rock, but now she's back to being all squishy! Guys, we did it, she's okay!"

The robotic Summoner of Fire glances down at the silver-haired Summoner of Change, folding her arms. "Has Isleen recovered?" No matter what is being said, Sayuri still keeps her grip strong on Isleen's shoulders. She doesn't want anything bad to happen to her again—not while they're still in Forsythia. In the back of Sayuri's mind, she can't help but blame herself for Isleen's sudden sickness. Had she have been a capable leader, Isleen probably wouldn't have pushed herself so hard to fill the shoes Sayuri once wore. This is all her fault. Isleen lets out a few incoherent words before she sits up, glancing at the Summoner of Time.

"S-Sayuri...?" the Summoner of Change utters, turning her head towards the purple-haired girl. Ah, so she's able to talk now. It's a good sign, but Sayuri doesn't celebrate yet.

"Yes, Isleen. It's me."

Despite being unconscious for more than a few days, Isleen turns her body towards Sayuri and reaches out to touch her face, her red, slitted eyes widening. "S-Sayuri," she stutters, placing her soft, lithe fingers on her leader's cheek. "Did... Did something bad happen to you...?"

Immediately this startles Sayuri. Why would Isleen be asking about her well-being? Didn't she want to ask why she was laying in a hospital bed? Or what happened to herself? It's all very weird, and Sayuri doesn't know how to take it, at first. Was Isleen more worried about her than she was of_ herself?_ No, that didn't make much sense. "Uh, wha-what are you talking about?" Sayuri stammers, moving her face away from Isleen's fingertips. "Nothing bad happened to me. Um, not at all." The Summoner of Time pauses, looking down at the wolf girl.

She's confused by the way Isleen is still reaching out for her, and the way her eyes seem to want to burst in tears. Isleen is too badass for tears. It's a lesson that the others—including Sayuri—have beaten into their heads. If anyone on the team is incapable of crying, it would be Isleen. She's the toughest one of them all, and now she's going to start crying because she's worried about Sayuri? Something doesn't seem right here. "But, now that you're better, I—!"

"I see." Solemnly, Isleen brings her hand down to her chest and Riona gives her a curt nod. She scans the faces of everyone in the room before she sets her eyes on a certain Featherfolk. "Jessica?"

"Yes!" she replies in her cheery, uppity voice. "I'm traveling along with your friends now! I'm very happy that you're doing well! By the way! How is it that you recovered?" As if she's hiding something, Isleen lets out a silent gasp, turning her head away. Nina taps her forehead with her index-finger.

"Wait a second! What do you mean by that? Isleen got better all because of the medicine we gave her!"

"Yes, the remedy does cure Stone Sickness, of course, but the problem is that it doesn't usually happen this quickly..." Even in doubt, the sugary-sweetness of Jessica's voice is enough to lull a small child to sleep. Leyiko unfolds her arms and takes another glance at Isleen.

"Hmm. What you say is true."

"Don't get me wrong!" Jessica adds, waving her hands around as if she's done something bad. "I'm glad you're well too! I don't like to see anyone turn to stone! It's just... What do you call it? Curiosity? Everything about your sickness was very unusual. From the short incubation period to how slowly it progressed. So I was just a little curious, that's all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or anything..."

"Heh, it's okay," Isleen says with a quick nod. "I suppose keeping secrets isn't the best idea..."

"I-Isleen...?" Sayuri mutters with a quirk of her brow.

"Sayuri I'm... Sorry." The wolf girl pauses, touching her shoulder. "I hoped that I could keep all of this to myself for forever, but... But I guess things don't exactly work out like that."

"Hold on, what are you talking about?"

"Let me guess," Riona interjects, stepping closer to the party and gripping her scythe tighter. "Does this have anything to do with your Summoner mark glowing under your eye when we gave you that medicine?" Oh yes, the red diamond underneath her eye... Isleen hadn't noticed it before. She brushes it with her fingertips and closes her eyes, inhaling. The Summoner of Change shakes her head, her glossy, silver hair shining in the moonlight.

"Ah, so you have seen it do that before. All right. I guess I'll explain everything. Sayuri and I's home world. Earth. As you all know, I am an animal who just has the ability to shape shift due to me becoming a Summoner. But there are some extra quirks to being the Summoner of Change... Some that are enhanced only by me being an animal—a being naturally pulled in by nature." Sayuri feels her mouth go dry. Isleen kept this from her? Why? … Was it because she was being an incompetent leader? This is all important news!

"But I've found that I do possess an ability that most people don't have," she adds, nodding her head at her leader. "As far as sicknesses go, I can withstand even the harshest illnesses. And I am almost sure it's something I picked up from being a Summoner." Isleen starts growling under her breath, but then she looks back at Sayuri. "Being the Summoner of Change... The reason my incubation period was so fast and the progress of the illness was so slow is because my body was attempting to adapt. And the reason the remedy cured me so fast is because those powers of adaptation stimulated the healing process. Remember what I said to you before, Sayuri?"

"I—"

"That something like this couldn't kill me?"

"Isleen, don't...!"

"Even if the entire world fell into an incurable pandemic, I only would survive. That's what it means to be an animal infused with the change Essence. I'm a... Monster..." Tears start filling in the silver-haired girl's eyes and Sayuri takes a step back. This isn't really happening, is it?

"Isleen, you're not a monster!" Sayuri shouts, stomping on her foot. "That's just one of the perks that come with you being a Summoner! Like with me being able to tell the future even when I don't want to, and Leyiko accidentally setting her limbs on fire because she can't really feel stuff as good as we can, and Riona being able to see when other people will die but not being able to tell when she will! Don't you think that drives her crazy too?"

Before Isleen gets a chance to answer, Jessica shakes her head, bowing. "Oh, I'm afraid I don't have any idea what you all are talking about... But... It seems as though I should have never brought it up at all... I'm terribly sorry, Isleen."

"Don't be," Isleen murmurs. "It was kind of relieving, actually—" Nina puts her hands on the wolf girl's legs, looking up at her with wide, brown eyes.

"But Isleen! You're still Isleen, right? You're still the Isleen we've been with all along, right? That's all that matters, you know? I didn't know what to do when you were turned to stone." Nina jumps up in the air, throwing her arms behind her back. "Sayuri, Isleen, you're both my friends, okay? And that's all that matters! From the moment you saved me to the very end!"

"Heh, Nina. So full of surprises, you are," Isleen interjects, tilting her head weakly. Leyiko takes a few steps towards the door, looking at her feet.

"I have nothing in particular to say either. It remains a fact, after all, that meeting you two has brought warmth to my cold, steel body." And with that, the Summoner of Fire leaves. Riona faintly smiles, looking in Leyiko's direction.

"Ah, you almost seem bashful, Leyiko. I believe this is my cue to exit. I'd rather you not see my own bashful face, so I will say nothing." Nina and Jessica look at each other and nod, watching Riona leave the room. They don't want to feel left out, after all.

"Well the, I suppose we'll be going too!" Jessica says, curtsying and leaving with Nina. Sayuri throws out her hands towards the two, stuttering a bit.

"Hey, wait! You guys just can't leave me here with—!" She stops abruptly, due to the sound of Nina and Jessica's quick footsteps. "Eh, well, I guess it's just you and me Isleen." It's a sentiment that makes the Summoner of Change blush, but only for a second. Nina turns back around and puts her hands on her waist, grinning from ear to ear.

"Sleep tight you two!" And with that the door closes. Not knowing what else to do, Sayuri sits on the edge of Isleen's bed, sighing. It would be rude to leave her partner, especially when she just woke up from a life-threatening sickness. She tries to avoid eye contact with Isleen for a while, until the silver-haired girl looks at her.

"Sayuri, are you... Mad at me?"

"N-no, it's just that... Well. It's a bit of a shock. I'm surprised you would keep something like that away from me, you know? It wasn't anything really life-threatening... It happens to all of us. Being a Summoner isn't all about rainbows and butterflies. We all have our own problems. I just wish you would have told us what you could do sooner. With each generation of Summoners, they either have the same side-ability they had as their 'ancestors', or a completely different one." Sayuri expects Isleen to be okay now, to return to her normal self, but that doesn't happen.

Actually, her cold, lithe fingers start shaking and she grabs her arms. Even her lip is quivering. "When... When my elders and things found out about my natural ability to withstand illnesses, they started counting on me to bring hope and strength to the other wolves. I hate what it's given me. I hate what being a Summoner has given me, Sayuri!"

"Aww, Isleen, don't..."

"Back when I was little, some of my friends took me to play in some of the forbidden areas. You wouldn't understand. It's like a place that has bad nature elements in it. We didn't think much of it, but... We were contaminated. All of us. And so poisoned that we had no hope. My friends all died in terrible pain from the poison, but..." Her voice is brought down to a mere whisper; Sayuri refuses to look at her strong partner act so... Weak in front of her. This isn't the Isleen she knows... The Summoner of Change brings her hands up to look at them. "B-but this power of mine... It _refused to let me die!_ The adults all blamed me, so it was my fault. 'She's a monster,' they said. 'She's not normal!'" Now Isleen is shaking her head wildly, convulsing in the same spot she sits.

"Isleen. Stop."

"'Why the hell did you survive? You should have died like them, screaming in pain!'"

Now Sayuri's mad. Angry. She turns around to face Isleen, who has her head tucked inbetween her knees. "That's enough!"

"But then, that was the moment in which my mother told me the truth. About how I had been picked for the Summoner project. She told me that it was okay. I was going to bring happiness to them all. But how?" she demands, turning towards her leader and grabbing her long, purple hair. "W-who... Who could I possibly make happy? Someone like me! Someone who can live without a care in the world!" she screams at the top of her lungs. Her eye starts to twitch and her voice starts cracking... Sayuri can't take it anymore. Isleen doesn't deserve this... She really doesn't deserve to talk about herself like this.

"Isleen!" Sayuri shouts, throwing her arms around the wolf girl and completely taking her by surprise. "Isleen, you make me happy by just being alive, and I know your people would say the same." Seeking comfort, Isleen wraps her arms around Sayuri, placing her chin against her leader's shoulder.

"My power isn't... Anything special at all. But... You're different. Everyone suffering from pain and the Wickedness attacking them... Their world spiraling out of control... They'll be happy again! Because of what _you've_ done. So please! Stop looking so sad! You can accomplish something. I know it. Don't worry. Take all the time you need," Isleen implores with a smile, her face near inches away from Sayuri's. "Sooner or later, the old Sayuri'll come back."

That hurts.

It really hurts.

She hadn't realized how much she hurt Isleen.

"This battle loves to choose its fights, and it's unfair. But Sayuri, all you need to do is dream of me, if you're afraid. Just close your eyes and dream. Think of me." The Summoner of Time pulls the Summoner of Change closer, letting Isleen whisper things in her ear. "Shaking, squirming—oh my Sayuri, oh my Sayuri..."

A blink. A pause.

"You've... Never... Done... Anything wrong..."

Isleen falls asleep in her arms and Sayuri lays her down on the bed, overlooking her body. Making sure Isleen's comfortable. "Ah, thank you. I'm glad you have so much faith in me, but I need a little bit more time. Thank you really, Isleen."

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Three: The Riddler Who Won't Solve Riddles :-**

_Falling over, and over again _  
_ Oh, why does it have to be this way? _  
_ From the place I was, to the place I am, _  
_ to the place I want to be _  
_ For the mountains I've been climbing over _  
_ and under and over_  
_ From the place that I was to the man I've become _  
_ I'll be there to see the tower you'll fall from_  
_ No this kingdom isn't quite what it may seem _  
_ You're an illusion, you'll never be king_

_So tell me how does it feel, _  
_ how does it feel to be like you?_  
_ I think your mouth should be quiet _  
_ Cause it never tells the truth_

— "With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear" — Sleeping With Sirens

Kyahahahahha~!

I'm going to tell you all a story, teehee~

Once upon a time, there was this Forsythian girl named Kassia. Very pretty girl, actually. Long, bright pink hair—not pink hair like the oh-so pretty, gorgeous Atropa's hair, but it was pink nonetheless. I had been watching her for a while now. People enthuse me. They interest me. Especially people who decide to end up in terrible, terrible tragedies~! Well let me be the first to say that there _is_ no happy ending in this story. Only what Kassia will permit me to tell, which is, woefully, pain and frustration_—ahahah_! But then, one can only wonder what my idea of pain and frustration is. It might be lovely, just like the blue, swirling tattoo underneath her eye and on her cheek, sucking in my attention like a vacuum cleaner. I pay lovely attention to detail, you see~

She had eyes of pure diamonds, I swear she did. Gleaming blue glass as she stared into nothing. A face of cold! I knew that face all too well, because I used to wear it back when I was a Summoner, _ahh_aha_ha! _And mayhaps I'm still one now~? The possibilities are endless, I suppose~ Her face was perfect and smooth, a smile of blood! So innocent, with frills of blue, and a lace of pearls, and shoes polished and ready. Ready to trample, ready to kill, but still she smiled! It perplexed me. Never had I ever seen someone so... Dedicated to their cause~ To the point of mere madness! To me, what she was doing wasn't at all near madness! It was—she had cold breath, a heart full of hate, but she had no soul... Because she didn't need one! Kyahahahaha! Surely not. What good are souls, anyway? They're just things we queens play around with!

She'd stand there, smiling, laughing, her eyes dark and deceitful. She had eyes of shimmering shadows—shadows that I never wanted to see in Sayuri's eyes. Looking at this poor, blue-tailed Forsythian girl struck a certain string in my heart. Eyes of mesmerizing, taunting blue... And when she returned to her dreams and her lies with her dress tainted red, her shoes were also polished crimson, and her lips were painted deep and dark! Her laughter was full of blood and death, and her porcelain face~? So sweet and flawless was icy to the touch! And her soul, so fragile and soft? So demented and beautiful? It was filled with murderous hate as dark as her eyes.

I told her that I was the one who was going to do the killing, but her face changed color and she insisted that she was going to play the role as the detective! She played the part_—ahahah!—_well, didn't she? I'm sure it was because she had that thought stuck in her head. It replayed in her mind repeatedly, not letting her get a chance to be alone to her own thoughts. She needed to atone for her sins!

I will cast upon another riddle!

If a person who can solve this riddle appears, I will trap that person inside of this story!

In order for this story to end, _everybody_ must die.

You don't want it to end? You want to solve it?

But this riddle is filled with a lot of factual errors.

Bwahahhaa, there's no chance of you solving it!

But go ahead, I like it when people play my game!

I think every little girl deserves a fairytale.

* * *

_Why do you always insist on getting yourself hurt~?_

* * *

The fresh, outside air smelled nice, but it was about to rain and I didn't want to catch a cold. I knew that soon, I'd have to walk back home, but home was very far away. I lived in Liore, where the illustrious Lady Kaelyn lived. It was an honor living in the same town as her—she inspired me to be an enforcer of the Holy arts. I've never liked the Archfiend and what he stood for, so I planned to put an end to his tyranny. While I knew next to near nothing about Holy magic, I was a great magic user, especially in lightning, ice, and death magic. Those things were never a problem to me, especially when I had my wand.

Yes, my wand... The very thing that conducted my magic and made it a weapon for all to see. Normally I would never be this gloomy, but... Today was a very sad day. I tried my hardest to keep my face up—to look at the sky and smile—but I found it to be very hard and difficult.

Another person died today.

I'm known as the town's detective. I solve crimes. If the people have an emergency that they need solved, they call the agency for me and I'm usually there in a heartbeat. I only wanted to drive this Archfiend business out of Forsythia so people could live normal, clean lives. But I guess things don't work out like that. I'm not a fighter by nature, but magic is the only thing that can pure my world of its sins... The sins of the Archfiend... How could someone honestly resurrect such a beast? It troubled me. It made me want to fight against the system even more. I may be a detective, but I am determined to put my heroic mind to good use.

While lost in my thoughts, I shook my head, trying to solve this mystery, but every time I thought about it, I started to tear up. Death was never something that I could handle lightly, so it brought thought-provoking question up. Why was I dealing in a trade that involved being around death all the time? The answer was that I had to fight death with death. I was stuck in a circle of morbid thoughts and mutilation. The only way I could stop death was to put an end to the Archfiend. But in order to do that, I'd have to...

"_Ahahahaha!_ You'd have to wh~aat, little girl~?"

The voice sounded... It sounded like that of a woman. A very feminine woman, but it was slow. Like it had an accent. The voice had a very lazy way of speaking, and prolonged its vowels with a very bouncy, playful tone. I had never heard anything like it before, that voice. I stopped, clutched my wand tighter and spun around on my heels, feeling the dirt mash from underneath my feet. Despite the voice and its perky, innocent, child-like drawling, I-I didn't know where it came from, and honestly it startled me...!

"Who's there?" I demanded to know, holding my wand with both of my hands and securing my footing. All I could see was the rustle of the grass and the swaying of the purple camellias... They were such pretty flowers. I didn't want to make a mistake and step on them. I concluded that no one was around me and that I was only hearing things. I must have been hearing things... Getting nervous, I tapped my fingertips together, starting to shake a bit. First these weird deaths, and now these voices? ...But I had to be strong. If only to take down the Archfiend. I straightened myself out and sighed, slumping over a bit.

"I am the de~tect~ive, and you are the mystery that I must solve~! Lies are desolate, black shards of death that are ravenous to kill a healthy truth, my dear~ They lurk around in the darkest of corners, waiting to seduce a victim and show them to the world! They love to work against you, because they cut with the knife of betrayal~!" That time, the voice sent chills down my spine and I started sweating. I was afraid of the unknown. I didn't like not knowing who was talking to me.

My voice was lowered to a mere whisper and I narrowed my eyes. "My name is Kassia."

"Tch." I remember that sound clearly. Vividly. It echoed in my head. Whoever I was talking to... They were very smug. Stuck up. Egotistic. I didn't care about that too much. If the voice knew so much about me, then the reasonable thing would be not to make it mad. To make friends with it. "How cute~ The girl wants to play with me~!"

"Just to meet your acquaintance. Not 'play with you'. I have strict business that needs to be handled—"

The voice let out the creepiest gigglesnort I had ever had the unfortunate chance of hearing. It didn't seem ashamed by it at all. "My name is Kohana~" Kohana? What a weird-sounding name. She paused, letting out a bone-chilling laugh.

I shuddered.

Something made me think that we were going to be best friends.

* * *

_The victim is crazier than the killer!_

* * *

Disembodied floating voices add layers of complexity to simple choices! Always temping me to slaughter everything and to drink the blood that comes with such an act of violence! And I love to drink it because I love the taste of it! It's all... Thick and coppery and salty and~ And soon, Kassia, your body will become my chalice!

Don't you hate it when you start to think, and all your thoughts just make you want to die? So all you can think of doing is scream?

_Scream bloody murder for me!_

Why isn't anyone listening to you? Oh, I am. And I hear the thoughts in your head. You see happy people who make you sick because you aren't~ And in the sad moments, in other peoples' lives—fiction or not—rend you worse! Your entire body tingles. Kinda like the—ahaaa!—opposite of when you're in love, you know! Removing everyone else would lend you suuu~uch a much needed quiet. It's not like anyone else can feel that you suffer anyway. But it takes a certain skill to accomplish all that. Something in your mind that opens up. The way it did when I found out~

Aside from that, one more thing needs to slice into place. You need the invincible edge which I so graciously gave to you~ Twice!

The first time was when I told you how.

And the second was when you said you'd do better in time.

Seconds passed, and wow~ Were you ever right? Every body you add to the pile gets that much better~ Because when there's no one left, you're better than everyone. And time won't mean anything. So you'll get all three of your desires! You'll have what you want, in truth, I'll feel better, and you'll get to spend eternity with the only thought left in your mind~ Hush, don't listen to them! They're only going to say what they think will help you. Them and that detective of yours. I'm the little voice inside of your head!

The whisper in the dark.

I'm the rhythm your broken, beating heart makes.

I'm the voice of the killer.

Listen to me, my little, sweet girl~ They don't care about you. Obey only me, darrr~rling! I'm the only one that hears you cry in the dark hours of the night. I will guide you through the darkness. Come, follow me and I will lead you to your deepest desires~ I will help you fulfill them. Heed not their cries, little girl. They only fear your inevitable greatness. Do not follow their flows—make your own with me. Come with me, Kassia~

I will show you the true power in the darkness of death. Show you what fear really is. Show them who you really are. All I ask if for you to follow me.

Obey me.

That's it~

Give into your desire for blood, give into your desire of shaded darkness and give into your undying thirst for revenge. Together, my dear, we will show them. We will show them a bloodshed so horrifying that they will run at the sight of you~ Because they already run at the sight of me~ We will strike fear into their hearts like no other has! We will shroud worlds in darkness like no other can!

We will destroy many.

Like I will destroy you, kyahahahaha~!

* * *

_I like it when you scream like that~_

* * *

This room felt uncomfortable. There was something that just felt bad about it, but I knew I couldn't escape. I stood in front of this man—I knew this man well. He was another detective in the city of Liore. The people knew him better than they knew me, but that was okay. He only wanted what I wanted, to be able to stop the evil Archfiend businesses at any cost. They called him the One-Armed Detective because he had one arm. It wasn't an eyesore; he looked good wearing his black suit and slacks. Two long, blonde, furry ears protruded from the side of his head, and his tail swayed behind him. The Detective was very well-mannered for a Fealinefolk.

As was I.

He was leaning on his desk, standing very nonchalantly. He didn't seem bothered by my presence. I knew why we were here, and the thought scared me. My eyes wandered around his office, staring at the many books on the shelves and... This man... He must have been good at what he did. I stood up straight, my feet close together in one square tile and my hands folded in front of me. There was a breeze in his room—one that made the skirt of my black dress flutter. When I met his gaze again, he stuck one index-finger in the air, his expression serious. It was just that... His eyes seemed rather empty. I didn't move. I couldn't let him know how nervous I was.

"Quite a predicament we've gotten ourselves in, Detective," he says, closing his yellow eyes and opening them again. It's funny how he felt the need to call me Detective, when that was indeed what I referred to him as. I tried to keep my cool, honestly I did, but something flashed before my eyes. Pictures of him broken on the floor in front of me. I saw him hurt. I heard him moping. I felt him being crushed underneath my fingertips and I could clearly see the pain etched on his face.

His melancholy grumblings about_ that woman_ rung in my ears, and tears of empathy streamed down my cheeks. I've never had a conscious before, and if I did I might have accidentally killed it. Instead of a conscious, I have this tiny voice in my head that can make me feel guiltier than any conscious can. It makes it seem as if my flaws are an open season for people.

It's always tampering with things that shouldn't be tampered with.

It uncovers the absolute worst of repressed memories, and it makes me wish people didn't bother with trying to cheer me on. Trying to motivate me to find the killer. This voice makes me hate and envy people, even my best friends. It makes me suffer, for things I've suffered enough for. It takes my lost memories, and then it mixes them with the present.

It makes me hate myself.

But more importantly, it makes me hate what I've become.

"You know what you are! A dog for the justice system~ Honestly, would this world be better off without the Archfiend, pretty Kassia~? I think you're really pre~tt~y, you know that, Kassia? Very pretty little girl~!"

It was comments like those that disgusted me. I had been living with this voice for too long. It wasn't real. Just my imagination. This voice gave itself a name. I never chose to name it.

"You're so cute when you're shy~ I love to see those olive cheeks tint pink~!"

Who the _hell was _this guy? Girl? Woman? Thing? I shook my head, paying all of my attention to the Detective and only him. "There was one crime where one handsome man died in his room, Detective." He certainly didn't stall for any time. That led me to believe that he was a busy man. "That's the first mystery. We have to find out why he was alone in his room in the first place. Why would he be in a room alone, drinking a poisoned bottle of wine?" It wasn't a rhetorical question. It was like he was asking me.

He looked at the many photographs on the desk and started to shift through them with his one good arm. "Very strange that someone would decide to poison a whole bottle of wine just for that one poor soul, isn't it?" He paused, scratching his chin. "The stranger part is that the man didn't like wine. His friends and relatives told me that he couldn't stand the taste of wine if it didn't have a little bit of fish bones in it." The Detective pulled out a pocket watch and dangled it in front of me. I listened to him silently and watched the hands tick.

"The reason is simple. At that point in time, he was destined to be slaughtered."

But how would he have known that? Was there some kind of special technique he was using that I didn't know about? I hated this particular case. Only because... It was very confusing. All of these deaths happened on the same night on that boat... A crooked grin overtook his face and he waved his arm out towards me, tiling his head. I wasn't prepared for the demented, cocky look in his eyes. I always thought he was laid back, but now he was showing a different side to me.

"Tell me, my dear Detective! Who is the culprit?" He sounded playful. It's irritating. Playful and malicious. Just like the voice in my head. I was tired of seeing his fangs as well. However, I didn't let my irritation show. I stood there, looked pretty, and held both of my hands together. "You know the answer to that question, my dear. Because it all happened in front of you. And in front of those eyes of yours." Yet another person who felt the need to make another reference to my eyes...

How could I have seen the crime?

I wasn't there.

That's the reason why I was trying to figure out the case myself. His arrogance didn't cease to amaze me. He reached out towards me, as if he wanted me to take his hand. His face was darkened; I couldn't quite see his eyes from underneath the bangs of his messy, blonde hair. "So who is the culprit? Even if you don't give me an answer, _I_ will answer it for you. That's the way this crime will end."

* * *

_Denial is not a pretty thing, pretty girl~!_

* * *

_How are you~?_

It's terrible here.

_The more you ignore me, the more angry I get~!_

P-please, please just go away...

_I'll always be here for you, pretty girl! In the darkness, waiting patiently. You can try to cage me up with small white circles that pollute your body and keep me away, but I'm getting stronger, fighting against what you know, kyahahahah~! No, I'm fighting against what you believe to be real. And I'm coming. Just you wait. I have a lot of issues to resolve. Just because they can't see me, hear me, doesn't mean_—ahahah~!—_that I'm not here. The pills won't hide me away forever. You know it, I know it, so why pretend? Why not put that glass of water down and throw the capsule away?_

I'm holding up just fine. Soon these mysteries will be solved, and I can go to sleep again without you there to torment me. Where did you come from, anyway? Just... Just go away. Please.

_Not until you say my name~!_

You're nameless.

_I taught you how~!_

Giving you a name means you exist. You'll burn out, eventually.

_Pretty girls make pretty graves, you know._

I-I don't know what you're talking about, I...

_Hear my music, and let me pull the strings, my puppet bein caché~ And let me play! Love's turned you into a blind, wasted chew toy! When the unwound violin screeches in your ear, smile at me, smirk with blood-stained teeth and when the severed bass chord hits your cheek, curse me hoarsely! Bow deep and whisper how much you want to destroy me~! Ah! How you long to crush me between your fingers and cover yourself with something like me, soft and mellow, unlike me. And in the end, when I repeatedly hit the same broken piano key, make my music for me. Set that dreaded core of desire ablaze with a kiss and your hands on my skin. _

_Then kill me slowly~_

Where did you learn French?

_Off-topic. Fuuaaah. I don't really like you~_

No, really.

_Um, my husband speaks a lot of French. I learn from him._

Wait. Someone like you is_ married?_

_Pretty girl, don't forget who I am. This story isn't over yet._

* * *

_Love is so pretty when it leaves you bleeding~_

* * *

"What made you think—!" I screamed, placing my hands on my chest. I was lashing out at him now. "What made you think that you could interfere and do something like that, Detective?" I was trying to do my best to stay calm. Other than the scream I had accidentally let slip, I was doing well with that. My body hurt. My heart hurt. I felt heavy. These past couple of years turned my body to bags of sand. I couldn't keep doing this. I refused to carry around weights for the rest of my life. I stopped trembling and closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the knife fall to the floor.

I ran my free hand through my hair, holding them together again once I was done. "From the start, it was you. You were the one that was always there. Always looking. How could I have been so blind? I know you. I know you better than you know yourself. You were stepping out of your boundaries, Detective. I didn't need to be blindfolded. I could have watched on my own! I could have seen them on my own. I'm not a little girl anymore! I'm not shy, nor am I meek! I had help from a very special friend." Help from the friend in my head.

I could hear her cackling.

She was always cackling.

Laughing at me.

Telling me how useless I was.

"There were two wine glasses, weren't there? Even if the wine didn't kill him, he would have died by the knife. He would have been killed anyway, because that man was the husband of that woman... That mistress. Revenge is a very fickle thing." I stood as calmly as I could, trying to muster the courage to tell my story. Truthfully... Truthfully I wasn't one for all of this fighting and arguing. It wasn't in my nature! My voice is too fragile to let out an intimidating yell, and it's too high-pitched to be taken seriously.

I threw out my arms and let my dress twirl from under me. "I will solve the riddle in your place. I won't let the crime end like this." The Detective was still reaching out towards me with his demented grin. He did something that took me by surprise, however. He threw his jacket on the floor, and swayed his other arm across the air.

It was stained the color of blood.

* * *

_A blood stain turns orange when you wash it a few times, but that's normal ain't it Norman~?_

* * *

"The second mystery, Detective, is why did all those people fall into the ocean? They couldn't swim—they didn't know how to! So why would they go on a boat, knowing they couldn't swim? The real question is... Was the culprit really among them?" He asked me another question, and my eyes danced around the pile of pictures on his desk once more. That's when he started laughing. Cackling. I'd come to hate laughter all together, because of him and that voice. I fit both of my hands into the pockets of my dress, shifting my stance.

"Ah, and then the girl grabbed the knife that was hidden inside of her pocket!" I stopped breathing for a couple of seconds. He closed his eyes and brought his only good arm up to his face, looking at his fingertips for any blemishes. "The Detective doesn't realize this and continues his talking." I didn't have my wand with me, so I couldn't conjure up any magical spells. My wand had herbal healing medicines in it, spell tags imbued inside of it... I pulled the butter knife out of my pocket and put on a determined look, holding my right arm with my left.

"The one fatal mistake in my plan..." I said, snarling. "Was the other detective that was dragged into all of this!" I ran up to him, grabbed the useless sleeve of his coat. He didn't have another arm to go inside of it anyway. But when I looked up at him he brought back that evil, conniving smirk. It made me stop. It made me nervous. I wasn't... I wasn't... His hand mirrored mine as he slapped the silverware out of it. Now he was close to me, and I had no means of attacking.

"Useless little girl~"

Not now!

"You'll never win without my help~"

You're not real!

"He betrayed you, and I can make him love you again~!"

I gritted my teeth, watching his mouth move. "So, who is the culprit? Come, name the person in front of you!" He let me go, and with his bloodied arm and his clean one, he put his hands on his chest and smiled his crooked grin. "Say my name!" My face never changed. I stood in front of him, frowning. "I did not want you to find out, you know. I will be merciful." His yellow eyes glinted and he looked at his hands. Both his clean one, and his bloodied one. "Hurry, if you want to run, then run away quickly." He was giving me a chance to run?

It was strange.

"Say my name!" he bellowed in a frenzy of passion. "So, who is the culprit? There may be more than one answer to that question!" The Detective put on a sweet smile and I pulled his jacket closer to me, looking at him like he's crazy. "But the means to confirm that answer is about to disappear. Just say the answer! If you don't, my hands are going to kill you. Both of them. You don't have much time left. You know the answer to that question, because everything happened before your pretty blue eyes!"

My eyes weren't pretty.

Nor were they damn blue! Shut up, shut up, shut up!

This voice in my head was driving me crazy!

"Come say that person's name! _My name!"_

* * *

_Say my name like you would say the name of your God~!_

* * *

"I can only think that everything you said was a lie, Detective. Were you really the detective in that crime? You say that the killings have already been done, and that it's in the past. But... Why are you shaking so much?" I demanded in a soft whisper. "Why are you trembling?" He could only kill them one by one, but he still couldn't be the culprit...

I stood up close to him, clutching his clean hand with mine and pressing the knife against his chest. I wasn't sure if it was me doing it or not... Frankly, I didn't care. "I'll whisper it in your ear," I said, smiling. "Before I accidentally kill you..." I dropped his coat on the ground, cradling his back with my free arm and clutching the knife inbetween my fingertips.

"I will solve you and your riddle!"

I paused. Inhaled.

"The atrocious culprit is..."

"Say it, say my name Kassia~!"

"Not you!"

* * *

_I rather like guessing games~_

* * *

The night was young, and he had been playing such moving music for everyone. I've never heard someone play the piano like he could before... But I guess that's why I loved him so much. The dinner party was going well, and I had even managed to make new friends! I walked outside to the deck of the boat to meet other people, and that's when it started to shake and tip over. Obviously people were going to panic. The water was cold—it was barely spring time.

I guess I was caught up in the chaos of it all. I wasn't paying attention.

I felt my body rocking, and just before I fell over the edge, something caught me. It was that arm. The same arm that played that piano beautifully.

The same arm that I loved.

That arm that you saved me with.

* * *

_Bloody murder isn't fun unless you help me with it, you know._

* * *

Unrequited love is the worst, kayhaha! It tears at the heart, like someone clawing for air and it drowns the senses, correct? There is something intensely beautiful about it~ It's cliché of broken hearts and emotions left unanswered, but this, my friend, is where the riddle ends. Who is the killer? It doesn't matter, because the story is over, and as it stands I'm the one who won, ahehehahaha! I clutched that girl's silly wand and tried to figure out how she could stand up in her high heels... Very... Uncomfortable fuaaawaaah~ I'll eat you up and leave the part that you never dared to sing!

You can play this game, but you'll never win~

And that is why she withered away like the beautiful flower that she was at my command. Don't jump when I say dance! Maybe the lesson here is learned—that when she asked for love she never asked for this. Love can be murder! And I love the manipulation of it~ Not all fairytale have happy endings. Where was her happy fairytale? I took it away from her, love. Where was her Prince Charming? He was with her~ He still was her~! A world in which there are no fairytales. Snow White had no prince, Sleeping Beauty had no smo~ooch to wake her up, and Cindrella lost her slipper in vain. A palace with a silver ball had been denied to her!

Where was her happy fairytale?

She ripped it out when I ripped her heart apart!

Where was her Prince Charming?

He went beyond her reach. Snow White will sleep forever, dead. Sleeping Beauty will never wake up, and Cinderella will never have a ball! I tore her happy ending away from the pages and rewrote it~ Where's her Prince Charming? He's erased. A world in which bad triumphs over good~ The Prince marries the Witch, and Ariel's forgotten. Rapunzel withers away, all alone. Peter Pan falls to Captain Hook, just like her heart fell to me.

Where's her happy fairytale?

There isn't one!

And her Prince Charming?

Heh.

I touched my new face with my claws, tapping on my cheeks. Blood stained me, but I was sure Lady Kaelyn and the others wouldn't mind too much. As I stepped in front of the Summoners and the green-haired woman, their jaws seemed to drop at the sight of me. Waaaah, did I really look that scary~?

I will cast upon another riddle!

If a person who can solve this riddle appears, I will trap that person inside of this story!

In order for this story to end, _everybody_ must die.

You don't want it to end? You want to solve it?

But this riddle is filled with a lot of factual errors.

Bwahahhaa, there's no chance of you solving it!

But go ahead, I like it when people play my game!

So who's the killer? The Riddler Who Won't Solve Riddles?

Go on. Say. My. Name~! Kyahahahahha~!

* * *

**A/N:** If ANYONE can figure out who the killer was in this chapter, then I'll write you whatever you want. XD;;; I'm serious. There's more than one answer, but there's a specific answer that I'm looking for. XD;; That one will get you the gold. XD;; Since I totally doubt that more than one person is going to get this... Well. Yeah. XD;; In fact, if you can tell me what exactly _happened_, I'll write you a chapter fic! XD;;;

From beginning to end. XD;; I want the ENTIRE situation. XD;;

This chapter was kinda fun. Kinda fun. But it's really confusing. XD;; And you have to really pay attention to Kohana's bogus narration, especially at the end. XD;;

And... That's it.

Happy guessing! XD;;;

Oh. Kohana left some clues in those page-breaker things. XD;;

Though I doubt anyone can make sense of them...

Oh. And please. Don't fall for Kohana's trolling. XD;;; If you put that Kohana was the killer, I might laugh at you. XD;;;;


	74. Reprogramming Mental Preprogramming

**A/N:** And now we see what the Cult of the Archfiend is about! XD;;

Aren't you guys happy? XD;;

I don't know, it seems like we're doing a lot more bouncing around then we did in the Dark Ages, but I do remember doing a lot of bouncing around in that arc too... XD; But this is the exposition! You guys should anticipate the exposition of each arc being extremely long... Like how the Dark Ages' exposition didn't end until chapter 30... Yeah. And even then we were still having people introduced.

This is a pretty good chapter! XD;;

Just pay attention, and you'll be fine.

* * *

"She's still not awake yet?" Atropa asks, folding her arms and looking over the purple-haired woman placed in a chair decorated by a presumed three-year-old. Atropa's pink hair falls into her eyes as she examines Kohana's body. All of her lacerations and bruises are gone thanks to Alula and her first aid kit, but this is strange... Why hasn't she woken up already? It's been exactly a week and three days. Atropa ignores the band-aids applied on random parts of Kohana's body and takes note of the poorly-wrapped bandages around Kohana's skull.

It looks like they're restricting the circulation to her head.

Not that it matters. She's still an idiot with or without circulation.

Alula touches her nurse hat with her mutated, rotting, green, clawed fingers. Her pale cheeks tint pink and she gazes up at Kohana, shoving one of Atropa's expensive teacups in her face. The Wicked Spawn presses the expensive porcelain up against Kohana's plush lips. It's like the Wickedness is a completely different person when she's knocked out unconscious. Full, sculpted... The bottom a little pouty, but not too much... Her lips are a luscious pink that comes from the habit of chewing off the dead skin. The deity touches her own, and finds herself instantly drawn to Kohana's mouth.

There used to be a time long, long ago where the Summoner of Time and the pinkett were enemies. Sometimes she would forget herself, and those pink lips would be stained with red. And bitten until they started to bleed. Quirking her nose, she shakes her head and starts to pay attention to the bigger picture. Kohana looks like a doll—one that Alula has taken the liberty to dress up. The pinkett can't deny the Wicked Spawn that she has quite the eye for beauty. She's spun lilacs and lilies in Kohana's hair and dressed her in an outfit that actually looks quite nice on her.

It just doesn't suit her.

Kohana looks like a princess locked in a deep slumber, waiting for her prince to come and wake her. It's so absurd that it makes Atropa let out a sarcastic chuckle. She narrows her eyes, tilting her head. These fairytales are full of lies—cleverly shrouded in dismal phrases like 'happily ever after'. What's so happy about almost dying in a broken, battered mess? But then again, this is _Kohana,_ and she does like that kind of stuff...

However, the purple-haired woman sitting in the too-small chair is more like a child now.

Alula takes the teacup away from her lips, looks at the deity with trembling fingers and sits the cup back on the table, pouting. "I don't know how to wake her up, Auntie Atropa! … The Holy magic isn't gone yet, and she's been like this forever! I poked her with a stick so many times—you know how Kohana doesn't like that, right?" Alula pauses, a huge smile stretching across her face. The bandages around her eye-sockets start to slip down; she pulls them back up sloppily and continues to grin at Atropa. "I was hoping she'd snap back at me, but I guess she's gone forever, huh Atropa?" Instead of answering that question, the deity scowls, grabbing Alula's shoulders and directing her out of the way.

She walks over to Kohana, stares at her for a while, and then snarls. She wouldn't be like this if she hadn't gone and tried to be the best in the entire universe! Kohana needs to understand that there's always going to be someone better than her—Why can't she learn? Atropa slaps both of Kohana's cheeks repeatedly, cackling slightly. "Hey pretty girl, why are your eyes shut?" Alula stands up straight, her lower-lip twitching. That doesn't _sound_ like the Atropa she knows. ...I-is Atropa having some sort of mental breakdown? I mean, she hasn't been the same since she yelled at Alula for no reason...

And that still hurts.

The Wicked Spawn girl hasn't recovered from that yet.

"She's fragile, breakable, and her life warranty is just a scam," Atropa spat, assaulting her cheek one last time. She stands up straight and then she lifts the ruffles of her dress. "Hey pretty girl, you're a psychological disorder, a _disease_, but I feel it too." She sighs, folding her arms and taking note of how red Kohana's cheeks are from her brutal onslaught. "I don't want to waste anymore time with her. If she doesn't wake up I'll torture her into oblivion and _make_ her." It's not what she said that makes Alula whimper—it's _how _she said it. How monotonous it was. Unfeeling. Cold.

This fuels the white-haired girl to jump Kohana's lap. "Oh please, oh please, oh please wake up Kohana I love you!"

"Watch your mouth!" Atropa hisses. Alula's eye-sockets widen and she slings her arms around the purple-haired woman's neck, clinging on to her with dear life. She wishes she could just... Go back to the Dark Ages. At least when she was there, there weren't any pink-haired batshit deities that had snake-like eyes trying to devour her for saying the phrase 'I love her'.

Atropa swears that she feigns no love for her.

There is no sweet affection to pour from her heart.

Kohana is nothing more than a cheap wine—synthetic delights and mulled infatuation. She doesn't hold any false adoration for her, nor words of hollow praise, or whispered nothings so soft and trite that they might dull her mind and breed bitter disinterest. She has no tender gestures or inflections of humble disobedience with which to falsely woo and enrapture. No empty gifts, devoid of worth and meaning with which to steal her breathing heart.

She's too clever to drink diluted venom—her gaze too dark to stare into adoring eyes. She's deaf to such babble in one ear, and Atropa doubts Kohana'll ever lend her the good one. The deity swears that she will not bow to her unchained, and no gleaming gift could leave her darksome, green eyes devoid of scratches. Kohana's brittle, icy heart is fragile to the hand, for every drop of her is real, and the deity could never think of having a sip, for the cork is done too tight.

"Love is such a petty thing!" Atropa hisses, throwing her arms in the air. "A useless strife! Let me assure you, Kohana, that I'll get the last laugh! _Don't you die on me—!"_

"Waaaah, Kohana wake up, Auntie Atropa's scaring me real bad!"

"No! I do not want it!" Atropa shouts, clawing her fingers through her pink, wavy locks. Normally Atropa's composed and proper... Now... Now her hair is thrown everywhere, and her teacups are laying on the ground full of cracks... Alula can't help but stare. "The poison... I-I don't want it to flow. I don't want to taste it or feel it—The pain is just so unbearable! Like thousands of knives stabbing and cutting me... Like thousands of sun burning off every layer of skin—_Make it stop! Rip my heart out! Burn me! Stab me! Make the pain stop! _I cannot get you out of my mind. Cut out my eyes and please just... Kill me. I never wished for this pain, the sweat smells or the warm touch... I-I do not wish to endure this life without you..."

As soon as Atropa finishes her sentence, Kohana's eyes starts to flicker open. Alula immediately starts crying, backing up a bit so she can see her mother's awake, conscious face for the first time. The Wicked Spawn smiles—because she's free from Atropa's episode and can see her idol—but once the Wickedness' eyes lock on her, they dilate.

"Kohana—!"

"_I'm going to fucking kill you!"_

There's no warning, no nothing. Hands shoot up with the extreme want to snap Alula's neck in half and the Wicked Spawn lets out the loudest scream she can possibly muster, because she knows if Kohana successfully gets her hands around her neck that there won't _be_ another chance for her to scream again. Atropa is standing between the two in a second's time, holding Kohana back as she desperately tries to claw her way past Atropa's shoulders and towards Alula. "You idiot!" Atropa says, putting her petite right hand over Kohana's face so she can push her back more effectively. "It's just Alula!"

Wait.

Alula?

Kohana's expression softens and she tilts her head. Well, it's too late now, because Alula's on the verge of breaking down. The Wicked Spawn starts sniffling, and before the two women know it, Alula starts crying _rivers_, puddles of water collecting on the ground under her. Kohana puts on a confused expression, looks at Atropa, and then she snorts. "What, did you scare the absolute tar out of the poor girl~?"

A quirk of the eyebrow. "Something like that."

"Oh Ahhhtropaaa~ Did you miss me? Huh? Huh? Huh~?" Kohana pauses, not at all minding the flowing, white dress that she's wearing. She stands on her tip-toes and prods the deity's chest, her face just mere inches away from hers. How could anyone miss someone so... Annoying? Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, Atropa grabs Kohana's wrist and frowns. "That's riii~ght! You missed me! And so you took your pain out on poor Alula here~ You brought her here just so you could release your sadistic urges? How cruel~!"

"She's _your_ puppet," Atropa scoffs. "I liked it better when you were knocked out."

"Correction," Kohana coos, wagging her index-finger in the deity's face. "She's a puppet a strategically made to stay in the Dark Ages~" Wait. That raises a good question. Kohana stops twirling around in the rays of the sun to take a nice, long look at Atropa. "Why _did_ you bring her here anyway?" The purple-haired woman touches her chin with her fingertips, putting on a confused expression. "Hold on... I was doing something before all of this, wasn't I?"

"You mean, challenging the Archfiend and coming back in a bloody mess?"

"Pfft! As if!" Kohana exclaims, snorting. She tilts her head, putting on a rye smirk and playing with the tendrils of Atropa's hair. Urgh. Can she find anything else to do besides annoy her? At any rate, Kohana's smirks disturb the deity. Because she can always see her fangs, and that overwhelming want of extreme blood lust in her corrupted attempt of a smile. And it doesn't really matter who Kohana's talking about, either. "As if I'd let those damn Holy birds tear me up like that~!" A laugh, then a pause.

"I did all of the cutting myself~!"

Atropa shudders. Kohana almost sounds... Triumphant about that.

Wait. There was nothing 'almost' about that sentence. She _is _triumphant about cutting herself. Over and over and over again.

"You masochist."

"There were seventy-three of those birds, Atropa~" S-seventy th-three? Well then why the hell didn't she retreat, then? It makes no sense! Not to mention, Atropa can't think straight because of _someone's _loud wailing! "I had fun, you know~?"

"I see."

Kohana narrows her eyes. "You don't sound happy to see me, Ahhtropa~ What's wrong with you? Had a bad dream~?"

"I'm irritated." Atropa pauses, glancing at the Wickedness. "At everything. And if someone doesn't stop that damn child from crying—" That'll be easy. Kohana points at Alula, not taking her eyes off the pinkett. She moves her index-finger in the shape of a zigzag, effectively stitching Alula's mouth closed despite being several yards away from her. And then she proceeds to invade Atropa's personal space, much to the deity's annoyance. Can't she keep her hands to herself?

"What's wrong~? Want to get something off your chest? I'll gladly help you~ That dress do~es look a little heavy~"

"Stop touching me!" Atropa shouts, venom in her voice. "For one, you stay away from that conniving Archfiend!" The pinkett turns on her heels, her hair whipping Kohana's face. What? No! Kohana couldn't possibly stop her pursuit of the Archfiend! The flower fanatic claps her hands together, pouting.

"But—!"

"No buts. You dragged me into the Dark Ages. I'm not being dragged to Forsythia. I don't want anything to do with that world. You're getting yourself involved in a worldly affair. It's not your business," she spat. "If your wretched daughter gets married to the Archfiend, then it's _your_ fault. And I don't want to hear anything about it."

"Atropa I'll cry!"

"I said _shut up!_" The sheer animosity in Atropa's voice is enough to make Kohana's face contort. Why the hell is she so mad? Did Alula do something? Does she have to kick _Alula's_ ass? "You like living, don't you?" Yes, but... Kohana slumps over, touching her face. Just when the deity thinks she's won, Kohana skips over to her in a fit of absolute passion, her long, purple hair swaying in the wind behind her.

She stops in front of Atropa and sighs, as if she's _in love. _

Urgh. That word.

"Tis torture, and not mercy. Heaven is here where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog and little mouse, every unworthy thing~ Live here in heaven and may look on her, but Romeo may not, Atropa~! Is there no pity sitting in the clouds that sees into the bottom of my grief? O sweet my mother, cast me not away! Delay this marriage for a month, a week! Atropa I need to see the Archfiend~ One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun ne'er saw her match since first the world first begun~!"

What the hell is going on!

Atropa doesn't even know anymore.

"O day, O day, O hateful day! Never was seen so black a day as this~!"

There's _no_ sense in this. No sense at all. Atropa's since been stopped trying to understand Kohana when she's like this. The deity ignores the purple-haired woman's prancing and glares at Alula, who's sitting contently on the ground and playing with Atropa's teacups. "I'm going to bed. Alula, will you _please_ make sure Kohana doesn't do anything stupid? Thank you." Huh? Alula looks up to see if that was Atropa's voice she heard, but Atropa disappears in a cloud of smoke.

Keeping Kohana in line?

"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow~ That I shall say good night till it be morrow~!"

… She picked the wrong Wicked Spawn for this.

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Four: Reprogramming Mental Preprogramming :-**

_We are out of our minds_  
_ We can't live this way forever, forever_  
_ So run, run with me from the ordinary_  
_ Its our time to escape lose ourselves_

_ If we can find a way to break this chain_  
_ Within this natural cycle_  
_ Leave your riches behind we'll be richer inside_

_ If we can find the strength to go our own way, go our own way_  
_ It will take your breath away_

— "Free Again" — Scary Kids Scaring Kids

I love the Church of Hyboria.

Who couldn't? This place is home sweet home! A home away from home. When I'm here, everything just stops. The only thing I'm focused on is the Archfiend, and all of the good things he did to help me and my ancestors. No, this world! I may be a little silly, but I know kindness when I see it, and Lord Agathangelos has enough kindness in him to give to the entire world of Forsythia. And that's why I was absolutely ecstatic when the elders chose me to lead the Cult of the Archfiend. At first, I didn't know how to take it. I mean, what made me so different from everyone else out there that dedicated their mind, body and soul to the Archfiend?

To tell you the truth, I still don't know it myself. But what the elders decide is what they decide. I didn't wanna get on their bad sides and all, so I accepted the position, and tada! Here I was now, in the conference room of the church. For one, the Church of Hyboria is really big. Big and beautiful. When I first came here, I thought I was seeing things. Just... The beauty of it all brought huge tears to my eyes. I dropped my luggage on the ground and my lip started doing that wiggly thing... You know when you see something so beautiful you just want to start crying? Oh yeah. It was that serious.

I thought the church was just like any other, normal church. The first thing that came into my mind was stained-glass, and tall, white complexes with pointy things on top of them. That isn't at all what the Church of Hyboria looks like. It's huge, laying smack-dab in the middle of the great city, Larkspur. In Forsythia, it's generally hot and warm all of the time... But in Larkspur? It's cold all the time. It's a bitter cold—I don't think it's ever snowed in Larkspur, but it sure is cold enough for it to.

Not that the citizens of Larkspur really mind at all. We're all animals or some sort right? Ahaha!

The church towers the sky like a skyscraper, and is so big that it's pretty much blocked off from Larkspur—I mean! Jeez, I just said it was in the middle of Larkspur. Okay, yeah, it's in the middle of Larkspur, but let's just say that there's a huge difference with the levels of ground. There's Larkspur, and then the church is built on this one big, tall mountain! It's so big, it's like a continent itself... At least, that's what I think. Citizens of Larkspur and people that come there to see the church can only get there by using the bridge. Underneath the bridge is a huge chasm—you don't want to fall in it like an idiot!

Because you're going to die, instantly. It'll be over really fast. Around the church though...? There's the prettiest waterfall that just wraps around it. Lights reflect off the water and the colors compliment each other so nice... Pinks and yellows and greens and reds and purples decorate the water—especially at night. While the mountain is usually devoid of flowers, the Church of Hyboria has lots and lots of multicolored flowers around it. It's like magic! Some people say it's because of the Archfiend and his will. I believe them. The Archfiend can work miracles, and those flowers around the church? The ones in full-bloom that never seem to die? They're each individual little wonders he has created.

As soon as you walk off the bridge, you're greeted with two bushes of baby blue and lilac-colored flowers—I think they're otherworldly flowers—and then you've made it to the Church of Hyboria! As much as I like it here, there's tons of hard work that has to be done. For example, we have daily masses concerning the glorious Archfiend every morning at seven. Some people give offerings... It's very nice! Um, anyway, I'm rambling again. Where was I? Oh yeah.

So I was standing in the conference room. Everything inside of the church is very lush. Tasteful, but lush. The Archfiend's favorite colors are obviously red and red-orange, so that's basically what color everything inside of the church is, save white. Every church has to have white as a basic color in its interior somehow. There was that long, oakwood table placed in the middle of the room, with a few dozen, expensive, golden chairs pulled to the side of it. I was in my pajamas because... Um... Well... It's a long story, ahehhe!

I scratched the back of my head, staring at the woman sitting at the very end of the table. There wasn't a conference today—she was just in here. My advisers always hung around in this room, when they weren't tending to their own, personal business. I guess I got what they were feeling too whenever they were in this room... I think? Anyway, so there's a woman sitting at the table. She's got long, dark auburn hair, and it's really wavy too, pulled back into a ponytail. The tip of her ponytail curls and touches the back of her dress, so I guess her hair is waist-length?

She's got heavy-lidded eyes. I have no idea why, but they're set further forward in the eye-socket and have a lot of her eyelids showing. The top, especially. I've always said that her heavy-lidded eyes made her come off as a bit alluring and sexy, but pfft! Genevieve is anything but that! I folded my arms, taking a few more steps inside of the conference room. She always looked like she either just got out of the bed, is going back to bed, or is luring some kind of lover to her bed. Not in the church, please! … But I didn't think she was that kind of girl. Or maybe she was? Argh, so confusing! Okay, her eyes were sultry-looking, I guess, and they're ultramarine violet. You know, a vivid or strong blue to purplish blue.

I love colors.

I love them so much! It's like... What would the world be like without colors? And that's why I wear a bunch of brightly colored stuff. Like a pastel orange trench coat with a bright blue shirt and yellow slacks, and my hair is already white...! I like to be colorful. Genevieve, on the other hand, doesn't like to be colorful. Her adorable squirrel ears point up as if they're a pair of cat ears, and her tail is just so... Long and fluffy—It makes me want to up and eat her, but I don't think Genevieve would taste very good. When Genevieve saw me, her tail waved in the air, hit the floor, and did the same thing over and over again. It wasn't in a fast, furious cycle—she was pretty calm.

Genevieve stood up straight, and then she picked up her cane. It's a pretty weird cane, believe you me. I didn't trust it. It's grey, and the tip of it is all beige and bendy... It's weird, okay? Man, that thing is heavy, though! Like it's made out of lead or something! I slumped over at the thought of being forced to carry it again. Genevieve put her right hand up to greet me, and then she gave me one of her trademark grins. Her smiles are always so big and bright, like she's trying to out-grin you. Anyway, she wears an all black, corset coat. Not a corset dress, a corset _coat._ That she designed herself...? She's pretty thin.

And when I say then, she's lithe.

Petite!

Yeah, that!

She probably only weighs about... Barely one hundred pounds. I'd bet on ninety pounds tops. But she's tall, and has this purple necklace thing she always wears—I don't know where it came from—and the corset shows a good amount of her cleavage. For a thin petite woman like her, it's amazing that she has any boobs at all. Err-hmm. Her sleeves go down to her elbows, and at the elbows she has frilly, white stuff that always seems to blow in the wind. Err, Genevieve's dress is kind of trippy. I don't think it can be called a dress, because it looks like a one piece swimming suit. With sleeves. And a knee-length skirt that only covers her backside and not her front. Everything about her is so black, right down to the stockings she wears before her thigh-high socks show up.

"Lysimachus!" she greets, pushing the tendrils of her hair out of her face. Yeah, the hair around her head shapes her face nicely, I'll admit. "Woah—what are you doing here in your pajamas?" She gave me an incredulous look and I glanced down out myself. Wah, my ice cream cone pajamas were really fun, and nice, and they felt comfortable and...! I loved them. "It doesn't matter!" she proclaimed, taking a few steps around the room. Genevieve stopped to flip her hair, and then she looked at me again. "Do you know where Tori and Ryder went, my dear?" I licked my tooth, tapping a clawed finger on my chin. I hadn't really seen either of them today...

I shrugged my shoulders, touching my sleeping hat. "Nope. I came here to talk to you guys though!" Yep, I was going to start crying any moment now. I was scared, okay? I wasn't just going to walk through the church in my pajamas for no reason. Genevieve kept smiling at me like she always does, interested in what I had to say. Sometimes, I think she was ignoring me in her head, thinking of something else like... Like... I dunno! It really frustrated and confused me! I know I get confused at a lot of things, but...!

In all honesty, I had really forgotten what the heck I came into the conference room to talk to Genevieve about. It was bad enough that I was scared, but it was even worse to know that I was wasting her valuable, sweet time. We were all pretty busy people. There was paperwork, and people to meet, and ceremonies we had been commissioned to speak at... I don't think any of us has ever had the pleasure of meeting the Archfiend before. Which is strange, because we run his entire church! Oh well, I could deal with it. I scratched the back of my head, and then I shrugged. Genevieve was a good friend of mine. She didn't care that I forgot stuff. Unlike some people I worked with. Her smile stretched across her face and she walked over to me.

I could hear her heels tapping against the floorboards.

It made my eye twitch, only because I was reminded of the sounds in the basement of the church. There was a ghost in this place, I swore it! Noises just don't happen out of nowhere! I shook my head and she twirled her cane, tilting her head and fixing the zipper of her coat corset. "So you don't know what you came in here to talk about?" she asked, nudging me in the stomach with her cane. Jeez, could she be anymore silly? She stood up straight and let out a petite yawn, putting her short-gloved fingers against her mouth. After that she stretched, slumping over. "I could use a smoothy. Or a steak. Or. Or! Lysimachus, can you believe that I haven't eaten today?" Um... No? I was pretty confused right now. But that's what Genevieve was famous for. Talking about herself. Going on tangents about herself.

"Genevieve, I could really use your help now, though!" I said, waving my gloved hands in front of me. "I just want you to scout this place out with me. I know the church does a pretty good job at keeping out intruders, but I really think that there's someone in here—"

"Nonsense!" she declared, putting a hand on her waist and smiling. See! I knew she wasn't going to believe me and anything I said. "There's no such thing as monsters, Lysimachus." Oh sure. There was no such thing as monsters, but there were monsters all around Forsythia. She may have been right—we don't have any really huge beasts in our world—but we _do_ have monsters! Killer bees, and huge crabs... If someone goes around and ventures out into the mountains and the forests, they'll run into some of those things. No place is safe, especially out in the wilderness. Maybe a monster or something managed to sneak in here? If that was true, then we really needed to stop talking and scout this place out!

Genevieve lifted up my chin with her cane, and I put both of my hands up, looking down at her in fear. She couldn't keep doing that! I got scared really easily! And she was just smiling at me with those deep, ultramarine purple eyes. "Tough up, Mister! Look, I'm going to go get a nice massage at the Beau Geste Salon & Spa. You stay right here, and you can be afraid of all of the little, spooky monsters all you want to, _Leader._" Hey! I was the leader! She didn't have to sound so sarcastic about it! ... As a matter of fact, there was a bubbly tone to her voice when she said that. The brunette took three steps past me, her squirrel tail swaying from the left and to the right. She switched her hips really hard for no reason really, but that was just how she walked.

I was going to say something else, but her tail curled up against me, and even that scared me!

I sighed and she waved her hand out towards me, not bothering to see if I was okay. "You should go get something to eat! You don't look very good, Lysee. But then again, I think you being afraid of almost everything is kinda cute~! Keep working your charm, and maybe you might find you a nice girlfriend one day." I turned around on my heels, gritted my teeth, and then I threw my arms to my sides. She couldn't just intrude on my love life like that! And I didn't need a girlfriend. I was perfectly happy here in the church by myself. Yep. All I needed was the Archfiend's company.

He was the only thing I needed.

I gave my all to him, and I would continue to give my all to him. I wasn't the only one with that idea carved out either. The Church of Hyboria has many followers that have the same idea.

They needed a leader and I stepped up to the challenge.

Hmm. I always think about what happened to the old leader we used to have... And then I remember Summoner Sayuri.

It was never a secret; everyone knew that Summoner Sayuri and her friends had slain him in cold blood in the Purgatorium. No one was allowed to go there for_ years,_ because they were looking for his body. After no such luck, we just stopped looking for him. People committed suicide... People spent all of their money on the church, hoping that it would appease the Archfiend... There was an increase of offerings given to the church as well. It was a sad time for Hyborists all over the world. People needed a leader. They needed someone to look up to that had a strong voice and a strong will. I wasn't sure if that was me, but the elders called for me and I took it.

And now look at me.

I was letting my adviser one-up me on terms of being unafraid.

I was hoping that words would come out of my mouth to protest what she said, but it was dry. I kept thinking for days when I first heard Summoner Sayuri came back to Forsythia. What if she decided to come and kill me in cold blood? What if they couldn't find my body? Did I really deserve to die for giving everyone newly-found hope? I didn't. It was unfair. I didn't waste any time when I ordered for her to be captured and detained. I knew that the Archfiend would want to condemn her for her act against him, our God. I didn't have any second thoughts about it. And you know what the good part was? Tori was actually pretty impressed. ... That isn't anything surprising, considering she gets impressed about anything I do, but this time it just felt more... Real.

I don't know what Ryder was doing when I had proposed the capture of Summoner Sayuri to everyone in the church. He was probably doing something important. He's an important man.

My thoughts were instantly shattered when Genevieve let out a small squeak—even her squeak brought chills down my spine. It was her version of a scream, but man were they scary! She fell down on her butt, but that was okay, because she had this high-class cushion thing on the back of her corset coat. Her cane fell on the ground next to her and her eyes were all huge and big... What? Did she see a ghost? I started smiling, and then I walked over to her.

She was pointing at something, but her entire body was trembling. I wonder what it was that was scaring her so much...

"Hey, you big baby, get off the ground or you're going to get hurt," I joked, grabbing her free arm. She snatched it away, which really offended me. I was only trying to help! What was with women these days? First I get ambushed at a restaurant by a catgirl, and now I get disrespected by a squirrel girl. I mentally sighed, but then Genevieve let out another yelp of terror.

"What is that?" she yelped, her shaking getting even worse.

"What, it's just a—" Just a... Just...

I looked out in the hallway, and my entire face turned white as snow. I was tempted to fall backwards, but I had to remember that I was the fearless leader and Genevieve would probably have laughed at me if I did. I was tired of being laughed at! I was scary, dammit! Just because I wasn't ripped didn't mean anything! I shook my head and looked at the sight hanging from the ceiling and my stomach started doing back flips. It wasn't really a nice scene. There was someone hanging upside down, but their entire body looked charred. Like someone took a flamethrower and melted all of their skin away.

No mercy.

The person's head... Face... Whatever... When they had gotten burned, they looked like they were screaming. Pieces of decaying, melting, oozing skin were falling down on the ground and Genevieve gagged a bit, shaking her head and picking up her cane. You know what this meant? This meant that there really was something inside of the church! And if we didn't act fast, we were all going to die! ... Not even going to lie here, I started panicking. I touched my head and started running around everywhere, screaming my face off.

"We're going to die! We're going to die! Genevieve we're going to die! I told you and now we're going to die we're going to—_mpefffft!" _

She slapped her hand against my face. Wait, that wasn't accurate enough. She slapped the_ daylights_ out of me. "Ouch! Why'd you do that for?" I whined, nursing my cheek back to health with my free hand. She gave me that bright grin and turned around on her heels, knocking the charred body down with her cane. The brunette propped a hand on her waist, and then she turned to look at me, putting her short glove back on her hand. I didn't notice she took it off! Wow, she was fast. But then again, she was my adviser. Why wouldn't she be fast? I watched the body crumble to the ground, and the sound actually surprised me. It sounded like the body was empty. Totally empty...

"Interesting..." Genevieve said, shaking her backside in the air. Oh, I hated it when she did that! Why did she do that? To get on my nerves? Anyway, she poked the body with her cane, and then she grabbed her chin, examining the thing. "Yep. So this isn't a prank. Good, because I'm the only person who sets up pranks in here." She stood up straight, and then she looked into the hallway, her tail swaying behind her. Oh yes, because Genevieve pranks everyone in the church. I'm pretty sure she'd prank the elders if she had a chance to. She was so... Urgh. You can't just go around pranking anyone you want to! "Lysimachus, are you ready to fight? Because I think we're going to meet your monster."

"M-monster?" I stuttered, shaking my head. I was mouthing "no" a lot too, but I don't think she noticed that. "But Genevieve—!"

"You silly git," she murmured, scanning the spot where the body was hanging from. "You said you wanted me to help you with your nightmare monster problem, and now you don't want me to?" She paused, laughing a bit to herself. It was haughty, of course. "Do you want my help or not, Lysimachus? You don't want to be eaten by monsters, do you?" Well, no! But we also needed someone up here to identify the body, right? I mean, it's just... We couldn't leave it right there, right? I started biting my nails and she smacked my hands out of my mouth.

I uh... Unintentionally growled at her.

She just shrugged it off and started tapping the walls with her cane. "There's something weird about the way that body was burned up. I don't think it was fire at all. Fire isn't going to leave all of those oozing blisters. Honestly," she said, sighing and stretching her arms out. She wiped some of her hair out of her eyes, too. "That's too gruesome for fire. And when I touched the body with my cane, a chill ran down my spine. My good Sir!" she declared dramatically, throwing both of her arms in the air. "We're dealing with some kind of dark entity." What? In the church?

Cue my screaming again.

I slapped my cheeks with both of my hands, and then I ran my fingers through my hair. I was half tempted to like... Leave the church altogether, but Genevieve gave me a really nasty wake-up call. This time she stomped as hard as she could on my toes. And it hurt. Really badly. "You shouldn't be this scared, Lysimachus! You know Holy magic as good as anyone else I know!" Oh yeah, sure. She could say that because she didn't know Holy magic. I folded my arms and scoffed, following her down the hallway. As we continued to walk, there were more bodies. Some were stuck against the wall in some nasty, smelly goop... Others were piled up, blocking our way... Yes, it didn't look too good. I wanted so bad to just... Chuck my breakfast up. If I did that, Genevieve would have my ass, so I decided to do the best I could and stay calm.

"You know, the Archfiend wouldn't get scared like this," she muttered, folding her arms.

"I'm not the Archfiend," I replied icily, looking at all of the dead people.

"Ohohoho, I know you're not!" she declared, humming a song. Oh great. Here we go now. "The Archfiend is just so... You know, I wish he wasn't getting married to that Summoner brat!" Genevieve slumped her shoulders and sighed, looking like she was going to drop her cane. "I was almost sure he'd want to take my hand in marriage. You know Lysimachus, it's never too late! It's obvious that he's just going to kill her when he takes what he wants! And then I'll have him all to myself. That's why I became a Hyborist, you know?" Yes, yes, I knew! She told me that so many times already! I wouldn't dare to forget the story! We finally made it to the main hallway on the conference room's floor, and surprisingly there weren't a lot of bodies. So, where the hell was the monster at? Monsters aren't really small... They're huge. They're not too good at hiding because they're huge. Hmm...

"Okay so there's not really a monster here let's go back to the conference room and wait for Ryder and Tori to come back!" I said, shuffling my feet. It's not like I wanted the monster thing to roam around and destroy everything it came into contact with—but I_ really_ didn't agree to fighting it myself! That's what I had people like Genevieve for. Grr, she was always trying to be my mom or something. Or my sister. She was just really annoying. Genevieve stopped for a moment, stood on her tiptoes, and then she inhaled. She breathed the air in for a long while, and then she abruptly stood up straight, her tail laying flat on the ground.

She looked confused.

"You smell that, Lysimachus?"

I took a sniff. "Smells like flowers. Why?"

Before she could answer, the entire eastern wall blew up and both Genevieve and I shrieked. She grabbed onto me, and I grabbed her, and we kind of stood there for a while before Genevieve realized she looked really stupid and pushed me on the ground.

Hey, jerk!

I had a mind to tell her about herself, but I looked into the gaping hole, and I saw darkness! _Darkness!_ I saw the true meaning of death inside of that hole. Maybe the thought of being turned into a rotting, blister-ridden carcasses had scared Genevieve into running, I don't know, but she high-tailed it out of there. I scrambled to my feet, shaking from head to toe, but I wasn't a coward! I opened up the palms of my hands and my rig saw blades appeared, wanting to slice through whatever it was trying to eat the two of us.

"Now you've had it!" I declared. "No one challenges the Cult of Hyboria—_aahaaaahafawaaaah!"_ I was looking into the hole, and I saw... Seventy blinking eyes! They looked like a predator's eyes, to tell you the truth. That was all the reason I needed to run in the other direction! I jumped over a few couches—did a couple of hurdles over a few chairs, and all the while that big blob of darkness was chasing me, devouring everything in its path. I started kicking a bunch of chairs in its direction, but it didn't seem to care. It just kept eating through everything. I could hear something coming from it though. It sounded like it was saying "Gulp!" in a really bubble gum pop-y voice.

It was scary!

Genevieve had slid down the railing of the nearest staircase, refusing to look back. Lucky for me, I had ran into the direction of the staircase. Awesome, we were going to meet again! Too bad I had made a mistake and tripped over the first step. I really hated how clumsy I was. Normally, falling down a flight of stairs to get away from a big, black monster wouldn't be so bad, but the staircase was... Like... Forty steps long. Yep. It hurt so bad, but I decided to suck it up once I reached the bottom. I rolled up against Genevieve's feet, and she leaned over me, smiling up a storm.

"You okay?"

_"Do something!"_ I pleaded, pointing up the stairs. The black, misty darkness thing let out this roar fit for a lion, and my face paled again. I wasn't capable of fighting that thing! Genevieve put her gameface on, and then she held her cane with both of her hands. She was quick on her toes, at least.

"All right! Here we go, chap!" she exclaimed, licking her lips. Her ears perked up, and once the black mist came tumbling down the steps, she smacked it in the eyes with her cane, sending it spiraling up the stairs like a pinball. My jaw dropped at the sheer force of it, and Genevieve put her hands on her hips, feeling very triumphant. I stood up and sighed, despite the fact that I was hurting everywhere. Man, was I happy to have a friend like Genevieve...! "There, no more monster. Aren't you proud of me, fearless Leader?"

"Yes, very," I answered, bowing down to her. Tears were streaming down my cheeks—I didn't care who saw! Genevieve saved my life! She was always saving my life... She opened her mouth, but something was tripping down the steps like I had. I looked at the brunette and she looked back at me, and before we knew it a... Girl rolled down the staircase? She had x's in her eyes, and her face was pretty messed up. Genevieve bent over again, doing her infamous stare at the foreign mass. I looked closer too, just 'cause, and it _was_ a girl!

She had long, white hair—it curled at the ends, but it still reached her mid-back. It looked insanely soft—like an infants' hair. Her skin was pale—extremely pale, and she had stitches all over her body. On her legs, on her shoulders... I was dead scared to roll her over. Of course Genevieve was all over it. She took her cane and dug it into the girl's side, effectively rolling her over. I... I think the girl was looking at us? I didn't know, because she had no eyes! Just barren eye-sockets! They were empty! I wanted to yell, but my eyes were instantly focused on the poorly wrapped bandages across her eye-sockets and the stitches across her face...

And her hands! They weren't her hands! They were green and... What was this...?

Genevieve took her cane and smacked the girl against her head with it. Ouch, I heard the impact, and it sounded like she shattered her poor skull. I touched my forehead, because I felt that a little bit. "Now, you tell us who you are! Look at you, berk! Laying on the ground because you couldn't walk properly down the steps! That's pretty_—smack!—_clumsy if you ask me!" The girl (?) on the ground squirmed and whimpered underneath the power of Genevieve's cane. I just stood there and watched. Great. Now we had dead bodies upstairs, a ruined staircase, and this _thing_ on the ground.

"Okay! Okay! Ouchie! My name's Alula, just stop hurting me!"

Today was not a good day.

"What do we do now?" I asked, putting my hand in the air as if I was a school boy waiting to be called on by my teacher. "Do we take the girl in for questioning, do we—" I stopped mid-sentence, staring at the red, pulsating pentagram on the girl's chest. Wait. That wasn't normal. That's not normal! "What the hell is this thing..." Oh God we're all going to die, we're all going to die, we're all going to die—!

"Lysimachus!" Genevieve shouted, stomping her foot on the ground. I paid complete attention to her. "Don't lose it! Stay calm, please. The bloody monster isn't going to get back up any time soon. My cane broke the poor thing." Or at least, that's what she thought. Two of my men came rushing in, reciting my name like they had practiced it over and over before coming towards the staircase, and the girl's red symbol on her chest started glowing and black mist surrounded all four of us. I shrieked, and then all of a sudden the girl got up to her feet, a desolate look on her face.

My men ran in front of Genevieve and I—it's a rule around here. Before you protect yourself, you protect us, because in the eyes of the Archfiend we're more important than any of his other followers. We spread the word. We make sure his rule is absolute. The girl paralyzed the two with her mist, and then that's where it got weird. She glanced at the nearest man next to her, and then her hand fazed through his chest.

I know I keep saying weird stuff was happening.

But this?

His chest rippled as her fingertips entered his flesh—almost as if he was a ghost! His face started to contort, and before I knew it she had her entire hand inside of him. After a couple of seconds, the guy started letting out screams that I've never wanted to hear a grown man let out. They were... I couldn't even begin to describe the terrors of what was coming out of his mouth. His face was twisting and twitching, and then his entire body exploded! … It exploded in a sloppy, nasty mess of puss-filled blisters and soggy skin.

The bad part was that the walls weren't covered in blood.

They were covered in _puss._

Puss and... Black skin.

And so were we.

The girl yanked her arm away just before his body painted the church's walls, and she was holding something. It was a ball of multicolored light... It felt warm and it was pleasing to the eye. I couldn't look at it like I wanted to because it disappeared too fast. The white-haired girl flexed her fingers, and then she looked up at us, her mist taking the other guy by surprise and strangling him. As Genevieve and I watched him fall to the floor, my jaw dropped.

"This is so grotty!" she yelled. Phew, you could tell she was mad. That was her favorite corset coat. "Eww! Eww! Eww! Eww! Eww!" You know, she obviously wasn't paying attention to the mist around that guy, because it was basically melting through his skin and eating everything to the bone, leaving behind another one of those balls of light.

I was half-tempted to leave her there.

But then Genevieve's eyes started flickering red, and she started hyperventilating. Big time. She clutched her cane, and then started hissing. _"You!"_

Yeah... Nope. There wasn't any stopping her. She aimed for the girl's head with her cane, but the girl was insanely fast. Not only did she manage to flip it out of my adviser's hand, but it flew up the staircase, making Genevieve put her hands over her head and duck. While she was a good fighter... She was kind of a coward... The pentagram on that girl's chest started to glow again, and that's when gears started to turn in my head. Um, that wasn't a good sign. Genevieve was going to end up just like those guys up there, and I didn't want to hear her wrath. You know, if she was still alive after that...

The girl cracked her neck, and then she put her green, clawed hands around Genevieve's, choking the dear life out of her. Not only was she capable of making people explode in a blistered mess, but she was super strong, too!

"I'm looking for the Archfiend!" the girl demanded, growling a bit. "Where is he?"

"Daft girl!" Genevieve spat, cracking a bit of a smile. "You don't know where you are do you?"

"I-I..." Now she really looked confused. Huh. "Don't play games! I—I'll kill you t-too if I have to!"

"I bet you don't even have the courage to. Quite a waste of an unattractive little girl, yes?"

… Come on, was she trying to get herself killed? I think the girl took that really hard and she dropped my adviser on the ground. Yeah, now would have been the perfect time to attack. I summoned my rig saw blades and with a flash of white light, I combined them together into a super blade! It was just a bigger ring. The light, however, blinded the girl, causing her to stumble back and bump into the staircase. I threw the ring around her with perfect aim, constricting it once it hooked around her torso.

"Wha... What's this thing...?"

"It's my rig saw blade!" I chimed, clapping my hands together. "Isn't it so cool? Well, anyway, sorry for treating you like this—I really don't make it a habit to beat up my loyal guests, but..." I paused, clapping my hands together. A white light seemingly erupted from my rig saw blade and the girl let out a high-pitched scream, immediately falling unconscious. I dusted my self off, walked over to Genevieve, and put my hand out. My rig saw blade was still keeping the little girl up and standing.

"You did good, Genevieve—"

"Shut up, you nancy-boy."

She took my hand regardless, and then she started to cough, peering down at the monster. "Well, she's definitely a being of darkness, seeing as how your weak charge of Holy magic sent her reeling." The brunette sighed, slumping over and gazing at me. "Wonder what she is. She has emotions, so she couldn't just be a flat-out monster..."

"That girl is a Wicked Spawn."

Both Genevieve and I turned around, and lo-and-behold, it's Tori! I didn't know where she was! … I just know that I was really happy she decided to show up. Tori's a very beautiful woman with short, white blue-ish hair that reaches her neck. She likes to wear long, lavender and white dresses made from feathers; her dress reaches the ground, hiding her feet. She walked towards us, holding both of her hands on her waist with a shocked look on her face. I would have been shocked too.

"Tori, it's you!" I shouted, giving a sigh full of relief. I went to hug her, but I was unsure of that due to her big, white, angel-like wings. They opened up a bit at the sight of me. Seriously, those things could stretch really far, and they almost touch the ground. She's a Featherfolk through and through—one of the few ones left on this world.

"Oh dear, Genevieve, are you okay?" Tori asked, touching her face. Genevieve nodded, shrugging her shoulders and glancing at me.

"Barely. That kid kicked me around a few times!" she laughed, scratching the back of her head. "Really showed me what for. But now I've got to take a shower. Multiple showers. I'm all gunky..." That got Tori to chuckle a bit, and then she took another look at Alula. I don't know... Tori's face kind of darkened and she reached out to touch the little girl. She never really did it, though. See, Tori is like our mother! She's the calmest out of us, and she really believes in the Archfiend and his name.

"Yes, this girl—Alula, is it? She's a Wicked Spawn, a being made from the Wickedness." I gulped. The _Wickedness?_ That was one thing I didn't want to mess with. "It troubles me to find something like her here. Is she the cause of the disturbance?" Tori was worried. Very worried. One thing that Tori didn't like was death and destruction. That's why she became one of my advisers. To stop all of this fighting and to get everyone to glorify the Archfiend. I could never picture Tori just outright fighting anyone.

Her light-purple eyes started to water as she looked at the walls and the bones of the men that were killed by Alula. I felt Tori's pain. "Very unfortunate! Our poor, poor brothers and sisters, being slaughtered by a being of _sin!_ Oh, it makes me want to weep for days!" Genevieve put her hands on Tori's shoulders and tilted her head, staring at the taller woman.

"It's okay, yeah? We'll hold a ceremony for them, Tori! Don't cry!"

She started sniffling, but other than that no tears came. "You... You're right. At any rate, we must figure out why the child came to our lovely church. Do either of you have any idea why?" Oh! I knew the answer to that question!

"She was looking for the Archfiend," I answered, nodding my head.

"The Archfiend? How peculiar. A being from the Wickedness looking for the Archfiend..." She paused, and then she turned on her heels. "Have someone pick her up, Lysimachus. I want to get a good interrogation out of her."

"O-of course," I stuttered, shaking my head.

"Oh, and you two?" Tori looked at both of us and then glanced at Alula one last time. "If anyone tries to go against our wishes and harm the Archfiend, they are to be destroyed at once. Be it Summoner or nonbeliever. Understood?"

Heh. That was something I knew by heart! Both Genevieve and I stood up straight and gave Tori a salute.

"Understood!" we chanted at the same time.

"Good." Tori gave Alula a look, quirking her nose and then frowning. "The unclean. The defiled. The dirty thing. Be destroyed. Be purified. This pain is blessed by the Archfiend!" She threw her arms in the air, feathers from her wings floating in the breeze she created.

"Blood is the offering to atone the sin!"

* * *

**A/N:** So like. XD;;;

Alula's totally gonna get tortured if she doesn't get out of there. XD;; I wonder if Kohana has anything to do with Alula going down there? I mean, there's tons of questions popping up everywhere! Alula was supposed to make sure Kohana didn't get herself involved with the Archfiend, and now she tried to destroy the church all by her lonesome? And was pretty damn good at what she was doing, too!

Kohana's down in Forsythia now, and now Alula is too? Hmm, what will Atropa think of this? XD Does she already know? Won't she be mad? XD;;;

She can't live without Kohana! *shot*

I mean. XD;;;

Whatever. XD;;

And what's with that Tori chick? Oh jeez, I'm_ serious,_ Alula's going to get straight messed up if someone doesn't go and save her! XD;;;;;;


	75. Puella Quam Amo Est Pulchra

**A/N:** The title means "The Girl I Love Is Beautiful". It's Latin. XD;;; I thought I'd get that out of the way before anyone asked me. XD;; Phew, this chapter was so fun to write towards the end! XD;;;; The reason for taking a near month to update would probably be because of me taking a break from writing CCFA. XD;;

Even badasses need breaks, you know. XD;;

I'm thinking about naming the next chapter Self-Motivated Thugs. Or Motivated Thugs. XD;; How gangster do you think that sounds for CCFA? XD;; We need more gangster chapter titles, I swear we do! XD;;

As always, with any chapter that Kohana appears in, there's loads of creepiness. I don't think this is the creepiest Kohana's ever been, but it's pretty damn creepy within the chapter. XD;;

* * *

Alula can't lie to herself anymore.

Being in the Dream World is _absolute hell._

At first she thought it was going to be exciting. What else is more exciting than spending what seems like an eternity with Kohana, her number one idol? And then Atropa... Atropa's so cool, and she keeps her cool no matter what, and she's really smart! Smart enough to know when a plan has gone straight to hell, and cunning enough to know exactly how to fix that plan. Those two women, Kohana and Atropa, were the people Alula looked up to the most. She wanted to be just like them. Well... Just like Kohana, but Atropa came close to second place.

Now look at her.

Alula's scared to even _look_ in Kohana's general direction. Not since she tried to snap her neck for no reason. The Wicked Spawn waited night and day for the purple-haired woman to wake up, and that was the thanks that she got? Almost having her head yanked away from her body? It's a thought that makes the pale monster shudder in skin that doesn't belong to her.

And then she smells it.

The Wicked Spawn isn't too sure what the smell is. It could be food, but it smells kind of different. Now, Alula isn't too keen on food. She's been a monstrous black ball thing long enough to know what it is though, especially considering the time she spent overlooking the lovely planet Earth when she was still a whimsical scale on the beast that protects her mother.

Yes, she knows the terrors of 'fast food restaurants' and how the food is typically made by teenagers and adults who made bad decisions in their lives. The food is generally thrown together with love and gentle hands of a mob capo preforming a hit on a child molester. The end result looks like roadkill with cheese and is delivered to you with a "here's your fucking food, and preparing it for you for minimum wage ruined my day. Eat shit" attitude.

But then again human beings will eat anything these days, especially things beefy, slathered in grease and covered in bacon. Eww. She guesses it's supposed to be like gourmet food, but without the price tag. And then there's the subject of chicken. For some reason, if you eat fried chicken, you're automatically placed on the same plane as Stalin and Mussolini in the eyes of Vegans, equating you with mass-murdering assholes due to the sheer number of individual animals you've consumed in a single sitting. On the bright side, you also get biscuits—which are delicious—and if set out to dry can be hurled at Vegans like rocks made out of lard and flower.

Alula has had chicken before with_ all_ of the sides. The white-haired girl must admit her taste buds were happy.

Fried chicken has skin, and that's the fried part. People who don't eat the skin are Nazi sympathizers. The skin is one of the tastiest things known to mankind, placing it somewhere between Skittles and heroin in terms of the brain's pleasure centers. And then there's the biscuit again! It's essential to the chicken meal. They hold the butter and act as a fat-laden napkin for soaking up gravy. Yum. Suddenly, Alula's stomach doesn't feel too hot. Where the heck is this smell coming from? Not only is it not forthcoming, it's reminding her of _human_ food.

Her lips part as she recalls the phenomenon known as gravy. It's a light, golden brown. It justifies the existence of mashed potatoes, dammit! Who eats mashed potatoes without gravy? Mashed potatoes are dangerously close to being a vegetable, but also close to being a french fry. How cool is that? Still walking around the lush garden of the Dream World, she stops once the purple-haired woman comes into view.

Alula's nose twitches.

Kohana's standing there, wearing an apron over her normal, everyday attire with whipped cream and cherries in her hair. There's a bunch of pink icing on her cheeks too—not that she seems to care, anyway. The Wickedness doesn't notice Alula.

Maybe she does.

The white-haired girl can't even tell. All she knows is that Kohana seems very into what she's making. Taking a chance, the pale girl looks at what the Summoner of Time is working on, tilting her head and putting on a look of confusion. She can't make the foreign object sitting on the table out, but judging by the way Kohana's holding a bag of blue icing, it must be something important. Alula gives a curt nod, placing her green, clawed fingers on Kohana's shoulder, quickly removing it once she hears the purple-haired woman start to growl underneath her breath.

Nice psycho-crazy lady! There shall be no eating Alula!

"Kohana!" Alula chimes, zipping to the other end of the table and letting the outside air lift the curls of her bouncy hair. "How are you today!" The Wicked Spawn just wants to be able to make things right with the flower fanatic. She doesn't know what she did to deserve her mouth being stitched shut for several days, but she doesn't want that to happen again. Atropa's been gone for a long time, too. She hasn't seen her since she vanished, which is odd... Normally Atropa's always sitting in one spot drinking her tea, or arguing with Kohana.

They seem to do a lot of that.

And lately, it's been worse.

In a burst of enthusiasm, Kohana spins on her heels and throws her arms in the air, a grin splitting her face. For the first time in Alula's life, she's not scared of Kohana's smile because it seems so... Innocent. Devoid of any malice or devious intentions. She likes Kohana like this, and so Alula wears a faint smile. When the purple-haired woman is like this, it's as if she's a flower, untouched with dewdrops. It's amazing how Alula just finds herself in awe of her beauty. And with her purple hair tumbling down her back... "Darrhhh~ling Alula~!" she announces, fluttering her long, violet eyelashes. "Nice to see you too on such a bright, happy, sunny day~!"

"Yeah..." It wasn't bright and happy and sunny just a second ago when she _growled_ at her. "Um, Kohana!" Alula squeaks, turning her head to the side so she can actually catch a glance at what Kohana's busy making.

She stares.

Keeps staring at it.

She even tilts her head some more to get a closer look.

The white-haired girl stands up straight, taps her cheek with her index-finger, and then gives a petite, frustrated sigh. There isn't any logical way to describe the horrific thing sitting on the table, except _what the actual fuck! _

What_ is_ that thing?

Because it damn sure isn't anything edible. It looks like a dying baby seal covered in blue icing. Kohana narrows her eyes, the innocent, blissful look in her face vanishing. She sticks a finger in the cake, checking to see if it's cooled down enough to eat. So it is something edible? Alula doesn't think that thing is safe... It has a _pulse!_ The hulking pile of grey and pink vomit almost looks like it's trying to jump off the table it kill itself.

Alula would too if Kohana made her like that.

The Wickedness puts her finger in her mouth, savoring the icing and making a funny face. "What? What did you call me for, Alula?" Nervous, the stitched up girl puts her arms behind her back, rocking back and forth and blushing slightly. It's hard to answer a question when Kohana's staring her down like a hawk. ...Actually, it's very uncomfortable.

"I-I...! I-I just wanted to know what you're making...!"

"Don't you have eyes?" Kohana snaps, banging her fist into the table on instinct. Alula flinches. Well, duh, Alula really doesn't have any eyes, but that's beside the point. The older woman sighs, waves her hand out dismissively, and then closes her eyes, touching her forehead with her fingertips. "Alula, Atropa isn't feeling well~!" She grabs the icing bag with both of her hands, putting on a look of pure despair. Okay...? "I don't like it when she's not smiling~!"

Wait.

When the hell has Atropa ever smiled? She doesn't smile for anything! This earns Kohana a few spastic blinks from her stitched-together friend. The purple-haired woman's mouth takes the shape of an upside down '3' and she starts sniffling, sighing deeply. "Of course, I don't like it when she's not smiling and it _isn't _because of me!"

"B-but Kohana, how do you know it's not because of you?"

"Because I didn't do anything to her, silly Aluluuuu~!"

...And feeding her cat food is going to make Atropa feel better?

Alula quirks a brow, watching as Kohana puts the icing bag on the table and examines the weird-looking mass. "K-Kohana, my name isn't Alulu..." she manages to squeak out. It's never a good idea to correct Kohana. Ever. Regardless of it's just a joke or not, the Wickedness will always, always, _always _take it the wrong way. In fact, she's taking it the wrong way right now. Her face scrunches up and she puts her lithe, delicate fingers on the table. It's amazing... To think that those petite, pretty fingers have slain millions of people and almost tried to choke the poor Wicked Spawn...

"What."

"M-my name..."

"I can call you whatever I want," Kohana says under her breath, giving an arrogant sigh. "Ha! How dare you say that to me. I'm the one who brought you into the world, and—if I do so choose—I'll rip you out of it! _Kyahahhaha~!_" Oh, Alula never doubted that. Not at all. Kohana puts her entire hand into the seemingly-fleshy mound on the table and lifts it up, staring at the icing that clings to it. Is she going to keep playing with Atropa's gift like that? The purple-haired woman sticks her fingers in Alula's mouth quite provocatively, invading the Wicked Spawn's personal space with a smirk. "Now can you tell what I'm making Ahhh~tropa dearest~?"

Alula can't handle answering questions under pressure! And Kohana's currently setting her _cheeks on fire_ due toher inappropriate behavior. C'mon. Alula knows she's doing it on purpose. "Hey you prude~! Just answer the question!"

Confused and intimidated, Alula holds her hands in front of her mouth and lets out another squeak. "Atropa told me to tell you something when you woke up!"

A blink. "Huh...?"

"Yeah, see, she was all, 'Make sure you let Kohana know what I said.'" Working up the nerve to talk to Kohana again, Alula inhales and wipes the icing off her face.

"Well~! What did Atropa have to tell me?" The Wickedness grins brightly and even does a little dance. Spending several days without Atropa is like a new kind of torture. Alula—too absentminded to remember everything Atropa said by memory—takes out a piece of paper from the pocket of her white dress.

"Errhmm. You're a putrescent mass of walking vomit." Kohana_ immediately_ frowns. "You're a spineless little worm, deserving nothing but the profoundest contempt. You're a jerk, a fool, and a weasel. I take that back. You're a festering pustule on a weasel's backside. Your life is a monument to stupidity. I will never get over the embarrassment of being in the same place as you. If you EVER tell Alula to call me 'Auntie Atropa' again—! If you even_ utter_ that phrase I am going to be eating my cereal out of the bottom of your skull." By the time Alula's done reading from the piece of paper, Kohana's mouth turns into an upside down 'v' and tears fill up in her green eyes.

Not good.

Alula takes a small step backwards. She's got to finish the message, after all! "I-I um..." The white-haired girl stops flailing around and clears her throat, taking a deep breath and looking back at the paper. "You are a fiend and a sniveling coward, and you have bad taste in flowers. You are degenerate, noxious and arrogant. I feel sick just knowing that you exist. I despise everything about you, and I wish you would go away. And if you try to kill Alula after this, it only proves how childish you are." Alula looks up from the piece of paper, hoping Kohana paid _really_ close attention to that last part.

Yep. No beans.

"You don't like me!" Kohana says in a fit of rage, throwing a temper tantrum. She starts pouting, holding her icing bag in her hands and squeezing the dear life out of it.

"Wah, it wasn't me Kohana, it was Atropa!"

"You don't like me! I see what it is! And you don't like the cake I made for Atropa's birthday either!" … What! First off, _that's _supposed to be a cake? That heaping pile of brightly-colored gorilla waste is a _cake?_ Man, that's fucked up. Alula's offended at the thought of even believing that thing is a cake. "I knew you didn't like it the moment you came over here! You thought it was some dying, wild animal! Admit it! Atropa doesn't want a dying, wild animal for her birthday! Why didn't you tell me in the first place it looked so bad? You made me make a whole cake, too, and you didn't say anything to stop me! Ingredients and stuff doesn't just grow on trees!"

"No Kohana, I—!"

"Get out of my face before I break your kneecaps open and make you drink the pretty fluid!" Done with chewing the bottom of her lip and scowling, Kohana puts on a deep frown and points in the other direction, shaking her head. "I-I don't want to talk to you anymore!" she stammers, stomping her foot on the ground in the same way a kid would if they were denied candy. Sure. Sure the cake looks like a remake of hell, but it isn't all of that bad, is it? Alula doesn't want to hurt Kohana's feelings, even though she had hurt hers on several occasions. It's the truth though. That misshaped, overly-iced cake looks bad. Real bad.

But she doesn't want Kohana to cry.

"Out out ouuuuuuut!"

The newly-formed red lasers of death circling around Alula's head are enough reason for her to do as the flower fanatic says.

You know what?

Eff this.

Let Kohana fed Atropa the cat food cake.

Atropa can do a whole lot worse to Kohana than Alula can, and that's revenge enough. Especially for stitching her mouth closed. Alula inhales, bats her eyelashes, and then she grins as hard as she can. "I bet it tastes delicious!" The red beams of doom disappear and Kohana's mouth forms into an 'o'. Her face lights up and she claps her hands together, her eyes sparkling.

"Really~?"

"Yep!"

"You're not lying are you?"

"Nope! It looks so good that I want some of it right now, but I don't know how Atropa would feel if you brought her a cake that was half-eaten!" She doesn't know how Atropa'd feel about being fed a dying squirrel either...

Spastic-happy, Kohana skips over to a container of batter and begins to stir the contents in it madly, closing her eyes and dancing with the blue blow.

"Hahahahah! I'm the world's best chef!" the Wickedness shouts, lost in a fit of madness. "If you weren't such a masochist Atropa, maybe I'd stop, but if you want to carve your love into my skin, go ahead~ Just remember who will eventually make you smile and scream at the sight of my dear cake! It will be so delicious like Alula says! Don't worry Ahhh~tropa~ I won't let anyone hurt you but me! I'm sorry if you're feeling down. Maybe the world really does hate you, ahahha! I wish you would understand that I love you~!"

Alula shrugs, turning around on her heels and leaving Kohana to her thoughts.

Even though nothing is funny, she covers her mouth with her clawed-fingertips, her lips curling into a smile.

Atropa's going to _lose her shit_ when she looks at that cake, and Kohana's going to have her feelings blown straight to hell.

And you know what?

Serves both of them right.

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Five: Puella Quam Amo Est Pulchra :-**

_Kill the conversation _  
_ Wrap this up _  
_ With a lie that I'm enjoying every minute with myself _  
_ And she could make hell feel just like home _  
_ So I'm never leaving her alone _  
_ But if your lightning lips aren't mine _  
_ Then I don't know the awkward stranger to my right_

— "Yeah Boy And Doll Face" — Pierce the Veil

Lady Kaelyn was the same stuck-up bitch I had known all of those years ago~!

Oh, how could I forget that look in her green eyes... Those slitted, Felinefolk eyes... When I first took a look at her, I was actually intimidated by them. Ha! Imagine that! Me, intimidated by Lady Kaelyn's eyes. Maybe it was the sudden empty feeling in my stomach that made me fear that woman for all of three seconds, or maybe it was the aching twinge of pain I felt in my chest. I'd never know. I didn't care, either. I was finally on the fresh, rich soil that made up Forsythia~! This world really hit me with nostalgia I never felt when I was on the Dark Ages~ Still, I couldn't let my guard down. At least, not around that woman. As composed as she is, Lady Kaelyn knows stuff that shouldn't be known~! She's a very good augurist. A scary good augurist.

Just thinking about the power that woman had alone... Margh! They weren't good thoughts~ It made me frown, too. You see, the objective was simple! I was in Kassia dearest's body, so that was the easy part. No one would ever mistake that ugly _thing _as me! Kassia was a disgrace to Forysthians everywhere! I actually did the world a huge favor by tearing her soul apart slowly... So slowly that she felt each rip... Each hole that threatened to erase her existence from the universe itself! She was one of those people—_ahha!—_that I hate. One of those pretty little ladies who will take a nice, kind gesture and demand more. More, more, more! A gluttonous pig, all in the name of louuuveeee.

Love!

Ha!

She gave her soul to me in the name of love! So that her precious darling could live! Little did she know that I was going to kill him too because~ Because~ Why wouldn't I? Kyahahaha! Why would I have let him, of all people, live? He was just as guilty as her, the way I saw it, and I am God! All the people in this damned universe eventually have to answer to me. And when that day comes, they will be judged and sentenced under the green of my eyes! I laid back, quirking my nose. How disgusting! How could one person ruin their entire life for love? I-I don't understand it! People will do anything for love, and that's scary. When I think of how many deaths have been caused from something as stupid as love...

Anyway, back to what I was saying! Kassia's body is mine, just like it was destined to be! I knew that pretty, blue-eyed girl would break. She would be the reason why I destroyed this world! I'd dedicate it to her, for giving me her silky smooth body~ I loved running my fingers up and down her arms. I'd be reminded of the goosebumps that came every time she heard the sound of my voice. How is it that little girls like Kassia let themselves be taken over so quickly? So easily! Kayayhaha, well I guess the world will never really know~ It makes my my job a whole lot easier in retrospect, so I'm not even complaining~!

The Summoners were... Hmm. How do I go about explaining this? They weren't too forthcoming to my gruesome appearance when I first showed up in front of Lady Kaelyn's hideout. Speaking of Lady Kaelyn's hideout, she sure picks the most silliest places to stay at, doesn't she~? Oh well. I found it without fail, because I'm the Wickedness and the Wickedness sees all~!

Isn't that right, my dearest darling Archfiend?

Soon, I'll show the whole world what I'm capable of.

I'll blow the top off of this world and watch it hover in the air over my dearest daughter and I. And then we'll leave and leave everyone else on it! ... Dah... Well. We'll take her Summoner friends too since leaving them on an exploding planet isn't nice.

So anyway, Ruby... Ruby was the name of Sayuri-dearest's new partner, right? She was the one that really jumped out at me, probably because she was Sayuri's Summoner of Change... The Summoner of Change, huh? I found myself staring at her, trying to forget the apparent fear on my face from being in the presence of Lady Kaelyn...

Lady Kaelyn is scary, yeah, but... What kind of powers did that Ruby girl have? I stood there, thinking to myself. This girl is the Isleen of Sayuri's team. This girl is connected to Isleen on another level. This girl is... Special. My fingers curled up at the thought of poor Isoooleen. How embarrassing~ That's when I realized I had to enter my bullshit mode and start babbling about how there was a dead man laying in a field of pretty, pretty, sparkly flowuueers who had gotten _mutilated_ with a simple butter knife.

The scene?

Gruesome~!

The knife?

Bloody~!

_Hah_—! It makes me so damn happy to kill someone with a blunt object! You wouldn't think a butter knife could seriously fuck someone up, but it does. It just cuts right through them. With enough power, of course, but~ I played my part fabulously. I did everything right. The look of fear on my face, the surprise, the tears in my pretty oceanic eyes... This was my darling dearest I had cut up. Okay, really, I'd never do that to Suzuki. This was _Kassia's_ darling dearest, and I would gladly kill him again in a heartbeat. Why do I keep saying that? Who knows~? I just know that I enjoyed it.

Everyone's sleep now, for the most part. That's good. That means I can think!

Think thoughts.

Gah, I shouldn't have been trying to think. This was supposed to be easy. Find Misake, kill him over and over and over again, and then take Sayuri back. Except I kind of didn't know where he was... I pouted, watching a light come on in the room next to mine. My eyes studied that bright light until the Lady herself stepped in the doorway. The light from the lamp illuminated off her green hair—she was wearing it down, instead of having it in the same, boring up-do! Honestly, I had never seen Lady Kaelyn with her hair down, tumbling down her back in luscious, grass-green curls.

Even though her appearance was changed, she still had that same, no-bullshit look in her eye. It made me gulp. I had to remember who I was now. I was Kassia, Forsythia's "detective". A headstrong girl that looked up to the augurist. As much as I wanted to fawn over how her golden, butterfly chest plate struggled to hold in her breasts, I'd have to save that for later~ Ah, Lady Kaelyn was so lucky~ She gave me a curt hand wave, signaling for me to come follow her. The green-haired woman still looked a little irritated, though. I got up from my bed without fail and didn't bother to put on my heels.

That strange cat girl with a hood over her head was curled up in the bed with that weird scientist Felinefolk woman. What was her name again? Oh yes, Doctor Janeavah. I wasn't sure that yellow-haired scientist was very aware of it, considering the fact that Flarence was hugging her chest very tightly and smashing her face into her cleavage. What weird people... Janeavah was knocked out cold, her arms over her head and laying on her back. If she woke up and saw Flarence next to her, no good would come out of that, right~? Lady Kaelyn paid it no mind. As long as the Summoners and their Guardian were sleeping without any problems, that was good enough for her.

Nobody had gotten any special treatments.

Lady Kaelyn was never like that anyway. Everyone slept on the same kind of bed, and everyone got the same kind of food she made. No exceptions. When I thought about Lady Kaelyn and her food, a slight smile curled on my lips because I'd be reminded of Isleen and how much she enjoyed it. Too bad she couldn't see the augurist right now. How tall she stood. How—despite these two years—she looked like she wasn't a day over twenty-two, despite being about twenty-seven. Lady Kaelyn doesn't have any qualms about letting people know her age. She's quite possibly the realest woman I've ever met, that's for sure. She takes no bullshit and gives no bullshit.

Heh, Lady Kaelyn's just the woman I need to help me save Sayuri.

What confused me was that I was still nervous. Nervous about meeting up with her. I got up and stumbled around a bit—this body was too clunky to maneuver in! My smile morphed into a frown, but Lady Kaelyn never took her eyes off me.

Scary, scary stuff.

I made it into the next room, watching our shadows dance across the beige, stone walls. I didn't like cave hideouts. They were just so... Not homey at all! With her clawed hand, she gestured towards a seat at the long, oaken table and I complied, making myself right at home. Seriously, I was tired from killing Kassia and Norman. It takes a lot out of you when you aim to destroy souls and whatnot~ I wasn't complaining, though! Like I said, it was really fun!

The green-haired Forsythian augurist sat on the other side of the table in front of me, both of her hands around the lantern. I couldn't help but stare at the fire inside of it; it was casting quite a troubling light over her.

Right now?

She was the woman who held the most power.

If Lady Kaelyn wanted to, she could beat me into the dirt and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

You know why? Because I was still so weak... Just one night's good sleep could get me back to one hundred percent, but if she didn't let me sleep I couldn't do that. I was irritated, but I didn't let it show. I had to keep reminding myself that if I wanted to play a part, I needed to play it flawlessly.

"Are you all right?"

I have no idea why I was so focused on all of the tiny details around me. My eyes zoomed in on the way her eyebrow slightly arched when her luscious, rosy lips parted. Fwah, she was always so hard to read! It wasn't fair! Her voice sounded the same; it still retained that air of femininity, but everything she said... Argh, I don't know how to explain it! She had something akin to I-really-don't-care in her voice, but this time it had a twinge of compassion about it.

She really thought I was Kassia.

She really thought I had lost a loved one!

I mentally smiled the biggest grin I could, remembering I was in character. My job was to act like that infuriating girl. Nothing more, nothing less. My lips curled up into a pout and I shifted in my seat, holding my hands together. I accidentally stabbed myself with Kassia's blue clawed fingers, but I didn't mind. Stupid Felinefolk and their claws... Lady Kaelyn's claws were longer than mine. That made me uneasy. "I, um..." I stopped, tilting my head and giving off a slight smile. Kassia's pretty pink hair swayed behind me—_ah!_—this was going to be too easy! "Thank you, Lady Kaelyn." My voice was the most convincing thing on the planet! It sounded like pink bubblegum and pure_ bliss!_

Such a little girly voice Kassia had, _ahahahaha!_

The augurist was holding a teacup in her hands and poured some kind of liquid in it. I was for certain it wasn't tea—Atropa drinks a lot of tea! Isn't tea kinda washed out instead of murky? Lady Kaelyn pressed the tea cup to her lips, took a petite sip, and then she looked at me again. "How unfortunate. I am deeply sorry for your loss." She gave me a blink. I nearly passed out from how intimidating she was. "Perhaps you woke up the wrong passenger somewhere along the line, Kassia?"

Okay, that made me tilt my head and stare at the shine on her butterfly armor.

Wait. What?

What the hell did she just say? What the heck does that even mean? Ninja I am not, the Wickedness may know many things, but I don't understand Forsythian slang! … Or maybe that's just how Lady Kaelyn talks. Yep, that's most definitely how she talks. Kyaaah~ I wish she wouldn't do that! I tilted my head again, put my hands on the table nervously, and shook my head. "Excuse me?"

"You angered the wrong person, Kassia." Ah. So full of wisdom. Now I understood. "The Summoners helped me move that bleeding heap of a man. He was stabbed relentlessly by something sharp. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I had stumbled across such a gruesome scene..." And neither could I, Boobie Lady~ Heh. I wanted to smirk—to tell her that it was me who killed him—but I couldn't do that. It would have been out of character. My thoughts were interrupted by Lady Kaelyn's fireplace—the burning wood crackling and being reduced to mere ash was kind of soothing... Oh, and it was raining, too!

The smell of the wood burning over the fresh scent of the cool rain from outside... How the rain trickled and tapped on the windows... It made me kind of sleepy. "Lady Kaelyn, I can assure you that I, in no way, did anything to make anyone unhappy!" I insisted, waving my petite hands in front of me to plead my innocence. I was going to win her trust over, whether she liked it or not! I pouted and my eyes started to water. "It was all so sudden—! You were the nearest person I could find, and I—" My eyes darted around the room and I put my head down, lifting it back up in frustration. "I needed to tell someone," I said in an incoherent whisper.

She looked at me once through her cat eyes and didn't change her bored facial expression. "If you want trouble, my dear, then by all means let it fly. You don't sound very convincing. If you want to make an impression on me, little girl, you'll have to try harder than that I'm afraid." All right. What the hell did she just say? Does she think I like looking for trouble? Err, that Kassia likes looking for trouble? Honestly, why does she care~? Urrrgh! I don't care about whatever the heck Kassia likes to do! I mentally shook my head in frustration, and I almost ran my claws through my hair. This is all just too much work~!

"You realize," Lady Kaelyn says with a quirked brow, "that you ran into something far greater than a dead body." The atmosphere around us must have dropped. For some reason, I felt really cold. Was it because of her voice, or was it the icy stare she was giving me? I wanted out of this body! Waaah~ I didn't feel right! Kohana Outtaike doesn't fear anyone, be it man or bitc—! "_Blackguard!_" Her voice echoed in my head. I mean, it hit my brain, my ears... And I think it tried to force its way through my pretty mouth... Though it wasn't really my mouth, but you get the point. The green-haired augurist's eyes were slitted and—She was just so scary! "_Don't _underestimate me," she growled under her breath, her grip tightening on her strange cup.

Heh.

I didn't care about any of that!

I wasn't scared of Lady Kaelyn! "You put all down but nine, ragamuffin," she murmured, setting her cup down. Her pink, plump lips curled into a slight smirk. She was up to something... I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what that was, exactly. I had to keep the look of absolute despair on my face~! She thought I was mourning a death, even though she was giving me death threats~ That proved something, right? I was doing a good job at acting, kyahahaha~! How could I not? "There's something... Different about you, Kassia. I do not know if it's due to the blood at the scene, but the spirits that talk to me despise you."

Hey.

Spirits.

Fuck you too~

"Oh no!" I gasp, my mouth forming into an 'o'. My cheeks were blushing and everything. I was doing such a wonderful job! I touched my lips with the tips of my delicate fingers and my eyes started to water. "Whatever shall I do, Lady Kaelyn? I never wanted to make the spirits unhappy! What can I do to appease them?" She didn't give me an answer. Instead, her green tail started wagging behind her, but it was very slowly... Strange. Urgh. Stupid Forsythian people... Seeing her tail swoosh across the air made my blue tail want to start moving. It was so hard to resist the urge! I started frowning and twitching, only because I didn't want to look like an idiot. Sheesh, how did these people do it?

"Stop beating the devil around the bush." I was getting tired of Lady Kaelyn's mouth. Speak English, lady~ Oh, I couldn't wait to pull that disgusting smirk off her face! She didn't know who she was dealing with here, did she? Just because I wanted to lay low didn't mean I wouldn't reach over the table and pull her face off. My claws were definitely sharp enough. Almost. Her claws were ten time sharper than mine, I was sure. Dammit, if I wasn't stuck in this poor excuse for a body...!

"I-I'm not beating anything, honest!" When this is all over, though, Lady Kaelyn, I'll beat _you_ senseless yet!

"You shall be tested then, Kassia," she coos in that elegant voice of hers. I sunk down in my seat a little bit, but then I lighten up. Ha! Tested? I could do anything that she could do, and I most definitely could wipe the floor with her! I knitted my fingers together, trying to hide how damn happy I was. Now if only I could summon my katana right quick... Then I'd be in the clear.

"Okay! I'm ready for your wisdom, mighty Lady Kaelyn!"

She didn't waste any time, as I expected. "How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?"

My expression. It vanished completely. I didn't even have time to stop myself! Words just flew from my mouth, honestly~ I snorted, too. "How the fu—Lady Kaelyn. How the hell do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?"

"And that is why I asked you, idiot."

"Idiot?" I shouted, my right eye starting to twitch. I realized what I just did and squeezed the end of the table. Sheesh. I can't let her get to me like this... Deep breath, Kohana. Deep breath. Once I was calm again, I summoned my bubble-gum pop voice back. "Um. Rip it into bloody, dripping, decaying sacks of flesh and squeeze the lifeless, yellow polka-dotted slabs of meat into it systematically?" It was a very honest answer! Ha, it was the only way I thought a giraffe would be able to fit into a refrigerator! Seriously, it is the only way~! I knew I was right, so I started smirking~! At least, until Lady Kaelyn's Felinefolk eyes widened and she choked on whatever it was she was drinking.

"Answer me this, blackguard. How does one get something so wrong?"

I'm going to kill this woman! I swear it!

She looked at the window for a split second, because before I knew it she was looking at me all... Condescendingly! That's a new word, created just for her! … Oh wait. That really is a word. Heh, how dense of me~! "All you have to do, young Kassia..." Young? Feh! I'm way older than Lady Kaelyn! Old hag! "Is open the refrigerator door, put the animal in, and close it. I don't know why you made that more complicated than it was."

"I like things complicated."

"Yes. Like your arrogance. It's completely unnecessary and it makes you look idiotic. You look dumb in a very _complicated _way."

"Why you—!"

"How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?"

"You open the damn refrigerator door, put the stupid animal in, and close it!" I shrieked, punching the table with my hands. Ha! There was no way I could be wrong, I—

"Oh. I'm sorry. Did you say open the refrigerator door, put in an elephant and close it? Wrong."

"Pffffft, _what? _But I... But you...!"

"You open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. You have to think about the repercussions of your previous actions, ragamuffin. You're not very good at thinking about things, are you? You run into them, and that will be your downfall," she said on the end of a chuckle. I sunk down in my chair again and grumbled. I really just wanted to kill everyone here and leave. I mean, the only reason I came to Forsythia was to see my darling Sayuri~ Not this old hag!

"The king of the jungle is hosting an animal conference. All of the animals attend except for one. Which animal is absent?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You _just _put him in there. Why are you so dense?" I shuffled my feet, looked down at the table and tried my hardest to keep my cool. I hate these stupid brain... Riddle things! I can think on my toes, I know it! I am smart, but... Not these... Things! "It's quite okay. You failed at the other questions, but you still have one more chance to show your true prowess, Kassia. Don't fail."

"O-okay..."

"There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?"

I definitely knew the answer to this one! Kyahahaha~! I jumped out of my seat, threw my arms in the air and put on a very sadistic smile~ "You kill every single last one of those bastards, and then use their bodies as props to swim to the other side of the river! It's so easy!"

"It would have been easy that way," she mutters, folding her arms and staring at me. "But did you forget, dimwit? The crocodiles are all attending the animal meeting. Fool." Okay. My face just cracked. I'm boiling from anger. There are no words to express my rage! I swear to God I'm going to—"Hey."

I looked at her. Just to see what she was going to say. She needed to apologize to me for that stupid thing she just did! Argh, people don't trick me! I'm not supposed to be tricked like that! I do all of the tricking! … Anyway, she looked at me with her exasperated expression... And yet it was blank at the same time. How does someone do something like that? Lady Kaelyn folded her arms as her fangs glinted in the moonlight.

"Problem, Human?"

I don't know what happened after that! All I remember is grinding my pretty teeth before I jumped over the table, eager to snap Lady Kaelyn's neck in half! I had been doing that a lot lately, but I didn't care! This woman needed to be reminded of who I was!

I wasn't that weak little Summoner Sayuri that she knew years ago.

I am the Wickedness, through and through! A force to be reckoned with~ I've destroyed countless worlds... Slain so many people...! Lady Kaelyn would be nothing more than another statistic added to list! Another body to add to my pile! I liked her, but I didn't like her that much. She could die and I wouldn't lose an ounce of sleep. I bet Sayuri thought I was a cruel monster for killing so many of my friends back on the Dark Ages~ For slaying Renata's parents when I swore—the first time I came on that world—that I'd do everything I could to save them!

That bending fate was the only option I had.

Kyahaha, what was I thinking? The only way to get anything done around here was to slay it all! I was so close to stealing the air out of her throat, but my eyes locked on the way she was staring at me... As soon as the chair behind me hit the floor, she should have looked crazy! Startled! Afraid! Innocent Kassia was lunging at her!

That didn't happen.

Lady Kaelyn just looked at me with her slitted cat eyes and a bright, white light shined in front of me. That's when my jaw dropped. Curse the white light! Curse every single one of those damn things! Next thing I knew, I flew back so hard that when I hit the stonewall, I flew _through_ it, breaking rock and everything else.

The explosion was so loud that Damien let out a shrill yell. He probably jumped out of his bed to see what all the noise was about. Bah. I didn't care. I was on the floor, blood rushing down my body from all of the puncture wounds I had received from the tiny shards of Forsythian rock. Urgh! Why was everything around here so damn dangerous? Not only was Lady Kaelyn dangerous, but...

Holy crap!

Lady Kaelyn!

I let out a few bloody coughs before looking up, and she walked towards me with that whole switch thing. She definitely took her time. I was so winded that I didn't even notice how long I had been on the ground at all! How the hell...! I sputtered Kassia's icky blood out of my mouth and shook my head, getting irritated by the pink strands of hair falling in my face. All I could hear was the sound of that witch's boots... How she switched her legs with each step... Jeez, her eyes! They just looked... They looked...!

"Summoner Sayuri," she hissed, stopping right in front of me. D-damn! She couldn't possibly know who I was! I didn't let her... I didn't do anything to even hint that I was this so-called 'Summoner Sayuri'! Lady Kaelyn was pissing me off! Oh, I just wanted to... Just wanted to...! I was so angry that I smiled a toothy grin, coughing some more. Why wouldn't Kassia's body stop bleeding! Why was there so much of_ my_ blood on the floor? And I felt sick to my stomach, just knowing that Lady Kaelyn had this kind of power over me. She knew things she shouldn't have... That witch of an augurist...! I felt the blood from my mouth drip down my fangs as I looked at the green-haired woman from the top of my eyes.

"I'm going to _kill _you," I said on the end of a hysterical laugh. And I meant it. I don't know if Lady Kaelyn didn't believe me or not, but she stepped on top of my head with the heel of her boot, rubbing it in. I tried so hard not to show pain, but there was something up with that shoe of hers...! I let out a bitch of a whimper, _yelping _almost. I felt pretty damn insignificant now. "You mark my words, I'm going to slay you so bad that you'll be_—fwaaah _get off my head you bitc—!" She didn't listen to me! I can't believe she didn't listen to me~! In fact, she just applied pressure!

"You're still the impatient, sniveling brat that left this world years ago—"

"Old bimbo!"

"—And you don't know a thing about how much things have changed on Forsythia—"

"Worthless scumbag!"

"—Once more, you still don't understand that no matter _how_ old you get, I will always rule over you." I was so focused on yelling and screaming at her, I hadn't noticed she moved her foot away from my head to on top of my hands.

And then she broke my fingers.

_With her foot!_

I don't think I moved. The blood rushed to my head as I heard each simultaneous snap and I glared at her, inhaling.

"Fuck me sideways on toast, what the _fuck, _Lady Kaelyn!" I shrieked, trying to flex my poor, dying hand.

Seriously, what was it that I was doing? I should have been able to get up and obliterate this woman! It wouldn't have taken very long... I could have slayed her! Painted her hideout in her pretty blood! Played with her internal organs for a while and swooned over how prettyful she sounded while I poked around in her wounds. That was the scariest part of all of this—I couldn't move! She was... Doing... Something! Something was happening that was preventing me from moving too much!

"Don't be daft," she murmured, mockingly. Warrgh, she was mocking _me! _I've never been so insulted in my life! "Stop crying, suck it up."

I smirked. "Wait until I get up! Wait until I get up, Lady Kaelyn!" I shouted, trying my hardest to lift my body up with my broken fingers. It wasn't really working, but I could manage! "You better run, because I'm going to—"

"Lady Kaelyn!"

I looked to my left and lo-and-behold, everyone had ran into the room trying to figure out what was going on. Chio stood in front of everyone, holding her teddy bear. Her grip tightened around it when she saw the pool of blood I was wallowing in. Truthfully, we both were covered in red, glimmering liquid~! It was beautiful, but I digress. Lady Kaelyn should have been the one bleeding, not me! Doctor Janeavah rubbed her eyes and smacked her lips together, as if she was eating something. What? She was still sleep? She needed to wake up and do something about this! Kokoro looked around, saw the blood, and he got serious real quick. Heh, that was what I was talking about~! A capable Summoner of Fire~

"What's going on?" he demanded, balling up his fists. I don't think he was mad about being woken up. He was mad because I was on the floor practically dying!

"I'll tell you whaa~aat's going on!" I cooed, breaking out of Kassia's terrible, high-pitched voice. Now I sounded like me again! It was great to break out of my shell! I cracked my neck and turned towards them all, licking the blood off my lips. I told Kassia I'd enjoy her in every. Way. Possible~! "Your precious Lady Kaelyn is trying to kill me! What kind of Holy Maiden—_ouch!_" This time she kicked me in the head and I rolled over, letting my sorry excuse for a broken hand plop down on my exposed stomach. Scratch what I said about everyone standing in front of us! The two cats, Miyuki and that Flarence girl were still sleep.

I guess it's just a cat thing, kyahahha~!

Doctor Janeavah was standing up half-sleep, but when Lady Kaelyn kicked me, her bright citrine-colored eyes widened and she extended her yellow claws out towards us. She didn't even bother to push her glasses up on her face or anything~ "Hey! Lady Kaelyn! What in the world do you think you're doing? Stop hurting the poor girl, she just got done seeing a dead body." Doctor Janeavah put one hand on her hip, waved her hand dismissively in the air and closed her eyes. "Cut her some slack. C'mon. Let's stop this and go to sleep. You're interrupting my shut-eye!"

I leaned on the wall to support my body, and then I stood up straight, albeit wobbly. Finally, I could see how much I was bleeding! It was horrible! I've never seen so much blood in one place! Well, of course I'm—_ha!_—lying! That didn't change the fact that it was a lot. Lady Kaelyn looked out of the corner of her eyes at Doctor Janeavah and I stared at her with my own. "Fwahahahahhaha!" I laughed, grinning and inhaling the smell of the blood around me. Ahaaaaa~ Nothing made me feel more exhilarated than the smell of my own blood! "Buuuuuhaaaa! Didn't you hear that Laaa~deyaaah Kaelyn?" I grinned, looking towards her and slumping my shoulders, touching my lips with my broken fingertips. I loved it! "Won't you stop this madness for little old me~?"

She quirked her nose. That was the only response she gave me.

"You're disgusting."

"I'm glad you know me so well~! I'd love to do all sorts of disgusting things to you~!"

And.

I mean.

All sorts of disgusting things!

I licked my lips, turned on my heels, and waved my broken hand out. A purple pentagram appeared around it and damn near blinded everyone in the room. Once it vanished, my hand was back to one hundred percent. Ha, like I'd let Lady Kaelyn mess me up like that. "You'll have to try harder than—_fuwanaargh!_" I was right in the middle of taunting her until she grabbed my neck. Hey, that was exactly what I wanted to do to her! … She lifted me in the air—I didn't mind it at all~!—but then her fingertips started glowing all... White and stuff and...

My stomach sunk.

She wouldn't use Holy magic on me, would she?

Would she?

My psychotic grin got even wider! Every single one of my sharp teeth were exposed. My bloody, sharp teeth~! I couldn't explain it... I was just so happy! The rush of all this... The thrill! Nothing would come close! "Come at me, Lady Kaelyn!" I said in full hysterics, waving my arms around. "Give me everything you've got—I'll gladly take it, kyahahhaha!" … I didn't think she'd actually listen to me. The light underneath her lithe fingers got brighter, which meant she was going to shoot me with some fierce Holy magic! Wow... She was a true hero, huh~? "I want you to hurt me! I want to be degraded, Lady Kaelyn, I_—ahahaha!—_I need this!"

"What the...?" Doctor Janeavah muttered, folding her arms and shaking her head. She was a very nonchalant woman, huh? The three-tailed Felinefolk walked over to Lady Kaelyn and put her hands on her shoulder. I think Lady Kaelyn looked at her... Once before looking back at me. "Now, come on Lady Kay. This isn't worth it."

Dude, Lady Kaelyn didn't even give her a reply! She let go of me and her arm swung around towards Doctor Janeavah, successfully blasting her in the face with a happy dose of Holy magic. I erupted into a fit of giggles! Ahahaha! Watching her fly across the room and crash into all of the tables and chairs was hilarious!

"Please don't white knight, dear~!" I said with a wink, watching Janeavah start to snarl as she squeezed the dear life out of the boxes around her. I think we were all pissed in this room. The Summoners were all just... Really confused. I knew they remembered my voice~ They just didn't know how to handle this poor, poor situation! Should they say something? Should they ask me who I was? I was Kassia, right? Fwahahha! Ruby took two steps towards me, but she kept her distance. Smart girl!

"Kassia, what happened to you? A-are you alright in the head?"

"Very!" I exclaimed in a fit of passion. "Lady Kaelyn couldn't keep her hands off me~!"

"Keep this up and I'll_ kill_ you." Ooooh! Icey cold, Lady Kay~! She wouldn't dare kill me, she and I both knew that! She could keep on her serious face if she wanted to... I'd always see through it!

"Please, nobody will kill anybody, sheesh!" Damien added, waving his arms out. Ah, he was dead scared of what was playing out in front of him. His cheeks were tinted green, too~ Either he was a prissy boy and couldn't handle my charm, or he was sick because of all the blood everywhere! Whatever, he needed a bigger spine and thicker skin! "We just managed to get along with—I mean _I_ just managed to get along with everyone. Doctor Janeavah's right. Let's just sleep!"

"Kill me then, Teacher~! Kill me softly, Lady Kaelyn~!"

Doctor Janeavah was really boiling in her own anger on the other side of the room, bwahahha. She was hyperventilating really bad, her bright yellow hair thrown all over the place. Before Lady Kaelyn could do anything else, Doctor Janeavah inhaled. "No one interrupts my sleep!" she snarled, swiping her claws across the air. Holy crap! I think she was scaring all of us! Her facial expression got me to take a few steps back, most definitely. "Mahlon! Apprehend them both!"

"Mahlon?" I repeated, laughing. "Who the hell is Mahlon—?" I was getting tired of being interrupted! Something wrapped around Lady Kaelyn and I's waists... It was really strange. I looked down and it looked like a mechanical arm... Thing. Pipe... Something. I dunno. It wasn't human, by far. Doctor Janeavah started smirking really hard... Ha! What was so amusing?

Because she wasn't really a being from darkness, Lady Kaelyn's Holy magic didn't really hurt her that much. She straightened out her lab-coat and looked at the Summoners.

"Remember that thing I told to send you into deep space, Damien?"

He wasn't insulted. Rather, he was really confused, so he nodded his head.

"That was Mahlon. Everyone, please meet my fellow professor at the New World Order!" She swiped her arm out towards the middle of the room, grinning from ear to ear but we couldn't see anything. Because. Because. Nothing was there! What kind of game was she playing? The scientist opened one of her citrine-colored eyes and then she frowned, stomping her foot on the ground in a fit of rage. "Fucking Mahlon, come on! Don't embarrass me now!"

"Oh, sorry Janeavah."

Now we were talking. The air in the middle of the room started to form into something and... There was this... Big, bulky... Robot man thing. Chio let out a yell and hid behind Morta, trembling behind her. Seriously, that thing in the middle of the room was pretty scary, even for me. Was it supposed to be pretty? Because it most definitely wasn't. The things that were restraining Lady Kaelyn and I were coming out of the palms of his red... Metal skin? I don't even know. He was a big man robot thing... Red all over and with black hair. And those eyes... They were gunmetal grey. Definitely mysterious.

"Um. Hello...?" Mahlon said, giving everyone a curt hand wave. The Summoner of Convene shut her eyes again and refused to look at him. Daaaw, she was really scared. Anyway, that scientist swiped her arm across the air, stood up straight, and then glared at the two of us.

"Okay, now that Mahlon's done what he needs to do...! We'll do proper introductions later, since I know this is pretty much the end of this chapter..." Chapter? What the hell was she talking about? Oh! The story~? I didn't think anyone else knew about it but me~! Ha! And I still stand by my word! I am the antagonist of Sayuri darling's story! "But I want the two of you to stop acting so hostile towards each other and work whatever kind of disagreement you guys have out. It woke us all up. Mahlon's not letting you go until you kiss and make up. Got it?" she asked on the end of a growl. I batted my eyelashes, tilting my head towards my lady~

"I wouldn't mind kissing and making up with you~!"

"Vile creature! I can't believe this is what you changed into during your pilgrimage! Do you think this is funny, acting like a deranged...!"

My facial expression changed. I don't like being insulted. I was going to give her a taste of her own medicine. "_Don't _underestimate me." … What Lady Kaelyn ended up making out of that I'd never know, but her face twitched and she looked at Janeavah. She was confused, Mahlon looked very confused... And the Summoners were very, very, very confused.

"Heh. The Summoner of Time. All hail Summoner Sayuri..." Lady Kaelyn murmured, staring at the rest of the Summoners. They all gave her crazy looks, of course.

"What are you talking about?" Morta questioned, narrowing her eyes. "Sayuri's not here. Unless you've been lying to us." And what would dear Morta have done if Lady Kaelyn was lying to them? That's why you don't go around trusting whatever random stranger offers you a place to stay! Duh. I tell you. Stupid teenage girls these days... Using my insane strength, I pried Mahlon's arm thing from around my stomach and held it in my hand, squeezing the dear life out of it. I would make my grand entrance a memorable one!

I opened the palm of my free hand and guess what? My dear, sheathed katana appeared in it. Ha! Now I knew the others had to remember me~!

"There is a Sayuri standing right in front of you~!" I said, letting go of Mahlon's arm and twirling in place dramatically.

Fwahahhahah~

"The name's Kohana Outtaike, the Wickedness reborn!"

* * *

**A/N:** *cough*Shitstorm*cough* XD;;;

I'm pretty much waiting for it to happen. XD;;; Kohana just can't go around telling people oheeeey I'm the Wickedness how're you doing? XD;; They should all start stomping on her just for the hell of it. Like a bug or something. XD;;; Killitkillitkillit dead! D: *shot*

Man, Kohana's so creepy. XD;;;; Lady Kaelyn isn't having this, man. XD;; She's not Saivan! She's not just gonna take all of her creepiness! XD;; Just glancing over my chapter plans for the next seven or so... Oh. Well. Yeah. This goes according to the plan I had, harharharhar! XD;;

*shot*

I've been writing Kohana too much. XD;; And she should know Atropa's not going to eat that cake. That is all. XD;;


	76. Ichirin no Hana

**A/N:** Oh man. So tired. So effin' tired. It's 3 AM WHAT AM I DOING! TT_TT

Okay, so let me get my rage out of the way. At 2 AM, I wrote some stuff over a 1000 words in the document manager thing, and right when I go to save the site says I gotta log in when I WAS logged in and I lost all those words. I had a five minute bitch fest, and then in my rage I wrote 1000 words again in five minutes. So. Tada. XD;; That was towards the end. I tried to give it the same crispy quality as I did the first time I wrote it, but that's a big pet-peeve of mine. Rewriting things I already wrote.

So I was amazed I did it. XD;;

Um, as it it 3 AM, my proofreading might be off and all over the wall. Don't trust anything you read. XD;;; I'll go back and give everything an elaborate look over when I'm up and conscious. Currently, I am eating a bottle. XD;; Surely sane people don't do this. XD;; Uh, let's see. Standard flashback is pretty standard with Kohana being creepy and half-naked, and well. Yeah. What's the worst that can happen? XD;;

Oh, and Ichirin no Hana means, "A Single Flower". XD;;

* * *

"I'm melllltiing~!"

"It's so hot!"

"I'm laying down everywhere all over the ground in a puddle of purple slop~!"

"It's so hot!"

"I knooo~oow. Why is it so hot?"

Usually, the weather in the Dream World is pretty good. It never gets too cold, and it never gets really hot, but today? Today it's _sweltering_. The sun is beating Kohana and Alula down respectively, showing the two ladies absolutely no mercy. Kohana doesn't know where Atropa is—neither does she care—but someone needs to make this nasty heat go away. Never in the Wickedness' thirty-three years of living has she encountered a heatwave in the Dream World. She should be able to control the weather. She should be the one to dictate whether or not it's freezing or hot as all hell. Apparently something's wrong here.

But she's too sweaty to see what the problem is.

Her arms and legs are stretched out across the grass—Alula's assuming the same starfish position. The Wicked Spawn girl's white hair bleeds into Kohana's long, purple locks and she sighs, blinking. The girl is probably taking the heat better than the purple-haired woman, which is kind of weird. Alula's a monster! Heat should just make her... Up and disappear! Okay, well, no, that sounds kind of stupid. The mother sighs, looking up at the clouds. She stares at them, trying to point out something that amuses her but it's like the heat is casting a veil over her eyes.

Nothing is amusing.

Nothing is funny.

Nothing is worse than this heat.

And it's so hot...

Getting irritated by the way her hair sticks to her face, Kohana brings her right hand up to her cheek and lethargically swipes the violet strands away. This is ridiculous. "I'm sooooo boredddddd~" Kohana moans, flipping on top of her bare stomach and sighing. "Why is there nothing to do today! Argh! I want to kill someone!" That's when Alula snaps out of her trance and her eyes widen, staring at the clouds. She doesn't mean that she wants to kill _Alula,_ does she? Heh, fat chance. Kohana would never just up-and-out-of-the-blue slaughter Alula all over the pretty green grass, would she?

Um.

Yeah.

Maybe Alula should rethink where she chooses to lay down.

But then she thinks about what Kohana just said. It makes sense. See, the Wickedness is bored because, well, um. Okay, so Alula_ thought_ she figured it out. It's too hot to think, so instead she nods her head and claws at the ground. "I'm bored too!" Alula whines in her overly-cutesy voice, her monstrous mouth forming into an 'o'. "I get exactly what you're saying, Kohana! Oh...! Why can't I go back down to the Dark Ages and play with Klaus and Nenne and the others? I'm sure they're looking for me..." It wasn't a question. It was more like a request. Alula would happily prance back down to the Dark Ages, but she has to get permission from Kohana. It's only fair.

Does she have to get permission from Atropa too?

Psh.

The white-haired Wicked Spawn doesn't really like Atropa all too much right now. She wouldn't be here in the first place if it wasn't for Atropa summoning her into the Dream World! Seriously, who does that mental breakdown-ing, pink-haired, obsessive woman think she is? Atropa didn't create Alula. Kohana did, and Kohana should be the only person she has to listen to.

However, Atropa does have the power to destroy the universe in one diplomatic swing, so maybe she should listen to the Deity of Hope and Fate. … Or is it Destiny? Bah, who cares. Atropa doesn't even remember her own title, despite being as old as time itself.

The Wicked Spawn girl waits for an answer from her scantily-clad mother, but Kohana glances in the other direction and lets out a sigh. "Oh please. They don't miss you." The frankness in her voice...! It's enough to make Alula whimper. Why, the poor zombiefied girl is on the verge of tears. Th-they don't miss her? How could they not miss her? Some of her best moments were shared with the people on the Dark Ages! By God, she _belongs_ with those people!

"Ko-Kohana... How do you know?" she asks on the end of a whimper, touching her puffy cheeks with discolored hands that don't belong to her. Again, the Wickedness barely moves.

"Because!" the purple-haired woman shouts, raising her arm clumsily in the air. "Did you forget who I am, _kyahhaha!_ I'm the Wickedness! I see and hear all! It isn't like I've ever left the Dark Ages completely alone!" Oh. Now Alula gets it. She turns around on her stomach and looks at her number one idol, trying really, really hard to learn her methods. "Seriously!" Kohana says with a proud snort. "You guys don't know how much I spy on you all! Kayahkakakaka! And then if I'm going to fall asleep because you're all being boring and talking about borrr~rrring stuff like louuuveeee or how someone dii~iied or stupid, normal, boring stuff like brushing your teeth... I just record it!" A smile tears its way through Kohana's face and Alula tilts her head, blinking.

"Oooo! You mean, you put us all on DVD?"

"Something like that! I'm glad you like my methods! Maybe you're not such a dumb... Um... Wicked Spawn after all."

Wait.

Stop everything.

Kohana just complimented her? Did Kohana—the almighty Wickedness, Summoner of Time, Queen of Essences... Did she just compliment poor, lowly Alula? Numbers run past Alula's vision and her mouth slowly creeps open. Hoboy. It's going to take all she's got to suppress the squeal that's going to come out any second now... Doing so will only make Kohana angry. She's already hot and bored... Plus, Kohana just said she wanted to kill someone.

Alula gulps.

The most batshit part about that is the fact that Alula wouldn't mind being killed, if it meant Kohana was going to obliterate her all over the Dream World. Or whatever world. Really, it doesn't matter to her.

Only the creator should be allowed to kill the creation.

"Anyway!" Kohana declares, laying down on her back again. "No, I don't use a DVD player. Actually, I do a pretty nifty thing with my time magic, you see!" The purple-haired woman stands up and tries to demonstrate what she means, and like a good little minion, Alula's eyes are glued to her. Kohana's straight, purple hair falls down to her ankles as the air nips at her skin. That's probably the only breeze they're going to get for a few hours.

"Never mind," Kohana yawns. "It's too hot, I don't want to do it."

"If only it was February—"

"_Fuck you, February!_"

That outburst was so sudden that Alula jumped out of her skin. Why in the world would Kohana ever yell something out like that? Noticing the startled look on Alula's face, Kohana's eyes soften and she shakes her head, coughing to herself. "Err, sorry Alulu~ I just... Really don't like February." Strange. Why would someone want to do extremely dirty things to a month? Alula only mentioned it because in February, it rains! Uh. Snows. Yeah, whatever those little ice crystal things are. Sometimes the Wicked Spawn girl gets confused.

"C-can I ask why, Kohana?" Alula murmurs in a shaky, bubblegum-pop voice. The Summoner of Time's face contorts and she folds her arms, plopping down on the ground. Heh, it looks like Kohana just smelled something really, really bad.

"I just don't like Februaries!" the mother exclaims, waving her arms in the air like an upset child. "Urgh! _February!_" That last word leaves her lips as if she wants to kill it on sight. Yep. It's apparent Kohana doesn't like the month at all. "It's just...!" she admits with a sigh of despair. "You wouldn't even understand! No one understands me!"

"But I can try!"

"Kyahahah, but I don't think you want to hear the ramblings of little old me~"

"Really, Kohana, I love you! How could I not want to hear everything you talk about?" A-aww. Kohana's eyes soften and she tilts her head. Alula's proving to be a very loyal friend indeed! That was just so sweet...

"Um. Well. Only if you're sure..."

Letting Kohana rant about anything is definitely a mistake.

Once the scantily-clad woman gets up again and stomps on the ground, all hell breaks lose. The earth cracks from underneath the heel of her foot and Alula has to do a swift roll to the side. Just to escape falling into a pretty huge, newly-made chasm. Kohana needs to learn how to control her temper! "It's just a little bastard of a month! What the hell are you trying to pull? I'm going through the year and then all of a sudden, it's the end of the month without warning. Some months are thirty days—some are even thirty-one days... But you! February...! You twisted little thing of nature...! You're only twenty-eight days! Whatever!"

Is that really something she should be mad about...?

"Sure, it's a little better every four years when you're twenty-nine days, but most of the time you're twenty-eight days. Are you trying to say I'm old? Well if you're saying that, then you're a short piece of smothering shi—You know what I mean, Alula daarrrhling! Thanks a lot, February... You mess up my damn Summoner of Time skills because you HAAAAD to be different. July! Now that's a month that does it right! You think you can save yourself by sticking Valentine's Day in the middle? Wrooooong! Everyone hates Valentine's Day. Men think it's lame and ridiculous and girls are always disappointed! Especially me, because Valentine's Day means Suzuki's not going to come back home for _three _months!"

"Um... Okay...?"

"Nice try, pathetic-ass month! And what's with your stuuuupid name? Feburrrrrruuuerrary? Could you fit more awkward 'r's in your name? Oh, it's so cold outside, people won't notice that they mispronounce you _every single time_ they time they say your name! It's not 'Feb-yoo-ary', you freaking motherfucking month. I'm sick of it. Just never come back again! And what's with Wednesday?" Kohana asks dramatically, clawing the air and flailing her arms around. "You act like a little old regular two-syllable day like, 'Oh, it's just Wenzday,' and you think no one notices. But you're really three syllables. 'Wed', 'nes', and 'day'. Don't even try to act like Monday or Friday! You're not even close. 'But Saturday is a three syllable day,'" Kohana mocks, crossing her eyes. "'But, but, but...' Shut your pie hole! Saturday deserves the three syllable because it kicks off the weekend and you're just a regular weekday. Don't even try to compare yourself with Saturday!"

"Kohana...!"

"And by the way, what's 'Wednes' anyway? Sunday equals 'sun'day, Monday equals 'moon'day, I got that. But 'Wednes'day? What, am I supposed to get married or something on Wednesday?" She pauses, feeling that her rant is just about done. "Oh. And Atropa's mean." _Now_ the sun decides to come back from behind all of those pretty, fluffy clouds? Urgh. Kohana collapses on the ground again, sprawling her arms out. Little Alula does the same.

"She's very mean, Kohana! So very mean! She beat up on me verbally each and every day you were asleep! I thought she was going to kill me!"

"Psh, that old lady does way too much," Kohana murmurs, amusement on her face.

Is that really sympathy Alula hears right now?

This is the best day ever.

"She's so horrible and selfish and mean! She won't even let me get her out of her stupid, long, ruffly dress! She knows how much I just want to yank it off her~!"

"Very mean. So mean." Alula pauses, grinning at Kohana. "I'm glad we had this talk! I would have cried if I didn't tell someone how uncomfortable Auntie Atropa makes me! She's just so... Not feeling! I wish she would be more considerate of m-my feelings!" The Wicked Spawn girl taps her fingertips together, looking at the clouds roll by. "Just because I'm a monster doesn't mean I don't have a heart."

"Yeah, because I sure as hell gave you one," Kohana snorts. She shakes her head and narrows her eyes. "Meaaaaaaan."

"Mean with snake eyes and icky, wavy pink hair!"

"Hahaha! You know, that's what gets me about Atropa. She's so damn pretty, I'll admit, but under all of that pretty 'n pink stuff she's so mean and nasty to other people!"

"I know, right?"

Atropa frowns. Immediately. She sits her tea cup on the table and glares at the two laying on the ground. "I can hear every single stupid word that is coming out of your mouths," she hisses, trying to hide her snarl. "I've been sitting here for the past couple of hours. Honestly, I have no idea how I was able to sit here and listen to you two chide me out off and on." Kohana looks at the pinkett through the top of her green eyes and then rolls on her back.

"Meaaaaaan," she murmurs under her breath, closing her eyes and sighing.

Yep. That was the last straw. Atropa stands up straight, folding her arms and glaring holes into the back of Kohana's skull. "It's hard to believe how incredibly stupid you are. Stupid, so stupid that you've traveled far beyond stupid as we know it and into a new dimension of stupid. Meta-stupid! Stupid cubed. Trans-stupid. You possess stupid so dense that no intelligence can escape! Singularity stupid. Blazing-hot-summer-day-on-Mercury stupid. It cannot be possible that anything in our universe can really be _this _stupid."

Kohana turns around on her stomach and waves her arms in the air, smirking a little. "You know, Atropa, it turns me on when you talk about me like that~!"

"Too bad I vomit at the very thought of you."

"As am I going to right now, seeing you in that heavy dress. Oh my God, Atropa, it's like. Blazing hot out here~ Why don't you take off your dress~?"

"And walk around in my underwear like you're doing?" Atropa asks, quirking a brow. "No thanks. You're setting a bad example for Alula." Heh. So now she cares about Alula? Kohana lets out a cackle, flipping herself over and rising on her feet. She steps closer to Atropa, which makes the Deity take several steps back. Not only is Kohana in her underwear, but she's all sweaty too. Atropa wants no part in Kohana's sweat, dammit! So much so, in fact, that her eyes are wider than watermelons.

"If you touch me I'll smack that empty head off of your shoulders...!"

Threats like that are kind of useless when there's a billion holes behind you in the ground. And Atropa's wearing heels, too. Her speed slows down significantly and Kohana wraps her arms around her partner in crime, rubbing her chest against her shoulder and pressing her cheek next to Atropa's, rubbing it violently. "Ahhhtropaaaaaaaa, I'm going to get you naked, I swear!"

"A-Alula!" Atropa calls, looking at the Wicked Spawn with pleading eyes. The white-haired girl looks back at the pinkett. "Get this wretch off of me!"

Huh.

Asking for help, huh? Before Alula can outright tell her no, Kohana yanks Atropa to the left, causing her to lose her balance. Atropa pretty much knew that she was going to fall on the ground, which is why she let out that high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream. Jeez, she screamed like she was being torn apart by bugs or something. For a few, long, painful, mind-numbing seconds, time seems to stop. Of course she blames Kohana for that last part. Well, she would, if she didn't see her life flash before her eyes.

"That really hurt..." Atropa mutters, blinking a bit. She looks absolutely _terrible _now. The ruffles of her dress are twisting in different directions, her hair is thrown everywhere (and some of it is in her mouth), one of her high-heels is laying right next to her right leg... It's no wonder Kohana's face is turning red. It's probably red because she's trying really hard to contain her laughter. "Kohana...!"

"Hey, lookie here, Alula!" Kohana exclaims, smirking maliciously and pointing at the fallen Deity. "She's weak! Look at her... All on the_—bwhaahahhaa!_—ground! Beat her up for your mother dearest, yes~? She tried to attack me, after all~!" the purple-haired woman coos, brushing her fingertips underneath Alula's chin. For some reason, hearing those words is all the motivation Alula needs to make her move.

Alula's expression changes from confused to downright monstrous, showing her sharp fangs and flexing her clawed fingers. She dashes towards Atropa, sits herself on top of Atropa's chest, and then starts bashing her face in, swinging her arms sporatically.

It's insanely cute.

Alula doesn't have enough power to bash someone's face in, so instead she looks like a small toddler trying to beat their daddy up for not giving them the candy bar they wanted. "Stay away from Kohana!" Atropa puts her hand on Alula's face, trying to push her away, but that's kind of hard considering Kohana's_ very_ _loud _cackling in the background. Something in Atropa's mind just snaps and she pushes Alula yards away.

There's no accurate way to describe how far Alula launched from on top of her. She broke through several trees on her trip, and it looks like she fell into a lake._ Miles away._

Kohana revels in how pissed-off Atropa looks. How fire is just radiating from her body.

"I'm going to_ kill_ you."

But no matter how many times Atropa says that, Kohana knows that it'll never happen. Between them and the broken trees that now surround them, everything was back to normal. It's not too hot, not too cold, and hey! Kohana's not bored anymore! To show her appreciation, she wraps her arms around the Deity as hard as she can, her breasts smooshing against Atropa's. "Thank you, Ahhhtropaaaaa~! I love you~!"

"I hate you too."

Kohana smirks.

Hate is just another word for love. You've gotta love synonyms.

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Six: Ichirin no Hana :-**

_The light doesn't shine down on you _  
_You're like a flower that bloomed in shadows _  
_You're rooted in a place that you shouldn't have wished to be _  
_And you're unable to move _  
_You should just spit out your shut away feelings _  
_You hold in all the sadness and pain _  
_So don't cry, smile flower _

_You are the only one like you _  
_From here on out _  
_When the whole world becomes our enemy _  
_I'll protect you 'till the end _  
_Don't be defeated flower_

— "Ichirin no Hana" — High and Mighty Color

Ahahahah, look at all of their scared little faces!

Honestly, one person says they're the Wickedness and everyone suddenly looks like they want to lose their lunch! Well, everyone except for Lady Kaelyn, but that's cheating because she already knew who I was, after all! Bah, Lady Kaelyn would never be as fun as the rest of these guys. I do know one thing, though~ The faces of the Summoners—how they all seemed to twist and contort at the sound of my 'normal' voice... _Ah!_ You know what that meant? It meant that I had made a mark in these teenager's heads! That takes a special type of talent, you know? One that burns fear into their minds. Yes indeed, fear is the mind-eater. The ultimate of ultimate peer pressures. Fear makes you do things that you would never think was possible. Like, I dunno, staring me down like you're actually going to touch me? Kyahahaha!

And I'll agree! I'll agree with the notion that fear makes one freeze up. Makes their spine shake. Makes them forget everything they once were—everything they once knew. But fear is also a type of courage. There's only one of two ways you can deal with fear. Fuck everything and run, or completely destroy that in which distresses you. Trust me, mwahaha, I don't get into fights I know I can't win! How many times does that actually happen, though? Ha! I'm sure you of all people know the answer to that one. Still, I couldn't ignore how determined the Summoners looked now. Their terrified faces quickly turned into faces of sheer determination. Oh, and Kokoro looked absolutely pissed—as if he was going to up and attack me right at that moment!

Well, go ahead and try, darhhliiing~!

This is just a little game that we're playing anyway! Sure, he could try to fight me. He'd die before he'd even get a foot off the ground, that's for sure. They don't call me the damn Summoner of Time for nothing. And oh, let's talk about my being the Summoner of Time. Not only am I a Summoner, but I'm what you would call a 'Master Class' Summoner. That's just a fancy way of saying I've completed my pilgrimage entirely. I know space and time magic like the back of my hand. It's impossible for any normal person like Kokoro to be able to take me down~! And plus, he's slow as all hell! Bwahaha, does no one pay attention to me when I say I watch these guys? Hmm, it must be me~

Those teenagers were doing good, looking at my crooked grin like they were! My Forsythian fangs were just begging to rip through something. Maybe flesh. I don't know. Forsythians are so weird. I can't remember if they eat animals or not—it's all so hazy! I haven't been to this world since... Well, we won't get into that. My fluffy, blue tail swayed side to side to express my enthusiasm. I was just itching for a fight! Just one! Let's forget the fact that I'm standing in a puddle of my own blood still. Ah, the beautiful red, crimson liquid~ I'll never get enough of it! It looks pulpy, but to the touch it's amazing. Absolutely perfect. It feels almost like fingerprint. I look down at the ground for a while, admiring my blood. Kassia's blood. My smile only got bigger and bigger, splitting my face like a tilted, crescent moon.

I'd give anything to paint their names in their own, respective puddles of blood! All over Lady Kaelyn's walls. I'd promise them that if they made a mistake and decided to attack me!

Impressive~

Lances are out, scythes are ready to be used, Chio's called Shiva a long time ago. … No wonder if felt a little chilly. Whoa, was she that fast with summoning now that I couldn't—ha! I snorted at the thought, opening my mouth a bit. I just wasn't paying attention, is all! Oh, and let's not forget about Doctor Janeavah and her big Pork-O-Tron 5000 in the middle of the room! I also had to laugh at that one, too. So, this man... Mahlon, she said? Urgh, whatever, that's his new name for now. Pork-O-Tron fits him and his doofus expression quite nicely~

Janeavah on the other hand... I guess one could say she looked like she didn't really care who I was. She had her arms folded, and all three of her tails were colliding into one another, as if they were fighting behind her back. What if they really were? Ah~ That'd be a funny thing to watch, wouldn't it? Back to what I was saying! I turned my attention to the five Summoners and smiled a crooked grin. "Whaaa~aat? Cat got your tongue? Is that really any way to greet someone of my stature?" It's true! Silence isn't golden when someone just introduced themselves to you. It's really rude~ Extremely rude~ It makes me want to up and push someone through a wall! "I was expecting some kind of, I dunno..." I swung my sheathed sword around, glancing around the room once and then smiling. "Retaliation."

Oh my! Did I hit a nerve there? I could have sworn I saw Morta twitch. She slowly brought her scythe up to her side—as if to warn me—and I couldn't help but stare at it. The thing had to have been about five feet in length. It was pleated in dark-purple silver and the handle was covered in back, diamond-encrusted linen to soften the hold for the user. It was different from the one Riona used. You know. The Summoner of Death on my team. Heh, my team. That's going waaay back, innit? Janeavah slumped her her shoulders and touched her forehead with her yellow claws.

"So you're... The Wickedness." It wasn't a question. It sure as hell didn't sound like a question. It was more like a statement. Like Lady Kaelyn, I couldn't exactly read Janeavah—all I know is that she seemed really despondent. A little interested, if anything. "Wow, this is something you don't get to see everyday," she murmured, placing a hand on her hip. And then her face scrunched up. At me! At me, guys! What's with all of the disrespect now-a-days. "What, were you too afraid to show your real face to us? Are you that ugly?"

Urh...

Ura...

Ugl...

Did she just call me_ ugly_? Such a low blow! Such a low blow~ I was tired of being disrespected on this world, and I was going to show these mouthy Forsythians what happened when you messed with me! I gave her a sharp glance with my stunning blue eyes. Suddenly, the room flashed an ominous, black light. Actually, I was going to light Janeavah on fire~ It wasn't really normal fire, either. Arcana magic is the best magic there can possibly be! All you have to do is like, hurt yourself~ And honestly, I can do that, especially with all of my blood lying around on the floor. This fire would be strong and hot enough to melt the flesh and meat away from her bones without killing her. And really, pain like that is just agonizing~

I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Janeavah to screech in pain for calling _me_ stupid, but she swiped her arm across the air, and suddenly everything... Vanished. Let me tell you, I was surprised~ Someone like her was able to cancel my magic? But... But how? I was the Wickedness! This didn't make any sense! My eyes widened as she stood back in place, her citrine-colored hair swaying with each and every move she made. She scowled and placed her hands in the pockets of her lab... Trench coat... Thingy and looked at me with strange interest in her eyes.

"Listen here, lady," she said, pushing up her thin-framed glasses. "I'm not one to grovel and beg for anyone to like me. I wouldn't try that again."

"Was that a warning~?" I cooed. "Was I supposed to take heeeee~eed?"

"I'll break your arm, blackguard, if you do that one more time..." Ah, so now Lady Kaelyn speaks! She's still standing on the far end of the room, her grass-green hair tumbling down her back and laying against her long, well-kept green tail. I threw my arms out towards her, gripping my sword loosely in between my fingers. Now Lady Kaelyn wanted to get cocky too? Did they all forget that I could destroy this world like it's nothing? Kyahahhaha~! I'm not kidding around here! They should all be bowing at my feet! I make kissy-faces towards Laadeeyaaah Kaelyn, just 'cause I know it'll get on her nerves. I do want to kiss her still, though~

"Who careeessss~?" I mewl, waving my arms around. In the air. Honestly, who the hell did these two witches think they were? You've got one that blasts Holy magic at will, and then this new bitch with the yellow hair here—_ahahahah!_ My patience doesn't like being tested! I already owed this world a gruesome death thanks to Miseeyaakay! I couldn't wait to sink this stupid mistake of a world into the boundless space void! "You act like I don't have advanced magic far beyond what you can possibly imagine! It'll only take less than a millisecond to heal myself, Ladeyaaah Kaelyn~!" I paused, lifting up my healed wrist. I wouldn't stop the blood from pouring out of my poor, fragile little body~ I loved the feeling of it too much to let it just, like, up and stop! "Go ahead and break my arm, let's see how long it takes me to up and snap your neck—!"

"Ah, yes," that witch said, taking a step off the wall and standing up straight. Argh! Even now she was intimidating the hell out of me! I have a spine~ I've been killing so many people left and right! Lady Kaelyn doesn't scare me! I've fought and killed eleven-year-olds that had more guts than she does! Literally! I mean, the guts were pouring out and~ Mwahaaaa~ Lady Kaelyn gave me a twisted look—like she smelt something bad all of a sudden. It didn't help the fact that she seemed to be looking at me, either! Hmph. "Your healing magic. One should take mind of that bothersome ability you have." Yeah, and? "Now, if I were to break_ both_ of your arms, you'd make a nice show of trying to heal yourself, huh?"

"Pfffft." I practically sputtered all over the room. I-I can't believe she said that! Grr! I gritted my teeth and then got some of my pink hair out of my eyes. "You're all talk, Lady Kaelyn!" I shouted, swiping my arm across the air. "You wouldn't dare...! Do you have _any_ idea who I am? The things I've done? The people I've slain?" Oh, great. Now I was hyperventilating, but the throbbing vain in my forehead was there for a reason! Damien's mouth opened and he slumped his shoulders, gazing at Morta and holding his lance with both of his hands.

"So this is that big monster Shirogane and Anómino were talking about?" What? Why did he sound so disappointed? Dammit, I am scary! I'm the scariest thing ever! I'm the main antagonist in Sayuri's story—no one else would be able to take that title away from me! What do I have to do to make myself scarier? What the hell is it going to take to make people cower at the mere mention of my name? Is this what I've worked my ass off my whole life to get? Disrespect? I won't have it! Gah, they're all so lucky I'm weak right now and not in my own body...! If only I could go all out with my powers here... I'd kill them all! "Surprise, surprise, I guess. She's really whiny."

I stomped on the ground. "I am not whiny!" I proclaimed, my eyes tearing up. I frowned, too. "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not! I just... You all are really mean~!"

"Enough of this!" Kokoro shouted, shaking his head. Aww, he looked so confused~ Don't worry, I was confused too. He narrowed his eyes at me and started scowling. I tilted my head, of course, and tapped my lips with my index-finger. "I have a feeling you're not lying, and if you're Kohana, then we're going to beat you to a pulp!" Woo-hoo! That was the keyword of the day, 'beat'. Kyahahah! I started laughing, because this was all too hilarious! Who was he going to beat up? I mean, ha! Me? Beat up? Those words don't even belong in the same sentence. "I know you think we're playing around here, but we didn't forget what you did in the Dark Ages."

"Fwaaaah~ I feel oh-so worthy of your attention~!" I coo, clapping my hands together and snerking. And then after that, I got dangerous. My smile vanished. I was _pissed._ "Then, if you remember such events, you'll do well to remember that I will do the same thing to Forsythia too! This is nothing but a game to me, claiming the dirty lives of others! You have no idea how backward-ass this universe is. You dare challenge me, with your pathetic little friends?" I put my hand on my waist, my nostrils flaring. "Isn't it a little too early to be trying to challenge me? Talk to me when you can start a forest fire, Princess."

"You better stop that—!" Kokoro shouted, taking one step towards me. I quirked a brow. All it takes is a couple of steps towards me to make me blow this entire hideout sky high, and I mean it! Ruby grabbed Kokoro's shoulder, looking at him with pleading red eyes. She probably just saved his life. People, Summoners, they're all the same to me! You kill one, you kill them all!

"Don't let her rile you up like that, Kokoro." Damn Ruby's voice and how soothing it was. It instantly got him to calm down, but he was still upset with me. Ah, I cracked a smile~ Seems that the Summoners weren't as scared of me like they used to be... Whatever. Ridiculous, long-drawn-out taunting speech ahoy!

"You know," I said, trying to stop my uncontrollable, sadistic laughter with the back of my petite hand. "It's so nice to see you all again! Hahaha, it seems like it's been so looo~oong since we've seen each other on the Dark Ages! Oh, looks like you've all grown, too, and got yourselves two new partners since we last parted ways~" I paused, touching my chest with both of my hands. "I don't see why you all don't like me... I'm a very personable person. Easy to get along with. Easy to friend. The ultimate buddy!" My face darkened and my grip tightened on my sword as I licked the top row of my teeth. "Too bad you all couldn't stop me from killing billions of people on that world~!"

The silence!

Oh God, it was so much! So much...! Too much for me to handle! This was golden~ The only thing I could hear was the sweat dropping off Damien's forehead. Oh, and the ice shards dropping off of Shiva. "Billions and billions of people!" That last word rolled off my tongue. It wanted to be there. People. "If you can even call what they were people! Kyahahha, I had fun ripping children apart and putting an end to the elderly! And you think you can stop me now, Summoners? You think you can actually stop my tyranny? As if!" I rolled my eyes. "Impossible. My, we haven't even had our first real fight and you're already talking about beating me? When I fought the Wickedness for the first time, I lost a damn leg and all of the fingers on my right hand! … And you want to talk about fighting me... Can you imagine that? Running around fighting and then all of a sudden you're on a major limp because you have _nothing holding you up_?"

"Ah, shut up," Doctor Janeavah said, waving her hand dismissively. She leaned back against the wall and folded her arms, looking like she was going to go to sleep at any given moment now. "You just won't shut up, huh? You keep talking about what you did on some other world. Okay. Woohah. We know what you did. You killed billions and billions of people!" Was she mocking me? I want to kill her! Oh please, let me kill her now...! She opened her citrine-colored eyes and stared at me, frowning all the same. "Remember that Forsythia isn't that world you blew to complete and utter hell. Here, we'll kill you if you start spewing that nutbar bullshit. We play no games here. That world you blew up must have been populated by a bunch of pussies."

"Go ahead and try—"

"Your magic. Do you want to know how I was able to cancel it?" She pushed up her glasses with an index-finger. "Easy. Lady Kaelyn hit you with that weak blast of Holy magic. You know. The one that sent you tumbling into that wall." S-she didn't have to point at the huge indentation in it! "Once you disturbed me from my much-needed beauty sleep, I pretty much knew something was up. Do you really think you tricked anyone with that terrible acting you did?" My face dropped and I looked to the right, snarling. "One, you forget that this place is a hideout. You can't just fancy prance your way in here asking for help. You're not even supposed to know this place exists." … Oh crap. That's actually... A good point. "Your body reacted pretty badly to that Holy magic. Furthermore, Holy magic takes down the effectiveness of magical prowess in a being made of darkness. While your magic would have been able to take me down... Heh. Nice try."

"Wow Janeavah!" Chio chimed, clapping her hands together. "You're really smart! You tell that mean lady!" Mean lady? I was a mean lady now? That was funny. The whole premise of that insult was funny to me.

I wasn't laughing.

Janeavah brushed the comment aside, pulling her hands out of the pockets of her trench coat thing. "Holy magic actually brings your magic effectiveness down about eighty-five percent. Don't mess with me. I'm the head scientist of the NWO, and I'm no pushover. While you want to talk about Kokoro here not being able to start a forest fire... The fire that you tried to melt me with couldn't even light a candle!" I thought I was going to snap my sword in half from the anger that was building up inside of me. Just... Stop talking! She's setting me up the wall...! Her and that condescending frown of hers! I know she's not mad. She can't be with the way she's tearing me apart like this. "You're insanely cocky, you know that?" I threw my arms out, grinning ear to ear.

"So you figured me out!" I interjected. I was so mad I was biting through my lip. "Yes, I know I'm quite arrogant. Enough to know that even if I'm weak now I can still tear this place apart!"

"You couldn't hurt a fly," Janeavah murmured, scoffing. "I'm a scientist. I know all about your weaknesses and numbers. Numbers especially. The numbers say that if we all decided to... I dunno... Kick your little pretentious ass up and down this little hideout, we can. And we will. Hell," she says, shrugging her shoulders and leaning against the wall again. "I'm sure Flarence could kick you butt in an instant. Or we could just blow on you and you'd fall backwards. Either or." So she thinks it's that easy, huh? Heheheh. I looked at the Summoners for one good second, and then I smiled.

"I dunnoooooo," I cooed, laying my sword against my shoulder. "You Summoners weren't putting up a fight when I slayed all of those dear, innocent families! Or when I told Aysel I'd give her whatever she wanted, turning her into an irreversible monster~! Or how about when I watched Apathīa eat a hole through the world when I knew the cure? All it took was a little muuuusicaaah and rain—" My eyes darted open. A felt some kind of wind rush past me... I wasn't sure what it was. All I know is that there was a deep, straight line in the floor next to me, and the wall behind me was starting to chip away. That was... Close.

It seemed that Morta had swung for my head and missed. I dunno how. She almost...

I quirked my nose. It wouldn't happen again! "Alright, I'm done playing games here. First one of you insignificant little brats take a step towards me, you're going to be wearing a hat on your head made out of your ass. You can listen to these Forsythian witches all you want. At the end of the day, Janeavah's statistics mean absolutely nothing! I don't even like using my magic!" I wasn't lying! I'd use my sword over my magic any day! This just happened to be one of those rare, special cases. "Lady Kaelyn's Holy magic only works so far, and I can heal myself in many more ways. See, I'm still an expert at time magic, and if I wanted to I'd pin Lady Kaelyn's hands to her thighs so that she couldn't hit me with Holy magic, and Janeavah..." I looked at her. I didn't really know much about her, so I couldn't assume. "Stay right where you are, kids~!"

They did as I told, and Morta even relaxed herself. How cute~ The silent one out of them all came this close to injuring me~ "What do you want?" she demanded behind a scoff. "Nobody here likes you. Why are you here? I can't think of any other reason, besides you wanting a fight."

"Oh, I want that, don't worry~!" I sung, throwing my arms in the air and reaching for a hug. Of course Morta didn't pay that any attention. Aww. "Get your head inspected. I didn't come here because I was thinking of you people all day. I came here because we want the same thing." Yes, the same thing. No doubt about that.

"Death and destruction?" Kokoro snapped. "No thanks."

"Hahahaha!" I had to laugh at that one. "How many time am I going to have to say it? You all don't come close to possessing my power! No, not that. You see, Sayuri's been kidnapped and she's now staying with the Archfiend." Now they were starting to get where I was coming from. Finally. At least the animosity in the room was starting to die down a bit. That was one thing nobody in this room wanted. Feh. Sayuri marrying the Archfiend. What kind of blasphemy is that? "Normally I don't go and team up with whoever to save someone, but..." My grip loosened on my sword and a cracked a slight smirk. "It'd be easier to work together, no? We could save Sayuri faster."

"But you...!" Chio's fists started to shake. She was fighting tears. "But you...! You don't even care about her!" she accused, shaking her head multiple times. How the hell was she going to tell me I didn't care about my daughter? My only daughter at that? "You pushed her through the castle's walls, and you said you'd kill her over and over again for choosing to be with us over you! H-how can you say you love Sayuri when you treat her like garbage!" It was getting hard to hear her now over her tears and incoherent sobbing. "N-no, I'm not letting you do this. Not this time! Shiva'll help me put an end to you right here and now!" Determination~ I like that! "Sayuri... You don't know how much she loves you, and you grind her feelings right into the dirt—"

"Oh, I'm sorry, since when do you have a kid of your own?" I shot, hissing. "You don't know anything about me, little girl. Watch your mouth—I give no mercy to those who think they can comment on my parenting."

"Then stop being such a bad parent," Ruby said, joining in on the madness. That red-haired girl didn't even know anything about what happened on the Dark Ages! Gah, I hate people who try to jump into the conversation and know next to near nothing about the topic at hand! I couldn't be here. I couldn't stand being in this room with these people! "I know about everything that happened through the others. You really sound like a top-class bitch, Kohana." Ha, that's the first time any of these guys used my name~ Ruby was truly something else. I appreciated her tenacity... Just like Isleen... "How can we trust anything you say?"

"Don't you know that I can never tell a lie~?"

"Not good enough. Stop your damn joking," Morta said, looking at me through the bottom of her eyes. "It's getting annoying now."

Hmm. I touched my chin with my fingertips and grinned. "Let's see here. You guys are currently Summoner of Time-less. I'm a Summoner of Time." I pointed at myself for emphasis. "I hate you all oh-so much, but I hate that Archfiend way more. I'm not about to lose Sayuri to an Archfiend, and I damn sure don't want to become a grandma. Do you think I want tiger-stripped kids?" I paused, seeing if anyone had anything smart to say. There goes that blissful silence again~ "You don't understand. I know he's up to something... I can't put my finger on it, and it's a fact that kills me." I looked up at them, nodding my head. "If I have to disgrace myself and work with you brats, then by all means I will~ I don't want that Archfiend to win. You five don't have the power to take him down."

"And I'll agree," Lady Kaelyn mumbles, nodding her head full of wisdom. "The Archfiend was sealed away centuries ago by a Summoner squadron from that time period. It was a harsh battle. Many friends of my ancestors died. Very gruesome story, and it actually entails how the Great Chasm was made. We might come across it, should we ever try to save Sayuri and take this woman seriously. The Archfiend was done away by eight Summoners. They were all exceptionally powerful and well trained, and even they had an extreme problem with bringing him down to justice."

"And there's five of you. F-I-V-E," I spelled, holding my hand out. "On top of that, you're beginners, bwahahhaah! Those guys? They were all masters at their arts. As strong as they could possibly be. It's cute that you think you could actually save Sayuri by yourselves~"

"And adding you to the equation is going to up our chances?" Morta paused, slightly smirking. Bitch. "Like Janeavah said, you can barely light a candle." Ouch, that was a low blow to my ego there. How mean!

"Do you have _any _idea how hard it is to completely destroy a soul in a vessel you _stole_?" I think not! "The Kassia you all never knew is dead. Gone. Completely erased from the universe. It takes a substantial amount of time and manipulation to be able to do that. And you have to find a dent in their faith and... Oh my God! How could anyone think it's easy~?" Yep, I was going on a rant now. I'd save these kids the poor trouble by shutting up about it, though~ Especially since they seemed like they were getting a tad nicer to me. Even if Morta was still being a bitch. "That depleted my energy a lot. Holy magic can weaken my magic, but my weakened state is due to my soul moving bodies." I nodded my head, and the Summoners looked at each other, thinking about their options.

I wasn't even lying this time!

Why wouldn't they believe me~?

Oh cruel world!

"The only reason I didn't come down here and slay everything left and right like I did in the Dark Ages is solely because I wanted to save Sayuri. I can't do that if there's nothing left to stand on." That's it. I was done. If that didn't convince them that I wanted to work with them, then nothing would. And if it came to that, I'd kick someone's ass because I didn't come down here for shits and giggles! "Though, I do have one condition. If you let me fight with you all, nobody is allowed to ask me any questions about me being a Summoner, or how I came to be one, of anything along those lines. I'll ignore you. And possibly kill you~!" I finished with a wink. "And I'm not transforming. Just... No." Chio wiped her face with the sleeve of her Summoner coat, and then she sniffled.

"Fine. Bu-but you have to behave yourself!" Aww, so cute~ She swung her staff around as she tried to get those words out of her mouth. "No killing people...!" Didn't even think about what she said. My eyes quickly hovered to the far side of the room and I opened the palm of my hand, fire erupting from my hand~ It was a long strip of fire—ravenous, too! It was long. So long~ I gripped it with everything I had and stood up straight, holding the sliver of intense heat at an angle. Just as fast, I brought my right hand back and three flaming arrows appeared inbetween my fingers. And then I shot them across the room. The Summoners were petrified! I bet they thought I was going to hit them, Ahahaha~ Nope.

My fiery bow and arrows did the trick. The air started to twist and contort and screams filled the air... Shrieks of those who were finding out their comrade's necks had just been impaled with an arrow made out of pure fire... I loved it~ It made me squirm in my skin and seek for release! Mwaaah, I loved it here~ Pretty much, three bodies were pinned up against the stone walls, crimson ooze dripping all over the floor. Their bodies hung there limp and not a word was said. At least until I cracked a smile and stuck an index-finger in the air.

"Now, weren't you guys saying something about me not being able to light a candle~?"

Speechless! All of them! Even the wise Lady Kaelyn!

My grip tightened on my bow and everyone prepared themselves for a fight. Weapons were taken out. Looks of determination were being worn. Lady Kay was so impressed with me~ I turned around on my heels, my grin getting wider and wider. "And that's not even the fun part!" Even when the arrows hit their targets, they didn't stop burning. I think Damien pissed himself when the arrows _exploded,_ sending Felinefolk chucks in the air. Those men didn't know what hit them, ha! I put my hands on my waist again, my tail wagging. The fire my arrows made disappeared. "They were watching us the whole time using some kind of invisible veil spell. Since you all were oh-so experienced in my arts, I thought you would have sensed them. I guess not~"

"Regardless," Janeavah said, sighing. "Could you have at least warned us?"

"What's that? You want to light a candle?" I mocked, tapping my foot on the ground. "Sorry, can't help you. I light far bigger things. Like people!" I smiled, clapping my hands together and blowing her a kiss. Ahahah, her skin crawled! "They're trying to burn Lady Kaelyn's hideout down. Again." Jeez, this woman has more homes then... Then... She just has lots of homes because the Church of Hyboria keeps sending their mooks to burn her house down! Really, what kind of friendly hospitality is that? I facepalmed, shaking my head. "Interesting, really. Don't worry, we won't have to wake Miyuki or Flarence up." Damn, I couldn't stop grinning. "Miyuki's up already, as is. Has been the whole time. She was standing next to Shiva."

Nobody wanted to believe what I said, but their heads turning over to look at Shiva proved otherwise. There Miyuki was in her apricot-colored hair glory. Her hands were behind her back and she gazed at me through pink eyes. "Horrible perception you all have! And you think you can beat me..."

"I was watching the situation unfold," Miyuki interjected, appearing to keep her composure. "I am their Guardian. No matter what, through thick and thin, if they do happen to fight you, I have to be there to stand by their sides and make sure no one dies in the process."

"Smart girl."

"I've been alive for over ten-thousand years. I'm anything but a girl." Oh yeah, that's right. Miyuki was a Celestial Being. Whoops. My bad. As if it matters. Like I need to be corrected, of all people! Psh'yeah, right. Next thing I know, a sliver of Holy magic comes from up the ground out of nowhere. Yeah, I'll admit that I flinched and might have squealed a whole lot when I saw it. What? I wouldn't want that Holy magic to touch me, after all~ Who knows who it could have been wanting to kill! Lady Kaelyn was unpredictable now-a-days, and she definitely didn't like me! Anyway, so the Holy magic made its way past me and impaled some guy through the stomach, effectively spraying his blood across the room. Some of it actually landed in Ruby's hair, ha! Amazing, considering she won't ever know because her hair is already blood-red to begin with~

"It doesn't matter," Lady Kaelyn said, her Holy magic disappearing. "Maybe we'll get lucky and capture one of these idiots? Get them to tell us who they are and why they were sent here?" Well, duh. We pretty much all know why they were sent here. They were sent here to burn us all down! To destroy Lady Kaelyn since she has unbelievable power that they can't have~ Once Lady Kaelyn had finished saying that, about six of those guys let their invisibility cloak spells fall. Now they were all exposed, one by one, with the same shocked, distressed look on their faces~ It's like they knew they were going to die, especially since their buddy was killed in cold blood~ I didn't want to waste those pretty screams, so I unsheathed my sword and swiftly made my way to the group.

The first guy.

I stabbed him straight through the chest, watching the tip of my sword get covered with his sticky, crimson liquid. I caught his shriek on the end of my steel, you know~ It was so beautiful and wonderful and... Ah~! Chio's face contorted. She looked absolutely sick to her stomach. I knew very well that that child didn't like seeing death and destruction and people being murdered all over the walls. That's life though, honey~ You're a Summoner! Chin up! You're going to be killing people like this on your own pretty soon. And you'll learn not to give any sympathy, because these sick fucks _deserve_ it. Chio may have been sick to her stomach, but Shiva wasn't. She dashed towards me and kicked one of those guys in the neck, effectively shattering it. He fell to the ground and his head did some kind of strange bob before it fell flat along with his body.

While killing wasn't on Morta's agenda, she swung her scythe and initiated her "Midnight Wind" technique, rendering the four men unable to even move. They were lacerated beyond all repair, blood seeping through little tiny paper-cut wounds. I would always be impressed by Morta's power, and that's why she was one of my favorite Summoner brats so far~ The men wanted to run, but when they realized their bodies were frozen with shock and fear, they started letting out these weird noises. Sounds of despair, maybe? Most likely. I walked over to them and did the deed quickly, picking three of them off one by one with my sword and then walking to the final man. He wasn't as hurt as the others were—maybe that was due to him being on the far end of Morta's wind—but I digress!

I stood over him like a shadow, reveling in his delicious screams~

Ah, God~

How cand anyone keep a straight head around such orgasmic sounds~?

This guy was trembling, and I hadn't even moved yet. Sweat dripped off his brow. His Felinefolk ears twitched over and over again. Green hair. Blue eyes. Yep. Standard scary catboy guy. With shaking hands, he reached into his coat pocket. I didn't say anything to him. I didn't take my eyes off of him either. That way he knew that if he was going to pull out something nasty, it better have killed me, because if it didn't I was going to kill him, just like I killed all of his other friends in virtually the same way. Cutting through their chests, of course~ To be a solider from any organization, you have to have a strong heart! Unfortunately, these guys didn't.

The man pulled out this... Pristine letter from his pocket. Which is weird, because it was bunched up in his pocket and didn't have a wrinkle on it. He offered me the letter, but I didn't take it. At least, not yet. "It-it's a letter! Fr-from the General!"

Okay, now I'd take the letter~ I carefully took it out of his hands and stared at the thing for a while. Did he really think it was going to be this easy? "Who the hell is this 'General' person you're talking about? And why the hell should I care?" I yelled my demands at him, and he coward underneath my presence, flinching at every word~ Ah God~ This was far too much to use the standard, "Oh, God!" The fear on this man's face was just... Overwhelming~ When he finally worked up the nerve to speak to me again, he twitched under my gaze.

"Yes, from Tori Ardouisur! Th-the... One of th-the assistants at the Church!"

"So this is from a big cheese?" Damien said, folding his arms. "This'll be good, then."

"Tori Ardouisur..." Bleh, I didn't like the way that name rolled off my tongue. I was certain I had never met the lady before in my life. But somehow she knew me well enough to send me a letter? Wait, the letter was written to all of us, right? Otherwise she wouldn't bother. Urgh. All of these questions. I looked down at the Forsythian man one last time before scoffing. Eye contact was the key to allowing this guy to live, and he knew that. That's why he never looked away from me. Even for a second. Eye contact is a form of respect in my eyes. I ripped the top of the letter off carefully and pulled the prize inside out.

The first thing that caught my eye about the letter was that it looked like it was written on some really expensive paper~ It was pink, and the texture was nice~

I could rub against the paper all night long~

No, seriously, this was a super-expensive brand of paper here in Forsythia. It actually comes from a tree that produces pink, heart-shaped berries or something, and the bark is really pink. Naturally. Jessica used to rave about this stuff because she was big on writing to various penpals she had all over the world. She'd only want to send them the best. The reason why the paper is so damn expensive is because that three is really hard to find, I heard. Whoever wrote this put a lot of effort into it and I hadn't even read it yet. I appreciated the paper, though~ Better than anyone else in the room, that was for sure~ The tree was supposed to be a symbol for a deep friendship or a romantic bond or something.

Whatever.

I didn't care enough.

The second thing that hit me about the letter was that it smelled absolutely wonderful~ Picture the best, soothing smells in the world and clump them together. This letter was smothered in perfume, but the writer was careful not to smudge the ink one bit. I tried to push past the perfume and all, but my sense of smell was bombarded and I closed my eyes, reveling it it. But then I realized how stupid I was being and snapped back to my senses. Jeez, this wasn't a love letter or anything, was it? Now I opened the letter. The handwriting was so crisp and clean...! Even the 'i's had dotted hearts on them... Very nice!

I lifted the letter in the air and looked up, trying to read it.

_For you, my flower_

_However, I am mostly writing this to my new guest from the stars. Welcome, friends. I hope my subordinates didn't interrupt your stay, though I imagine they've been very rude to you. Administer any punishment you want. I will not tolerate them hurting my lovely friends, though I doubt you all know me personally. Surely you must know my name?_ _And if not, you will learn of it soon. This is just a quick reminder that the Cult of the Archfiend will have no business with people that oppose it, and nonbelievers will be dealt with. If you would like to consult me on the matter, I'd be more than happy to sit with you all and have a couple of tea._

_The Church is located in the chilly city of Larkspur. Please don't attempt to come up here with a coat of some kind. I hate it if you all were to catch a cold, especially my little flower who I love so dearly. This portion of the letter is directed towards the Wickedness, who I know is there. I could never hate another man, much less a woman, but we have your charming friend Alula here, and she's very good at keeping up conversations over tea. She said your comrade liked tea. What was her name? Atropa? Why yes, I would love to meet her as well._

_If it's possible._

_If you refuse to come retrieve your friend, by all means don't. It will prove that you're the stubbornest woman I've ever had the chance to meet._

_But I find myself falling for you and your defiant ways. I suppose I should work on that if I want to be a better leader._

_So take my love and hold me and I won't let you fall apart. Don't break before I get a chance to touch you._

_All my love,_

_Tori Ardouisur_

After I was done reading it out loud, my eye started to twitch, only because... Fucking Alula! That was the only thing I managed to get out of that letter. I wanted to sit down, but I realized that guy was still standing next to me. Actually, scratch that, he was standing in a puddle of his own sweat. Why was he so afraid of me? I should have balled the letter up and shoved it down his throat, but I had better plans. I flicked the paper once before I brought it down, staring at the guy. "You know? I appreciate you delivering this message to us~!"

Cue my creepy laughter.

It sounded like he was going to say something. I didn't let him. I grabbed him by the shoulder and ripped his shirt off, exposing his bare back. And then I shoved him on the ground, help him in place with the bottom of my stiletto heel, and placed the paper on his back. "So much so that I'm letting you go back to Toreeeee~" No one said he wouldn't go back unscathed, though~ Carefully I stitched the paper to his back, closing my eyes during every shreik of pain. Once I got up, he scrambled to his feat. The only thing that kept him going was his fear of me~

So that's why I grabbed him by his unkempt hair, bringing his face just mere inches away from mine. Our lips were practically touching~

"You better start running, yes? If you don't get there fast enough, the paper on your back will explode! Only because I turned it into a ticking time bomb~" And then I let him go. Strange enough, he knew where the exit was. That was the fastest I've ever seen anyone run in a long time. Heh. "And you tell her what I damn well said!" I yelled. "We're going to come to the Church and kick her ass and everything else in there!" Feeling exhausted, I slumped over and wiped my mouth. I can't believe some of his blood actually got on my mouth. Oh well. Ruby walked up to me to see if I was okay, and then she blinked, confused.

"Um... Did you really attach a bomb to his back?"

I smiled. "Why yes, I did. Don't worry~ It's still going to blow up either way. I just wanted him to run for his life~" I'm pretty sure the others found that morbid. I didn't. I found it hilarious~ Anything to keep your life, huh? I patted Ruby on the head, getting some of the blood that splattered on her hair on my hand. I didn't mind.

So this was Isleen's protege, huh?

"That's... Sorta crazy..." She couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.

Ahahahha! She had a lot to learn about me.

And I couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

**A/N:** DUDES. XD;;

How ironic is it that Kohana acts the same way towards Morta as Sayuri acts towards her? XD;; Gawww, either I'm extremely enthused at this fact, or I'm typing has gone to complete shit and I can't form complete sentences anymore. XD;;; Kohana is so antagonistic. I can't believe she called Mahlon Pork-O-Tron 5000. Doesn't she know that he has feelings too? But these guys did put a dent in Kohana's pride.

Who wants to light candles?

We can always get Kohana to do it! :D

Speaking of that, Tori sounded a little creepy in that letter. I wonder what she's planning. XD;; And it's creepy that she knows what Kohana's name means. XD;; Okay, um, I read over it a bit. XD;; I just wanted to say that holy crap, Janeavah's awesome. XD;; Did she just say the the people of the Dark Ages were a bunch of pussies for being killed like they were? XD;;; Oh my God, Forsythian pride, man, that's LOVE. XD;;;;;;; I wanna make t-shirts of that, man. XD;;

I wonder how those guys'd feel. XD;;;;;;

Damn. So badass, this world.

So badass. XD;;


	77. Approximate Sunlight

**A/N:** *pantpantwheezepant*

Oh. My. God. XD;;;;;;;;;

This chapter is 16k. Yes. 16,000. Yes, it's a beast of a chapter. The flashback itself is half a CCFA chapter damn near. This monster of a chapter... Man, no words. All I know is that it's midnight, and I cannot be bothered with writing this A/N, holy Jesus! XD;;; Um, anyway, despite this chapter being long, it's totally relevant, and has quite a few scenes in it. XD;; A bunch of characters are characterized more thoroughly. Like Tori, for instance, who shows up in this flashback, and Janeavah. XD;;

You people better have fun reading this update. Because I busted my back writing this chapter. It's the longest chapter in CCFA, you know. XD;;

As if I already didn't need things adding to my word count... XD Do I have 700,000 words yet? XD;; This chapter features a bunch of banter, Tori being crazy, Kohana being crazy... Fff, everyone being crazy, but half of this chapter is Kohana going on a stealth mission where she goes around slitting people's throats in secret and stuff. Cool huh? XD;;

Can you guys smell the fights scenes that are on their way, or not? D:

* * *

When the Wicked Spawn girl finally comes to her senses, everything's extremely hazy.

She's not sure of what she wants to see right now. The last thing she can remember... The last thing she can remember is nothing at all, actually. Nothing seems to want to make sense in her line of vision. Alula thinks she sees a cluster of counter tops, but they're so meshed together that she can't be sure. "Mwargh," she murmurs, trying to shift her head. To look up. Anything that'll prove she can still control her body. Just a few seconds she was laid out on the staircase, she thinks? Her white hair hangs in her face and she looks straight ahead, licking her lips.

There's something heavenly in the air.

As it bombards her sense of smell, her stomach starts to twist and contort. There's... Too many smells in this room. Everything smells like food, but then there's that... Rotting scent. She doesn't know who it belongs to, but it makes her want to lose her lunch all over the table. Maybe it's the fact that her head is throbbing over the sound of her own thoughts. It's safe to say that whatever happened, Alula's senses have been amplified ten-fold. There's no excuse for how many sounds she's hearing right now. The sound of her heart beat getting faster, the sound of her breathing, the sound of someone in front of her sighing... Wait, that means that she's not alone, and can get that certain someone to tell her what's going on! … Even after realizing such good news, Alula doesn't smile or let out a laugh of relief. No matter how great her situation may seem now, she's still in enemy territory. The Wicked Spawn doesn't exactly remember escaping from the Church of Hyboria.

Miraculously, her vision starts to clear and she gets an actual look at her surroundings. Everything in the room breathes beautiful, right down to the satin, red curtains hanging in front of the many windows that surrounds her. The windows are absolutely stunning—gold lining the bridgework around them. The sunlight compliments the curtains and shines down on top of the two in the middle of the room. Almost as if to tell Alula something. This place is important. Where she's at now is important. She can't let this moment pass her by. Right. She nods her head and pushes the beautiful curtains out of her mind. Except, that's kind of hard now, considering everything she sees lingers in her mind for about five minutes, causing everything to get hazy again. Alula lets out another groan, not sure of what to do. Should she say something? Should she complain about how sick she is?

The white-haired girl leans back into her seat, hearing something sharp and... Metallic bang against the back of it. What? Since when did Alula get a pair of sharp, metallic wings? She always knew she had brilliant, big, black bat-like wings, but making them metal is going a bit too far. What would Kohana say? Oh no, Kohana'd be so upset that someone messed up her poor design! Alula's life is one thing, but making Kohana mad is on a whole 'nother football field. Using every ounce of mental strength she has, Alula looks down and gazes at her stomach. Yep, there is something around her, keeping her from using her arms and moving her body.

Like a ring.

A very strange ring.

Alula wiggles her body a bit, trying to worm her way out of it but to no avail. Yep, that thing's stuck around her until someone can find a way to get her out of it. There's always the person sitting at this table with her, right? Once again, Alula tries to open her mouth, but nothing but babble seems to fall out of it.

What's going on?

Why is everything so bright?

Why does it smell like cookies?

Why is she seemingly tied up?

The next thing she hears is a cup being placed on the table. Her ears pick up the sound three times total before it echoes out of the room. That's not even weird anymore. Alula's used to it by now, despite it only being a couple of minutes after she's woken up. Kohana taught her how to adapt to things quickly, right? She can't let Kohana down. The only reason she infiltrated the Church of Hyboria was to get answers. So far, Alula's done great. Now all she has to do is stay alive! Feeling confident, Alula puts a determined look on her face and sits up, chewing her lower lip and giving the person sitting in front of her a rightful evil-eye. Not to be spiteful—but so she can concentrate on their features.

There's a woman sitting on the side of the table. The first thing Alula notices about her is how pretty she looks. The woman is _absolutely gorgeous._ She's never seen a woman quite like her before. … And she thought Kohana was pretty... Kohana has _nothing_ on the creature sitting in front of her, drinking tea from an equally pretty teacup. It must be a special one, judging from the diamond embroidery on it. Is this place where the woman lives? If it is... Wow. Everything is so elegant. So bright. So beautiful. Just like her. Alula glaces at her wings that seem to be made from glittering silver, and then her gaze transfers to her head of lavender hair.

Alula blinks, just because her five minute wait time is up and she looks at the angelic woman once more. She's amazed by the glowing, radiant light that seems to illuminate from her large, white wings.

And then the woman's lips part.

It's almost like an Edenic garden has decided to split itself in two, each half still retaining its tantalizing beauty. She gives Alula a sweet, stretching smile and grasps her expensive-looking teacup with her porcelain, petite, perfectly manicured fingers. How is it possible that Alula feels so bad in the presence of this... Angel? "So, you're awake," the woman says, giggling slightly and placing her teacup down on the table. She's literally golden, radiating light that has taken the form of a person, isn't she? She speaks in a low, breathy voice, which compliments her deep, dark purple eyes. The woman looks down at Alula, her smile so serene and bright.

The Wicked Spawn girl has nothing to be afraid of.

"I'm glad you've come to," she says in her silvery, sweet voice. "I thought I would have to wake you up again. You've woken up before, poor girl!" she exclaims on the end of an anguished gasp, placing the back of her hand on her forehead. Compassion, as well as being drop-dead gorgeous? Who is this woman! Can Alula _please_ get a name? "I was so worried about you! I couldn't stand the thought of you dying now... Please, are you okay now? Would you like some tea?" The purple-haired lady picks up a cream-colored tea cup gracefully inbetween her index-finger and thumb, insisting Alula takes it. But. Um. There's a huge problem. Alula still has a big-ass ring around her body.

It's kind of uncomfortable, if that angel lady didn't see that already.

"Go on, I insist."

The white-haired monster wants nothing more than to be able to answer the angel's voice, but her lips still won't move correctly. They can move, but nothing comes out of her throat but a bunch of burbles—infant talk at best. The woman sighs, putting the tea cup next to her and then knitting her white gloved fingers together as if she's nervous. "How unfortunate. It looks like you're still suffering from Holy Radiation." The pretty lady quirks her nose, as if she's disgusted. That sentence was definitely said in a different tone. Subsequently, she pours another cup of tea and starts to smile as if nothing happened. Weird. "I bet you're sitting there wondering what Holy Radiation is. Well, I'm here to tell you, so do not fret, poor child."

It's time for words to come out of Alula's mouth.

Come out, damn you!

Alula bites down on her tongue really hard before she flinches, inching towards the edge of her chair. The angelic woman watches her with a critical eye, her smile fading away again. "O-o-okay..." Wow, it's a wonder Alula managed to get anything out at all! The angel quirks a brow, truly impressed. She even folds her arms, which makes Alula smile. "Um, th-thank you for helping me, uh..." What do people call angels now-a-days? Calling the woman in front of her "Angel Lady" wouldn't really do her much justice. It would be really convenient if she was wearing a name tag or something. "Yep! Thanks for helping me, Ma'am!" Oh. Because that's so much better than calling her "Angel Lady." Yeah. Sure. Whatever. The woman's mouth opens and the bottom of her textbook perfect teeth peak out from underneath her luscious lips.

It's easy to tell that she's amused.

"Oh, you do not need to pay any mind to silly titles, my little girl," she coos, her smile stretching across her smooth face. "They call me many things—'Ma'am' is a bit too much, don't you think?" Another giggle. Except this time, a lone white feather escaped from her right wing and floated down into the cup of tea Alula _would _be drinking, if it weren't for the fact that she was tied up right now. The angel falls back in her chair, placing her fingertips on her chin. "Also, I don't think the name 'Angel Lady' would suffice, so don't beat your pretty little head up about that." Woah. Did she just, like, read Alula's mind? Amazing! The sheer shock on the Wicked Spawn's face is enough to make the Featherfolk grin. "I don't think I deserve to be called an angel, dear."

"But why?" Alula blurts out. "You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen, and you have biiiig angel wings and...!"

"Angels fly and gild all who hear," the older of the two speaks, her eyes closed and her arms crossed. "With unseen might and glory as fierce as the winds that they ride on. Praises rise and truth and ultimately found. And angels sing—with a bright passion as clouds part in the sky." She finally opens her eyes, and they seem to glimmer in the sunlight. "Have you ever seen the Angel of Death?" Um... No. That really depends on what her definition of an 'Angel of Death' is. She's seen Kohana and Atropa—do the count? "One kiss or touch and she'll kill all. Though no one has seen her, silly Alula." There she goes again. Saying things she shouldn't know. "Holy Radiation is a condition one falls into when they're hit with Holy magic. Do you remember that, Sweetheart?"

"Now that you mention it..." Alula inquires, looking down into her lap. "I do remember a bright light! Do you have any idea where it came from, Angel Lady?"

"Yes. Do you want to know if this was before or after you came into the Church and killed dozens of people?"

"Err. What?" the Wicked Spawn asks, trying her hardest not to know anything about it. She puts on the cutest face she can muster and her voice falls flat.

Angel Lady, do you see Alula's face right now?

That's the face of I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about. Let her go now, kindly. "I would never kill people like that! I don't even know how to grab anything with my clawed hands! For honests!"

"I will not tolerate lying, Alula," the angel scolds, standing up from her seat. Her wings twitch from finally being free of the table. They would have collided into it and knocked it over, had they been allowed to stretch anymore. "I was once a liar, just like you," she mutters, roaming towards one of the windows on the far end of the room. "And with every lie, my wings got heavy. So I tore them out. Feather by feather, scream by scream. And I tossed away the ability to fly. Liars aren't fit to have freedom. That's why you're still bound in Lysimachus' rig saw blades." That was really confusing. But...! But...! She had wings! And they were_ beautiful!_

The woman makes her way back to where Alula is, towering over her. It's very intimidating, especially because she's staring at her from the bottom of her eyes. "When you were up for all of five seconds, you told me that you liked tea because your friend Atropa liked tea. You remember that, yes?"

"Sorta...?"

"I offered you tea because I thought it'd help refresh your memories, Sweetheart." A pause. A simper. "You know I am fully aware of what you are, right?" The angel grabs one of the teacups and she plays with it in her hand, gliding it on top of her silky skin and then grasping it in her left hand, squeezing the dear life out of it. Alula flinches—what if she breaks it? Then she'll bleed all over the floor and no one'll come to help her get better... "I've been drinking tea for the past six hours waiting for you to come to—I will not be dissuaded, _little girl_."

"But I—_crack!_—eeeep!" Alula whimpers, flinching and staring at the irate angel, refusing to look at the blood escaping from the glass wounds in her hand. Even so, it's only natural that her gaze reverts to the tiny, crimson dots that cover that floor. Even those are pretty... It's then that Alula actually gets a look at the gorgeous dress she's wearing—how it's composed of lavender feathers, each one retaining it's original sense of beauty. She doesn't want to know if the dress is made out of her wings or the wings of another... This is all too much for her brain to handle... Right before Alula musters up the courage to say something else, she spots something hooked to the woman's waist.

It looks like a white leather whip with a golden handle, a bird emblem on the end of the handle.

Very intimidating.

Very... Not sane.

Who brings a whip to a tea party?

The woman swipes her hand across the air, droplets of blood colliding into the western wall. "You went right back to sleep after I woke you up!" she insists in a fit of distress. Is this lady just putting on a show, or is she really concerned about Alula? "I didn't know what to do, so I set up one of those tea parties you said you and your friend loved so much! … This was after you told me so much about your 'mother'. Your 'leader'. Your 'superior'," she hisses in a fit of jealously. "Kohana, right? The Wickedness, right? Well, if you're a _Wicked Spawn,_ you should be able to tell me where she is."

"B-but I don't know where she is..."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Hahahah," the woman laughs, clutching both of Alula's cheeks with one hand and then leaning into her face. "Don't play dumb with me. The unclean! The defiled! The dirty thing! Be destroyed. Be purified! This pain is blessed by the Archfiend! Blood is the offering to atone for the sin! I will snuff out the unclean. Snuff out the useless. Snuff out the barren, Sweetheart! And if you should so stand in my way, I'll get rid of you as well, icky Wicked Spawn. You're a monster. An aberration! How could anyone love you?" She lets Alula's face go and then closes her eyes elegantly, grasping the whip on his waste and then cracking a smile. "And here I was thinking we wouldn't have to do this the long way... Honestly, I hate getting myself covered in the blood of vile creatures..."

Is right now a good time to panic?

It must be, because Alula's sweating a storm up right now. The woman hasn't even drawn her weapon yet and she can just feel the mere presence of it. She's not really going to attack Alula while she's tied up now, is she? That would be crazy, right? Right? "Who are you, and what do you want with me? I'm not going to tell you anything about Kohana, because I'm sure that she'll come running to save me, and she'll kick your butt six ways to Sunday!" But with the way Alula's sweet, innocent bubblegum pop voice sounds, that doesn't sound all that intimidating. The angel smiles a crooked grin, holding the end of her well-kept whip with her free hand and leering at the girl.

"My name is what you'll be screaming in a second, Sweetheart."

"Fwaaah, Kohana! Atropa! Anybody!" Alula shrieks, closing her eyes and refusing to look up at her again. "I don't want to be here anymore! Take me away from this place please, I—" As tired as Alula is from being cut off, she can't help it this time, because something's working its way across her mouth. It's an unpleasant feeling; something she knows quite well. The Featherfolk woman's smile fades away into a look of confusion, watching a lone stitch make its way across Alula's mouth with a purple light, effectively stitching her mouth closed. The woman's so upset by this that she drops her whip and grabs Alula's shoulders, her fingernails clawing into her skin.

"What did you just _do?_" she demands, snarling. "You're not capable of something like that—I've never seen a Wicked Spawn do that before in my life! Darling Alula, if this is your idea of keeping your secrets away from me, I'll rip that pathetic stitch off your face and—!" A warning isn't a warning if she's doing it while she's saying she's doing it. The woman grabs onto the end of the stitch and pulls on it with everything she has, but it doesn't budge. Eventually the angel takes a step back, her heel scratching against the oak of the floor. "What kind of magic is this...?"

"Yo. Tori."

The sound of that voice makes her so giddy that she near flinches at the mere mention of her name. Her purple eyes widen and a grin splits her face. Tori holds her gloved-covered hands, desperately looking for a body to match the voice. When she doesn't find one she pokes her lip out in disappointment. "Ah. So you must be the owner of this pile of putrid garbage sitting in front of me, right?" The voice doesn't answer for a while, so Tori looks around the room, her excitement eating at her. "I must say, you've taught her well, Kohana."

"What, do you think I'm going to congratulate you on finding out who I am? Not a chance, you loony bitch."

"Aww. I'm wounded," Tori says, sitting back down in her chair and cradling her teacup. "We've barely known each other and already you're taking shots at my neck."

"Look! You sent your damn lackey over here, and I told him to tell you something very pretty. I think you'd like to hear it, you know~? First of all, let me tell you right now that I don't condone kidnapping one of my own. You mess with Alula and you mess with me, got it? And messing with me is not something you want to do~! Second of all, Alula's not going to tell you anything. Thirdly, I don't give a rat's ass about your fake sense of sympathy. You tricked Alula. You won't trick me. If you're so eager to see me, don't worry. I sent your goon a message. I think he should be coming right about... Now."

And sure enough, even after all of the smack-talk Kohana dished out, someone comes rushing into the door. With no shirt on. And he looks beaten and battered to the point of no return, but Tori doesn't pay that any mind. She ignores how frantic he looks and the dry blood placed all over his body and stands up out of her chair, excitement written all over her face. "Well?"

"Tori I—!"

His speech was cut short, due to something exploding. Tori has no idea what it was. It could have been a bomb somewhere, or Alula trying to escape and using her weird Wicked Spawn powers or something, but she couldn't pinpoint where it was. All she heard was a loud noise and she turned her head away and ducked a little. When she looked up, she noticed that the man wasn't standing in front of her anymore. Currently, he was now painting the walls—a piece of his chin placed dainty on top of Tori's shoulder-length hair.

This.

Is.

Disgusting.

What kind of joke is this?

Tori lets out a shriek of pure agony before she snarls, clutching her fists and then turning to Alula, trying to block out Kohana's incessant laughter. The angelic woman picks up her whip and the straightens it out, hyperventilating. "Kyahahahaha! I'll be there in a second, love~ You know. If that wasn't enough to tell you that I'm pissed and I'm coming to kick your ass."

"Oh, _please _do! Alula would love another guest to keep her company while she's screaming in agony."

"You're pretty cocky~ I like you~ You and that weird letter you sent me~ Doubt you can find it, since it was the bomb I blew your lackey up with~!" And upon hearing these words, Tori's heart skips a few beats.

"Y-you actually read it?"

"Um. Why do you_ care?_" Weird. "I'm pretty much done here, Toreeeee~ I just wanted to let you know that I'm coming for your Featherfolk ass. If you hurt one hair on Alula's head, I'll do you worse than I just did your guy friend, you hear~? Alula's mouth is never coming undone, so she won't tell you squat~ Heh, sucks to be you~!"

A comment like that would send anyone into boiling rages.

Tori's calm and collected.

Tori's also an adviser to Lysimachus.

She's anything but 'anyone'. She gives a twisted grin at Alula before she cracks her whip in the air, making the girl twitch in her seat. "Oh, that's just too bad! Poor Alula! It looks like your superior won't get a chance to hear you cry for help! Well, it'll certainly make my job easier..." She scowls, looking behind her.

"And then I'll do the same to her for leaving you all alone. Reincarnate of sin is right. What a vile woman."

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Seven: Approximate Sunlight :-**

_Gorillas in suits_  
_ The holy war, the spiritual troops_  
_ Fighting over the mythical truth_  
_ Drowning in the political soup_  
_ They shoot missiles and nukes_  
_ Taking out such a pivotal group_  
_ The body count is the physical proof_  
_ And they thought drugs were killing the youth_

_I changed the stars on the flag into crosses_

_ Amen..._  
_ So now instead of pledge we pray_

— "President Carter" — Lil' Wayne

The Summoners are all really nice souls which is actually shocking~! Maybe that's due to the fact that none of them have cracked yet. That isn't to say some of them will definitely lose it, kyahahaha! Lady Kaelyn had been kind enough to whip us up a nice, homely transportation symbol on the ground made from nothing but simple, white sidewalk chalk. I must admit—Lady Kaelyn knows her arts extremely well for an augurist—She knows what each depiction means, and to be able to create one in just two minutes...! Yes, yes I counted. Unintentionally, of course~ It's something my body is used to doing, being the Summoner of Time and all. No matter! Feh, why should it matter how we got here? We're in Larkspur now, and Larkspur is so breathtakingly beautiful~! Amazing!

Ahh~

It smells so much like the breath that comes from flowers~ I inhaled dramatically, dropping my arms passionately with every intake of air. Right now, I wasn't Kohana. Call me Kassia~ The sunlight danced on my glossy hair and illuminated off the shine of my plump lips. You were a very pretty girl, Kassia, ahha! Pretty girls make pretty graves, like I said! And drink from your gorgeous chalice I shall~!

When I get done handling my business, of course.

Anyway, back to the Summoners. They seemed nervous. We weren't too far away from the Church. However, we were on top of the high hill that it's parched on. Or whatever the fuck it is. All I know is that this place is bee-u-tee-ful~! They sky is a deep blue with cerulean hues painted across it. Despite it being daytime, stars litter the firmament in a simultaneous dance of vivid sparkling. Wow, I-I've never seen anything like this before. The sun only seemed to show itself every once in a while in Larkspur—because it's supposed to be so cold here—but this little form of land is supposed to be what the Church resides on? This place seems to produce its very own light. There's this drop dead gorgeous waterfall behind me that's laced with so many pastel colors and hues~

Yellow and orange and green and teal and purple...! The colors are endless! I don't know where they're coming from to appear in the water like that, but whatever it is, I like it! I marveled at the water for a little while longer, noting how it was hot up on this piece of separated land when it was supposed to be freezing in Larkspur. Larkspur wasn't known for its flowers because, well, flowers can't survive in bellow freezing temperatures~ But up here, there were so many flowers~ The stars cast a remarkable bright shadow over all! When the clouds cleared, the stars shined move vividly, like individual lanterns in the night.

Stars, shine on me~!

_Ah!_—lead me onward~

Guide me, fwaah~

Dark trees frame the souls of the spirits! Lively spirits linger among the comforting silence of the stars~ Nighttime is equally beautiful and scary, all in the same time frame~ Woah, that was kind of scary. Who knew I could rhyme so many words so easily...? Never mind. I looked over at Kokoro and I studied how worried he looked. Y'know, it's unlike him~ So I went over there to console him~

He probably found my bouncing towards him to be very irritating. I would, if I were him. Yet he didn't look in my general direction. His eyes were glued to a yellow ball of light in the body of water in front of us—again, I have no freaking clue where the reflection was coming from. A grin split my face in less than three seconds and I curled my pretty fingers in his pretty hair, standing on the side of him after I was done. It was a quick gesture—nothing that would be considered PDAing in the world of the living~ He was so startled by my presence that I could feel him flinch underneath my pink-painted fingernails. "Haaaaai, Kokoro~!" I cooed, giving him a very loving pat on the shoulder.

Hahahah! Look at his girly face contort at the sight of me~ For someone so big and tall, he certainly had a pretty girly face. And what was with that random streak of blonde in his hair? Welp, live and let live, I always say. Kyahaha, most of the time anyway.

"Koh-Kohana, I-I!"

"No need to be startled now," I reassured, nodding my head while smiling mischievously. It wasn't a smile of anger, it was a smile of joy and love and, tahahaha! Kokoro had to have been my favorite Summoner brat out of them all. Perhaps it was because he's Sayuri's first partner, I don't know. I think—no, feel—that Kokoro cares for Sayuri the most in this team, y'know? Heh, anyone who wants to get ripped to shreds by Misake is free enough to do so, by all means~ "How's my favorrrite liwwble Summoner of Fire?" I asked, pinching his fat, baby cheeks. D'aaaww. And then I stopped. Just 'cause. Oh, and I spun on my heels. "Look alive!" I exclaimed, grinning. "The only thing that separates you, me, and the Church is this water." And it was a lot of water! It surrounded the entire Church, it did. Which meant that we had to swwwim~! I smiled again and exhaled, gazing at the water. "Water is something we must learn to appreciate," I murmured softly. "Water fuels the flowers. Flowers make the most prettiest of prettiest graveyards."

"I still don't like you," he said, a bit unsure and... Startled, actually. Bwahaha! I could tell he was nervous. Its never a good thing to be nervous in the presence of the Wickedness, right? Fear is something I get off on!

What?

Honesty is a man's best friend.

At least I don't keep secrets~

Kokoro bit his lip and then he stomped his foot on the ground. Oooh, feisty, I love that! Resisting the natural urge to retaliate and kick his head off his shoulders, I knitted my fingers together, letting my fluffy, prettyful Forsythian tail brush against his leg.

"Fwah, but I like you~!" I sung, baring my fangs and leering. "It always makes me happy when someone denies my existence and tries to get me to go away." I touched my chin dainty, scanning the area with Kassia's oh so pretty blue eyes. Ha, they matched the color of the sky~ "You know, Kassia tried to do that—oh! Guess what? All of our names start with the letter 'k'!" It was an eerie coincidence, I was sure. Pfft, 'k' names are the best. Nothing comes close. I mean, you have to agree. 'Kohana' sounds much better than 'Sayuri,' right? It must! My name rolls off the tongue~ I know a few other things that can roll off my tongue too~ "You know what else starts with 'k'?" I waited for him to answer, but he just looked at me like I was crazy. Baw. "Kill!" I declared, throwing my arms in the air. "Kokoro, we—"

"Stop acting like we're friends!" he shouts, letting out all of his frustration. Kokoro furrowed his eyebrows and folded his arms, his tan eyes glinting at me with a peculiar rage. Impressive! This little hero speech would be good~! Quickly I glanced towards the others; Miyuki was helping Chio fasten something on her Summoner uniform, Ruby, Damien and Morta were talking amongst themselves, (probably just to show the new Summoners the ropes) Flarence was clinging to Mahlon (better known as Pork-O-Tron 5000) and Janeavah and Lady Kaelyn were enjoying the scenery. Ha, I loved those girls! Yes, girls. They were still a whole lot younger than I was~

No one would notice Kokoro and I.

I was the oldest on this team! No regrets~!

"We're not friends!" he yelled, emphasizing his point with a bunch of spastic arm waves. "I'm serious. I don't like you. You're a horrible person, you don't care about the lives of others, you're lazy, and you kill people!" Duh, that's obvious, hothead. I scowled a little, because that last one was pretty stupid.

What do I have to do to prove I'm a scary person?

Dress up in a pink little tutu and start hitting people with my wand on their foreheads?

That sounded like something Sayuri would say, idiot.

"But yet you claim to be such a good parent, and you have no idea how mentally sick you make her sometimes! One time she passed out because the sheer amount of you killing everyone was so random and awful...!" He stops, getting his breath back and then looking at his hands. Hahaha, that's okay.

This kid's oblivious to the sheer amount of blood his hands are going to be stained with throughout his Summoner career. That, sooner or later, he's going to be the big bad of the world. Or perhaps he already is~ Fucking stupid brat, giving _me_ a lecture...! "No, you don't know how much Sayuri loves you, and now you want to save her? We can do this on our own. We'll get stronger."

"Stronger how?" I blurted out, laughing my head right off my shoulders. This was hysterical! Ahahaha, look at the stupid, hopeful Summoner who believes he can achieve anything! "Summoner growth doesn't come with training. It comes with experience. When's the last time you did legit training with Miyuki?" When he couldn't give me an answer, I cracked a face-splitting grin. "The only way a Summoner can legitimately get stronger is through temples. You guys, anyway." I gave Kokoro a dismissive hand wave. "Sayuri gets stronger through the Essences she collects. The stronger the Essence, the more useful it is. Of course, magical ability grows with how strong the user is. Being a Summoner all depends..." I tapped my head with my index-finger. "On the trick of the mind." He gave me a quick, defeated look before it turned into one of absolute despair. Aww, the truth hurts, doesn't it Kokoro?

"Forsythia," I hissed, my voice dark. I looked at the shorter boy through the bottom of my eyes. "Is nothing like the Dark Ages. You guys were pretty damn useless there. Do you know that no one in the Dark Ages had a pretty badass ability? Now Forsythia... People _will_ die," I declared in a no-bullshit voice. "They have to. Forsythians are much more ruthless than those guys, believe it or not. Make one wrong move and you'll find something lodged in your gallbladder. Those guys back in that other world were slow. They are slow. And they lacked dangerous magic. Here, they don't have those glaring setbacks. If you don't kill them first, they'll kill you. I_ guarantee _it. This is why I kill people like I do~!"

"But Kohana...!"

"Uh-huh. So you think you can do it without killing, huh? When I was a Summoner, approximately twenty percent of this world were Hyborists. That means they were members of the church. Low number, right? My Guardian told me. He's good with numbers. Now, that small number hit the ceiling fan. Hyborists are sick fucking people who have no regard for other people's lives. Words cannot possibly explain how fucked up these people are in the head." I paused, trying to break it down. "These. People. Don't. Like. _You!_" I said dumb, retarded slow. "These people from these other worlds hate your guts. Hate what's inside you. Hate what you're trying to do. Hate that you strive to intrude~ If it weren't for you, the world would be theirs and they _know_ that. Watch your back. I know killing might not seem like the most... Ethical thing, but um. It's the only way. Unless you want to end up like Lucrecia, kyahahaha! But then she couldn't even kill me even if she tried~!"

The Summoner of Fire clutched his head, squinting his eyes and sighing. Ha, that's a general response to that shocking information. All the time. It's upsetting how young he is, though~

"I guess you're right, huh?" he muttered, looking at the ground. "I never thought about it like that. Miyuki didn't even tell us that."

"She's not. Guardians are supposed to lie to you."

"...What?"

"It's a conspiracy, Kokoro darhlliiiiing~! Don't worry, come to Kohana maa~amiii~ii dearest!" And in his utterly confused, adoraful state, I pulled him closer to me, denying him of air and squishing my boobs next to his shoulder. And then I smothered him in my love, brushing his cheek against mine and closing my eyes. "Maaaauh, you're so soft and squishy, _aaaaah_~" That earned me a few looks from all three parties and I stared at them for a while, like a territorial cat would mean-mug another cat. "And you smell good, too~!"

"Blackguard," Lady Kaelyn said, folding her arms and staring at me with that stupid, irritated blank expression. I-I actually think I broke poor Kokoro. Now he was being all... Stringy—hahahah! Like his arms were made from spaghetti. Oh. And he was so embarrassed—such a pretty pink~ "What in the Holy name of Agathangelos are you doing?" I don't know if that was sarcasm or not, especially because there's a huge problem with using 'Misake' and 'Holy' in the same sentence. That's when I started shaking Kokoro profusely, grinning at the way his arms danced across the brightly-lit sky. "Would you please release the wretched boy, Sayuri?"

I seethed, and then I started shaking him even harder. How _dare_ she call me Sayuri! It's such an ugly name!

"My. Name. Is. Not. Sayuri!" I howled that last word viciously, showing my fangs and hissing like a lion. "Muuu, Lady Kaelyn, you're jealous!" My scowl deepened. "All of you our jealous because you wish you could get hugs like this from me!"

Retaliate!

Say something!

Do something!

Just don't stand there and look at me like I'm crazy!

They all knew I was right, but for some reason they looked like blank stones, refusing to move and all of that jazz. Tch. I licked the top row of my teeth and then I let Kokoro go, watching him stumble away from me. I was surprised he didn't outright fall~ Doctor Janeavah closed her mouth and then she clapped her hands together, totally ignoring everything I just did.

Argh!

The nerve of that woman! Who did she think she was?

"Okay, mission time, anyone?" that yellow-haired bitch said, giving the rest of the team a fake, forced smile. After she got their attention, she put on her standard straight face. "All right, now that I've got you people's attention..." A frown. A pause. She propped her hands on her waist and sighed, looking agitated. "Of course those Church nutbars would put their hideout on a piece of floating land away from the general city of Larkspur. Assholes, aren't they? Well, too bad. We're going to have to live with this, and I know this sucks, but... The Church is surrounded by an ocean of water called..." Ha! She stopped to sigh, and she slumped her shoulders over while pushing her glasses up. She was really irritated, wasn't she? "It's called Eglantine, this ocean. Now I wouldn't say it's an ocean, it's more like a lake. Or a puddle. Or a—whatever. I don't really care, but we're going to have to—"

"Three Tail Lady!"

Here comes Flarence.

Doctor Janeavah peered down at the smaller, blonde Felinefolk, licking the top row of her dangerous, pointy fangs in the process.

Was that little girl stupid? Okay, yeah, sure, the Church is surrounded by a body of water. There are people stationed on the water, obviously! They can hear her! So here comes Flarence with her arms outstretched and that huge Cheshire Cat grin on her face. It's either turned upside down or right-side up. I don't think her mouth does another expression change. Her eyes are in the shape of a greater than and less than sign—how the heck does she _do_ that? The dark-skinned Felinefolk's long pigtail braids swayed behind her as she bounced towards the Doctor, glomping her.

Except, they both fell right in the water!

My initial reaction was to laugh, of course, and a few loud snorts escaped my lips. They made such a big splash~ Janeavah's glasses flew off her face and landed on the ground, and Mahlon was just staring at them. He looked worried—I think we all did. Janeavah was already irritated, and Flarence just pushed her into an ocean. I guess. Nobody is really sure what this body of water is. That's probably for the best. I swear, my mind was totally off Janeavah being tackled into the water. That was until Lady Kaelyn walked next to me and shook her head, folding her arms. "This isn't going to fair too well, is it?"

I snorted. "Ha, why? It's just a little water~ Honestly, I've been wanting to swim across this thing for forever. If Janeavah's pissed over a little bit of water, she needs thicker skin!" Everyone here needs thicker skin. You've got Kokoro who's pissing his pants over saving Sayuri, the others who have no clue what's going on... As far as I'm concerned, I get to kill people. I'm not worried in the slightest. It's just the _Church_ we're talking about here.

Even though I've never been to the Church, I've killed the Church's leader before, and I'll do it again. Right after I do unimaginable things to Tori. I'm going to _kill her good~_

Lady Kaelyn didn't look at me. She didn't even gesture at me. Lady Kaelyn was such a blank, stoic standing piece of wood that my eyes wandered over to Chio and how shocked she looked. She was staring at the ocean, waiting for the two of them to show up, but so far they weren't anywhere to be found. Eh. Whatever. "Did you notice the way Doctor Janeavah's eyes seemed to widen when Flarence tackled her into the ocean, Blackguard?" Um. No. It's not like I pay that much attention to everyone else. Lady Kaelyn took another wise pause, and then she folded her arms. "She's hydrophobic."

"Jeez, I hope she's okay," Damien said, dusting off his hands. I know he was scared, being the Summoner of Lightning and all. If he got tackled into the ocean, he'd do more than just be scared and all hydrophobic and stuff, hahah!

I suppose Doctor Janeavah was going to compose a plan.

How half of us'll swim across the ocean, clear the way, make a transportation symbol by the Church, and then get everyone else to use it. "It's a little weird that they haven't come up to the surface, yet," he finished. As soon as Chio heard that, she started chewing on her knuckle. D'aaaw. Such a sentimental little girl! I wish my darling Sayuri was twice the sweet child that she was~ Sayuri probably wouldn't care if I was pushed into the ocean while being hydrophobic.

"Lady K-k-kaelyn," Chio stuttered, looking at the augurist with wide, chocolate brown eyes. "How do you know that Janeavah's hydrophobic? Did she tell you? Oh no, I hope they're okay! Maybe someone should jump in and see if they're alright? What if they drown? Oh no, what are we going to do?" Why the hell is this girl panicking all of a sudden? She ran her fingers through her hair all distraught and stuff, and then she glanced at Mahlon.

You know.

On accident.

Especially because she's dead afraid of him.

Just because he's a red, big, hulking, muscular, tall cyborg doesn't mean he's all bad~ I call him Porky for a reason, even if I don't know him that well! Chio let out a small squeal, and then she ran into Miyuki, who stopped her. Jeez. Thank you.

Of course Lady Kaelyn—that witch—takes what Chio said straight to her head and smirks a little, unwinding her arms and taking a step back. "I'm an augurist, ragamuffin. There aren't many things I can't pick up on. I can do anything, you know."

As soon as she said that—and I mean it! _As soon _as Lady Kaelyn said that, Janeavah popped her head from underneath the water, taking in a frantic breath of air. We've never seen her so... Afraid before. Her pupils were the size of CD disks and her face was all red and puffy. And then here's the funny part, hahaha! As soon as she was done taking that one gasp, her pupils dilated and she clenched her teeth, every single one of her hairs standing on end. She was soaked; water rushing down the veins in her face and her citrine-colored hair was all in her mouth. She looked a mess!

"Bwahahahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh. I clutched my stomach, pretty sure I would get a cramp any second now.

What?

I can't help but laugh at funny stuff!

That was the woman who insulted my entire life just a few moments ago! She made herself out to be so high and mighty, just because she knew I was a lil' weak. Not even a lot, at that! I still could have killed her if I wanted to! And now she looked like a floundering fish, trembling because she's afraid of water! Her three tails were very stiff, sticking straight up out of the water as if they were frozen in place. I'm sure Janeavah wanted to say something, but she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. Her left hand looked kind of weird... I wasn't sure of what she was doing, until tiny air bubbles started to pop at the surface.

Then I realize she was drowning Flarence and Flarence was just taking it.

Probably with that same stupid grin again.

Why—_ahhaaa!—_were the people of this world so funny?

Doctor Janeavah let out several watery coughs before she clenched her sharp teeth, coughing up hair balls and whatever the hell else came out of her throat. I didn't see any blood though. Aww.

She kept wheezing and wheezing, until her teeth started chattering and she reached underneath the water, pulling up a dark-skinned arm. Flarence's arm, perhaps? She did it all so gracefully, despite being scared so bad~ I had to admire that~ She pulled Flarence out of the water with insane strength and flung her _all the way across the ocean_. The bad part about this is that I'm not even lying.

Flarence flew!

Across the sky~

Like a shooting star!

And then after that Janeavah slowly inched herself back on the land. Her entire stance was so... Awkward. Her back was hunched over and her kneecaps were colliding into one another, and she was so wet and soaked and maaaww~ I wish Flarence would have done that to me~ I wanted to swim so bad! Why did everyone else get to swim but me? True to her species' name, Janeavah came out of the ocean terrified, shocked, confused... I was expecting her to say something about how her life flashed before her eyes, but that didn't happen. She made her way over to Mahlon, took her glasses out of his hand, and it took her about three minutes to put them on correctly. She uh... Kept missing her face.

Believe you me!

It was all hilarious and I was having a good ol' time laughing, but now it was sad.

Poor piss hair~

That's what you get when you mess with me and the powers that be~

Huh. Piss Hair. That sounds like a perfectly legit name to call Doctor Janeavah now. Aww, look! Her yellow hair was even dripping! She stayed true to her name. Aha, Janeavah coughed up more water, and even blew some out of her nose. I couldn't tell if she was mad or scared or... "I..." So much suspense on just one word! Le gasp! "Am going to kill that kid. But before I do that..." Oh, okay. Now she's back to normal, sane Janeavah.

Why would she talk about killing a kid? Killing kids is just hor~reee~belllll~

"This—_uragafaah—_was the plan." She paused, closing her eyes and choking some more. "Obviously, we all can't swim across this ocean. Mahlon's too fat, Damien is made out of lightning, Kokoro is the Summoner of Fire, and I can't swim. Moreover, there are men who have been ordered to kill anything that moves on sight. The Church is very secretive, so that's a no-brainer, duh. It's a _church_—"

"Ohmiigosh!" Chio squeaked, holding her staff with both of her hands. "But you just flung Flarence half way across the ocean, poor Flarence—!"

"I'm aware of that, stupid! Jeez!" Hah, Janeavah doesn't lay off the insults! "Why don't you take your no-good, do-gooder ass somewhere and let me do all the talking! And don't move your lip like that—hey! Don't you start crying now—Holy Jesus, how weak are you Summoners? If you can cry over a simple insult such as that..." Doctor Janeavah's eyes softened and she reached out towards Chio, who was crying up a storm.

Urgh.

So bored.

When can I just jump into the ocean already and start swimming and playing in the water~?

Such a bore~

I guess Chio's Summoner friends gathered around her to make her feel better, but I wasn't buying it. I knew Chio could do some damage, and judging by her Trance form... Heh. I don't buy her crying one bit. Janeavah shook her head, rubbed her temples, and then she sighed.

"This is why I hate coming out to do stuff! I'm cold as shit, hungry, Mahlon is irritating me with how heavy he is, and now this happens?" Piss Hair carped, throwing her arms out. "Okay, here! Here was the plan! Someone was gonna go swim over the ocean, kill all the guards, make sure they weren't caught, and draw a transportation symbol over there so we can step in the one over here and thus all make it across safe and sound, but I _quit!_" T-that's the smartest plan I've ever heard in a long time. W-wow. She made so much sense... Too bad she was quitting like a big, overgrown babeeeee~ "None of you people are man enough! God, this is what I get for trying to help you guys out with Summoner Sayuri. Who the fuck are we going over to the Church for, anyway? Tulla?"

"Alula," I hissed, folding my arms and scowling.

"And just what the hell is that?" Janeavah doesn't quit, does she? Does she _want_ to get into another fight with me or what? I scowled, my nostrils flaring. I'm not going to sit here and let Piss Hair insult Alula like that! Alula is part of this damn team, and I'll be damned if I let Tori do things to her. And honestly, I'm running out of damn time thanks to the incompetence of these... Idiots! "You tell Tumor she can go save her own self! Cougar shouldn't have gotten captured in the first place! What the hell was Scooter trying to accomplish when she broke into the Church? That she'd be able to steal all of the 'delicious' food there? I'm not buying it for one second!" This woman is trying my patience right down to the last...

She took several steps towards me, got all in my face... She didn't fear me! Janeavah didn't fear me! She was the one who was wet and trembling and looked like a scared little puppy, and yet I didn't see that look in her eyes... The one that lets me know that she's aware she might be taking her last breaths... Fwaaah, she looks at the_ ocean _with more fear than she does me, and that's insulting~

She stuck her yellow, clawed finger in my face and actually dug it into my nose, hissing like a dangerous mountain lion. "Fuck you, fuck you being the Wickedness, fuck that ocean, fuck the Church, fuck this operation, and fuck Hallelujah for getting captured! I don't work on you all's time! I'm a scientist for the NWO and I'm damn proud of it! I don't work for people like you, I'm done!" I know I should have been mad, but strangely I wasn't~ I was impressed. Wildly, wildly impressed!

Aaaah~

I loved the tenacity in this world!

The people weren't afraid to speak their minds here, and I must admit, it's very sexy~ I stood there with a smirk on my face, staring at her like a love-struck puppy. "_Mahlon! _Bring your hulking metal ass over here and stop gawking! We're going home!" She said that on the end of a pretty heavy pout, but I wasn't going to let her go that easily! Before Mahlon could stay loyal to his superior, I grabbed two of Janeavah's tails and she flinched really hard, her breath catching in her throat. But I only grabbed them, you see~ It's not like I pulled them~

"Hold it, pussycat~" I let her tails spill out of my hands while she turned around. "I'm not letting you go just yet~ You're the only one who knows this terrain," I insisted, my lower-eye twitching profusely. "And you're the only one that can walk me through this ocean and the little bit of forest in the way to get to the Church so you can get teleported safely over there." See? Kohana's a very nice person~ She volunteered to go and save Flarence, as well as draw the transportation symbol~ "Did you really think I'd let you get away with stabbing my pretty nose with your vile, dirty fingernails, Docuuuteuuur Janeavah~?" I purred. Hey, I was going to touch her face, too, to see if she felt as soft as Kokoro did, but her eyes were glued on my fingers.

She was wearing this whole,_ if-you-touch-me..._ look. She was ready to retaliate as soon as I did. I took that as a challenge~ "Who knows, maybe that water made you feel ni—_fwaaaah!_" So... The challenge was real and I just lost, but! Before I had a chance to even stop my sentence, she grabbed my wrist, just like she did to Flarence.

And then she threw me straight into the water.

With the slightest of ease!

As if I was nothing to her!

Am I that underweight? Or is it just that Kassia doesn't weigh much? Baaaaawwww! I can't believe _I_ got thrown into the ocean! I didn't let the water take control of me though. As soon as it happened, I bounced back up to the surface and my eyes widened. Hey! Teehee, I'm in the water! Which means I get to swim to my heart's content~

How fun~~

I started doggy paddling, and then I started blowing bubbles with my mouth, because bubbles are fun~ "Hahhahaha, I love swimming~!" I sung, closing my eyes and splashing all of my imaginary friends. Janeavah looked down at me, wet from the splash I made when she threw me in the ocean in the first place.

"Next time I'll turn you into a three dimensional cube," she warned, giving me a look of disgust. "I don't fly that way, lady! Keep your damn lesbian fantasies to yourself!"

How rude! Janeavah's not even pretty enough for me to... Gah!

She's nothing like Lady Kaelyn; she shouldn't even put herself on that pedestal!

She adjusted her coat sleeves, and then she started walking in front of everyone else. Poor Chio was still crying. Heh, I agreed! Doctor Janeavah was so meaaaan! She kept pacing back and forth with her arms behind her back, lost in thought. "Kohana here's an idiot. Which means she's the perfect person to go on the other side of this Goddamn ocean and complete the mission. Anyone object to that?" She asked that question with a snide smirk.

Ha!

Of course she knew nobody else would want to replace me. Hey! I took offense to that! I was going to say something, but she turned around on her heels quick and glared at me. "You hear that silence, little stupid? That's the sound of nobody caring about you. Now don't get your panties in a bunch." Janeavah paused, sighing. "You've got twenty minutes. If you're not back in twenty minutes, we're going to assume you're dead. Which is probably for the best."

You know.

She's got a really bad tongue.

I'm going to have to fix this when I come back.

I closed my eyes from the sheer anger of it all, but she threw something at my head.

And she didn't miss.

It smacked me!

I flew backwards, getting water in my nose. Urgh! I hate having water in my nose, because it hurts so much! Everything stings, and my eyes start watering and it's not fun in the slightest! Anyway, the thing that she threw at me started to surface, and it looked like a black... Walkie talkie? Ha! I grabbed it, looked at her, and then I snorted. "You can't be serious..."

"It's waterproof," Janeavah interrupted, scoffing. "Made it myself." Piss Hair took out two more walkie talkies and held them in each other hands. "I'm sorry that none of us know how to do proper mind conversations, but that's just how the world works. Stop throwing a tantrum at every little thing. The walkie talkie is how we're going to communicate with you. Also, whatever the walkie talkie sees, I see, so please strap it to the belt on your skirt. It'll make a _huge_ difference. I'm giving this second one to Lady Kaelyn, since she's the more mature one of the group, and of course I need one to tell you where to go. Summoners? Guardian?" Urgh. I hate people who think they can bark orders at me. How rude. "Mahlon's going to show a fifty-inch hologram of Kohana's every move, so if you want to watch and talk to her, you're free to do so. Mahlon doesn't bite. Unfortunately. Like I said," she muttered in monotone. "Useless piece of scrap metal ass—"

"Oh!" I gasped, playing in the water still. "We need cooooo~ooode~ names—!"

"I'm very serious about leaving you out to die if more than twenty minutes pass, Kohana."

"Waaah~ All I said is that we needed code names! What's a walkie talkie game without the proper code names?" What the hell is this garbage? Twenty minutes? Did she think I was the weakest one on this team, or not? I'm the damn Summoner of Time! If anything, I can tell time! And also, I'm the Wickedness! How can I not handle a few Church goons? Did she forget the way I slaughtered them across the board? In front of her no-good face, for that matter? I could do the same thing to her, if I wanted to! For honests! Doctor Janeavah rolled her eyes, and then she looked at me, totally irritated. I liked that~

"Fine! Fine! Code names. Only if it makes you happy."

"Good! Good! Then I shall be called Ultra Amazing Fantastic Lady Wickedness Kohana Queen of Essences Phenomenal Ruler of Everything and Better Than Everyone Else Outtaike the Fourteenth."

"What the _FUCK,_ you completely missed the point—!"

"Aww, don't be like that! See, I've already found the perfect name for you. You'll be Piss Hair, because I don't like the color of your hair, and it matches your sour personality."

"Keep testing my patience! I'll have Mahlon shoot you with blast of lightning so hard—!"

I smirked. "Whaaaa~t? Going to strangle me? Well, you know, you have to jump in the water to get at me~ You sure you're man enough to come in here for me, Piss Hair? I can swim, and you can't, so that would be really bad?"

"Oh, sure. Keep talking. You think you're hot stuff, don't you? I think I should go around calling you Hot Shit. As a play on hot pink. As in,_ your_ hair. That sound good to you?"

"Except my real hair color is purple, fool~!"

"I didn't know that, Grape Fruit Face. That sounds much better, now that I think about it."

I was going to say something, but Lady Kaelyn snarled, and she stomped her foot on the ground, her eyes slitted in absolute rage. Great. What the hell did Doctor Janeavah do now? She kept making everyone angry for no reason! Seriously, this had nothing to do with me. Lady Kaelyn's tail started swaying really fast behind her, and she growled. "Stop it, you imbeciles! Does it really matter what you call each other? Honestly, your incompatibility holds zero water here! A miss is as good as a mile; Alula is being tortured for information as we speak, and Flarence is possibly lost within the everglades! I swear on my grave, if any one of those girls are hurt because of you two's incessant squandering, I will only hope that the gods that look over you put mercy on your souls! I cannot bare to know that they are being hurt because you won't put aside your silly differences!"

Nice speech. Hahaha.

Janeavah calmed down, looked at me, and then she exhaled. I'm sure she wanted to get the last laugh, but I didn't let her. At least, not yet~ Lady Kaelyn was so close to the edge. Hmm. Lady Kaelyn had really nice legs! Nice and tall and haaa~ "Lady Kaeyaaaahleeeeen~" I sung, waving my arms in the air. "Why don't you come with me since you're so mad?" And that's when I attacked! She was looking down at me, but she wasn't looking hard enough! I jumped up out of the water, wrapped my arms around her neck, and then I suplexed her into the water, flipping her on top of her back and coming back up, gasping for air.

I'm gonna get killed for that, I know.

But it was fun, looking at Lady Kaelyn's confused face! "What's wrong, Ladeyaaah Kaelyn~? I thought you were the ultimate big, scary augurist that could tell the future~?" Apparently not, if she couldn't tell that I was going to pull her under the water, long skirt and all! Fwaaah~ Lady Kaelyn should really be careful next time. It's not like I'm like other people.

Well anyway, I decided that it'd be a good time to get the hell out of there before Lady Kaelyn caught my ankle or something and pulled me underneath the water and tied me up to an anchor.

Yep!

I grabbed my walkie talkie, gave everyone a quick wink, and then I inhaled and started to swim underwater, looking at all of the pretty fish. Ha, I didn't really need to hold my breath forever! I was a Summoner! A champion at magic! I've mastered my art!

Clapping my hands together, a purple anagram formed in-between my palms, sending a wave of violet light rippling through the water. Now I could breathe as easy as I wanted to~ There'd be no more swimming to the surface and catching a breath every three seconds, because I could breathe underwater. Things like this aren't that hard, especially when you've spent a year on a planet fully composed out of water.

As a mermaid.

And believe you me, Kohana was a very sexy mermaid~

Err, back to the point.

The point_ is_ that I swim better than most people, because I've been trained for it. Oh God, what would I do without Hiroyuki...? If he hadn't used his magic to turn us into mermaids, we all probably would have been dead back then, don't you think? No matter. I took the time out to marvel at the neon-bright fish that were swimming by.

They looked exotic.

Gorgeous.

They weren't fat fish—they were miniature fish! If you can even call them that. Majestic fish~ Everything on Forsythia was so beautiful, right down to the poor pitbulls this word harbored. It's because Forsythia is known as a beautiful world all over the galaxy. It's known as the world that has beautiful nature... Beautiful landscapes! Because it's true! Of course beauty is never kept around Forsythia for too long, though.

I started hearing voices, and shots being fired, and bombs exploding, and that's when I knew Flarence had ended up in some deep trouble~ Silly little girl. I started swimming even faster until I saw a boat perched up on the surface. It was a pretty boat~

I didn't waste any time.

I soon as I got close enough to the dirty, brown, small boat, I popped out of the water, grabbed the sides of it, and propelled myself upwards, grabbing the Forsythian man who was on it by the neck, squeezing the dear life out of him. He was dressed for the occasion—bulletproof vest, camouflage makeup, the whole nine! It made me laugh a little, because the ocean over here was extremely brown and murky, unlike its crystal clear, clean counterpart back where Lady Kaelyn and the Summoners are.

I won't even mention Piss Hair. She's not worth my precious time~

While the guy was choking and slobbing all over my hand, I narrowed my eyes and took his gun, refusing to give him time to think. In front of the two of us was another boat with three men on it.

This'd be easy.

Plus, I had a sexy hostage with cute cat ears~

I shot all three of them in chest too easy, but the third guy? I had to do something special with him~ I aimed for his head, and the way the bullet tore through his skin, ligaments, flesh and bone... His brain... _Aaaah~_ Pure bliss!

The guy fell backwards in the ocean, and then I realized I was done choking the guy I held hostage.

Wow. Talk about doing things at the same time~

He was just as dead as the others. Child's play. I threw him in the ocean too, just 'cause, and I took his gun. This gun was... Fast. And powerful. And could be shot from afar. Very nice~

I used to dabble in a bunch of gun games back when I was younger~

I'm not all about my sword!

"Stay sharp, Kohana," Doctor Janeavah said through her walkie talkie. Hah, I just snickered to myself while I reloaded my clip. What kind of gun was this? An AK47? It felt like one. It looked like one too. If it was... Wow. The people at the Church are packing heat~ "You're in enemy territory now, and I think they've seen Flarence. God forbid she ends up being captured too. Lady Kaelyn says not to sweat it because she's taught her well. But this is _Flarence_ we're talking about, so..."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I know. Stay sharp, pay attention, blah blah who cares?

It's not like I'm weak, right? These Forsythian men were smart, I'd give them that. They specialized in hiding themselves in their surroundings, just like they cloaked themselves in Lady Kaelyn's hideout. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize they were hiding in the trees.

Plus, I can sense the motherfuckers~

I looked straight ahead, aimed, and started firing rounds, successfully killing four guys several yards away from me. I-I can't believe I still remembered how to use a gun after all these years. Whatever, it was fun~ I heard those guys talking amongst themselves, and they sounded pissed! As in, they pissed their pants at the sheer sight of me.

Here these dudes were, ordered to keep intruders out, and here they find a badass, pink-haired woman with an AK47 messing up all kinds of stuff~

That's how I want to be seen, bwahaha!

A strong, intelligent woman with a gun~

"Over there! She's on the ridge!"

That made me want to look around, of course, and I could spot them moving in from the land in front of me. Heh. It wouldn't take me long to kill those guys as well! Without thinking, I jumped into the dark water, almost hitting a dead body on the way. It wasn't too hard to maneuver down there, honest! So much for this being a stealth mission.

If my gun wasn't loud enough to warn people of my presence, my sheer sex appeal was.

Who doesn't want to stop what they're doing to gaze at a soaked, curvacious woman wearing nothing but a half-shirt and a short skirt? I came out of the water again, gasping even though I didn't need to, and I inched closer to that one guy next to the ebb of the ocean. I even reloaded my gun while doing it!

I killed him, and that's when I noticed something strange.

I was still in the water, but there was someone attacking the group of men behind a rock farther out land. With Holy magic. They were waving their arms in the air and sending silvers of light and Holy birds to kill whatever was in their way. No doubt it was Flarence. I highly doubted Lady Kaelyn would swim all the way over here and decide to do work now. No matter. I didn't sweat it. If Flarence was finally fighting now, good for her. She didn't notice me, though. I stayed close to the ground, getting rid of the group of men and letting Flarence bounce her happy self in front of me, tail and all. Not a scratch was on her and—despite killing a dozen people—she was still oh-so very happy.

What a strange kid...

"Hey, Scary Lady, you made it!" she chimed, switching her legs back and forward. "Flarence was almost startled for a second. She heard you would be making it over here, but I didn't know how long I had to wait for you. I didn't want you wandering these tough parts alone, meow~!" Hey, wait a minute! For one, I came to save her, not the other way around! And wait, why the hell was I following the brat when she didn't know anything about anything? "Boobie Lady likes you, though I can't understand why, Scary Lady. You make the hairs on my tail stand up meow!" Oh really. Well, I'm supposed to be scary, you know! Jeez.

"Stop calling me 'Scary Lady', little stupid," I shot, reloading my gun again. "I told you, my name is Kohana."

"What an ugly name for an ugly, scary witch like you! You're lucky you have boobies, or else I wouldn't find you twice as fun to talk to!" She's lucky I'm not in my own body, or else I'd have pulverized her into the dirt! "I'm going to go higher up to see if I can see the Church from here. Scary Lady and Flarence are on a dangerous mission together, meow! One that must be taken with extremely and utter care. Have fun now!" Was she crazy? She can't start splitting up from me now! She'll get killed! I scowled, poking out my lower lip. Lady Kaelyn'll have my head.

"Stay close to me, Flarence. I don't need you having a happy accident."

"Ooooh? A happy accident? I want one! Those sound fun! Can you eat it, too?"

I narrowed my eyes. Jeez. No one in this universe can be that stupid, can they? "You mean, can someone eat your rotting, decaying carcass? Perhaps. I'm not really into cannibalism."

When Flarence heard me say all of those big, 'scary' words, she spun on her heels twice, fell down on her butt, got back up again and started skipping up a formation of rocks, putting her hand on her mouth. Oh dear God!

Out of all the people that had to go on this mission, it had to be me!

I shook my head, sighing. "Holy crap, Amazing Asshole, are you still there?" There goes Piss Hair's screechy, high-pitched, annoying voice again! I flinched big time, stuffing my pinky in my left ear and trying to get it working back to normal again. "We almost thought we lost you back there. That was a shit ton of Church lackeys. Huh. They're the first ones talking about world peace, but then they go and pull this crap. A bunch of hypocrites. They claim to use nothing but magic, but they're using the guns that the New World Order made. I hate people who steal."

"Cry me a river!" I exclaimed. "So they've got guns. Big whoop. It's not like your guns'll ever be able to piece my skin~ My body is up for anything, you know."

"Sure, Ultra Amazing Asshat." How many times was Janeavah going to butcher my cooo~ode name? Sadface. "You're closer to the south east perimeter and you can get to the Church's checkpoint on the course that you're going. You understand that?" I clutched my walkie talky and narrowed my eyes, smirking. Why wouldn't I understand that, huh? It was all so simple!

"Roger. Ultra Amazing Fantastic Lady Wickedness Kohana Queen of Essences Phenomenal Ruler of Everything and Better Than Everyone Else Outtaike the Fourteenth out." The groan from the other line was more than enough to make my smirk even wider. Flarence actually took the easier way and decided to hop from tree to tree; she's a Felinefolk, so it should be easy for her to latch her claws onto the bark. Me? I enjoyed the simple sound of body parts squishing underneath my heels, along with dry leaves and things.

"Remember, Fantastic Fuckface, you need to not be as noisy up here. Those guys you blew through didn't have a means to warn the others back at the Church. These guys do. Ahead, Flarence'll be waiting for you, since she'd have avoided all of the traffic. No noise, Queen Bitch. You need to use something sharp."

Ding!

I knew something sharp!

I had the perfect thing to use~

I dropped that useless gun in the water, and then I grabbed my katana. Well, actually, I unsheathed it, watching the sun illuminate from the cold steel. I haven't used my katana in like, forever~ "Err, okay, whatever, that'll do. As long as it gets the job done. Don't mess up. You've got twenty minutes. Twenty!" How many times is she going to say it? Okay, I've got twenty minutes, exact—hey! Wait a second! Is she really going to tell me that no time has passed since I've been down here? Yeah, right.

I sheathed my katana again, just because I had to go under the murky, dirty water once more. The first time it was fun, but now the second time is... More fun, _hahaha!_

I started swimming backwards, and then I started doing flips, and making little bubbles out of my breath and floating up and down at will just because I could~ Then I went back up to the surface and got a look at everything around me. The scenery was gorgeous! Drop dead! Jaw-dropping! This ocean was _fabulous!_ There were flowers that came from every corner, despite it being nothing but war here. I doggy paddled with glee across the surface of the water, listening to the sound of a waterfall somewhere near here.

That's when I saw this guy.

He was standing on top of this boat. Probably looking out for any intruders. Too bad he couldn't see me in the water, but with this pink hair? Heh, I'm like a brightly-colored sign! He was a pretty boy, too. Nice and tall... Handsome. High-cheek bones. Looked like he wasn't a day over seventeen, actually.

Too bad for him I was going to end his life~

I swam closer to the boat he was on, until I jumped out of the water—sadistic grin and all. Apparently the guy was looking down at me too, so I managed to grab his shirt. He immediately started screaming—the loudest I've ever heard a grown man scream before. And I'm almost sure he pissed himself. Okay, so I'm not sure, but the look on his face—his widened eyes and how they seemed to spill all over me, or his opened mouth... Yes, he knew what was going to happen.

Remorselessness and ruthlessness go hand-in-hand as we ride the merry-go-round together, love~

I'll giggle as I decide your fate, for I am God!

Bubbles danced in my vision as I brought him down under water. I held my darling katana in my right hand, and clawed his neck with my left, brandishing my weapon and readying it. Since we were under water, I couldn't slice clean through his flesh and all of that jazz, so I had to _saw_ his head off his body. Which was... Sort of new for me, actually~ I held him in front of me, and then I started cutting... Sawing into his flesh. All the while, I watched him still struggle to breathe.

It was confusing~

Why was he trying to get air into his lungs when he knew he was underwater? I could feel his veins constricting while I was trying to sever his head. The pretty blood escaped his neck in a mist-like fashion; it was preee~tty!

The man's eyes got blank and his mouth closed a bit, but when I was done taking his pretty head away from his body, the rest of his kind of swayed in the water, beginning to sink.

A dead body doesn't start floating as soon as it's dead, you know~ The man's head took one last intake of air before its eyes rolled back to its head. And then the whole thing just started falling towards the ocean floor.

Aww. Poor head. I'm going to miss you, really, I am~

I swam back up to the surface, but now it was raining cats and dogs. Huh. Symbolic, I say~ My walkie talkie started going off again, but now it was starting to get annoying. "What?" I screamed. "Piss Hair, I'm kind of busy right now."

"Yeah, busy using all of your time. You've got ten minutes. Try not to be flashy with the next person you kill, please. Ruby is over here throwing up all of her intestinal organs." I'm sure she wasn't. Over-dramatic yellow-haired bitch.

"If you're so worried about the Summoner brat's well-being, then how about you get your ass off the damn walkie talkie and start doing something to actually help the cause, you—urgh. I don't like you~!"

"And have you ruin everything? Hell no. Where's Flarence at, anyway?"

"I don't know, Piss Hair. Maybe you should use your magical piss-poor powers to see where she is, yes? Or maybe, just maybe, you should have given your walkie talkie to Flarence instead of barking orders at me!"

"You lost her? Oh dear God!"

"_You _were the one who told me not to follow her!"

"I hope you're planning on kissing me, too."

"Ha, what for?"

"Because I prefer to be kissed when I'm being fucked. Can you do _anything_ right?"

"Flarence is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, now leave me alone, Piss Hair!"

"I love you too, darling."

"I expect a massage when I get home. You know that, right?"

"Of course. And I'll even cook you a full course meal of _get the fuck over yourself!_"

The radio cut out again (thank God) and I made my way over to this shack. I have no idea what the purpose of this shack was. Except that there was obviously someone in it. So I did the rational thing and hid behind the wall, inhaling the fresh smells of Mother Nature~ Mother Nature, you smell good today~ My sword was unsheathed and ready to go, itching to cut through some naive flesh.

I'd kill whatever I had to to ensure the safety of my teammates, just like in the old days.

Yep, even for Piss Hair. I hopped in through the window, and—low and behold—there was a man sleeping on a hammock. As calm as ever. Didn't even notice my beautiful self hopping into his home. How unfortunate.

Or maybe that was because I was so damn good at my job, ahaha!

I moved closer to him, inch by inch, until I covered his mouth with my left hand, stiffing his yells and cries for help while I impaled his neck clean through with my sword, watching all of his icky blood get all over my top. And I cackled. Laughed. Chortled. What else could I do? This was fucking _hilarious!_ I realized there could have been more people in this house, but I didn't care! Killing people like this was... Fwaaaaah~ I loved being all stealthy and sexy at the same time~ The guy kept squirming a bit until I pulled my sword out. And then he made gargling noises before he stopped moving all together. Excellent.

I took small steps towards my next destination, hearing music being played.

It was shitty music, but I digress.

There was this guy sitting on top of a few boxes in front of a homemade fireplace. I'd get him real good. I snuck up behind him, pounced him, and then I covered his mouth. Just like I did the others. But then I ran my lips up the back of his neck, making sure he could_ feel _my grin. "Aaaah~ You feel so soft and warm and~ _Aaaah!~_ Such a waste of an attractive young male like yourself~" I ran my freehand up his love handles, watching his pupils dilate. "Too bad! And you would have been so much fun, too, if you had put up a fight!" And then I stabbed him right in the chest, watching him fall limp in my loving arms. And then I dropped him on the ground, of course.

As soon as I did so, I raised my sword up and marveled at how blood-stained it was. I didn't know if I wanted to clean it or not. Didn't care, either. All I knew was that the more I walked out of this little shack, the more dead bodies I saw. Which wasn't due to me because—hello!—I hadn't even got out of here yet.

Up ahead, I could see Flarence, waving frantically at me. She had a piece of white chalk in-between the confines of her teeth and—le gasp!—we were out of that jungle-like place. The only thing I could see were flowers. Flowers for days. Flowers lining the ebb of the small lake protecting the Church. The Church was huge! Breathtakingly beautiful. So... Wow. I didn't think it'd look like _this..._ So bright. So vivid. So... Not batshit at all! I grinned, because I knew Flarence and I did a job well-done. It looked like she didn't even need me. The catgirl waved her face around, trying to get me to take the chalk out of her teeth, but I wasn't buying it. I pretended to roll up the sleeves on my arms (I wasn't wearing a sleeved shirt) and I grinned, kneeling down.

"Step aside kid. Let me show you how a real woman makes a transportation symbol."

Once you make one of these things, you never really forget how to make them for a long time. For one, you can make a symbol out of any kind of liquid or substance. Blood, water... Anything. But I perfer the good ol' method.

A laser!

I stretched the fingers on my right hand, and then my eyes started glowing red, concurrent to the way my index-finger was going a bright crimson. Then I point at the ground and a bright beam of scarlet light shot through it, making a pattern in the ground. To make a symbol, you need three basic components. A star, a few diamonds, Hebraic words, and of course there are elements of the spell you're trying to cast. Once I was done, I blew my finger off and glanced at Flarence, who was amazed.

"How's that?"

"It's ammaaameowwwzing! Wow Scary Lady! Teach me how to do something like that!" Just like I expected, Janeavah made her way through the symbol first, and the Lady Kaelyn, and then all of the others. They were really fast, for a couple of people that just complained the whole way. Doctor Janeavah took one look around the place and then she sighed. As if I did something wrong! Urgh, the nerve of some people! Speaking of nerves, I was the one covered in nerves and blood. Not her!

"Yep. This place is just like how I left it," she muttered, scowling. "Stupid Bazooka, getting captured and making me infiltrate enemy lines. The nerve of that stupid Blooper! What's her name again?" I swear she asked _me_ that. And she even got in my face with that stupid grin/smirk... _Thing_ for extra effect! "Tuba?"

"It's _Alula!_"

I screamed that into the high heavens. I'm sure everyone and their mother heard me. I didn't really care. Subsequently, we all heard footsteps in front of us, so my attention immediately snapped towards the Church. What I saw was... Definitely what I didn't want to see. There was a woman who was the epitome of beautiful. She had huuuuge silvery wings that touched the ground almost, right down to the last feather. Without a doubt, I knew who she was. It wasn't like I'd just forget what Tori looked like. She cracked an ear-splitting grin at us, smiling so sideways that I thought it was going to jump off her face and walk around us for a while. She couldn't wait to open her mouth, I bet. You know what'd be sweet? If she didn't know who I was and mistook Piss Hair as me. Hahaha!

Tori had a few dozen men with her too, all toting those dangerous guns I had before. This could be a problem... I hate being held hostage at gun point. "Hello friends! Family! Close acquaintances," Tori said in a breathy voice. That's how she normally talked, you know. Her voice was laced in glitter, but you had to be stupid if you didn't know glitter can kill in high quantities. "Wickedness." Shit. She looked at me when she said that. Shit shit shit. And here I was thinking she wouldn't be able to point me out. "Welcome to my little abode. I do not know what possessed you all into thinking you could pull a fast one over on me and my men, but I assure you, when we take prisoners, we treat them with the utmost respect. Kohana, you _do_ want Alula back, yes?"

That was a question aimed at me.

A question aimed at me.

Did she know who I was?

I gritted my teeth and clenched my teeth, my nostrils flaring. "Listen you flying bitch-ass—"

"Tori! You're Lysimachus' assistant, aren't you?" Janeavah said, quirking a brow. That's when she took several steps towards the Featherfolk. I mean, they allowed her to get so close to that woman that they were practically breathing on each other. So weird...

I would have gotten shot, being the Wickedness and all.

"Nice to meet you again. I'm Janeavah from the New World Order. It'll be a pleasure kicking your ass. Do you have any idea what I went through to get here? And you think you're going to stop me because I set foot in your Church? I don't think so, I—!"

"Shush, little girl."

"Don't call me little. We're about the same age. Though you're about to be dead," Janeavah announced, smirking. "Now if you'd get out of my way..."

I just got a bright idea.

Super bright idea.

By Tori's guards not shooting Janeavah, that meant that they were scared. Not well-trained. Hesitant. I bet... I looked at Lady Kaelyn and she nodded her head, giving Mahlon and Miyuki the same kind of look I gave her. That's when I put on a bright smile, walking towards Tori and holding my hand out. Something about Tori's demeanor changed; I think she started melting all over the ground, though I wasn't sure. Yes, sometimes my presence can be a bit too much, I'm sure. Janeavah stood out of the way and watched my every move. She knew what I was on. That's good, I guess~

"Ah, Kohana, I—!"

Shut up Tori.

I glanced at Janeavah, and then she nodded at me. "What~?" I cooed, balling up my fists. "You haven't hit this bitch yet?" That should have been a warning to her guards to shoot me down without mercy, but they didn't, so I moved to faze two.

Which was me shoving Tori's face into the ground.

Which I did without fail.

The guards were so shell shocked that they dropped their guns and I ran past Tori, stepping on her back while I made my way for the Church. Janeavah followed behind me, and then everyone else caught the initial message. Chio summoned Shiva, so Shiva was taking care of the men behind us, freezing them in place. Tori, however, was still on the ground, eating a bunch of dirt. Hahaha, how pissed do you think she's going to be~?

I ran towards the open doors, pleased with myself. Janeavah gave me one good look, her Piss Hair swaying any kind of way.

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"Not as crazy as you," I hissed. "You're the one who went with the plan. You're the one who thought I was going to do exactly what I did, which makes you crazy too!"

Janeavah paused, and then she grinned a little. "Well, let's see how much you survive in the Church. Not a pretty place, I tell you."

I looked up at the sky one last time, noticing how the sun was peaking out at me.

This, I declared, was going to be the last bit of sunshine I saw for a while. At least until I broke Alula out of this hell hole. I knew Tori would be hot on our trail, so I had to be quick about this. After all, if I couldn't save Alula, how could I ever dream of saving Sayuri?

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, it's finally proofread now, after like three times of the site glitching and getting rid of all of my sexy corrections! XD;; Now I get to talk about the chapters. XD;;

So, it should be known that Doctor Janeavah is my hero. I seriously look up to her. She's the best character in Forsythia right now, because Janeavah is a freaking gangster. Forget the fact that she's hydrophobic; she does things other people don't expect and would be scared shitless to do! XD;; How many people stand up to Kohana and chide her out and vehemently curse her out while keeping the same gameface through the entire thing? How many people stick their fingers in Kohana's face and live to tell the tale? XD;;; Yeah, I thought so. Janeavah's so badass that Kohana can't even get mad at the way she is, and finds it extremely admirable. XD;;;

How many people can keep up with Kohana's wit? XD;;;;

I mean, it's pretty obvious that Kohana's a major troll, and she antagonizes the shit out of people just because she can. If she knows something about you that she is well-aware will piss you off, I_ guarantee_ that she'll bring it up, just like she kept bring up Janeavah's hydrophobia. XD;; Kohana's not just an asshole. She's a_ good_ asshole. An amazing asshole. Kohana's scary good at being antagonistic. XD;;; And if you don't believe me, did you see the way she tore a hole into Lucrecia? XD;;;; And Professor Ever? XD;; And the Summoners last chapter? XD;; She pisses people off just because, and she manipulates and... God. XD;;

So for Janeavah to be able to keep up with Kohana's sarcasm... XD;;; And then Janeavah's such a gangster, she just goes right and and walks towards Tori like, "You bastards wouldn't dare shoot me."

People are taken aback by Janeavah's brash nature, because she does stuff that other people don't expect she'd... Do. XD;; Hell! Kohana's afraid of Janeavah, just_ because_ she doesn't know what Janeavah's capable of. XD; Kohana's scared of Lady Kaelyn because she's the Holy Maiden. She's a little bit cautious around Janeavah because... Well. There's no solid reason. Doctor Janeavah doesn't have Holy magic.

These people _know_ that. XD;;

Just my two cents. And Janeavah and Kohana's banter is hilarious. I swear, I'm going to like these two together SO much. XD;;; I recoment that you guys keep tabs on Janeavah's nature. This is what makes her fit to be the leader of the NWO. The leader of ANYTHING. XD;;;

The leader qualities she displays are... Well. There hasn't been anyone else in CCFA that acts quite like her. XD;;

Okay. I'm done fangirling. XD;


	78. Antidisestablishmentarianism

**A/N:** Okay, so I had to cut this chapter in half. XD;; I didn't want you to read a super long chapter. Because I had to cut it in half, I pushed the flashback I wrote for this chapter to next chapter, and posted an "old" one on this one, so I wrote this flashback like last year. Yep, it's that critical. XD;; Actually, this is the last piece to the whole "Isleen has gone complete and utter batshit" line of flashbacks, so yeah. XD;;

These things are never in order, I swear. So while you all may know what happened to Isleen, here is some nice meat for the skeleton. XD;; *shot* This chapter features Doctor Janeavah narrating, some foreshadowing, and some new characters being introduced and all. XD;; Don't sleep on it!

I know for a FACT I didn't post up this flashback, but if you think you read it before, please tell me. XD;; If I did, I would have posted it in the chapter 60 alpha slice, and I don't see it, so maybe I'm just tweaking... XD;

* * *

The Summoners are absolutely exhausted.

They can barely stand, but they're still trudging on...

Still following their leader, the Summoner of Time. But Sayuri can see it! The bright light! It's still shining brightly in front of them. Sayuri struggles to walk towards it and can hear the others' sighs and groans. Yes, she knows this is hard, but they just have to believe in her! "It's just.. A little... Further people. Just... A little... Further..." Sayuri takes three desperate steps forward, leaving her party behind.

They all stop and Jessica looks up, holding her arm. "It's no good, Sayuri. N-none of us can see anything." Sayuri turns around and looks at Jessica, confused. "Whatever this light is," she says, breathing heavy. "We're not seeing it."

"What?" Sayuri utters, turning around in desperation. "Just look, right over there!" She points in the direction of the light, her emerald eyes widening. "It's faint, but it's shining." She nods her head, needing to reassure herself of the light's presence. She's not going crazy, is she? Please don't say she's going crazy... Not when the entire universe needs saving again... But then, in an instance, the light disappears, making Sayuri drop her arm. "Huh? N-no. It was... It was just...!" Jessica falls on her knees, looking completely defeated.

"There's... Just... No way out, is there?" Jessica asks, forlorn. Everyone else collapses on their knees as well, even Leyiko. Sayuri hears the sound of her team dropping on the floor and balls up her fists, looking down at the ground and seething.

"Gah! I won't... I won't die here!" Sayuri exclaims through clenched teeth while balling up her fists. "Not in a place like this!"

"This would seem to be the end," a voice echoes. Sayuri looks up, absolutely enraged.

"Isleen?"

"Sayuri, you're the last to remain. It is not too late. Accept the new world. If you shall but accept, your pain shall disappear. You shall yet exist as a component of the new universe. This universe that casts such a dark shadow over memories shall cease to be. Come, Sayuri." Sayuri doesn't know what to say. She tries to envision words, but even those don't show up in her head. She groans from all the pain that she feels and stumbles a bit and then she folds her arms. A smile creeps up on her lips and she swears that she's not having another one of her sadistic, masochistic moments. This is a chuckle—the first real, unadulterated laugh she's produced in a long time.

"Why do you laugh?" Isleen demands. Sayuri rolls her head and sighs, smiling still.

"I'm not laughing at you, Isleen," she says in a soft voice, one that Isleen remembers so well.

"I told you not to use that name!"

"I was... Laughing at myself. I may have given you a pretty good talking to earlier, but what you said? Well, it almost got to me. The things that I can never forget... The things I want to forget... What if it could all be erased? Wiped clean? There are times where I want that. But... That's just not right."

"What is not right?"

Sayuri inhales, closing her eyes and opening them again. "Even if we fail, we can better ourselves so we don't fail again. We're faced with so much pain... Heartache... And sorrow. But we can toughen our hearts so that we can bare it." Sayuri stands up straight, touching her chest. "That's how we managed to overcome it all. We can clear a path forward on our own. And at the end of that path... That's when we can find true evolution."

"But people are not merely so wise. They will continue to make their foolish mistakes. You know it is true, but still will not except my new universe...!"

"No. I won't. It's the one thing I'm not going to let go of." Sayuri pauses, taking a few steps forward. "Isleen. I don't believe evolution is real unless it is guided by the heart. I know just how precious one's own path is. Carved out by one's on hand. Walked one step at a time. I've met so many people... So many friends." Sayuri looks back at her team, looking closely at them one by one. "Sometimes they broke my heart... And sometimes they've enriched it. Held me up. Encouraged me to keep moving forward." She turns back around, smiling. "Isleen... You're one of those people!"

"Never... _Never utter that name again!"_ Isleen shrieks.

"Isleen..."

"I've had_ enough _of your nonsense. Sayuri! _You can't get out of there anyway!"_ Isleen roars in a fit of hysterics.

"No, I can," Sayuri says, her smile getting wider. "Because I finally understand. I know exactly what that light is." Sayuri looks up and sees the white, gleaming light. She reaches out towards it with a smile on her face. The diamond symbol on the edge of her corset starts to glow and the light gets bright and brighter... Sayuri feels so warm, and the light is getting bigger. And soon the light engulfs her, leaving her in this bright, white empty space. Sayuri blinks, her hand still outstretched. She puts her hand down to her side and sees images of people standing in front of her. Princess Renata nods at Sayuri, clapping her hands together and smiling.

Once Princess Renata disappears, Lady Kaelyn shows up, nodding her head at the Summoner of Time before vanishing as well. Following Lady Kaelyn is Bianca, jumping up and down happily at the sight of Sayuri. More and more people flash in front of Sayuri's eyes before she sees Isleen in her normal form, walking towards Sayuri. The purple-haired girl gives Isleen a half-smile, and Isleen does the same. After that, Isleen walks behind her and pushes her forward, imploring her to walk into the light.

The light fades, and Sayuri finds her self standing on a platform along with her friends. Sayuri takes a few steps forward, unsheathing her katana and pointing it towards Isleen. Jessica stands up straight, feeling like a traitor. How dare she just give up like that... Like she didn't believe in her leader's words! "I'm so sorry Sayuri, we didn't..." Sayuri turns around, looking at her teammates.

"Its all right. I always believed in you."

"Why?" Isleen questions, distraught. "How is it that you stand before me? Why do you point your blade at me again? How did you manage to return?" Sayuri closes her eyes, nodding her head.

"I saw... The light."

"A light you say...?"

"A small fleeting light that seemed like it could go out at any moment."

"A-a—"

"Such a kind one," Sayuri remarks, her eyes softening. Isleen is repulsed by Sayuri's facial expression, and her former leader's beauty is so overwhelming.. In a fit of rage Isleen covers her face with her hand, trying to take a step back but bumping into her throne.

Isleen momentarily _loses _her mind.

"Stop!_ Stop! _Do not look at me that way!"

"That light... It guided me and held me up." Sayuri takes another step towards Isleen. "I'm glad Isleen. I'm glad that your own light is still there."

Isleen completely and utterly freaks out, her eyes constricting. "Isleen is... Isleen is..._ Isleen is gone! ISLEEN IS NOWHERE!"_ The former Summoner shakes her head spastically, looking down at the ground.

"Isleen..."

"_SILENCE!"_ Isleen shrieks. "H-how... How dare you address me by that... By that weakling's name!"

"We'll say it again and again and again! Isleen, Isleen, Isleen, Isleen, Isleen Isleen...!" Nina shouts, stomping her foot on the ground. And Isleen twitches every time her name is said.

"Stop! Stop! _Please,_ please...! _Please STOP!"_ Isleen shouts, gripping her head. "I am... We are...! Isleen... is not... IS NOT...! _Finally we have the power we craved!"_ The pillars of light turn in towards Isleen, hitting her with some sort of blue light. Nina waves her arms around, bending over a bit.

"Isleen! Isleen get away from there! Quick!"

"The power to save all! Evolution to conquer nationality! A universe in which all shall be happy!" Sayuri watches her friend turn to madness as a power source and she frowns, putting her hand out.

"Isleen, you..."

"With that power I will... We will...! I will! I must!" Sayuri steps back, noticing that she can hear Isleen's voice again. "Protect...!_ DESTROY!" _And the purple-haired girl watches her friend transform in front of her—she watches as Isleen's armor changes into something heavenly, and gazes at Isleen's new wings. It's a scene that both scares her and mystifies her. Is this what they have to fight now? Why does Isleen look so strong...? And the former Summoner's screams of pain from the apparent new power she's receiving doesn't help Sayuri's conscious either. The wolf-girl calms down, her mask fixing. Now she can only see Isleen's red eye. "I shall see to it that I create a universe... A perfect universe of mass harmony."

"Isleen!" Sayuri shouts, her grip tightening on her katana.

"My power shall never be exhausted. As long as the strength of my desire and will are in me."

"Isleen, you were just too kind. Kinder than anyone," Sayuri says, nodding her head. "That's why you ended up dying. You saved me." Sayuri pauses for a moment, hoping for a response. When she doesn't get one, she nods her head. "But your kindness was too much for this universe. I'm going to stop you!" Sayuri shouts, pointing her sword at the towering, armored angel in front of her. "As your friend, I'm going to stop you!"

"I see. Very well. Prove yourself to me, Sayuri Outtaike!" Isleen bellows, which makes Sayuri swing her katana around, getting into a fighting position.

"Here I am, Isleen!"

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Eight: Antidisestablishmentarianism :-**

_Heaven will, burn to the fucking ground_  
_Your world will crumble, and fall from the skies_  
_Blood will spill, and rain upon the earth_  
_Your reign is over, and I'll wear your crown_

_Bow down before me  
I will never bow to he who claims to be divine  
I'll tear down your gates with my bare fucking hands  
And burn the world that you rule over  
No matter how convinced you are, you're not a god of mine  
You're not a fucking god of mine  
_

— "Morte Et Dabo" — Asking Alexandria

Tori is a complete character. Jesus Christ, you'd think if she wanted to stop us from getting deeper into the Church she would have by now. That bird face chick is an outright disgrace to the Church, and I'll have too much fun bringing down everything they stand for. You can believe that, Jack. I just can't get over how smitten and defenseless she looked for that one split second... And that Kohana nutbar took complete advantage over that. Wow. Never take an enemy that can read you so easily lightly. Grape Fruit Face may be a complete and total asshole, but I'll be damned if I will sit here and say that she sucks. No way. That's not me. Guaranteed I'll tell someone to their face that they need to wipe their mouth off because they've got bits of bullshit left on their lips, but I have to give credit where credit is due.

I don't find it particularly scary that Tori has this stalkerish obsession with Kohana. You'll find that most things don't bother me. You're an avid drug addict? Smoke every kind of paraphernalia there is? Shoot up in the bathroom? Good for you. You like to eat babies in the name of the Archfiend? Delicious, huh? You want to join the now but you have this enormous foot fetish? Huh, there's not enough fetishes in the now. It just doesn't bother me. I don't want the glow, I want the glo_ry_. Where have our people gotten judging other people for what they like and what they find happiness in? Jeez, people around here are so quick to judge! But the fact of the matter is, a person who seems so bad at what they do may have just as well worked their butt off trying to get over obstacles to each even that level. I hate that. Just don't come to me with that crap. I'm already pissed off as it is.

One of my best scientists is probably the most insane person in the land of Forsythia. And? She's an amazing person. I wish she was here right now, but she never wears shoes, so I guess she might catch some kind of leechy thing or something. I don't know. Rambling now, sorry. Anyway, I closed my eyes and exhaled smoothly, putting my arms behind my head. I felt so calm. So at home. I didn't hear the sound of slaughter and gunshots or Shiva tormenting Tori... Boooy, let me tell you. Tori taking on an Aeon? Heh. Good luck. She's probably getting decimated right now. Come on. It's Shiva. Last time Shiva came here, she went on this weird leg-collecting spree. Damn right I researched the hell out of her. It was the first time I had seen the ice Aeon before. Ever. I felt so awesome. I glanced over my shoulder and opened one of my eyes. The Summoners were gone, and so was Kohana. Huh. That explains why I didn't hear that asshole.

Because that's all she is.

An asshole.

I tried to get Lady Kaelyn to agree with me, but she doesn't see it. I mean Lady Kaelyn was being tormented by Kohana for a long time. You'd think she'd want to snap Kohana's neck in half. Oh well. I yawned, covering my mouth with my clawed fingers. Argh, too much stuff in one day. Indeed, meeting the Summoners and the Wickedness in such a small time frame would confuse the holy hell out of a normal person. I'm not a normal person. I'm Janeavah Deirdre. Or Doctor Janeavah. Whatever you want to call me. I'm not adverse to 'Doc' either. Maybe I should tote around a huge orange carrot and give myself an overbite for the day. That'd be fun. I put my hands in the pockets of my long-sleeved, tight labcoat, my yellow tie swaying in the wind as if I was in a Hollywood movie. You know. One of those expensive things.

I gave the guards in front of me a stare.

That's it.

A blank stare.

I didn't stop, and I didn't give them any lip. They gave me an Archfiend salute (stupid bastards, I'm not the Archfiend, so don't salute to me) and I didn't respond to that. My tails gave them an instinctive goodbye hand wave (tail wave?) and I slowed my footsteps, looking at all of the paintings on the wall. The guards started following me—not out of suspicion. So stupid. One of them was a woman. She looks kind of nervous. Like she's never seen a Felinefolk before. I twitched one of my ears and she flinched. Big time. The crazy thing about this girl was that she definitely did not have the body to match her personality. She was statuesque and curvy—plump in all the right places, but not fat. Never fat. At least she didn't look like a stick. Most of the Church's female soldiers look deprived of food, if you ask me. But she was well-fed, and had a nice color to her face.

The only thing that threw me off was that she was trembling at the sight of me. Aww. There's nothing to be scared of, honestly. I only bite when I'm irritated. The busty fox Forsythian finally brought her gaze to me and I got to see her face more clearly. She was a leggy person and had beautifully layered hair. Extremely complex design, I tell you. As a whole, her hair tumbled down her back in lustrous, pale-brown curls, but the top portion of her hair that came to... I dunno... About her shoulder? It was macaroni 'n cheese-colored and perfectly straight. A blind man could see that this woman cared enough about her appearance. There's no way she should have been this shy. Underneath that Church uniform, she was probably wearing something scantily-clad.

Her eyes were pale too—pale amber.

I knew I kept hearing something bang against the floor, and it was the sound of that woman swirling her armored, long tail across the ground.

The other guy? Not important.

He looked more experienced than the fox girl, I'll tell you that.

I stopped in front of a picture that interested me. It was of some old guy. Big and colorful. Boom. Imagination is a wonderful thing. Explaining stuff is a waste of my time sometimes, I swear. Impatiently (but not impolite) I unfolded my arms and lifted my hand up to the portrait. It was one of a good friend. "Can someone tell me who that is?" I asked like a monotonous college professor would. Oh dear God, that. And then the guy waits for an answer and no one has anything to say because he's killed them all with his incessant talking. ...Except I'm not boring. The guy gives me an incredulous look, but the girl. Oh, the girl...

"That's um-"

"Your name?" I pressed, quirking a brow and snorting. "It's rude not to introduce yourself to others. I," I said, touching my chest with my fingertips. "Am Janeavah." I paused to see if my name rang any bells. This guy was too focused on how I looked to pay attention to what I just said. He was weary of me, which is good, but not the right kind of weary. Probably the smartest goon here, but so stupid. "Doctor Janeavah. I'm going to take you on a tour of the Church."

I adjusted my glasses with a push of my index-finger. Now here's where the confusion comes in.

Excellent.

"My name is Chell!" The fox Forsythian blurts out, but it isn't long before the airhead guy intervenes.

"You?" An indigent finger point. A scowl. "A visitor like you? Put us on a tour? That's insulting, we work here, Chell, be quiet—!" Chell was quite the interesting girl. She wore three glowing bangles no her arms. I wonder... The technology looked familiar.

Wait.

Chell.

An uneven grin made its way on my face like a ripple in the water.

Chell, I love you. I really do. Never stop being beautiful. I parted my lips and lifted her chin up and gave her a quick, fond little smirk. "I forgot how much you make me happy, Chell. Still gorgeous I see," I acquiesce, tilting her head to the side as if I'm examining her. Really I am. Her skin is still smooth and full of color, and her rosy lips are still plum. What a pretty woman. A perfect woman. She blushed under my fingertips from the sheer embarrassment.

"Oh Doctor," she sighed, touching her cheeks and swaying from side to side. Ha. The guy looked so confused right now. His eyes were the size of watermelons. Oh, he doesn't understand our love.

"Ophiouchos the Third, imperial guard of the Church. 180,233 AD Agathangelos." Now I was bored again and I snapped my hand back at the painting. It shook off the wall too at the pressure. "Bought the Church into power again and used to rule Forsythia. Most Church twats thought it was a democratic system, but no. It was a looney religious sect dictatorship." I turned on my heels, putting my hand out and sighing like I was really tired. "Lord Ophiouchos," I mocked, sticking my tongue out and crossing my eyes. The guy in front of us was furious.

Just the way I like 'em.

"He got his head bisected. _By a bear._"I let out a yawn, leaning on the painting of the pompous-ass world leader. Ha. Bitch. "Tell me, how does one get bisected by a bear? Get this, this is an amazing joke."

A pause. For the good ol' punchline. "In the name of the Archfiend, of course! Bum dum tish." My sarcasmn hurts me sometimes too. I love it. Chell clapped her her hands together. She just can't _take me, _you guys. I'm just too much. Too much, too much, too much. She's going to fall over and die at this point.

"Ah, Doctor, tell me more...!"

"Dumb, dumb bitch." I scowled, finishing my last line. Clever, no? "You can't just force a bear into faith. A bear Forsythian? Maybe. Yeep, Ophiouchos the Third and I are best friends now. We spend practically every day together." It's true. On special occasions, I frolic in the garden with him. I even give him a few kisses. Ah, that just made me feel better. I closed my eyes and bent back a bit. "I'm dissecting his tiny brain back at the NWO Chell. I leaned into her in the middle of purring, my voice deep and husky. I held both of my hands together, invading her personal space. "Would you like to come with me?" The girl didn't hesitate. She jumped into my arms and put hers around my neck, grinning at me from ear to ear.

Good ol' Chell. She makes me laugh. Really and truly, she's the love of my life. Her armor scrapped against my leg, but it didn't really hurt. She gazed at me with sparkling amber eyes—they shy meek girl. I even got a peak at her adorable little fangs. So pretty, this girl, and she's all mine.

I mean it.

My property.

The NWO will have nothing but the best. This guy is starting at us like we've lost our minds. Perhaps. The dark-skinned Forsythian male took a step back, unsure if he should be mad or confused. Hell, I just saw the guy through my peripheral vision. I was too busy staring at Chell, and she was doing the same to me. Ah, a true-love's staring contest. This was starting to make my stomach and teeth hurt. I wish she would just stop being so sweet to me. The guy furrowed his eyebrows, his grip tightening on the sphere he was holding.

Oh.

Wait.

I meant spear. Well, I mean, it's nothing compared to my weapon designs, so it might as well be a circular being.

Shape.

Thing.

Ah, the life of an attractive geometric shape. This was starting to become an eventful day.

"Chell, is that your lover?" No, I'm just a yellow chair she decided to jump into. I'm a sentient being with squeak toy breast implants. Squeeze them and you'll hear the sound of quacking. I'm one hundred percent honest, you guys.

I'm quick to respond. "Nah," I murmur, looking at him for the first time in five minutes. "I'm her boss."

"My _favorite_ boss," she adds with a quirkly giggle. Quirkly. That's one of my new words now. I set Chell on the ground and straightened out my coat, inserting my hands into my pockets. The guy is really stupid that I don't think he'll be able to understand anything I say.

"Say, Chell," I ask, gazing at the beautiful embroidery on the walls. "I'm looking for a little girl named Alula." As soon as I said the name, Chell's mouth formed into an 'o' and her eyes widened.

"You mean the Wicked Spawn that came in and attacked Lysimachus and Genevieve?" I don't think words can describe how much I love Chell. She tells me thing I didn't know before. Kohana never told me Alula exasperated her capture. Good for her. She killed Hyborists. That's gangster in my eyes. She's more ballsy than Kohana, and I swear that woman is a man in disguise. She _must_ be. She looks like one too. ... Ah, the student surpassing the master. I love it. Chell gave me one of her regular stares before she went back to ditsy Chell. Lysimachus... I wonder what he was doing right now, seeing as how this is his Church being infiltrated.

I stared into space and then I looked at her. She knew who I was thinking about, that's why her smile got wider. Chell thinks I have a crush on every man I meet for some reason. Women. I tell you... They can be extremely jealous. I glanced at the guy. Yeah. We'd do something about him later. I examined my nails, extremely bored with myself. "I met the Wickedness the other day," I said casually, checking my cuticles still. This guy is losing it. "She's very eccentric. I take that back. Why am I lying? She's an outright asshole who blames her shortcomings on everyone else. She's just weird," I admit, having a hard time getting that word out. "She's the one who dragged me into this. If you see a pink-haired Forsythian woman with blue eyes, a blue outfit that consists of this shirt thing and a mini skirt and a blue puffy tail and tattoos on the right side of her face, bingo. Tell her you're with me. Do it fast; she's killing people left and right that's wearing a uniform. Ah, fuck it, she's prolly killing anything that moves."

I narrowed my eyes, walking forward without a care in the world.

But then I stopped and looked at her again. "Chell. Be careful, okay?" My mouth got dry. Any drier and I'd set myself on fire trying to talk.

"There goes the Doctor," she muses, letting my name roll seductively off her tongue. That's just how she talks. It's really strange sometimes, but hey, you learn to get used to the fact that Chell sounds like she's flirting with the entirety of the generally population. Women, men, children, little babies, old people... the last one gets funny REAL quick. "So sentimental. That's what I like about you." She gave me a wink and I glared at her.

"You're a scientist, not a kiss-ass. Act like it, Chelly."

"Then, if I may, what are the requirements for kissing your ass?"

Huh. I started walking forward, waving my hand out with a grin on my face. "I only work on Saturdays from two to eight, though sometimes I'm free on Mondays in the office. Drop by sometime if you're bored of the life of a Church cunt. It's about three hundred an hour, though." My voice lost all traces of joking and 'ha-ha-hee-ha-ha' as I looked at Chell through the corner of my eyes. "Do something about lumpy head over there, will you? Good girl." The thing I like about Chell is that she knows how to take an order. She never hesitates. I kept walking forward, watching the shadows pretty much be sucked from in front of me and towards those two. The shadows of podiums, plants, food, pillars, and my shadow?

Gone.

I heard the guy scream. A man should never be able to scream louder than a female woman, but I guess he was one of those special cases where he's a she trapped in a man's body. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it was very amusing. He sounded like someone was intentionally ripping out his insides and choking him with them. He. Was. Loud. And sobbing. Shrieking cries of help and total despair rang strong behind me, like bells. It's really a shame how he's going out.

Suddenly, as if all the sound in the hallway had been sucked by an empty space vertex, there's silence. I could get used to this.

I looked behind me. Took note on how there wasn't a blood stain in sight. No dirt. No sign of a struggle. And my shadow? Standing behind me, obediently. Cool. Playfully, I turned on my heels and did one of those stupid Archfiend salute things. I trust she learned how to do one well. "Long live the Archfiend," I muttered, walking lackadaisically. "Long live stupid cunts."

Badass moment aside, I felt pretty good about myself.

Chell was gone along with the guy. You know what we call her back at the NWO? We all have wacky nicknames. Her real name is Chelly, but we call her Chell, but other people call her Jelly, and most people call her Shadowfox. For obvious reasons. Way to go Chell. I looked at the ground again just 'cause and my shadow blew me an affectionate kiss before it stood behind me straight again.

"Funny Chell," I said, looking straight ahead. "Very funny."

After that, I felt her presence disappear. She's the perfect ninja.

Off that tangent. I got serious about my job. This place was still beautiful, surprisingly. There's chandeliers hanging on the ceilings and the paints are so vivid. Stupid, but vivid. For some reason, I felt calm here. So, anyway, I was probably here walking for about half an hour. This Church had way too many hallways, for sure. I was so mad that I quirked my nose and put my arms behind my head, closing my eyes. "You know what Mahlon?" I said, scowling. "You should be carrying me to go find Alula or whatever her name is. You're overall useless, you know. I wish you would man-up and start doing some fighting, you soft and squishy, weak, tin-metal metal-ass cyborg walking refrigerator... Argh!" I cringed, flexing my fingers and twitching. My eyes, my arms... Everything. "Why aren't you intimidating enough? You're too soft! Mahlon, this is a team effort. Now I'll admit that sometimes I come off as a bitch, but there's no 'I' in team."

I nodded. He should have been able to understand that much.

"But there's a 'u' in cunt!" When Kohana stepped up and tried to hit me with that Arcana magic, he should have been on it. I slapped the back of my palm in my freehand several times, frowning. "I built you with the capabilities, I know you can do it. I uh—Mahlon? Why aren't you saying anything...?" I turned around, and guess what?

He wasn't there.

The whole time!

I can't believe I... I was so confused that I didn't even go back for him. What the hell happened to Mahlon? I hope he didn't hurt himself. I stared behind me, scowling. You know what? If Mahlon wanted to forget me, then hey, his loss. I wasn't going to stress on that big hunk of shiny metal ass refusing to be with me. Wah, wah, it's not like we were married or anything. Which would be very awkward, considering he's 7'6" tall. And weighs about a ton. Pun aside, I'm serious. I weigh him frequently, hoping that eventually he'll slim down. I even put his hulking ass on a slimming serum and he still slams down stuff like cheeseburgers and shit. I guess I can't blame him. I did give him a pseudo-digestive tract last year. Still, that's hardly an excuse. The creation always abides to the creator. If Mahlon wants to get back to his supposed weight of two-twenty, he better start shaping up!

I threw my arms in the air turned back around, and yeah I was grinning, but I didn't care about Mahlon disappearing. "Whatever!" I shouted, continuing to walk down the hallway.

I didn't say another word about it.

Looking back at the church... Man has this place changed, but a bunch of it has stayed the absolute same. This place is still gorgeous. Beautiful. Sporting the crimson and orange hues streaking across the Archfiend flag. I wonder why they chose those particular colors... Everything in the end traces back to science, and red and oranges have been known to instill fear and caution.

It's Janeavah trivia time!

Okay, so red intensifies our physical reactions, because seeing red causes people to react faster and more forcefully. No surprise there. Our bodies react to red, a culturally ingrained signal of danger. The reaction doesn't last long, and people aren't aware of it, but it's there. Red makes men more desirable to women, and I guess—if you're into that kind of stuff—it can make women desirable to other women as well. Men in red are more attracted, more powerful, and more sexually desirable to women for whatever reason. Men also find women dressed in red to be more attractive, so really, the color suggests "sexual receptivity". Red is the color of winners! A NWO finding showed that wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning. The effect is very subtle, though, so it may only factor in when evenly matched competitors face off.

What's that?

Not wearing red?

No problem, reader, it's not the end of the world. _But._ Seeing even a tiny trace of red on an exam can affect a test-taker's performance to a significant degree. Perhaps it's because instructors use red ink to mark errors and people associate the color with mistakes and failures and in turn, they do poorly on the test in front of them.

Ack, long ramble. Moving on! Red and orange are perfect colors for a religious sect, right? Everything's so quiet! At least, my part of the building. The soldiers are probably tailing Kohana's ass. She's such a forceful woman, but I know for a fact that she can fight her way through anything, and as long as they're not fighting me I'm okay. I was minding my own business when I saw this random gourmet plate platter right next to the wall. Hyborists love to splurge. A lot. The Church is laced with lots of stuff. You wouldn't believe it, but it's true. The platter is even flashy; it's made out of pure platinum. Isn't that super cool? I flicked it and it made the most pretty sound. Ah, music to my sarcastic, cat ears. How lovely. I've always wanted to build Mahlon out of platinum when I was a kid. It's just a kid's dream now. Building him out of platinum would make him several hundred pounds heavier. That's something I hadn't counted on when I was a kid.

Heh.

Weight problems.

I once asked Mahlon how he felt about being overweight. You know, with the toothy grin and all. He looked at me with those lignite-colored eyes and said that it was merely more of him for me to love. That huge dickhead. It's crazy. What he said was a crazy attempt at a joke. Hellow, you're not a damn Care Bear. Shut up, Mahlon, jeez. What are those things? Care Bear belly badges? Cutie marks? Hell if I know. If I ever give him a super ridiculous Care Bear name, he shall be called Love Machine. I think it's cute. Don't you? Cheyeah. He'd love it. And his symbol or whatever'll be his fat, lard ASS.

Calm down Janeavah. You're on a stealth mission.

Visitors are happy fun times.

I am a happy fun time.

Huzzah.

I moved my arms up the platinum pole, gliding my yellow, sharp clawed fingers towards the direction of the food on top. Let's see. Marshmallows, chocolate dip, strawberries, fresh deer meat on a stick, and then there's_ freshly strained Church prisoner blood shots on the side_. Oh wow. Though I'm impartial to Felinefolk blood. It's very tasty, so I take a cup and throw it over my shoulder, watching it stain the carpet in a very literal way through my very critical eye. Let's be honest. Drinking the blood of others as if we're vampires isn't usual here in Forsythia. I can't believe they're just leaving it out like this so kids can get to it. Felinefolk blood has been proven to make the drinker have an extra defense against physical harm. It's very cool, but I'm not into downing my brother's lymphatic liquids. Still, the fuck, Church? Can you try to be just a little sane? I overlooked the delicious mini sandwiches and then I cocked my glasses down, spotting my one true,_ only _love.

Shall I start speaking the truth and be heard? Look at her, she's so pretty. She's got all the right curves in all the right places. Ripples in her pretty brown, dazzling eyes with her sexy, milky skin so smooth and soft—she tastes just like salt when I eat her. My mouth just starts drooling at the thought and I'm sort of foaming at the mouth. I'd give anything to have my tongue glide over those ridges.

I don't need to ask anyone their permission.

I took a handful of those chips—those wonderful, wonderful chips and stuffed them greedily into my mouth, not really caring for the crumbs on my cheeks. I started chewing like a madman, walking down the hallway wit this slightly amused look on my face. "Mufuuuwaaa," I muttered, tiny bits of potato chips falling out of my mouth. I couldn't help it. Hearing that sharp crunch and being hit with that tasty explosion at the same time... It's a masterpiece of feelings. Still not enough to make me use an exclamation point, though, which is what I find myself good at now-a-days. Right? I didn't even get to finish my chips, because something (or someone) appeared right in front of me.

Surprised my ass.

I just slowed down my chewing and took a slight step back, little bits of crumbs falling off my face. My hair swung back too. I almost immediately knew who this person was. If it wasn't Chelly, it was... I dunno. See, I know when it's too early for me to make an assumption, unlike the rest of the world. When I looked up, it definitely wasn't the person I was expecting, by a long shot. Oh hey, look, it's Ryder. The third assistant to Lysimachus here. And my best, best, best friend. At least, back in the old days. I caught myself in mid-sigh and stood up straight, looking at him like a hawk. So did this mean I was going to have to fight him now? Fine by me. Except he was sorta grinning at me, and I, for the life of me, couldn't understand why.

"Janeavah, you look nice," he said. "Haven't seen you in a long time." My jaw sorta dropped in disgust and I glanced at his blank, lapis lazuli eyes. Yep, there still was nothing inside of him. Ryder can't see jack shit, because Ryder is blind. Standing up straight, I got the creases out of my jacket and shook my head.

"You shouldn't joke like that." Is that the best I could really come up with? Well, in my defense, I was very serious with my answer. But wait, how the hell did he know that he was looking at me? He almost ran into me... Strange. I took two tiny steps back and he grabbed my wrist, still smiling at me. It wasn't a rough grab, or a stern one. He honestly just wanted to talk to me, I'm sure. I flicked him on his head and he made a pained face, which made me feel so... So bad. It's my fault that he can't see, but hey, what's with the long face? It's not like we're fighting or something. "Seriously Ryder, that wasn't funny. It upset me. Hugs, please?" I know he's glad that I still have this amazing humor still. It's kind of hard not to be funny, you know? He goes into the hug, but not eagerly. He does it slowly, as if he's savoring it.

And I just let it happen.

I haven't seen him in years, and this is kind of sad. The next time I see him is when I'm blowing stuff up trying to rescue a Wicked Spawn girl. Cheers to that.

Ryder's really tall, standing at about 6'5", so his shoulder-length, black hair doesn't get in my face, thank God. I don't think I could bare it. No matter what, he always wears his glasses. Even when he's blind. His humor is so much better than mine is, I'll give him that. So, this guy takes his sweet time hugging me, inhaling my scent so he can become somewhat familiar with me. Ryder's one of those special kind of people. You know, like Lysimachus. Lysi there is a wolf breed of a Forsythian. Ryder's a snake breed, and—if he still had his eyesight—you'd be able to tell right away from the (nonexistent) slits in his eyes. It's okay now, I think. I mean, he insists he's okay, but I could... I could... I shake my head as a mental punishment for me caring so much.

And then I touch his face to get a good look at him. It's not like he can see how hard I'm studying him right now. Maybe it's just morbid curiosity, but I want to see how much he's changed. And then somewhow he looks down at me again, prying my hands off his face and grinning. He's a really good guy, honest. No idea why he's still working with the Church. He hates them almost as much as I do.

"I think we like to complicate things when really it's simple," he said. My eyes widened, because if there's one thing I remember Ryder telling me before I left— "Find what it is that makes you happy, and who it is that makes you happy and you're set. Promise."—it's that. And now he's telling me again. I did find what made me happy. Science. And hanging out with people that actually understand me and why this whole Archfiend business is terrible. Ryder should be one of those people. Oh well, I won't pressure him about joining my side. He can do whatever he wants. "So why did you come here, Janeavah?"

"It's simple really," I interjected, swinging my arm out. "I'm only here because I came to rescue someone." I paused. I didn't really want to seem like an elitist asshole. I clapped my hands together and gave him a real smile, the first one I've revealed all day. Honestly, I have such a lovely smile. Too bad he can't see it, and it's all my fault. "Would you happen to know where this Alula girl is?" He touched his chin and thought about it for a second, nodding his head as if he had all the answers.

"The girl that Tori was tending to a while ago before you all came?" Oh. So Tori did get to her after all? Kohana's not going to like that, I see. "She's awfully small and innocent to have killed all of those people guarding the coordinators..." But you can't see! Stop acting like you can see Ryder, dammit, you are _BLIND. _I started hyperventilating and he looked at me sideways. Err. Yeah. He can hear that, at least. I stopped and took a few steps forward, looking down the hall. Damn the Church and their many hallways. "Oh yes, I know where she is."

"Can you tell me? Pleaseeee?" I even gave him the kissy-face in one of those annoying, irritated little girl voices. At first he had to think about it.

"I don't know, J..."

"Pretty please, Ryder? I love you, remember that." In the friend way, of course. He knew that. "I'm kind of in a hurry, so if you'd hurry up and give me all the information, that'd be great." I am such a nervous wreck when it comes to this man. The fact of the matter is that I'm not a very worry-wart person. I don't get scared, I'm not grossed out like normal people are, and I don't clam up. Not because I don't feel emotions, but... I don't know. It's extremely hard to keep face because that is the man I gave my everything to. I have no idea how I can put that in simpler terms.

When I say everything, I mean _everything. _

Yes, it's okay to think dirty now.

Asshats.

That thought aside, he was pretty complacent with giving me directions. "No idea how you're going to get there, J, but with you I'm sure you'll find it. Last time I checked, that Alula girl was in the observatory." Observatory. Got it. How lucky am I to run into a Church assistant and not have to fight? I smiled, mostly because I forgot who I was. Wait a pretty second. The observatory in this place could look nothing like a proper observatory should. Groan, man. I stopped, turned around, and looked at him with my head cocked back. "Don't get hurt now. I hold you find your friend soon!" And he waved at me.

It's official.

I'm too tired to read this man correctly.

For sure, I was going to be out of this hallway and away from this man, but something shot right past me. In the three seconds I saw it with my heightened Felinefolk eyes, it looked like some kind of grey liquid. But when it hit the wall, it formed into a giant, grey brick, put a gigantic whole in it, and some of the foundation started coming down. So my initial reaction is that this better be Kohana missing some kind of nutbar special attack or something and almost killing me accidentally. Heh. I cracked a slight smirk and turned slowly to my left, spotting some squirrel chick holding this cane in the air.

And she's walking towards both Ryder and I, hailing from the western hallway that connects with this one. Fabulous. This chick walks with a permanent, sexy switch in her step, her squirrel tail swaying from side to side and brushing over everything it can possibly reach. The plants, the vases, the pictures on the wall. She's only got eyes for me. I feel so special right now. I'm bleeding special, guys. This oh-so sophisticated, all-black-wearing, prissy black-glove wearing... Dress-trenchcoat thing... Chick stops in front of me, whips out her can and holds it by her side, giving me one of those looks.

"Doctor Janeavah!" she announces with so much pride it can knock an elephant out cold. She's smiling at me. Studying me. But mostly smiling at me. And she doesn't stop smiling at me. I think she's going to keep this up all day. I still haven't gotten over the fact that this petite, busty asshole just tried to blow my freaking head off with whatever magic she just pulled. I'm so taken back that I stumble backwards a bit out of my murderous rage. The Doctor isn't really happy now. "Welcome to the Church of Hyboria," she greets, throwing both of her lithe hands up and inhaling the air around her. Like she owns it. "Fancy meeting you, of all people, here."

That damn squirrel _brat._

I keep my cool, like I always do. I even turned around on my heels and put my hands in my pockets. Remember that you never lose your cool, Janeavah. "I see. And you are?" Now she's giving me an Archfiend salute. Can you all tell how much I hate that silly salute? And she's still smiling at me. How creepy. "You know, it's rude to say something to a person and not introduce yourself."

"Silly git," she spat, holding her cane with both of her hands. "I only know you because you're a blister in the Church's side." Ooh, resentment. How nice. "You should know my name if you're the one who created a bloody resistance organization against us." She's forgetting the fact that she knows who I am already because when I was still with the Church, she was one of my friends. Oh, of course she's not going to bring that up. When I left this place, I cut ties and severed friendships. Caused a lot of people to die. And I don't regret it. It's probably why so many people hate me here. Because they figure I just betrayed them. I can't lie. I did. So? I did it to create a bigger and better Forsythia. We'll never get _anywhere _praising an Archfiend, and they know it, deep down inside.

At least, underneath all of that batshit, I can only hope that they do.

"Really?" I deadpan, touching my face and pulling on it out of boredom. Then I lightened up, giving her a little bit of my fang. "I hear about shit and see it everyday—didn't necessarily make it right to call you by your natural name unless you knew mine first. But judging by that smell you came in here with, you're already aware that I know your name, right, Shit?" Ouch, she didn't like that one, but I loved it. Ryder chuckled, and she glanced at him, huffing.

"Ryyder! That wasn't funny, you idiot!"

"Oh shush Genevieve," I intervened, waving my hand out. "It was a joke. That's what you're supposed to do when you hear a funny joke." Now it was time to get serious. I looked the the part. "Anyway, what the hell did you almost hit me with?" A pause. A smirk. "Heh. I knew sneaking in here was way too easy. Just my luck to not only run into one assistant, but_ two_." One of which is too in love with me to fight me. Life loves me right now. I pushed up my glasses, licking my top row of teeth. "Bet you won't try that again." But am I not ready to fight. Jeez. Irritated, I got into a fighting stance and swung my arm out, my tails waving around accordingly. "This is such a pain. _You're_ such a pain."

"Pish-posh, Janeavah. So you met all three of us today. It looks like I'm the only one who is going to step up to the plate and do my job." She flipped her hair, and then after that she looked... Very sad. Her deep purple eyes softened and that actually took me by surprise. Are these people in this Church... Are they just playing with my emotions? Taken advantage of the fact that I'm super sentimental? Are they even really still my friends? I tried to look at Ryder, but he disappeared somewhere. Honest to God he scares me sometimes. "Why did you leave, Janeavah?" she asked in a very low voice. I could have sworn she was whispering. Her hair was covering the upper half of her face... Her long, brown hair. I couldn't see her eyes anymore.

I kept my gameface on.

Hands in my pocket.

Swagger still kept in tact.

I wasn't going to let her get to me. "I remember riding on the boat with you and screaming all of our favorite songs together, listening to musical soundtracks... Just sitting there and talking until the windows would get all foggy and we'd start drawing on them... Drawing things like cats chasing dogs, and the faces of boys we had crushes on... I remember drinking pop and eating candy with you long after curfew." She paused. Probably to get a look at me. "I miss it." Those last words crawled out from under her lips. They were forced. Very much so. "Why did you leave? The worst part about that was not knowing why you left!" She screamed that last part out at me, like she was a damn victim. Now I was getting irritated.

Or, maybe I already was.

"You're such a liar," I murmured, taking my hands out of my pockets and watching her slam her cane into the ground. She was going to fight me while I was collecting my thoughts, huh? How fair. "You're such a liar! Tell me the truth. You're such a liar. Do the world a favor, stop cutting your wrists, _and slit your throat—!_" Maybe that was bad. As Genevieve's initiation, she had to keep quiet for about twenty-two hours while people cut her repeatedly with knives. She says she doesn't have scars, but I don't see how that's possible. I was on duty that day. Someone needed to make sure she didn't die. I was that person. I kept her alive, and _this_ is how she treats me?

Fine.

"You'll regret that." Nothing special to that line. It was quick. Sharp. To the point. And suddenly, the ground started to shake. Blocks of... I don't know... The floor started to float in midair? I have no idea what she's capable of. But I know what I am capable of, and I already know I can beat her in two seconds.

"Why do I even try sometimes?" I said, sighing and shaking my head. What does this chick have? The power to levitate things? Sheesh. I don't know. Don't care either. I'm about to go in swinging. "You're breaking my balls, Genevieve, honestly. I'm not afraid of you."

"And that's your problem, you pretentious idiot! You're not afraid of anyone!" Wait, was she crying? "And one day that'll be your downfall! I-I really hope I-I'm there to see it!"

My tragic flaw is that I'm not afraid of anyone?

What the hell, universe?

Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Sheesh, I tell you.

This is a crazy world we live in.

* * *

**A/N:** I actually have no comment. XD;; I guess I'm secretly saving it for the fight next chapter? XD;;;;; I still really do love Janeavaaaah. I hope you guys still do, too. XD;;


	79. In Which The Master Misbehaves

**A/N:** Updating exactly one month from the previous update? Yes. XD;; That's how all we bosses do it. XD;;

I thought that the Janeavah and Genevieve fight wouldn't possibly be long enough to make into a full chapter. I was wrong. XD;; While it still is a very short fight for a chapter, this long flashback makes up for it. ^^ So hooray! I still got a perfectly normal chapter out! XD;; You'll find that in the start of these arcs, there are more shorter chapters. As opposed to the really long chapters towards the middle and climax of the arcs. XD;;

There are many reasons for this. One, I don't like doing new narrators, only because I have to get used to them and grasp who they are as a person. XD;; You guys would _never_ understand. XD;; Anyone know what method acting is? XD;; Method acting is basically a theatre term where a person will create their characters within themselves to portray the thoughts and emotions of said character, to develop lifelike performances. XD;;

I use it to develop lifelike narration.

And now you know my secret. XD;; *shot* Too bad nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about. It's natural. XD;; I've been doing this since I was four. XD;;

Basically I simulate the thoughts and emotions of my characters into myself, so I can become them. That's hard when I've never written them before and have no idea who they are yet, so the first time is the worst time for me. XD;; So chapters might be a little slow coming out. I'm sorry for that. XD;; Enjoy chapter 79! XD;;

* * *

"Let's get this straight right now—Listen, Wickedness, I'm not coming to see you because I l-like you or anything!" the pinkett stutters, talking to herself while walking down a long, empty hallway.

She doesn't exactly know how she ended up in that particular hallway... Of course it probably has something to do with Kohana changing the position of her dream, but that's all irrelevant right now. Atropa's face is flushed due to the intense feeling of embarrassment one gets when they're asking their high school crush to prom. Except, Atropa's only going to see Kohana. For no reason at all. Just because she... Well... _Misses_ her.

She could stomach staying away from her for a day. Even three. A week was pushing it, surely, but an entire month? The strange part is that Kohana didn't even bother to go out looking for her. Usually Kohana's the first one to crack and she starts seeking out Atropa, but Kohana never went out of her way to even check to see if she was okay. Didn't send Alula to see her or send her a letter or... Anything. As much as Atropa shouldn't care about that type of thing (hooray, it's a blessing in disguise that Kohana hasn't drive her up the wall in a whole entire _month_) it's just eating away at her that Kohana just doesn't care anymore. She probably looks a mess right now, but the Deity really doesn't want to be put on Kohana's list of people to ignore. This is stupid. Everything about this is stupid.

So that's why she's going to go and see what Kohana's doing. Showing a slight interest in what the Wickedness has been oh-so preoccupied with over the last few thirty days is sure to get Atropa back in her good graces. Shaking her head, the sea-green eyed woman comes to a stop and gives herself a curt smack on the forehead, gritting her teeth and mumbling some kind of ancient curses under her breath. Cursing in the middle of a random hallway isn't very ladylike, you know. Peaking one eye from inbetween her fingers, she looks ahead, gazing at all of the random doors in front of her. It's not like she's really about to check all of the doors for that... Moron! She's not that desperate for Kohana's attention, is she?

Is she?

Urgh. She sighs, slumping over and violently slapping her arms down on her sides, snarling. Almost to the point where she ends up biting the shit out of her lip. So what if she did? It's not like Kohana cares about how much Atropa's pink, full lips are destroyed. Or any other part of her, for that matter. The flower lady just doesn't care anymore. So what does that mean? Does that mean that Kohana just tossed her aside?

Replaced her with that thing?

_Alula?_

If Atropa ever had a reason to be mad now, Alula's singular existence just punted it out of the window. _Alula._ That name burns her porcelain, smooth skin. It makes her throat burble with pure agony. Every hair—every single particle that makes the pinkett who she is stands up, fueled with nothing but pure, burning hate. Ever since Alula's arrived in the Dream World, she's been nothing but a pain. All she was supposed to do was heal Kohana and go back to whatever little pathetic, damned third world she came from. That's it. That's_** all there was to the plan**_. Those same thoughts were italicized and bolded in her head, because they were just that damn important. The spider appreciator hates it when people make a plan run on far longer than it actually should.

She _hates_ her.

There's no skidding around the fact.

Alula's love for Kohana is tedious. Unnecessary. Almost to the point where Atropa finds herself scoffing at the mere thought of hearing their names used in the same sentence. Alula's ignorant, that's what she is. How dare that monstrosity think that she can understand the premise of 'love'. She knows nothing about it. She can't. That thing—the ugly, creepy, childish abomination can barely talk like she has a brain. That white-haired puff ball can barely hold her own in a conversation. Hell, Alula can't even count up to ten. And she thinks she understands how love works? How much she loves Kohana? How much she wants to stay with her at all times?

Is she trying to passively get Atropa to split her in half? Is this her way of provoking her?

In all of three seconds, Atropa calms down. She stops hyperventilating. That sounds complete and utterly stupid. She's giving Alula way too much credit. Manipulating Atropa into killing her takes, well, manipulating skills. To be able to manipulate someone takes a brain, which Alula lacks. Alula is just not that smart.

But notwithstanding, everything about Alula irritates Atropa to no end.

"But I love her!"

Ha...

Funny.

Downright hilarious.

Alula's a lackey. A pawn. A tool. Something to be used and deposed of as soon as possible. She's useless. Replaceable at the whim of a finger snap. She could vanish today and wouldn't be forgotten by anyone, and the kill still wouldn't be satisfying, because it'd be like killing a tree. The one thing Alula and a tree have in common is that they both lack brains, but Atropa'll be damned if Kohana doesn't have some sort of... 'Connection' with them. Why is that? Okay, the Deity can accept the fact that Kohana loves trees. They help flowers grow. Kohana's crazy about flowers. But what purpose does Alula serve and why is she still here?

Love love love.

Oh how great love is.

Ooooh how cute is it to see how much Alula wants to be with her 'creator'. Her 'mother'. She wants to spend her life with that purple-haired woman, you know. Atropa clutches her hands, hissing as loud as she's ever hissed before. What the_ fuck_ is love? It's driving her up the wall. What is it? Is it just some word to give these beings comfort? To name the act of which someone is being absolutely stupid? How is it that Alula sees something about love that Atropa _can't_? What makes her so special? Love... You can't feel any good emotions from love! It's all smoke and mirrors. Humans have killed each other out of love. There's been many people slain out of love for their 'gods'.

When you're in love, you suffer.

Suffer, Alula! By God if she doesn't start suffering, Atropa will do the honors_ herself..._

Love isn't something real people identify with. Alula isn't real. Real people have flaws. Real people don't have time to love. Love isn't a flaw. It's the idea of the perfect significant other. It's a sham. A story. A legend. A fairytale. Princess don't exist. There is no Prince Charming. This is no knight of a shining horse or whatever the fuck people are using now-a-days to rape that phrase. Sorry, but it's not real.

Prince Charming would never leave her alone for this long. Prince Charming would never identify with the notion of love being real. Prince... Prince Charming would never lie to her and make happy promises he can't keep. But these people do it. Over and over and over and over again. Humans disappoint each other. They let each other down. They get into your emotions and screw you over. They twist your insides up and steal your heart.

And then eat it.

And watch you suffer.

When Atropa closes her eyes and imagines Alula playing with Kohana—laughing with that _gorgeous_ moron, she almost wants to rip all of her pretty amaranth-colored hair out of her head. At least then she'll look just as ugly as Alula and Kohana'll want to hang out with her more. Somehow.

Being hurt and getting hurt.

That's love.

Love isn't hanging out with that special person and joking with them and fighting Holy birds with them. Being in love isn't real. It's not fake. It doesn't exist, therefore it can't be any of those things. It's not romance.

When you're in love, you express a want to be dominated. That is all.

And Atropa, the Deity of Hope and Destiny will never be dominated by someone else's hand. How dishonorable! Maybe if... Maybe if Kohana started paying a little bit more attention to her, she would feel so bad. Atropa wouldn't _need_ to take long days off from seeing her one and only partner. Her one and only friend in the Dream World. Maybe if Kohana started being more professional, Atropa could stand to be around her a little bit more. If... If Kohana reminded Atropa how much she loved her, maybe she wouldn't feel so unloved.

But Kohana won't.

She's breaking her heart. Because she likes breaking things.

Kohana likes broken people.

She wants to keep Atropa crawling back to her, arms outstretched, begging_—pleading_ for help. Imploring for assistance she will never give, because Kohana's a sadistic _bitch_. She'll turn away anyone who needs her help, because it's easier to deal with someone who's broken. Chained down. They can't move, they can't talk, and they can't _defy_. Kohana can keep her game up as long as she wants. Destroy the lives of many.

Atropa doesn't care, as long as she doesn't toy around with hers.

All that talk about wanting Atropa to confide in her? To make friends? To embrace her emotions? Bullshit. Telling Atropa that opening up and expressing her feelings won't make her an immediate target to heartbreak? Double bullshit. In the end, Kohana's a hypocrite. A big fat _hypocrite._

Kohana Ouittake is a liar.

Atropa can't stand liars.

Hearing Kohana lying about love makes her want to cry.

But she doesn't.

Of course.

So instead, she laughs.

She knows she's a hypocrite, too.

The pinkett used to be human too. Now she's better. Smarter. She's above them all. Even pretty little Kohana and her pet Wicked Spawn. All humans will, in the end, by obliterated by 'loooove'. Twisted. Bent. They're so tiny, unamusing and stupid. Alula's love for Kohana is what keeps her alive. It's what kept her alive in the Dark Ages, too, if Atropa's not mistaken. It's also what kept Klaus and his friends alive in the Dark Ages. But her love for Kohana is her flaw too.

Tragic flaw?

_As if._

Alula's life is expendable. She's a pawn. She has no friends and family. There will be no 'tragedy' when Atropa's through scraping her tiny pieces off the back of her hand.

Alula _will_ die.

Violently.

Heaven forbid Atropa finds Alula in this room with Kohana, but if she does, the Wickedness will not like the end results, whatever they are. The pinkett should have gone over multiple ways to kill Alula. The truth is that she hasn't. The truth is that she hasn't decided on a way to end Alula's disgusting existence. She doesn't deserve just one way to be slaughtered. She deserves many. When she puts her lithe hand around the knob and turns it, her distraught expression changes as her sea-green eyes narrow at... At... Well, Atropa doesn't know what she's looking at right now. There's a radio placed on the floor. It looks like a radio. She can't tell.

It's definitely some kind of new technology she's never cared to see before. Between the two speakers sits a very small, square, slender purple device. The Deity has no clue what it is. All she knows is that Alula isn't in this room right now. Thank God. But Kohana is, and her expression turns sour. It's like a kick in the jaw to even gaze in Kohana's general direction. Dear Lord, what was Atropa thinking just a few seconds ago? Kohana is so damn irritating...! And this only proves it!

There's some kind of fast-paced, full-of-bass music playing, and Kohana's blissfully unaware of Atropa's presence because she's dancing with her eyes closed. Not only that, but the dance she's doing looks kind of complicated and... Stupid. If, by some chance, someone else was performing that dance, it might look beautifully choreographed. If the purple-haired woman really did piece that dance together... It's... Impressive. Still, game face on. Atropa doesn't twitch, or squint, or make a sound. She stands there in the threshold of the room, trying really hard to bare the techno music blaring out of that woman's... 'Radio system.'

After Kohana turns around and shakes her butt in the air for a total of three times, Atropa blows air into her bangs and takes an irritated step forward, grinding her teeth before scoffing. "What do you think you're doing, Kohana?"

The Wickedness doesn't give her an answer. In fact, she's still doing her fun little dance, repeating the steps over and over and over again. And Atropa's lower eye twitches, and twitches and twitches until she thinks it'll fall off. It's okay. She'll just feed it to Alula. Okay, this isn't a time to joke around. The pinkett didn't come into this room to be ignored. She came to be confronted. Stomping her foot on the ground, she shakes the very foundation. A frightening chasm splits underneath Atropa's red stiletto heel and Kohana's eyes shoot open, her arms dangling from her sides as she tries her best to keep her balance. She skips over three small cracks before she kicks her iPod and things to the far side of the room.

And then the purple-haired woman stops.

Pauses.

Puts on the most offended, 'what-the-fuck-was-that-for' look and runs her fingers through her hair. Psh. Atropa doesn't look at all too happy either. "Oh!" Kohana chides, throwing her hands in the air and snarling. "Well, excuse me, little miss purrrfecc~t, but you just haaa~d to destroy my fun, huh? I was in the middle of dancing to my jam, and you just came in here and massacred the dance floor!" The totally upset look in Kohana's eye makes Atropa feel a tinge of amusement, the corners of her lips curling. Dance floor? You mean the plain, not-decorated floor Atropa just split up? Kohana gestures to the oaken floor boards, her mouth in the shape of an upside down 'v'. What a big baby. The Wickedness straightens herself out and gets a chance to actually assess why it is Atropa's here. Placing one hand on her waist, she gives an exhausted half-smirk.

"Ahhhtropaaaa~!" she announces with glee, clapping her hands together and tilting her head in only a way a happy child can. "I haven't seen you in a while~ A month, just about, if I'm not mistaken. What made you come here to annoy little old me when you have so much dear, darling work to do~!" Oh, as if the whole sentient of that entire question wasn't enough reason to shove Kohana's ungrateful head into the fan blade; she also had the audacity to prod Atropa's chest with her fingers. Yes. Fingers. All of them. Starting with her index-finger and working her way across the spectrum.

Kohana's annoying her.

Trying to get her to lose it.

Absolutely flip her shit.

And that annoying laugh makes Atropa want to reach out to the Wickedness' textbook perfect face like a ballistic lion, drawing as much of that red stuff as she can—making her _scream _her name—!

Those fingers.

Atropa wants to break _every single one of them_. Every. Single. One. A beautiful orchestra of snapping sounds and broken moans because she knows Kohana'll like it. It'll be like pulling teeth. Slow, and such a long process... And she'll make sure every digit is dislodged from her hypocrite hands. And Atropa will revel in it. Laugh. Because she knows how easy love can be destroyed. How delicate humans are.

They don't last.

Kohana will not last.

The vibes Kohana's being bombarded with don't feel too warm and welcoming at all, so Kohana removes her fingers from Atropa's chest and frowns, dropping her arms to her side and putting on a concerned look. The Wickedness knows when there's a time to play, and when there's a time to be serious, and Atropa looks furious. But. It isn't a kind of obvious furious. Her anger is like a balloon. It's being contained, but not very well... And more than likely, Atropa will explode. Violently. The purple-haired woman'll be damned if she ends up on the other end of that stick. She's not ready to fight Atropa again.

She's her friend.

Friends don't fight friends.

Still, Kohana never said she was well-versed in cheering someone up, so she tries her best and tilts her head, trying to get to the core of the problem without dropping her standards. She doesn't want Atropa to feel alienated because she's upset, so the flower fanatic puts on a faint smirk, her mouth ajar. The Deity can count each one of her sharp, pointy teeth. Each beautiful, gorgeous point... "Um, are you okaaa~y, Atropa? Did you have a bad dream~?" Every time Kohana asks her that question, a small piece of her dies. So she snaps toward the Wickedness, snarling a bit. Does it look like she's having a bad dream? Or had one? Kohana instinctively takes a step back, throwing her hands in front of her. "Jeez, what's with all this hostility? What crawled into your ass and died, Atropa?" A more serious tone. Huh. It means nothing to her. Kohana should have taken her more seriously to begin with.

She should have taken her feelings more seriously.

"Atropa," Kohana tries one last time, speaking slowly. She even snaps her fingers, distorting the room around them. Their surrounding breaks down and reverts back into that lush, beautiful flower reserve that the two know oh-so well. Atropa's never seen Kohana so concerned with her before. It's a nice look. A new look. "Seriously, what's wrong with you?" The pinkett opens her mouth to say something merciless—to beat down on Kohana and chide her out—but pain works its way through her porcelain body as he fingertips shiver with the aftershocks of agony. Like she's being stabbed by hundreds of needles, and her head swims with half-formed thoughts.

She trembles.

Her head aches.

Her heart hurts.

To be honest, she doesn't know why she's here right now. Maybe Kohana knows. Maybe Kohana'll tell her. Isn't that Kohana's job? To put her back together again and give her orders? Atropa might have a name and a "body" right now, but she's still only a piece to a bigger puzzle. A character in the Wickedness' story. A piece in _her _plot. "Atropa, talk to me, _please._" Her voice isn't exactly convincing. It sounds forced, strained, and stretched to a breaking point. I-is she going to cry? For her? Noticing that her words aren't helping the situation, Kohana puts on a smile. A big, bright smile. And yet, despite her initial confusion (Kohana sounding like she'll cry and then smiling soon after) the pinkett can't help but feel... Flattered. Is this how human beings justify their own existences?

By being cared about, and caring for others in return?

It takes two people to create a universe.

They give themselves reasons to exist.

To be alive.

If Kohana cares... Then maybe Atropa has a right to exist. Being cared about means much more—_so much more—_than having a name or a body or a real, physical existence. And... Even though Atropa has all those things, she's always felt empty. That smile though... It makes her heart constrict in her chest. And her face flushes.

Is her reaction... Weird?

"That's what I like to see!" Kohana exclaims, tilting her head and sighing. "Don't scare me like that, Atropa, I thought you were like, really sick or something~!" The flower fanatic rolls up her sleeves, as if she's a doctor trying to perform a dangerous procedure. She's always been silly like that. "And, as you know, I'm no doctor, kyahahaha. So why'd you come here? Did you come to learn how to dance~?" For some reason, Atropa just can't tell Kohana off. Dancing? How stupid! Looking like an idiot? Even stupider! As if she wants to look as bad as Kohana did just a few seconds ago. Plus, the grass is slippery. If Atropa wasn't taking so long to answer, Kohana wouldn't have grabbed her hand and pulled her so close, making the Deity inhale on a breathless whisper. "I'll teach you how to dance!" she interjects on the end of a bright smile. You can even hear the grin in her voice. "You'll love it, Atropa, I bet you will!"

Why does the entire thing feel so forced?

Even if Kohana's doing this to make Atropa feel better, she loves the close contact. Knowing that Kohana's going out of her way to make her happy. Humans have... So many emotions. How do they know what to feel at just the right time? Or is it just compulsive? Sympathy... Is that what the purple-haired woman is feeling right now? The pinkett struggles to wrap her head around this. Because of that, dancing is becoming a chore and she can't concentrate, stepping on Kohana's feet, but Kohana laughs it off and continues to act her silly self.

She can laugh at failures.

Atropa can't.

These feelings are killing her.

Infecting her mind.

Eating her heart.

They'll kill her. They're too much! Far too much! Atropa can't love, so she can't _be_ loved. The look of sympathy, pain, and love in Kohana's eyes is is so fucking painful—like she thinks Atropa's this dying cat that needs to be euthanized, _right away_. Does she care? Can she care while pitying her? The worst part is, when Kohana speaks next, her voice is soft and she pulls Atropa even closer, holding her at the waist:

"I'll never hurt you, Atropa."

"But you will." Her voice is flat. Monotonous.

"I know."

"Get it over with, then."

Is this some kind of joke? Kohana can't stand here and take this anymore; this is not her Atropa talking. This isn't her speaking. This isn't her looking completely lost. Atropa would never agree to those things. She would never say something like that! This must be an off-day. It must be. The pinkett tried to sound brave when she said that, but her voice ended up faulting, falling towards the ground. And then she started shaking.

There is something _very_ wrong with Atropa, but Kohana can't put her finger on it, and it's killing her to see Atropa in this much pain.

She feels happy, dancing with Kohana. This is all she ever wanted. To be with her. She just doesn't know how to find that one singular emotion. Happiness.

...Among the other emotions she's being plowed with right now.

Suddenly, everything_ stops_. Atropa's pupils dilate and a gasp escapes from her parted lips, eyes open. An abrupt burst of pain—white-hot pain—explodes through her body and sends her tumbling forward. It hurts to breathe (she even starts flailing her arms in the air to grasp handfuls of air) but her lungs aren't even full of oxygen anymore. They're filling with blood.

Did Kohana just kill her...?

All of these emotions are strange to her, like trying to put names to places and people she's never met before. They're so intense that they scare her. It's getting hard to distinguish the pain in her limbs and the pain in her lungs and the pain in her heart and the pain in her head because it hurts everywhere and she's not sure which part hers more, or whether or not that really matters when everything feels like _it's just been lit on fire._

"Atropa!"

She feels arms surround her, and for some reason she's falling forward. Her bones can't support her anymore and her skin feels like it's melting away. She's on the floor, her legs bent back and her head pressed against someone's chest. She can feel a heartbeat, but it's not hers. Still, it's pounding in her ears, and it's beating almost as fast as her own. It's unsteady, and irregular, and her heartbeat skips around. Sometimes it starts to slow down and sometimes it stops completely. That's when Atropa already sums up the fact that she might be dead.

Someone's holding her.

Someone actually cares.

There's a... Physical contact.

A dream...? If it is, it feels warm... Nice...

Kohana's arms are around her and she runs her fingers through her pretty, pretty pink hair. Atropa's always been alone. _Always._ But now someone's holding her, like her body actually means something. Like she has thoughts and emotions and feelings. Like she's made out of something and not 'anything at all'. Could she be the second person for her universe? She shouldn't be crying. It's pathetic. Disgraceful. Especially for a being such as herself. Atropa is a monster. An emotionless monster that is the antagonist in this story. They're not supposed to be able to cry, right?

Isn't crying breaking some kind of universal rule for antagonists everywhere?

As the tears run down her rosy cheeks and her sea-green eyes struggle to close, she claws at the ground. It's the only thing she can do. She can't move, and she keeps hearing voices... "G-get your hands... O-off me." Kohana only stares. "G-get off of me." There's no life to Atropa voice. It's... Completely monotonous.

"I-I don't... Need y-you."

"I-I know." But Kohana's voice is shaking. "D-don't cry, or..." Atropa's heart is pounding and her eyes and stinging. Her pretty, pretty pink eyelashes are trembling too. "Or I'll cry too."

"I'm... T-trying my best, o-okay?"

She doesn't need her

because they'll both end up

in the

same place

and still be able to feel.

And maybe

getting hurt and being hurt

isn't such a bad thing

because Atropa's alive

and can feel

and can love

and

and

and

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It's funny.

Maybe.

Kinda.

She can't move. She's siting there alongside Kohana, unable to do anything. She just hurts, all over. The mental capacity "to push past it"—push past those emotions—can only carry her through for so long. There are times when the withdrawal gets to her so bad that she can barely function, and there is nothing she can do except lock herself up in a room and huddle under a metaphorical blanket, and wait for it to pass. Hopefully before she starts killing things.

It shouldn't hurt this much. Kohana won't allow it. Even if she doesn't know what the hell is going on, she'll never leave Atropa alone. She doesn't mean what she says. Atropa leans her head into the purple-haired woman's cheek, closing her eyes tightly.

"I-I'm becoming a sentimental _idiot,_" she murmurs in despair.

"Kyahahha, where's your airs and graces now, Ahtropaaa~?"

That's not funny.

Nothing about that is funny.

But they're funny people.

* * *

**-: Chapter Seventy-Nine: In Which The Master Misbehaves :-**

_The scream within the misteaching of a_  
_ metaphor,_  
_ breathing out the lie (I've been fooled)._

_ We wont stop until the dawn has given its all to you._  
_ A warm appraisal hides behind an audience._

_We wont stop until the dawn has given its all to you._  
_ The last thing I want (freeing us all)._

— "Handshakes at Sunrise" — Circa Survive_  
_

Janeavah is so much better than I am, and I don't even know what for... I... She's everything I wish I could be.

Everything I'm not.

As much as it makes me want to slam a block of cement in her face, I just can't. How could I just throw away our friendship like it means absolutely nothing? How did it come to this point... Where we'd become enemies and be at each other's necks? This isn't right. Deep down inside, I know this isn't right, but I have a Church to protect, dammit. Maybe I should have let Ryder do the honors. After all, Janeavah's very much that twit's problem. He can't do anything right. He can't capture intruders, he barely does anything around the church, and he's just overall annoying. Or perhaps I'm the only one who seems to think that. Nevertheless, looking at Janeavah kind of hurts.

I'm standing in front of her, on the steps leading to the hallway behind me, and her shoulder-length, citrine hair starts to float in the wind from the force of my magic. Her yellow eyes are glinting with some kind of courage. Like she already knows she has me beat. Perhaps she's right, but I will not let myself be defeated by her! Not yet, not now, and not ever. I have morals, responsibilities, and if I let this woman... This brash, stupid, idiotic woman step past me and leave me crumbled up on the floor, I'd lose my honor. My drive. I wouldn't have the want to do anything anymore. Losing a battle is one of the worst things that can happen to me. I've trained my whole life for this moment. Janeavah won't slander it with her silly game! I won't allow it! Her labcoat rides in the wind of her powers? My powers? The wind is coming from somewhere, at least.

I raised my cane up gracefully, narrowing my eyes as Janeavah stares at me. Unfeeling. Uncaring. I always knew she didn't have any feelings. How can she really fight me like this like we're not friends! I wanted to scream at her. This fight didn't allow it. She took two confident steps forward, took her hands out of her pockets and let out a long, lethargic sigh. Not only is she heartless, but the git is lazy, too. I'd teach her why it's never a good idea to show that you're lazy in front of your opponent. I don't know what hurts more. Knowing that we were the best of friends once, or believing that we're still friends, and yet we're fighting because we believe in different things. Make no mistakes about it, the Archfiend is what I live and breath. I'm only alive because of him.

I love him.

I want to see Janeavah try to change my mind. I roll up my left sleeve, snarling. "Janeavah, you're not going to win, I hope you know that." I-I didn't even believe myself. If I didn't believe myself, who would? Honestly, I just want her to come back. I just want her to come back. It hurts. It hurts so bad. I can't stop the tears from rolling down my face, and they burn. I have no idea why they were so hot. Perhaps they were hot from my anger.

"Don't just stand there," Janeavah said, scratching the back of her head and sighing. "If you're going to do something, then do it. These blocks of pavement aren't too intimidating, you know." As much as that comment made me growl, I couldn't help but chuckle at her. She's always messing with something, I swear. She tapped a block with the back of her knuckles, and then she looked right back up at me. I'm not fighting Janeavah because the Church wants me to. Ah, it's my job to keep intruders like her out, yes, but she's already left an impression on me. She's already intruded on my emotions. Janeavah is just another person in my life that I need to push away, and if I kill her now, maybe she won't come back. She doesn't look very intimidated by me, wearing her normal, straight-faced expression.

It's a weird one, I'll give her that.

Her face might be blank, but I can feel that she's irritated from all the way over here. It's breaking my heart that I have to fight her, but hearts have to be broken every once in a while. You know, just to prove that somehow, someway we're still alive. How many times will Janeavah stomp all over my own, struggling one? This isn't fair. And this isn't the first time she's done it before. And it's definitely not the second time either. When it comes down to it, Janeavah's the liar, not me! My expression changes from being sad to being red hot angry, so my pupils constrict. I made sure she saw my fangs. "Janeavah!" I shouted, tapping my cane on the ground. A bright flash of purple light flooded the room, but it wasn't blinding. After it disappeared, a funnel of wind engulfed my entire body and traveled through every fiber of my being—caressed every strand of hair on my head and in my tail.

Chairs and tables and pretty, boring-at-the-same-time decorations started to ride the fluctuating tornado that I had produced, threatening to smack that liar in her face. We were supposed to be... We were supposed to be friends. How dare she have the audacity to decide when and where she wants to play with my emotions! Do I mean anything to her? Obviously not. She turned to the side, getting out of the way of a designer couch being flung in her direction. Not only was the furniture knocking into the walls, but they were colliding into my floating blocks of heavy cement. Don't worry. They broke on contact. Once the wind died down just a little bit, I gave her a snarl and pointed my cane at her.

"And last words, liar? I'll make sure your grave is decorated to your liking," I spat maliciously, my nostrils flaring. She pursed her lips and propped her left hand on her shapely waste, tilting her head. So, that yellow-haired monstrosity didn't like it when I called her that, huh? My pupils slit just thinking about how proud she still was. Here Janeavah is, standing among dozens of very heavy, dense blocks of floating cement. … And the only thing she could do was look at me like they weren't a problem at all? What a cocky idiot! She better make her last words a prayer; I've killed a lot of people, and I won't hesitate on killing her! Friend? What friends? What has Janeavah ever done for me? I'm not sure she knows how angry I am at her.

Just her presence here alone...

Her unwanted presence...

That, coupled with the way she's just so... Unfeeling about hurting me and my motions...! Being unable to contain all of my frustration, I let out an abrupt, shrill, hoarse yell, choking the dear life out of my cane and accidentally swinging it to the left. Once of my floating blocks ripped through the wall of the Church, letting the sunlight spill into the hallway. The sound of the collision was soul-shaking. It was a sonorous explosion that shook the very foundation. I almost fell over, to tell you the truth. And, to be honest, I thought my eardrums had popped inside of my head. At the very least, Janeavah should have felt the vibrations too! Why did she look so... Not bothered? Am I doing something wrong? Why isn't she... _Does she realize I really will kill her?_

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I roar, swiping my cane across the air. I was completely outraged by her inappropriate behavior! "Aren't you going to beg me for your life, you _TRAITOR?_" I couldn't stress that word enough. I wanted that word to drip poison and kill her in one, heavy dose. I wanted that word to impale her on the tip of its sharp 'a', for arsehole! I wanted her to take all of my rage and give nothing back, because she deserved it. Well, let me tell you lot that her eyebrows scrunched up and her entire face turned red. Huh, so the traitor really didn't like that word. Too bad. Her shoulders tensed up and her eyes dilated. Also, I could have sworn I saw her ball up her fists—ha! Why would I pay so much attention to that insignificant woman?

She narrowed her bright, citrine eyes at me—I guess to let me know that she wasn't going to kid around now. I hope she felt terrible about what she did, because I won't feel terrible for what I'm about to do to her now. "Too late!" I proclaimed with an arrogant sigh, running my perfectly manicured fingers through my wavy ponytail. The cement blocks that were once randomly floating around in midair all lined up in front of me, and like magic they flew towards Janeavah at extremely high speeds, like full-fledged trucks flying down a highway at sixty miles-per-hour. As always, she didn't panic. She followed it with her Felinefolk eyes. Oh, I'm sorry. Her eyes only caught the very first block. She still had an entire barrage of them to dodge.

I felt sorry for her.

I still do.

She's going to be splatted all over the Church's walls, internal organs and gastric fluids accentuating the final project. A fitting end for a traitor. The strange part about all of this is that I find myself... Uncharacteristically happy. Jovial. I threw my arms in the air, cracking my neck and tilting my head and... Cackling. I don't know why—I just did. I think it was because I didn't know what else to do with myself. Who feels happy because they're about to brutally kill someone? With no mercy, may I add. My laughing was so loud that I started scaring myself, but I didn't stop because it was a fantastic release. Every resonating vowel brought beauty to my ears. I put on a face-splitting, full of teeth, psychotic grin, looking at that stupid doctor. If she calls herself a doctor, can I call myself a doctor, too? Who in heaven's name has that Billy no-mates saved?

I expected to hear some bones shattering—or perhaps them bending totally out of place... Or maybe even some last minute screams before the rest of the blocks stole every last bit of breath from her body. I wanted to hear blood ooze and gush and burble out of every orifice she had, but that didn't happen and I immediately frowned. You know what? I'm right ninety-nine percent of the time. Janeavah's expression still didn't change, and she placed her fingertips on the speeding block of cement, stopping it for a brief moment, and then she pushed it to the side with a heroic, light shove. The block completely crashed into the southeastern wall and I put my hands over my head, crouching down.

I thought the ceiling was going to cave in.

That sly "doctor" stepped to the side and twirled on the back of her yellow heels, her tails brushing the corner of the second block. She barely touched that one too. … But she didn't treat this one with the same, delicate care that she treated the other one. She pushed this one away from her with so much force I had to close my eyes again. I couldn't bare to look at her. She's a monster! I complete and utter monster with too much damn, bloody strength! That block smashed into something, and once I gathered up the strength to look, I realized she had lodged it in the ceiling. It didn't even fall back down. All of the chandeliers that were hanging up? They all came crashing down to their doom, shattering on impact and sending glass shooting throughout the hall. Some pieces lodged into my arms and my legs, and I writhed in pain. My knees buckled, but I caught myself and took note of all the cracks in the infrastructure traveling from the ceiling and down the walls.

This place was falling apart. Little pieces of debris were falling down too. It was only a matter of time until that block decided it didn't like the place it was put.

Indeed. I was going to die here. And it's all bloody Lysimachus' fault.

One by one, that woman diverted each square of death that came roaring at her. She jumped over the last one, clutched the corner of it with her yellow, clawed hands before it hit the back wall, and then she placed her heeled feet on the back of it before launching it towards _me._ Stupid pile of useless cement! I couldn't believe what a cock-up that inanimate object was being! Heavens no, I couldn't lie to you all even if I tried. I thought she was going to throw it somewhere else, so I turned whiter than snow when I saw it heading in my direction. I couldn't breathe or hear the sound of my own, rapid heartbeat. Holding my cane close to my face was strictly instinctive. … Look at me! I'm such a coward, thinking my weapon could protect me from one of those blocks... My eyes widened as the block barely missed my beautiful face, eliciting a shriek of terror from yours truly. I could barely keep my balance, feeling the force of the shock waves, so I crumbled to the ground in an instant. Remembering who my opponent was, I stood right back up, albeit clumsily.

I couldn't, and wouldn't let her see me fall.

But my eyes were watering. I thought I was going to die. Janeavah could have very well bloody killed me, that cheeky bastard! I had my hands on my face, peering through my parted fingers. I was a through and through coward, falling back down on my knees again. It didn't take much effort—just a tiny little show. It's so easy for someone to reduce me to a whimpering fool. What good am I to the Church if I can't even keep my cool around someone like her? She looked at me through her predatory eyes, her frown as deep as the imprints in the walls around us.

She turned around slow and dramatically, possibly doing it on purpose. "Ah," she said in amusement, swiping some dust away from her line of vision. "Pretty little show you put on." She paused, looking at the wall behind her. She even tilted her head and gave a little quirk of her button nose. "I liked the cement squares of death. Very nice." Wait, was she analyzing my work...? How twisted is this traitor! She's talking complete and utter nonsense! Janeavah tilted her head up and stroked her smooth chin. "Didn't expect them to be that fast, honestly. Almost got hit with a few myself." She paused, giving me a half-arsed smile. Feh. Proud git. Right then and there, she looked at me with a darkened expression—I couldn't see her eyes. "You do realize I have every and all reason to kill you now, right?"

I gasped and started trembling, but only because Janeavah's always had this... Power over me.

Janeavah doesn't need to lose her cool and scream at the top of her lungs to let someone know that she's upset. The laid-back, calm tone in her voice accompanied by her no-nonsense face?

Terrifying.

Each one of her steps were amplified, reverberating through the hallway. They bounced off everything, those steps, and I inched my back into the wall, my eyes dilating as she took her sweet time reaching me. I guess she reverted back to her normal, lackadaisical demea—"Did you know I'm into scaring and killing shit now? I like to strangle people in their sleep, take out their eyes, squeeze the succulent juices out of them and make them drink it, all while skinning their legs. You know, just to start preparing the next meal."—_what?_ I'm sure she saw the look on my face. She had to have. I couldn't be anymore pressed up against the wall, beads of sweat rolling down my forehead. Urgh! I hate being all sticky and sweaty, no matter what the situation is! Fighting while absolutely disgusting... How vulgar!

"S-shut up!" I managed to choke, hyperventilating. I was going to say more, but I couldn't get the rest of the words out because I turned my head to vomit. The nauseating smell of my own throw up and Janeavah's crazy ramblings made me feel like the lowest being on the planet. She beat me. That much I'll admit. She defeated me without too much effort. I can take a loss, but please, get this woman away from me! She's making it worse. Rubbing it in. Bragging about her victory! Just... Leave me alone! "Get out of here, you've done enough already you dimwit!"

She tapped her fingertips against her full, rosy lips painfully slow, glancing at all of the destruction before her eyes fixed on me. "You know how I get my calcium, Genevieve? I eat the bones of others. Ah, I hope you eat a bunch of them too—otherwise it won't exactly work." I can't even vomit anymore. … I was just in so much pain... So scared that my body wouldn't carry out any of my mental instructions. I guess I was stuck kneeling on the ground against the wall until she came over here. And then I'd die. "Why do you look so pale?" she asked, sarcastically. "Is the topic of cannibalism too much for you? Fucking Church subordinates with your double standards—you people have Felinefolk blood just sitting out everywhere, and you're squeamish? Never mind, I'll make this quick—"

She touches me.

This woman grabs my wrist and lifts my arm into the air and I mentally panic, too tired to physically panic and everything goes black. I thought I fainted, I swear I did, but I seemed to have woken right back up immediately, being tugged back on my feet my Janeavah. And she stared at me with those irritated eyes of hers. Her expression never changes. I'll _never_ get used to that. "Oh no darlin'!" she gasped in a mocking, southern accent. She shook her head at me, her face just mere inches away from mine. "We won't have you faintin' now! You'll miss all of the fun _we'll _have together!" … The emphasis on the 'we' really scared the skin off my bones. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I saw a smile and my heart jumped out of my chest. Was she just teasing me? I will not tolerate being tricked! Janeavah snickered at me, and then she flung me over her shoulder, patting her hand on the small of her back and mumbling a bunch of garbage to herself.

I couldn't believe this was happening!

I was not being carried across the back of this monster! This daft idiot! She's worse than Lysimachus, I swear! I won't have it! "I supposed I can't outright kill you," Janeavah announced, cracking her neck and sighing. "And besiiides, you'd be the perfect hostage. Wait until I go around with a shrieking squirrel girl on my shoulder. The crowd'll love you! They'll cheer, and they'll let me do whatever I want." I was just about done hearing Janeavah talk! "Think of it as payback for interrupting Ryder and I's little chat. It's not like we were talking about much anyway, but...!" I started flailing my arms around, kicking her in the chest over and over again and pounding her back with my fists. She wouldn't make a mockery out of me, not when I'm supposed to be one of Lysimachus' more-than-capable advisers! Aren't their Summoners running around here, too?

I've got to help stop them!

Of all the intruders, I just had to run into this bloody nutter!

"_Put me down!_" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Don't make me get a hold of your traitor tongue! I'll pull it out of your mouth and lynch you with it you po-face piece of shite!" She didn't take me seriously. Janeavah never takes me serious. She secured me tighter and threw me into the air a little bit. Yes, that also scared the blood out of me. "I'm warning you...!"

Warning over.

She made a big mistake letting me still hold my cane! I guarantee it! That supposed "doctor" kept walking forward as if there was no problem at all, but I'd make sure she remembered my name and the threat I just gave out. My cane started glowing and—as Janeavah walked forward—the cement underneath her feat started to break down. Liquify. Once she took enough steps, I grabbed my cane with both of my hands. One of her Felinefolk ears twitched. Ha! Daft girl! She could hear me gripping my cane, but she couldn't hear my cement! She stopped, but by that time it was too late. My cement had been forming into am arm, and it shot up from the ground and placed itself in Janeavah's mouth, grabbing her tongue just like I told her I would.

I had her scared!

I knew I must have, because calm, collected little Janeavah took her hands off me and I stepped off her back, planting my feet off the ground and sending a sharp elbow to the back of her neck. I connected (thank God!) and she crumbled forward. Even if it was only just for three seconds, I felt like I was finally getting the upper hand here. With that big fist in her mouth, she wouldn't dare do anything that would warrant me her tongue!

But she did.

She turned around while grabbing the arm's wrist, _shattering_ it. Of course I was amazed! Why wouldn't I be? She's really powerful, I'll give her that, but I was expecting it. I wouldn't keep myself open like this, so I planned to put a lot of distance between us. She should have killed me when she had the chance! … And now she'd die here! Holding my cane with both of my hands, I swung it up in the arm, smacking her dead-square in the chin. Her head flew backwards and she stumbled in the same direction. I liked those results. … So maybe I was a little cocky thinking I could do the same thing again. She grabbed my cane, and then she swung it down the hallway, several yards away. Janeavah never gives up, does she? What a gormless irritating bitch! … I was sort of glad this fight had very few words.

The sound of her voice would break me down if it did.

Janeavah tried to kick me in the mouth, but I grabbed her leg with my lithe, delicately-gloved fingers and cement encased the entire thing. Her eyes widened and I smirked. "Son of a bitch!" she exclaimed. "Well I'll be...! I've never seen anything like this before, how are you...?"

"I can manipulate cement, love," I replied, matter-of-factly. Just the look in her eyes was enough of a reply. "It's all around us. In the walls, in the floors... It's everywhere, and this is my arena. Did you actually think you were going to beat me with your poxy powers... Whatever you can do, Janeavah?" I struggled with the last part of that sentence. To this day, I don't think anyone knows what Janeavah can really do, other than herself. I've only seen her heal fatal wounds. Miracles exist, because I've seen her perform them. I just don't get how she's so strong while being so fast at the same time. Those two things have nothing to do with being able to heal someone! "These powers of mine work outside too. There's a such thing as 'soil cement', but I suppose we'll talk about that later after I take _you_ as _my_ prisoner."

And then I push her.

The traitor falls on her undeserving back and I stand over her, my feet firmly planted between the spaces between her arms and her body. I'm surprised her glasses haven't fallen off yet. … This is the humiliation I've wanted to cause her for a while now. I've wanted to make her suffer for watching me suffer! She could have stopped it all, but she didn't. She was with those other people, and Janeavah just let it happen. That arsehole didn't help me with anything, and I get angry every time she says she helped me live. I'm the only one who has ever contributed an ounce of help to my own life!

I extended my arms, watching the cement on the ground hold her in place. They acted like nails. … It reminded me of someone nailing someone to the ground. Ah, bliss. She'd never get away now. I bent down over her, letting my ponytail fall obnoxiously in the face with my hands folded behind my back. And, of course, I wore my victorious, toothy smirk. "I like you so much better like this, Janaevah. Constrained and with nowhere to go—how fitting. You should have stuck to the life of a traitor. Coming back here was obviously a bad idea; one that you'll end up paying for in your blood. I almost thought of letting you go, since we were such good friends, but now I'm going to do terrible things to you. Just because you almost killed me." It took her a while to form a reply (I hate waiting for people to respond to me, for God's sake!) but she did.

"Genevieve, look. I'm all for revenge and things," she murmured, moving her head and sighing. She even closed her eyes, albeit slow and lazy. "But all of that sounds way too kinky for me and I actually have someone to save here."

"Pervert," I hissed, snarling. "Take me _seriously!_"

I didn't give her time to respond. She just got a kick in the stomach with my pointy-toed black, lace-up boot. "You've never taken me seriously, but now I'll make sure that you do, I'll—!" I had to stop. I just _had _to. Now Janeavah was chewing my hair. Seriously chewing my hair. My skin started crawling and then I stood up straight again, my eyes watering. "My hair! My gorgeous hair! Why did you...!"

"To give you something to take your mind off your broken arm."

"What broken ar—"

Why did I even say anything? … The cement that was holding her arm in place started to fade away like magic... It made my jaw drop because cement just doesn't disappear like that, unless I will it to. But I wasn't. _She _was. Janeavah was quick about it, yanked my right arm down (I'm sure she could hear my heavy breathing on her neck) and she straighten my arm out before shoving my elbow into my side, causing it to break complete in two. I couldn't feel anything for a while, but the sound of the bones breaking was absolutely disgusting, and my arm hung down in virtually two parts. My elbow was too busy puncturing my side _through the skin of my arm._ I could see the white of it and everything. The pain was nothing compared to seeing my body absolutely deformed...!

No pain could be stronger than this!

So now I found myself on the ground, hyperventilating at the sight of all this blood and Janeavah managed to pry herself off the floor, dusting off her shoulders. She didn't even look at my pathetic self. "I don't care what type of cement you use," she chided, huffing. "Your cement powers are still a form of magic, yes?" Was she going to help me or not? Oh dear God, I broke my arm...! "And I have the ability to cancel magic." She started spinning something obnoxiously on her index-finger... I very much so didn't have the drive to see what it was, but when I caught a glance of it, my eyes widened.

"That's the_—arghaachfaaaaah!—_key to the leader's cham—_graskhfaaaaaaah!_"

"Righto," she replied in her monotonous, irritated voice. I hated that woman...! "I'm going to pay your dear Lysimachus a vis—" I must have summoned all the power I had left in me to yell at her. I wouldn't let her go mess with him. Not this bloody woman who didn't have enough decency to help me! I could die here, all alone, and nobody would notice a thing!

"_Don't you touch Lysimachus!_"

"Tch, what are you going to do? Cement me to the ground?" she spat, laughing at me. Grrr! I narrowed my eyes, my cement creeping up on the heels of her feet, but it disappeared, just like she said it would... "Nice try. Don't do it again, or I'll break your other one. I was doing you a favor by only breaking one. Be proud. You can still bathe and feed and wipe your ass with your other arm now." Too frustrated to come up with a proper reply, I just shut my eyes and started crying. The tears came down hot and fast, pooling underneath my head. "All this work just to find one Wicked Spawn. Sometimes I wonder..." Wicked Spawn... That girl that attacked me earlier? This was what this was all for? To rescue that unsightly little girl?

I seethed, listening to the sound of her walking away.

"Not being afraid of anything probably might be my downfall, someday, but for now, it helped me whoop your ass. Don't sweat it though. I almost did the same thing to the Wickedness. She's here right now, you know. Count your stars that you didn't run into her with that cement of yours, or she would have stuffed your arm down your throat." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Janeavah wasn't just here with the Summoners, but she brought the Wickedness with her too? The Archfiend's only equal? Who in the world did we piss off to make them this mad...?

"Wait!" I demanded, looking at her through bursts of red hot pain. "The Wickedness? Janeavah, what's going on?"

She turned around, gave me a bright, big, sarcastic smile, and then threw her arms in the air. "War. I'm going to kill your leader with her help. And then I'll kill your Archfiend with her help. And we'll knock some sense into Forsythia with my oh-so tragic flaw. We'll make this world sane again." In all of my frantic terror, I roller over on my back and crawled a bit towards her while she was walking away. She could do whatever she wanted, but I wouldn't let her kill Lysimachus. Not him. "You're free to watch, if you can worm your squirrel ass up there, _adviser._"

With the last of my conscious breath, I snarled. "Way to misbehave, fearless _leader!_"

"Dearest darling," she replied back, waving her hand at me while she disappeared into the hallway. "A war is an opportunity when the master misbehaves."

* * *

**A/N:** Janeavah's a tank. XD;;

But one shouldn't go around underestimating Lysimachus, either. XD;;; He's a tank as well. XD;;; So, I mean, Janeavah's a very cool person and all, but she doesn't take anyone's shtick, and she definitely didn't take Genevieve's. What do you guys think of her cement powers, by the way? XD;; Her ability to manipulate cement is pretty boss, if I do say so myself, but Janeavah wasn't playing when she said she had the ability to cancel magic. XD;; She can really make someone's magic not even exist anymore.

Really quick, too. XD;;

Janeavah should really understand the fine line between magic and what's real, so I don't have any worries about that. XD;; Now, when you guys find out what Misake can do... XD;; It's gonna be awesome. XD; But for now, I must keep you in the dark about Misake's elusive powers. XD;; It looks like Janeavah's really gonna try and kick Lysimachus' ass, but we'll see how that goes. XD;;

We've got plenty of fights coming up.

Woo. XD;;

I'd be happy if I didn't have to put up with all of these new narrators. XD;; And what's the deal about Kohana and Atropa? Bah, they're just being their usual, bromancing selves. XD;; *shot* I swear they really do love each other, and it's really sweet seeing Atropa flounder like that. XD;; Don't worry, she got better. XD;;


	80. Attack Of The Fifty Foot Whatever

**A/N: **Here you go, another update! XD;;

Wrote this much faster than I thought I would, so enjoy! The flashback isn't as important as the others. It's just some information on Suzuki and what he's doing right now, because let's face it. Don't we all miss Suzuki? XD;;

I agree, he needs to make a come back. XD;; Oh, and before I forget, happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Maaan, I am really hungry now, but I know I'm about to be smashing everything within a five mile radius soon, so I'm not even mad. XD;;;; If only Isleen knew about the wonders of Thanksgiving. She'd be happy for life, wouldn't she? XD;;

* * *

Papers.

Papers everywhere. Papers stacked on top of papers, waiting to be delivered to the sanctuary of papers so they can be on their was to the paper heaven, where every flimsy, thin sheet can find a significant other who is a piece of paper so they can be happy and take their paper children to paper school and—

A loud scratch glides off the top of the shiny oak wood of the king's desk and he—gripping his feathery, majestic ink pen between the top of his index and thumb finger—stops his soulful ritual to contemplate on his weird... Pen form. While he's stuck in mid-signature, he watches the ink bleed into the paper before his smile turns upside down and the doors of his office are thrown open.

A voluptuous woman with vivid, bright red hair with roses intertwined in her long, waist length hair stumbles in barefoot, her arms throws out in front of her and her eyes wide in fear. ...Of falling?

Not to fear.

Suzuki's a superhero. He even has a cape! Catching this woman will be no problem. He starts to get up, but he stands and watches the stunning, peachy-skinned woman whirl and twirl, noticing how perfectly polished her red toenails are.

So much for getting up and being chivalrous, but the way that silly, ditsy "rose" of a redhead woman seemed to tumble over several items in the room makes Suzuki tilt his head before he realizes she's coming closer. And closer. And closer. It's almost like watching a dance, only the main star is suspended underwater. The crash into his desk, however, isn't at all graceful and the paperwork he was working so hard on signing starts flying all over the place, toppling down on the two as she bends over the desk and does some kind of forced, weird roll into Suzuki's lap, pushing is important chair back. And then it falls over backwards, much to his dismay and the two of them collide into the ground. Well, more like Suzuki collides into the ground-Flower merely used him as a cushion for her fall. And, despite the support, her eyes are still swirling. Unfortunately, her king doesn't agree with her reaction to the crash, and is holding her with one hand placed behind her knees and one placed securely on her back.

"Flower..." Of course she should had been expecting his irritated, ending-with-a-question mark tone of voice, but the fall kind of took her mind off all that. "What do you want?" When he finishes his sentence, Flower instantly snaps out of her daze and freaks out a little on the inside, noticing a very important, sealed document resting on Suzuki's beautiful, beautiful brown hair. He's _mad,_ isn't he? Of course he is, why wouldn't he be? She just came into his office and destroyed pretty much everything, and she knows how much he cares about his paperwork. "I appreciate you 'dropping in', but you kind of just destroyed my entire day." Ah, there it is. But it isn't as angry as it should be. Which is a great relief. Flower stands up, straightening out her one-piece, white corset, and then she looks at the train of it behind her before she nods her head and runs her fingers through her brilliant crimson, thigh-length hair.

"Ah, sorry Your Highness," she says with quick nods. "I didn't mean to come in like that, honestly...!" She didn't mean to lose her next thought, either, so her red eyes wonder around Suzuki's office while he gives her the most antagonizing death glare in all of existence from the floor. Is he going to get up any time now? She fidgets with the rose ring on her right hand before she catches a fleeting piece of what she was going to say. "O-oh, I see now!" she declares, turning on her bare heels and pursing her full, lipstick painted lips. Ashes of Roses red. It's her favorite lipstick color, by far. And it tastes good, by the way! … Not that he cares, so she fidgets with the color of her corset dress, shifting from left to right.

Suzuki, on the other hand, closes his eyes and tries to straighten out a sheet of paper. His paperwork is _everything _to him. Everything in his immediate life revolves around his paperwork. What he can do depends on whether or not he's completed his paperwork. And it's never just a few things that need to be signed. It's always stacks of papers, like the giant stack he had on his desk before Flower came in and destroyed everything. "Listen, Flower, I really do like you, but if you don't have anything to say—"

"Summoner Sayuri's getting married, Suzuki!"

_Snap!_

There goes his favorite pen. All broken in two on top of his desk... It took all of the courage Flower had to say it, but she did, and now she has to comfort him because she knew he was going to get angry. Suzuki's sitting in his chair with his eyes narrowed, trying to keep himself from coming off as absolutely flabbergasted. "It's true, Suzuki! I was tending to the flowers on Forsythia, since Forsythia's such a lush world, and they were gossiping about it, so I asked them for details." This is terrible! Absolutely terrible! Words cannot explain the seriousness of this situation. Jeez, Suzuki was just talking to Sayuri a minute ago on Earth, and now she's getting married to someone on Forsythia? Without his permission? … Oh wait, that's right, she still thinks Suzuki is her childhood friend. Why the hell would she care about what he thinks?

There are so many questions running around in his head right now that he can't settle for one. So he picks the most obvious one. "Where the hell is my wife? What did Kohana say about it?" Flower's lip starts the quiver and she folds her arms, shaking her head. She doesn't like it when Suzuki's upset, because she's highly empathetic. It's not her fault, of course, but now she's feeling just as flustered as he is. She should have just kept her big mouth closed, but she felt he just had to know... "Where is Kohana now? I thought she'd keep up with things like this!"

"She is! I m-mean, she's there, on Forsythia, of course. I-I don't know how, or why, but she's there, and a couple of the flowers outside of this big church recalled her running into it." In response to her answer, Suzuki rubs his temples and smashes his forehead into the desk, groaning.

"_Who_ is she marrying? Isn't she a little bit too young to be getting married? Does she at least _like_ him? Is Kohana going to at least stop this? What is going on, Flower? I need more answers than just 'Sayuri's getting married.'"

And this is where the hard part begins.

By God, Flower can't concentrate under such purple, scrutinizing eyes. Suzuki makes her nervous, okay? Especially when he's angry. Because he just doesn't up and come out with his anger. His angry face is the same as his happy face, or his excited face. You can never tell when he's pissed off beyond all recognition. … So if she says the wrong thing, she'll be getting yelled at, for sure. Hasn't he ever heard of the phrase "don't kill the messenger"? So before she even utters a word, she throws her arms out in front of her and shakes them, taking a step back. "Please don't kill me, Suzuki! Not that you would, of course, but I'm just relaying what I'm told! How do you know it isn't just a rumor?"

"_Who_ lies about my daughter being married at fourteen-years-old?" he challenges, raising a brow. "Someone can lie about anything. About a game, or being somewhere, but lying about Sayuri being married? Please. Now, Flower, you know I'd never hurt you..."

"But you will when you find out who!"

"I promise I would never do such a thing. Now please, who are you talking about?"

"But!" Flower exclaims, touching her face with her delicate hands and closing her eyes. "You'll hate me, King Suzuki! You'll hate me because I didn't do anything to stop it, but it's not my job, to interfere with the lives of humans and the people who live on their respective world! I am not a Summoner, so I wasn't worried about saving Sayuri from the... Tyrant she's marrying!" Upon hearing the word tyrant, Suzuki's eyes dilate and his grip tightens on the piece of paper, ripping it in two. "_I mean—!_" Flower shouts, trying to make everything good again. But it's too late. He's already pissed.

"Tyrant?" Suzuki shouts, looking out the window and then looking back at her. "Did you just say tyrant? _What..._"

Great. Now she's crying.

"The Archfiend! She's supposed to be marrying the Archfiend there. What's his name... Aga... The... Something... Um... Suzuki, why is your face red? Don't explode, please don't explode...!"

But her plea falls on deaf ears.

He shouts out of his seat, stomping towards the door but Flower grabs both of his arms, restraining him. "Let me go, Flower! That is an _ORDER!_ Would you dare defy me, I'll...!"

"N-no! You're going to go to Forsythia and mess things up! You can't go and fight an Archfiend, Suzuki, you'll die!"

"I know who that man is, what do you mean I'll die? You're talking about Agathangelos, right? That man?" Slowly, Flower releases her king, coming to the conclusion that he's calmed down, somewhat. Suzuki straightens out his jacket and dusts off his shoulders, sighing. "I should have killed him when I was supposed to, and now he's marrying my daughter... This isn't going to bode well with both our world and his, is it?" As much as she doesn't want to answer his question, she kind of has to tell the truth to herself. This marriage will cause so many problems on both ends. She can't understand what the appeal in an Archfiend is, but maybe Sayuri has a legitimate reason for wanting to marry an Archfiend.

"Someone has to stop it," she murmurs, slumping her shoulders. "That's why I came back as fast as I could. To tell you. It'd be a shame for you to miss Sayuri's wedding."

"Tch!" Suzuki turns around, swiping his arm out. "You honestly think I'm letting that wedding happen? As if!" A smirk glides across his lips and Flower tilts her head, smiling softly. There's her king that she knows and loves so much. "I'm sending some of my best men down there. They'll get to the bottom of things." Feeling accomplished, he sits back down in his chair and gathers all the paperwork on top of his desk into a messy pile.

And then he gives Flower one last look.

"You may go now. Just wait and see, Flower. Everything will be okay." He pauses. "But Kohana has to be the most unreliable woman in the world! God..."

* * *

**-: Chapter Eighty: Attack Of The Fifty Foot Whatever :-**

_She's simple yet confusing,_  
_ Her sparkling eyes make me weak at my words, they tremble._  
_ Days seem like years in this month of December._  
_ The winter, coldens me for I have yet to sleep._  
_ And never, will I give up trying 'cause you're everything to me. _

_I hope it's something worth the waiting,  
It's the only time that I ever feel real.  
Thunderstorms could never stop me,  
'Cause there's no one in the world like Emily.  
_

— "Emily" — From First to Last

I was minding my business, walking down the hall when I saw something on the floor, curled up in a little ball.

Knowing me, I wanted to go see what it was. The first thing I saw were these furry, animal ears on top of that thing's head. As if the ball was responding to my presence, its wrapped up tail uncoiled and that's when I knew what it was. My mouth opened and for some reason, my hands started trembling. Probably because my body has this instinctive want to help anything that looks like it's in pain. I had been a long distance away from the woman on the floor, but she's... Much too pretty to be laying in a puddle of dark red blood. It freaked me out. It wasn't just ordinary blood, but a dark, blotchy kind of blood. Almost immediately after I made the person on the floor out, I rushed towards them.

"Genevieve!" I shouted, hoping that she would at least react to the sound of my voice. I'm no doctor—far from it, but we have lots of healers in the Church. There are a few crazy people in Forsythia that don't like what we guys do, so we always have a few healers on deck. Actually, being a healer could make you some good money, seeing as how now-a-days people just want to fight for the Archfiend. Look at that. Become a healer, and you get an exclusive chair in the Cult of the Archfiend. Healers are treated with the utmost respect since they are so few in numbers. But I digress. I crouched down next to her and—her poor tail! It was soaked in blood, that red stuff dripping from the tips of every hair on her tail.

I touched her shoulder and every hair on her body stood up. She was freezing cold. Poor baby. While in a lot of pain, she turned her face towards me. Quite frankly, her expression was all over the place. She was blushing, that much I could tell, but I had no idea why, and I saw this overlaying picture of her being shocked an in extreme discomfort. Her eyes were dilated and wide, and for a moment she grinned with enthusiasm. It was barely a smile, though, but I could still tell that was what she was trying to get across. She grabbed the collar of my pastel orange trench coat and yanked me down, keeping that weird, forced grin on her face.

"Ah, Lysimachus..." she starts, her eyes half-lidded and wandering about. She's in so much pain. I could hear it in her voice. And her grip was floundering on my coat, because her fingers were drenched in her own blood, which made it slippery to touch things. I needed to find out where exactly her wound was. Genevieve doesn't deserve to be in pain like this... I knew I had no time to be shocked, and what I really needed from her was for her to tell me exactly what happened. "Hey!" she implored, closing her eyes and opening them just as fast. I had to take note of how stained her long, brown eyelashes were. "Are you going to sit there and stare at me, or are you going to bloody help me, _you idle-headed haggard!"_ There's the Genevieve we all know and love. Too bad I didn't appreciate the insult and scowled. Just a bit though.

I didn't want her to think I was mad at her. I know how she feels about those kinds of things. It's amazing how strong she is, though. She manages to lift up her severely, broken-in-three-places arm mere inches off the ground. Flesh hangs off her arm and seemingly slides off the bone. I had to fight back the impulse to get shocked. Or angry. More so the former. What person would actually do something like this to an innocent, sweet woman like Genevieve? She doesn't hurt anybody. And I mean anybody. Unless she has a reason to. And if she doesn't have one, she makes one up. To think it was only a few days after we both ran into that Wicked Spawn girl...

… I knew Genevieve's face was stained with tears! At first I didn't want to believe it, but I could see faint traces of saltwater on her cheeks every time she shifted her head into the sunlight coming from a stained window in the southern wall. So she was crying too, huh...? My wolf ears started to droop down, but I picked them back up because she_ needs _me. I'll be sad later, I promise! And I mean it. Genevieve deserves every tear that falls out of my eyes.

Because I wasn't there to save her.

I grabbed her arm delicately, examined it, and... This break was bad. Whoever broke her arm knew exactly what they were doing. I know absolutely nothing about bones, but hers were broken so precisely... so carefully that there's absolutely no way a regular doctor would be able to put this thing back together again. There were fragments in bones, bones contorted and stabbing into other bones—How is that even possible? But that's what I was looking at, I guess, and so I put my hands on my waist, tilting my head and sighing. Breaks like this don't happen on their own, and from the looks of things, I'd say there was a huge struggle in this hallway. Knowing how bad the situation is, I tried very hard to be careful with her arm. "Looks like you fell really bad, huh?" I joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"That is not funny, you idiot!" Ouch, I didn't expect her to be so mad... It was only a joke. How come whenever I'm in pain she laughs and says I'm not fit to be a leader, but whenever I try to make things better and say one joke, she always criticizes me? Anyway, she kinda yelled at me with all of her might, so she ended up wincing and slamming her back into the ground. I put my index finger across her lips, shushing her with a grin on my face. "Obviously this is the work of that weasel Janeavah!" Then she just... Stopped talking. Stopped moving all together. It looked like she was terrified. Just before I thought she had died or something, she lifted her trembling, good arm and her eyes studied me. "Oh, Lysimachus, you're still all right." And then she reaches out to touch me, but it probably feels weird to do so with only one working arm, and she's probably still in a lot of shock that the best thing she can do is slap her hand directly down on my face several times in different places.

I'll admit, it was weird, and my eyes widened and twitched.

And I growled at her. Again. But this time I caught myself and grabbed her wrist, effectively slapping my mouth with her hand. "Err, sorry. My reflexes. I didn't mean to growl at you at all! I wish I'd stop doing that," I admit, exhaling. She just gives me a kindhearted smile and retrieves her hand, putting it back to her side and looking at the ceiling. It takes her a while to form words, but she does, and her bloody, pretty lips part. "I haven't seen Janeavah in years," she says, blinking a tear away. "And the first thing she does is break my arm! Wh-what kind of friend does something like that, Ly-Lysimachus?"

Wait wait wait wait.

Did she just say Janeavah? Ah, so Janeavah decided she was going to stop playing around and attack the Church? That doesn't make sense. I know Janeavah like the back of my hand. We're friends, as much as nobody wants to admit it. That yellow-haired Felinefolk woman scientist... Thing is the laziest person I know. Janeavah never plays pitcher—she's always the catcher. There's got to be more to this puzzle than Genevieve knows. But first I have to put up with Genevieve's crying! Aww man, her eyes are bloodshot red and the tears are just making their way down her cheeks and onto the ground. How do I make her stop? "I try, and I try, and then garbage like_ this_ happens! Why did she pick today of all days to attack the Church, huh Lysimachus? The last thing I want is to fight someone I care about because we're on different sides!"

The normal Genevieve would sniffle for a second and then dab her tears with a handkerchief located in her left sleeve. I nod, not so sure if I should have responded at all. But... She needed someone to vent to, so I guess I could do that much. I reached up her sleeve, retrieved the handkerchief beneath the white ruffles underneath the black of her cufflink and started dabbing her face gently, smiling—wanting her to know that everything is going to be okay. And then she grabbed my wrist and took a deep inhale, closing her eyes. "What in heaven's name am I going to do with this?" Obviously she was referring to her arm. "I can't keep being a bloody adviser if my arm is in a sling!" she shrieked. "Can anyone even fix this! Lysimachus, I can't protect anyone with this arm! Not you, not the people of the Church, and not myself...! Janeavah is cruel and unusual!"

"I wouldn't say that," I coo. "Janeavah's special. You know that."

"Mmm, well, she's a _tad t_oo special."

Aww. How adorable. I run my fingers through her dirty, unkempt auburn hair and tilt my head. "Okay, so, I'm going to fix your arm right now, but I need you to stay perfectly still, and I need you to keep quiet." Oh boy. I can see it in her eyes. She's going to yell at me. Ask me how I'm so sure I can fix the situation. Well, I'm not sure I exactly know how to fix a severely shattered and broken arm, but... It's worth a try, right? "Before you say anything...! Let me try, Genevieve. You lost a lot of blood, as you can see. The back of your corset coat dress... Leotard thing is sticking to the floor." She mouthed the word "ick" and I laughed, studying her grossed out facial expression.

"Yes. Disgusting I know," she mutters, her voice full of animosity towards Janeavah. "And I guess it wouldn't exactly be wise for me to try to get up and walking around with my arm dangling to the floor in three parts." She struggles to come to terms with what I'm about to do, but in two minutes flat she's nodding her head. "Fine. Just don't make it worse."

"About that..."

"_What?_" she snapped, irritated. Can she be patient for just a few seconds? "You said you were going to fix my arm, so fix it already! I don't like being teased!" What in the Archfiend's name am I even teasing her with? I'll never understand women like her, and she said that last sentence very arrogant and snooty. That's Genevieve for you. Always thinking she's better than someone else and thinking that she's the best person in the room. She better thank the Archfiend that she has so much confidence in herself. Some people don't like when people act like she does. I stepped over her body so I could kneel next to her broken arm, picked it up with both hands, and then looked at her with a slight frown.

"I'm sorry Janeavah_—I mean—!_" I didn't even have to look at her face to tell how angry she was. I could feel the hate towards me, and it was strong. It was an honest accident, I swear! I certainly didn't do it on purpose. Being the leader of the Cult of the Archfiend takes its toll on you. I just heard a few names and now I've gotten them all mixed up. That doesn't mean Genevieve's allowed to look at me like I'm about to become her next three course meal... And her eyes... You wouldn't think those ultramarine purple eyes would be able to look so... animalistic and frightening, but somehow she pulls it off. Despite being a squirrel Forsythian woman. She lacks what a bunch of us have (sharp teeth and claws) but she's scary all in her own right. "I mean, I'm sorry Genevieve, but I'm going to have to break your arm some more and then mold everything back in place with my Holy magic? Um..." This isn't working. This isn't working and is only making her more mad. "I promise it'll be good as new, Genevieve! Did I mention how you're my favorite adviser out of everyone?"

"What. Did. You. Just. Call. Me?"

"Genevieve, obviously!" Before she could say anything else, I roughly grabbed her arm rand she gasped in pain. I'm pretty sure I told her to try and stay quiet, but oh well. She would attract the attention of other people who were probably in the Church as well. I just didn't want her saying that I didn't warn her. I twist her arm back into its rightful socket, but when I start breaking things and pushing her bones back underneath the slices of skin hanging from the muscles in her arm, she shrieks in pain, taking great liberty in biting my arm. As hard as she could. I didn't want to say anything, but it hurt so bad! … Anyway, I placed the skin back on the muscles like it's supposed to be placed, and then I ran two fingers up her arm, slivers of white light filling in the cracks and turning her arm back to normal.

I had to make sure the job was done correctly first, so I clapped both of my hands together—an explosion of white light blinding the two of us before I touched her arm, smoothing out all the inconsistencies. Ah! It looked as good as new! All of the blood on the floor was gone too. I couldn't say anything about the destruction of the hallway, though. There were blocks of cement lodged in the ceiling, and Genevieve's cane was flung all the way down the hallway into a vase... But it was perfectly positioned! I must admit, that made me laugh. But then the vase suddenly tipped over and she started moving her hands. It was so weird! Her cane was on the floor, and then the cement did this sort of... Wave to her until her cane met up with her newly-healed right hand.

When I caught that first glimpse of her cane, I knew it was game over. My stomach contorted and I clawed at it, stepping back a few times. That sudden, jerky moment startled Genevieve and instead of getting angry, she looked overly concerned for me. It's amazing how she goes from angry to concerned in all of three seconds, I swear. My eyes were tearing up and I started to cry in terror, blood splotches dipping on the floor. When I saw them, I wanted to lose my lunch. This is it. This is an ambush! Someone got me... From behind...!

I slammed my hand on my critical wound, noting how much blood I was losing. I think Genevieve's seen me cry before, so this is nothing, but I'm supposed to be so strong in front of her, because I'm the "Leader," so she calls me. I lay down on the floor and she scoots next to me, her hands hovering over my chest.

"If you lay down, it won't feel so bad, Lysimachus! Oh_ please _get better...!"

My heart beats out of my chest and now I'm getting a bad, bad headache from screaming so loud. The wind does even more damage to my horrible laceration and... Ahaha! Look at Genevieve's eyes! They're sparkling with tears, but then she glances down and my hand and scowls. … And then I sigh enthusiastically. And she smiles. So I weakly smile back as she caresses my fingers. I wish she would stay away from my wound, however. It's not meant to be touched!

I wince one more time and let one tear roll down my cheek. Her arms across my shoulders feel... Warm. Sniffing slightly, I let out all the rest of the tears because we both know why this is a sad, sad, sad, sad day.

…

…

…

"I just got a paper cut!" I wailed, rummaging under my coat. I know she knows I was just kidding, but I like to joke around. Um, I wasn't kidding about having an actual paper cut on my stomach—I was kidding about being in pain. At first I thought she was just playing along, but apparently she didn't like that and smacked me in the back of the head with her cane. Too bad she missed and I shot back up, standing at my full height.

Genevieve seemed to have been doing a lot better since I went and fixed her arm up for her.

It looked as good as new, and for a while I was really happy until I took a look around the castle. Wow, the two of them really did a number on this place... Oh well, it wasn't my problem, because people like us don't take care of the clean up around the Church. People that are below us do, but I don't think that's hardly fair, so I always help out in any way I can. Except, the others always chide me out for it. Isn't that weird? I just don't think our followers deserve to clean up our messes, is all. But still. Genevieve couldn't possibly clean all of this debris up by herself. Not with that arm of hers.

It looks good though, and I'm proud of my handiwork! I stare off into space looking down the hallway, and then I glance back at Genevieve, who looks really despondent. Maybe she's thinking of Janeavah right now, but Janeavah's long gone, I promise. She won't come back any time soon. I prop my hand on my waist and glance at the brunette girl, tilting my head and putting on a look of distress. "Hey, Genevieve, you want to tell me what happened around here?" For someone who just had her arm broken in three painful places and had to have broken even more so I could get the fragments in place to mold them with Holy magic, she sure is flailing her arms around a whole bunch. It's funny seeing her all flustered, because it makes everything so much more easier to pay attention to!

Her pupils widen and looks at me, her nose twitching. I simply just bent down on one knee, kneeling next to her so I could get a clear understanding of what she was saying. Also, I just wanted her to feel safe with me here.

"What happened? I'll tell you what bloody happened! Janeavah just fancy-pranced her way into the Church! She's destroying_ your _Church, and she brought friends with her! Lysimachus, they're destroying the place, and you're not going to do a damn bloody thing about it!" Aww, that hurt my feelings... It's not like I said I wasn't going to do anything, right...? "And that's not even the worst part. That impertinent, fool-born maggot pie said that she brought the Wickedness with her!" She finished that sentence on the end of a nervous scream, throwing her hands into the ground and banging on the pavement. I couldn't stop smiling. She was so cute when she was angry.

"Oh. That's nice. Did you get a chance to meet her friends?"

Genevieve growled under her breath and she smacked me with her cane. Ouch! That thing isn't an ordinary cane! It's a lead pipe that just looks like a cane! It's the farthest thing from a cane. It's a lethal weapon, and she could have killed me because she's just really strong and ruthless...! What did I do? While my hands reached up to my face to nurse my forehead back to health, she shot me a dirty look and hissed.

"The Wickedness, Lysimachus! As in, the Archfiend's equal! As in, here! _As in, the Church!" _She was hyperventilating now, so I wrapped my arms around her to get her to be silent. Tears of fear and nothing else rolled down her cheeks and onto my spiky hair. I just wanted her to be quiet, and after a long time of silence, she loosened her grip around me and her hands hovered over my back. But just by a little bit. She could still grab me if she wanted to. I closed my eyes, nuzzling my head into her shoulder.

"How do you know Janeavah's not lying?"

"Janeavah never lies!"

"And how are you so sure?"

She reluctantly paused, and that's when I knew she was going to start crying again. Oh dear. "Because the Wickedness always comes back for its bloody Children, Lysimachus! Oh my God, we're all going to die! I'm going to die and it's all your fault, Lysimachus!" She stops, coming to a shocking realization. "Bloody Alula! A-Alula... We didn—I didn't want to...! The Wickedness is coming back for its child and them, they, its—what do I even call it, what word do I use? This is terrible, the Wickedness is mad, and it's going to kill us all!" Great, here's the hyperventilating again. "Tori...! Tori did awful things to that girl, didn't she? Lysimachus!" she cried, burying her head into my chest. "Tori bloody well pissed the Wickedness off, and now we're all going to die! I—wanted to let her go, I wanted to let her go, but Tori—!"

Nothing about Genevieve being upset is funny, but I remember how a few days ago she attacked me several times for thinking I was going to die. Just saying. But um, aww! Don't cry, Genevieve! "We must appease it for its—it's? Them? They? Theres? Aaah, my grammar has gone out the window! We must appease it! Quick, where is Tori? We must use her as a sacrifice to the Wickedness to make it go away! We must through her overboard, abandon all the ships and make it quick, because time is of the essence! Slather that harpy in barbeque sauce if you want, _get her out of here and this Church!" _Um. Whatever. I just really needed to get to the bottom of things before I went around pointing fingers. I hold my hand out and she's the only one fit to grab it. Thankfully, it isn't hard coaxing her to get up and to walk down the hall with me.

Janeavah or not, we needed to go. We wouldn't get anything accomplished standing in a destroyed hallway. She takes my hand, but when she gets up she gives me an unsure look. … And then she glances at our intertwined fingers. "Errm, can we stay like this for a while?" she asks behind a frown. I wonder why she's frowning? "It just doesn't feel right... My arm, I mean. I have to get my... Um... Bloody hand-eye coordination back." Pfft. Whatever. Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes and pop a scowl. Genevieve's so needy. I try my best to maneuver over all the rocks on the ground and the breaking bits coming off the ceiling, all while holding Genenieve's hand. For the most part, she's been kind of... Angry silent. Well, if she doesn't want to help my hand, she should just say so...!

I do the honors for her, but as soon as I let go, she grabs my hand again. "Stop it," she hisses. "I didn't tell you that you could let go!"

"Then why are you so mad, Genevieve?"

She took a long time answering. I didn't blame her. She never knows what she wants from me half the time. It's like keeping a child happy. "Janeavah!" she shouts randomly. I'll tell the truth. Yes, I almost fell over. "I mad about Janeavah, yes, that's it!" Oh, well if it was Janeavah why didn't she say anything? "Look Lysimachus, as your adviser, we need to bloody well get to the bottom of this." Psh, she didn't have to tell me twice. "Janeavah says she brought friends with her, and if my memory serves me right, the Summoners are here too. Which is extremely odd. The bloody Wickedness and the Summoners in the same place, working together? Really now?"

So the Summoners are here too?

"And let's not forget Lady Kaelyn, that witch of an augurist!" Genevieve exclaims through gritted teeth. Hahah, it really is funny how messed up she looks. You know, because she cares more about her physical appearance than anything else in the whole wide world. But she still is carrying herself well, what with her eyes half-lidded like they always are, dark and seductive. "Lady Kaelyn and her silly apprentice!" Wait! I know who she's talking about! I started smiling, because Genevieve's talking about that girl with the hood and the weird, toothy grin. Why did I decide to forget her name now...? "Stop smiling!" she shouts, jabbing me in the stomach. I instantly double over. "What are you smiling about? Y-you better not be thinking dirty thoughts about me!"

"What?" I choke. "_Farthest _thing from my mind, I swear!" What is wrong with her? I was so obviously thinking of Flarence—yeah, that's her name. I was going to say something, but this big, giant spider fell in front of my face from the ceiling, and it was huge. Most women exaggerate things like that, but I'm a man, and _ohmyGodthisspider!_ There is no way a spider is capable of being that big...! And it was trying to cling to my nose. With my heightened, wolf reflexes, I sprung out of the way and let out the most embarrassing, high-pitched scream I have ever screamed in my life. I started swatting at that stupid spider, and me and him fought all the way down to the floor.

I'm not kidding. I smacked that thing on the ground and I could have sworn it snarled at me before it latched onto my pants leg.

I. Don't. Like. Spiders.

I shook it off my leg and it skidded across the floor until Genevieve picked up her pointy-toed, heeled boot and smashed it underneath her foot. Finally. I knew she was good for something, hahaha! "Where did that thing come from?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. "Is someone doing mutant experiments on spiders now? Where's Tori, I'm sure she's got to know why spiders around here are turning into the size of my fist..." Genevieve scraped the thing off her boot and she even kneeling down next to it. Wow, she's brave.

"That was groddy, indeed," she agrees, nodding her head. But upon further speculation of the dead spider, she shoots upwards with a small squeak, stomping her foot on it again. "It's still alive!"

"I'll save you!"

I meant it! I would do just that! So I gently repositioned Genevieve by picking her up by her shoulders and proceeded to stomp on the thing several times. That stupid spider would never, ever hurt Genevieve ever again. When I was sure the thing was dead, I bowed down in front of her, earning a laugh. "There's nothing to see here," I insisted. "There isn't a huge, zombie spider behind me. It's all gone, folks! You all right, Genevieve?"

"Hahah, yes, of course I am!" She knelt down this time. This time, she didn't give me a mean or nasty look, or didn't criticize me. "You got him good, Leader."

Leader grinned, feeling quite successful. "Wow, I-I did? I guess I did! I bet that thing just halfed my life expectancy, though."

"Oh, well, I'm sure it doubled again after you killed it," she replies with a sly smile. "I guess that means I'll live to two hundred, since I originally slaughtered it."

"Yeah!" I shouted, giving her a heartwarming hug. "You could be my sidekick." Of course I stole her breath away when I did that.

"Really?" she asks, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Really really!"

Genevieve hugs me back, but then she starts frowning again. "It was pretty big though. I wonder what kind of spider it was."

"I'll ask Ryder later," I murmur, looking back at that huge spider. I made a face at it, too. "I've seen monster spiders bigger than that, though, out in the mountains. There was one the size of a desk once!"

"Bloody hell, really?" I don't know why, but I really liked it when she said that phrase. Maybe because it sounds bouncy and whimsical... "So I guess you've had practice when it comes to these things, huh?"

"Yep! I'm not your leading man for nothing, Genevieve. There's a reason they gave me this job. Because I'm Lysimachus, the Spider Slayer!" I propped both of hands on my waist and put on a goofy look.

"Then why did you scream like a girl when it came out?"

"Because it scared me! You yelled too!"

"Well, I'm not the fearless _Leader_," she shot, my name rolling off her tongue playfully. "So I have an excuse." Psh! That means squat. She's a trained assassin, along with the rest of my advisers. They wouldn't be here if they didn't know how to fight themselves. I wanted to challenge her, but she retrieved her train of thought and her grip tightened on my hand. That's when she noticed her arm was still glowing a bright white and she seethed. It's only natural for it to do that... The Holy magic is what is keeping her arm from looking like it did before I tried to fix it. "And why is my arm glowing, you idiot? Can't you do anything right? You should have just left it broken! Never mind. You can't be helped. Last time I talked to Tori, she said she was dealing with some 'problems' or whatever hell she was mentioning. I haven't seen her since."

"And Ryder?"

"Ah, actually, he and Janeavah were having a very _delightful_—" My eyebrow arched at the sarcastic way she spat out 'delightful'. You know how normal people usually say it? Nope, this was full of so much venom and poison in her voice that she made the word almost deadly. "—conversation. Don't ask me what they were talking about, because I wouldn't know, but Janeavah seemed very happy until I walked in on their picnic. After that, I came and was going to do my job, to apprehend her because she was obviously trespassing, and here I am now." She pauses, rubbing her temples with her freehand. "Ryder left as soon as the battle began. I wish he would have stayed. The two of us would have definitely stood a chance than just little old me." I couldn't blame him. He probably didn't want to get caught inbetween two girls fighting.

As we turned the next corner, we started hearing... Noises. Just, weird noises. Creepy noises. It sounded like someone was banging on unbreakable armor. At first we were cautious and kinda crept up to the weird shape in front of us, but as we inched closer, we could see everything clearly. It was Tori, flung over some... Thing's shoulder and she was biting the mess out of its neck before recoiling in pain, her teeth chattering. Some of her short, fluffy lavender-colored hair was getting in her eyes, but she could excuse that. Even when it seems impossible, Tori'll keep fighting. Don't get me wrong, Tori's a nice woman.

Possibly nicer than everyone here.

But she will not spare someone trying to destroy the Church and the people in it. She's kicking and flailing her arms around... The thing that's got her over her shoulder is really tall! About seven feet tall, to be exact, and you can tell it's a woman because it has long, dark blue hair tied into a long braid that's laying on the floor. Inside that braid is a bunch of chains, which makes me think... How can that woman hold her head up with that much weight? The woman's skin is tinted a soft blue, but there's ice crystals falling away from her body, and underneath her feet here's a small whirlwind circling her body. Genevieve's eyes are the first to widen and she covers her mouth, taking a step back.

"Cor—! Tori, is that an Aeon?"

Aeon? In my Church? Oh my God we're all going to die it's the end of the world and we're all going to die there's a Aeon in my Church—! While I'm freaking out, Tori grits her teeth and looks up at Genevieve, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why yes, yes it is," she replies, busy assaulting the thing. "This is Shiva, no less, trying to_—egadfraaah—_distract me from my work! The—_ffaaah—_Summoners ran that way, you have to—!"

There is no way Lysimachus Alexander is going to run blind after half-a-dozen Summoners, the Wickedness,_ and_ Lady Kaelyn.

Nope.

Not doing it.

But there is something that catches my eye. An equally tall... Man? With red skin and... Oh my God he looks like a complete and total monster from hell! Is this one of the Wickedness' many monsters?

Oh my God we're all going to die it's the end of the world and we're all going to di—

Okay, Lysimachus. Calm down. You can do this. Calm down. Well, if the man/monster combination in front of me wasn't so hulking big and muscular and strong and scary, I wouldn't be freaking out as much. He extended his hands out towards Tori with a concerned look on his face, his eyes glowing a mysterious yellow. "She won't hurt you," he insists. "Just stop moving and she'll let you go—Shiva was called to occupy you while they dispersed, she's done her job, and you'll just make yourself sick sticking to her like that, she's made out of _ice..._" But he knows how difficult it is to talk a woman out of something they're determined to defeat. She gives the man one look out of her light purple eyes.

"You know something about this insane creature?"

"Yes, I do," he says, nodding. "It only does what it's ordered to. Shiva won't hurt you if you just stop." It took her a moment to process that in her head, but then she stopped moving with a look of wonderment on her face. Miraculously, the Aeon started to fade away in multicolored orbs, sitting Tori on the ground as she disappeared right in front of us. It was cool, but now we had this giant machine to worry about. He found all eyes on him and sort of recoiled, feeling a rush of embarrassment. Luckily for us, Tori always knows the best course of action. Like a fully fledged successful leader, she straightens out her stunning, floor length dress and puts a grateful smile on her delicate, beautiful lips, her wings fluttering, but only slightly.

"So you can be trusted, sir," she acquiesced, nodding her head and unfolding her lithe fingers. Though Tori radiates sunshine and joviality, you can't help but stare at the whip she has, hanging from the belt of her dress just before the feathers start composing the skirt of her gown. I think she puts that there to assert her position. She may be the most beautiful thing on the world right now, but she has enough bite to put a dent into even the toughest warrior. I've seen her do it before. With a bright, striking smile, she extends her hand out towards the man and tilts her hand. "I'm Tori Ardouisur. I'm head adviser here, and we appreciate everything you've done to get that retched Aeon out of our sights. And you are?" The thing about the other man is that he doesn't outright shake her hand.

Ha, his hand is like, extremely big, so it would have been painful to see him clutch hers. .. It looks like he's embarrassed to even touch her, a bright crimson blush stretching across his face. "Mahlon my is name."

"Eh?" Genevieve utters, holding her cane with both hands. Hmm, when did she decide that she didn't want to hold my hand anymore? "Don't faff around—what kind of declaration was that? First impressions are everything, dear." And here she goes with her superior smiles, grinning at him... Trying to make him feel inferior. And her incessant flirting—what with her winking at him—really ought to make him feel nervous. "My name is Genevieve, no need to get into last names like Tori there. And this here is—"

"Lysimachus," he murmurs. "I know who all of you are."

From out of nowhere, Tori starts grinning. It isn't like her previous grins... It's sort of mischievous. And then she knits her hands together, letting out a petite sigh. The suspense is killing Genevieve I see, what with her squirrel tail coiling around me. "You're with Janeavah, aren't you? You certainly look like you could be..." She walks around Mahlon in a complete circle, tapping her plump, bottom lip with her index finger. "You know, we miss our talented prodigy here." As intimidating as Tori is (she keeps reaching for her weapon) Mahlon stays calm, exhaling and closing his eyes. He's still blushing profusely though. It takes everything he can to form a reply.

"But she doesn't miss you all."

"Nonsense!" Tori declares, throwing her arms in the air and giving a small laugh. Her eyes are twinkling in contentment. "I'm sure she misses the only family she's ever had." For some reason, Tori finds it reasonable to grab both of my hands and look back at Mahlon. "Isn't that right, Lysimachus? We're so happy here. Tell me, who wouldn't miss being happy? Does that wretch even know what being happy is?" Ouch. Burn. Tori lets out a maniacal laugh and her velvety, angelic voice echoes through out the hallway. "I insist! Give me stories about how lovely it is to be the most hated organization in the world!" she declares, her smirk perfectly white and dazzling. "And look what she's done to you," she mentions in her sweet, silvery voice. "Quite the opposite of a savior yes?"

And that's when she strikes a sore spot and his eyes constrict.

"Janeavah_ saved my life—!_"

But Tori was ready for that outburst. She brandishes her whip, holding the white leather of it to Mahlon's lips, closing her eyes with that same, radiant grin on her face. She's the only one I know that can threaten someone's existence with an Edenic smile... "Sssh," she coos, breathing heavily on him. "No need to get loud." The step she takes away from Mahlon is amplified by the sugary-sweet venom in her voice, and she even claps her hands together and sighs. "I'm simply talking about how revolting she's made you look, my dear! What kind of leader does that to someone they care about?" Then she looks back at us. "I'd never hurt them. They're my lovely friends and partners in crime in this tirade." Out of nowhere, her left wing shoots up and stretches down the end of the hallway, gorgeous, white feathers floating in front of us. They were so soft I wanted to catch one, but I didn't think that'd be a good idea. "The Summoners and the Wickedness went down that way, along with your beloved leader and the augurist. You're all alone."

"Where exactly is this going, Tori? How can you say such things when I've stood here with you for almost an hour, trying to save you from Shiva? I even went out of my way to help you, and this is how you repay me?"

"No, I am simply doing my job," she retorts, her whip gliding across the floor. "But I appreciate the sentiment. Now, if you would be a dear, call Janeavah back here. I want to get a look at that woman before I—"

"Whiiiteee Guyyyyy~~~!"

Wait, who the hell is that? I turn my head and, low-and-behold, there's this hooded girl running towards us. She's got this huge Cheshire Cat grin on her face, and those beady little red eyes—I recognize them from a mile away, and the rest of her face is pitch black. Flarence. Just in time. I smile and throw my hands out towards her—um. Tori does not look happy. She looks devastated, and you can tell in the way she quirks her nose that she doesn't like Flarence. Genevieve's doing the whole disapproving thing too, her jaw dropping at the sight of the dark skinned Felinefolk. Instead of running straight towards me, Flarence bulldozes her way through both Mahlon and Tori, making the angelic Featherfolk turn around three times before falling on her butt from being dizzy.

She wrapped her arms around me and I did the same, picking her up and then putting her back on the ground. Ah! So she came to visit me after all. "Hiii, Hero guy! I've been looking all over for everyone else, but I think they must have lost me, meow..." Oh yeah, the others. Well, I point down the hallway, nodding my head.

"They went that way, Flaren—"

"Lysimachus!" Genevieve screams, stomping her foot on the ground. "If she's with the others, then why would you tell her where they went? She's an _intruder,_ you paunchy knotty-patted mammet!" So? I didn't care. Flarence was my friend, and she was going to help me do all of my leader stuff. Tori was upset. Really upset. You can tell because she just loses all enthusiasm in the things she's doing. Like now. She's touching the top of her lip with one hand on her waist, refusing to look at me. And then she throws her arms in the air, glaring two holes inside of Mahlon with her ice-cold gaze.

"Let them go," she orders, her tone dark. "Let them run wild in this Church... Ahahaha. Let them try to find their way back to the exit, where traps and tunnels and hallways that were never there before litter this place. The chase..." she begins, sighing with enthusiasm. "Is fun. Exhilarating, even. But the _control... _It's what really gets me going. So they won't be lost for long. Because when I catch them, things are in_ my _hands," she declares with a sense of superiority, lifting up her freshly manicured hands. "I have control. They're _mine._ Their lives belong to _me._ And I choose the moment in which they _die._ Leave these two be, but I cannot wait any longer to catch the rest of them." In an upset manner, Tori turns on her heels, launches off the ground and starts flying down the hallway.

She's chased someone while flying before.

Urgh. That speech was creepy.

But Flarence didn't seem to mind. She just looked at Genevieve and I with her hand placed in the middle of her big, toothy grin, her tail swaying back and forth. "Wow, who was the Angel Lady? She used a lot of big words...!"

Yeah, she did, didn't she? Mmm, well, I straighten out Flarence's jacket, getting all the creases out of it. If there's one thing I hate, it's someone killing someone else just for the thrill of it. That's one thing I can't stand about Tori, so I stand up straight and look at the trail of feathers she left in her wake.

I'm going to have a talk with her when this is all over.

Because if she hadn't tortured Alula, none of this would be happening right now.

* * *

**A/N:** Tori is so creepy! XD;;;

She's an excellent antagonist though. XD;;; Did you guys see the way she basically turned on Mahlon and started being extra mean to him? She's only focused on one thing, and that's to capture everyone else. And if she has Janeavah, that's a bonus, because she figures that if she can take Janeavah out, she'll be looked at in a higher light than she already is looked at in now. XD;; She's so ruthless. XD;; But Lysimachus is right.

If Tori didn't decide to play huntress, none of this stuff wouldn't even be happening right now. XD;;;;

So now we're got Tori hot on the Summoners' tail, along with Kohana and Lady Kaelyn, or so they _think._ XD;;

Look at how messed up this goose chase has gotten. XD;;

You've got Janeavah looking for Lysimachus in his chamber, when he's with Genevieve and Flarence, Mahlon got separated from Janeavah, Janeavah's alone, and who knows where everyone else is right? Right? XD;;

Tori better HOPE she catches them all, at this rate. XD;; Who else loved Flarence's surprise entrance? XD;;


	81. C'est la vie, Good Riddance, Fuck You

**A/N:** Hello guys! XD;; First of all, I'd like to say that this lovely chapter is 15,000 words just about, so it's probably the second longest chapter in CCFA history, but what I really wanted to say here is that yes, this is the Kohana and Tori fight we've all been waiting for. XD;; Bad news is that it's really, really, really bad. XD;; As in, there's some stuff in this chapter that might not be the best thing for a really queasy person to read. XD;; As always, any big fight with Kohana in it probably needs a like, beyond mature tag, but Tori's in this one. XD;;

And we all know how crazy Tori is.

So while I don't think this chapter is really all that bad, it is. XD;; You don't have to read it if graphic fights and lots of gore and blood aren't your thing, but hey, you know, I just had to give a warning somewhere. Or else I'd have felt bad. Without further adue, here's chapter 82! XD;; *shot* I mean 81, sheesh. XD;; Also, it's finally been edited. Sorry about that, I've got an annoying baby next to me that pretty much wants me to die. It MUST! XD;;

* * *

M'hmm.

Yep.

Kohana had to stare at her little toy car for a while to see if she was sure it was the color that she wanted. You see, Kohana's a very creative person. She loves every color that has an existence. She loves her blacks, her blues, her pinks... To her, colors are the most important aspect to life. But choosing the right colored game piece was essential to her survival. Because if she had just a hint of reluctance, she'd probably lose. Badly. So from the get-go, the purple-haired woman knew that whatever piece she entrusted her life to had to be the one that she would stick with for forever.

Forever?

Forreeverrrrrr.

Atropa was starting to get used to that word. Forever. Just like the amount of time Kohana was taking to put her little plastic pink person into one of the holes of her selected car. Honestly, Atropa didn't care what color her game piece was. Just a minute ago Kohana beat Alula upside her head for reaching towards the box of miniature cars. In no way was Kohana justified-Alula was just enchanted by playing a game with the people she loved the most. And the colors enthused her. Really, the Wickedness could be such a child sometimes.

So here Atropa was.

Sitting at the table with Kohana grinning madly, enchanted by a piece of plastic and Alula crying behind a random LIFE card, sniffing up a storm. Joy. This is just where she wants to be. Licking her lips, Kohana slams her car on start square, laughing to herself. With her purple car, she'd be absolutely invincible! Nobody could stand up to her violet might. Not Alula, not Atropa, not anybody. "Hahaha, are you guys ready for the beating I'm about to dish both of you guys in this game~?" Kohana challenged, arching a brow and staring at her piece. The Deity of Hope and Destiny sat there were her arms folded, her tea dangerous close to falling over the edge. If Kohana hit the table like she was crazy one more time, that scathingly hot tea would be scathingly hot.

... All over Atropa's dress.

"Be prepared~! Because when I role, I shall get the highest number to move first, and I will decimate! Ah~tropa, did you like the color I chose?" Yeah, sure. Whatever. Because choosing the right car color is sure to garentee a victory over two other people playing LIFE. Letting out a long, drawn out sigh, Atropa grabs a green car and puts her pink person in it, sitting it next to Alula's white car.

"Yes. Your color was_ so_ original, Kohana. Everything you do is in purple, so why would it matter now? Just play the game." That was probably the nicest Atropa's ever been to Kohana after she's said something extremely stupid. Kohana doesn't care though. Her smile is nice, wide, and full of teeth and she spins the the number roulette in the middle of the game board, hoping for a high number. When she sees what she got, however, her face scrunches up and she flinches, throwing her arms in the air.

"Cheating! Cheating! This game is cheating! How did I land on a three? I spinned it so perfectly! Arrrgh, Atropa, stop using your probability magic! It's just a game!"

_Sip._

"It's 'spun', Kohana."

"Spinned!"

"Spun."

"Spinned!"

Atropa closes her eyes, trying to block out Kohana's incessant, high-pitched voice. This was absolutely insane. Whenever Kohana's wrong, she gets mad. Whenever you correct her, she gets mad. Whenever she finds out you didn't correct her for being wrong and let her continue being wrong, she gets mad. Instead of full-blown yelling at the flower fanatic again, Atropa takes another small sip from her Earl Grey tea, grabbing the spinner daintily and giving it a twirl. Once again, Kohana pulls a face and throws a temper tantrum. ... It was only to be expected, though. Alula on the other hand grinned, cupping her face with both of her hands.

"Oh look Atropa! You've got a perfect ten! You might as well go first," she chimed, humming something else to herself. It was as if she didn't want the other two to hear. "I'm sure I can't get anything worse than Ko-kohana, right?" Oh boy, did that ever strike a nerve. A vein in the purple-haired woman's forehead started pulsating and Alula yelped, twirling the spinner as fast as she could. When the spinner landed on nine, Kohana scowled at the both of them and folded her arms, sitting back in her seat. When it came to playing board games, Kohana was the absolute worse person to play with.

Because when things didn't go her way, she made everyone else suffer. Alula knew that Sayuri liked playing boardgames though. When Alula was still on the Dark Ages, Kokoro used to tell her how Sayuri would always angst about losing them back on Earth. Apparently she got the habit from her mother—which was cute—but bleh. Sayuri wasn't cute. Sayuri was an annoyance to Alula. One that must be shown up in her boardgames abilities. That cute, white-haired Wicked Spawn would show Kohana her strength! Her fury! ... As soon as Atropa went, though.

Alula studied Atropa's form—the way she went in for the spinner and worked her magic... She wasn't really cheating, though, that she knew. Kohana was just jealous that Atropa could get high numbers. Once the pinkett moved the amount of spaces she rolled, she held her car above the space and the took another sip of her tea. "Oh, a raise at my new job," she said, quirking a brow. "Interesting. Might as well take two-hundred for the bank."

But Kohana didn't like that.

She didn't like the fact that Atropa got free money.

But it was Alula's turn next, so she let her go. When Alula's moves were all said and done, Alula was ecstatic. "Yaay! I get to pick my career path! Let's see, what do I get, what do I get!" Using a random card generator, the top three cards in the Wicked Spawn's hand were the doctor, musician, and sports player cards. Of course Alula didn't even have to think about it. She grabbed the doctor card and held it in the air for everyone to see, swaying around in her chair and rubbing it in the two women's faces. "I'm a doctor! Look Auntie Atropa and Kohana, I'm a doctor! Doctor Alula, reporting in!" Atropa twitches at that ridiculous nickname, but before she can chide Alula out and threaten her in the most gruesome way possible, Kohana practically murders the spinner, making it twirl at insane speeds.

On the plus side though, Kohana got the same number as Alula. Her face lit up and not only did she move the correct number of spots—she picked up her car and dropped it on the board, drop after drop until she was at her final destination. "Hahaha, work your magic for me, card generator~ Give me something good before—"

"B-but Kohana, I didn't get to finish my turn...!" Oh great. Now Alula's going to start crying again and it's all Kohana's fault. Her big, wide, barren eye sockets start quivering and Kohana snarls, swiping her hand across the air. That doesn't matter. Alula should have said something before Kohana rolled, not after she was already done moving her spaces. What if she roles a completely different number? Then what? So no, Kohana wasn't, under any circumstances, taking her role back.

"Shut up you slut of a nurse!" Kohana snaps, baring her fangs. She looks at her career selection and grins at Alula, twirling her career card in her face. "I don't even care about you being a stupid doctor. I'm a teacher! A... Um... Math teacher! Yeah, that~! Mrs. Outtaike! That's what I shall be called from now on until the game ends, kyahahaha~!"

_Sip._

Atropa arches her brow once more, noting the look of pure agony on Alula's face. It must be painful seeing someone she admires so much act like such a child. Oh well. That's what Alula gets for thinking she harbors looouuuveee for Kohana. This is what happens when you love someone. They let you down. They let you down and you never see it coming. Still, Kohana's being kind of ridiculous right now. "It's just a game, Kohana," Atropa acquiesces, closing her long-lashed eyes. "You're going too deep into it. Can you let Alula enjoy the game, please? Argh, being around you makes me wish there was someone out there who was capable of killing me."

"Silence!" Kohana declares, throwing a little person piece at Atropa. It actually hit the Deity's nose and fell into her tea, but had that have been something else, the pinkett would have gotten up and murdered her. That was was sure. "Let Alula enjoy the game? The game~? Alula's enjoying the game a little bit too much! See, look at her next roll! She just rolled, I swear she did, and look, she's putting two more people into her car! Ahahaha, I see! I see you~! Putting people in your car!"

The crazy part about it is that Kohana's actually standing out of her seat, jabbing Alula's nose in with her annoying pointing. "I see," Atropa replies, giving her an exhausted sigh. "She landed on the twins square. So she had to put more people in her car."

But Kohana's not having that.

She literally smacks Atropa's game piece off the board, shaking her head profusely and disapproving of what Alula's doing all together. "Look! LOOK ATROPA~ Alula just killed you! Because she was having too much fun! Look at the kids in her car! They're dangerous! But don't worry, I'll save you!" With her mouth turned into an upside down 'v', Kohana smashes her car into Alula's, staring at them both. "Brrrrrrewwww _kabloooom!_ Oh no, look at all the pieces everywhere! I'll save you! Kyahaha~ Mrs. Outtaike beats Stupid Nurse Alula once again! I've got you cornered like rat, and now you're gonna listen to what I say because I've got you in the palm of my hands, Aluluuuuuu~~"

That's when Alula looks at Atropa teary-eyed, throwing her arms out. "No, that's not fair! Atropa! Kohana's cheating again! Nobody likes a sore loser!" That declaration doesn't do much; Kohana just reaches over the table and pinches a huge part of Alula's cheek, making her whimper.

"You were the one cheating! You killed Atropa and then had kinky sex over her dead body! Clearly there's something wrong with you~! Oh, how could you do such a thing when you're a doctor! That's clearly a disruption of misconduct, Alulluuuu."

"That doesn't even happen in LIFE!"

"It does noww~~ Who would have thought? It's always the quiet ones, gwahahaha~!"

"No, it wasn't even like that...!"

"You turned an innocent game of LIFE into sex with bodies! Or sex over bodies. Or... Or.. I dunno. But you destroyed it! You destroyed the game, and now you lose and I win, hahahah! I dominate the game world, Alula! You should have never challenged me!"

_Sip._

The pinkett thinks this has officially crossed the line of being sane. Atropa's getting a migraine, too. "Kohana, that's an entirely different game, now stop and pick up everything you threw on the floor."

"No Atropa. You don't tell me what to do."

Except, Atropa isn't Alula. And she gives Kohana a death glare out of this world. What looks like Kohana getting up to pick up the pieces is actually Kohana jumping out of her chair and flipping the entire table over in frustration and anger. And yes, Atropa's tea went down with everything too. Alula stood there wide-eyed and whimpering, while Kohana snarled and stomped her foot on the ground, her fists balled up.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed! You guys are boring, I won anyway! A long time ago!"

Note to self: Never play games with Kohana.

Because she will_ destroy_ everything.

And yes, innocence does count.

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**-: Chapter Eighty-One: C'est la vie, Good Riddance, Fuck You :-**

_You can keep the fortune, and you can have the fame _  
_ You can have the shit you never will obtain _  
_ You can't take my virtue, no you can't take my pride _  
_ You can't take the anger building up inside _

_ You won't break me _  
_ No matter how hard you try_  
_ You can't shake me down _  
_I'm fucking bulletproof! _

— "Bulletproof" — Five Finger Death Punch

A simple thought about Kohana is never simple, so it seems.

What I can't seem to wrap my hand around is the fact that these people around me seem to have me pegged as someone who has no idea what they've gotten themselves into. Oh, of course I have, darling. I understand, to the fullest extent, what kind of trouble provoking the Wickedness will give me. People even assume I should be afraid of her, for she's torn down worlds like tornadoes rip through both the earth and the sky.

She wields her hips like weapons, a double-edged sword, maybe. Perhaps there's something more to her that she holds; maybe it's something a little more intoxicating—a drunken sway that no one else would never catch unless they actually studied the way that she walked. If she has no beginning, she's the longest movie of them all because she has no end, and therefore no mortality. I believe that those things are in her lovers, her friends, and on her rap sheet she's got 'failure to concede' written in big, black, bold letters.

At seventeen she wrote a revolution and _made_ the whole world listen.

Well, if she can't be president and she can't be queen—

She might as well be god here.

I'm playing a game with a god of the cosmos. I don't mind it one bit. I have respect for those who break the rules—who spit in the faces of authority and do whatever they please. Those people obviously felt they were good enough to stand up against the opposition. I was put on this world to make sure people like that fall back down from the ladder they climbed up from. How foolish are those who think they can make a mark in a world—_my _world, no less—to dictate the going-ons around here. This is why Kohana Outtaike, that woman, the Wickedness reborn is so simple to think about, but at the whim of a quirked brow, that thought becomes complicated, tangled in a mess of matted truth and lies. I suppose the complexity of this woman interests me?

Otherwise, why would I bother, right?

There's beauty in sin, a beauty that sparkles like rubies that makes it so hard to resist. It's so aching sweet, so tempting to taste, but in the end it's bitter and all of those promises are empty, the treasure merely fool's gold. Beauty is dangerous, just like roses I always say. The smell, the color, the symbolism intertwined with the thorns of the softest petals... It's this contradiction of existence that we love. How blood can spring from the smallest slip of a finger. She's a beautiful flower.

She shows us the simple truth.

That the sheer amount of beauty she contains comes with a price, and must not be sought by any ordinary human. Good. Because I'm anything but.

I sighed, leaning over the table with one delicate, porcelain hand cupping my well-rounded, soft face. As I traced the ring of my tea cup, I sighed and looked at the ceiling, my legs swaying back and forth, my wings tucked behind my back. The room I was in was like expensive white chocolate—the walls dressed in white lace and the tall chair I was sitting in beaded in pearls with the utmost care... I always came back to this gorgeous room whenever I needed time to think to myself. The color suited me. My lips parted to reveal a bright, perfect smile as I tilted my head and began to trace the opening of the cup in a counterclockwise fashion...

People from all over the world gush about my appeal. My beauty. To some, I am the most enchanting woman in Forsythia, with wings that spread so far and wide, silvery feathers gliding through the sky with every move I make... I'm kind and gentle, meek and humble—a woman who has a graceful walk and captivating curves... An elegance simply unmatched. I have a smile of a lady, one that heals, invigorates, and revives both men and women alike. It's a smile unlike anything you've ever seen. The sheer radiance I have—for one to be able to sit in the presence of my beauty and bask in my aura, a state one can only wish to prolong...

How delicate am I to be that woman, a flower to be cherished and held dear. A flower to be protected. I'm simply irreplaceable. My lavender hair brushes softly on my face and it seems as if I've never been touched by the hands of age and weather. During both day and night, I glide with grace with my long legs through the Church, helping out as many as I can, and like a pendulum does my hips swing slowly and calmly. People envy the very air I breathe as it passes through my lips so red and round, lipstick could only hide the beauty of them. My fingers so long yet petite and small, I could hold any man's heart.

A soft touch from me would be a gift even Heaven couldn't hope on providing.

My voice so soft and beautiful could stay stuck in any man's head; I haven't met a single soul that would dare miss any syllable as I sing my commands through the Church. And while I believe all of these things to be true, people rarely ever notice the other side that I have to me, one so blatant and _cruel—_I have never been one to put up with people weaker than me. Yet, here this woman is, standing tall with a full head of pink hair and blue tattoos crawling up the left side of her body, cradling the length of her eyelashes. Though this woman is clearly occupying some other woman's body, I can see through that disguise and notice a new form of beauty I _cannot _fathom.

I wasn't sitting at the table drinking tea for my health, I simply needed to be motivated by Kohana again. I've seen her smile, each movement of her lips a masterpiece of pure art, and the words she speaks are symphonies to my ears. My beauty couldn't possibly rivals hers, and each moment I spend in her presence shall be ones that I wish would last an eternity.

No force in_ Heaven_ _or_ _Hell_ will keep me away from her.

Damn Lysimachus.

Damn the Church.

Damn everyone else she came with.

Every minute I've not captured that woman seems to last forever. And yet she remains, close to me. So close that I can smell her sweet perfume in the air. Feel the softness of her skin, her very being leaving behind an imprint impossible to remove. No words can define her. Words trap a person and binds them to reality. This beauty which I dare not to name cannot be trapped by such flimsy things. She's free, bound to nothing but her whim. And yet she remains.

Honestly, is she teasing me?

Showing me her perfection only to take it away as soon as I've gotten a glance? And even so, I'd never be able to comprehend what makes her appeal to me so much. For such a thing is divine, so perfect, so absolute that it cannot be rivaled. Her beauty is truly indescribable. I appreciated the sentiments of people telling me I'm the best thing they've laid eyes on, but surely they've never seen her. The more I thought about her, the harder I pressed down on my tea cup. She'll be twice as beautiful as the subject of a massacre, wouldn't she?

And just as sacred as the carnage on these white walls.

For, you see, Kohana's sin is thinking that she could come on my world and rival the Archfiend. Knock him out of his position. As much as a favor that fiery look in her eyes, she must be chopped down. As much as I want to let her live, she's the epic depiction of my unrequited love and has a smile that would stop my heart.

She'd dismember me very carefully just to see if my blood would come gushing out.

She's fascinated by the human weakness.

I've noticed it too many times before. I've seen her toy with my men, crushing their skulls and sticking objects in their eye-sockets, sending pieces of their noses into their brain.

Kohana's the kind of woman that will break someone's back one piece at a time and laugh as she brutally guts a man, spreading his innards all over the floor. She's not in love with me—she's savagely in love with painting the walls in a bright red color. But there's one thing she hasn't touched. One act that I think she'll never take part in. And I think I found that thing when I saw one blue, high-heeled stiletto step over the threshold of the room. The tea cup had finally decided to break underneath the pressure of my fingers and I sat there scowling. How dare this woman think she was so much better... So proud, so vain! To think she could come face me by herself—she had no idea who I was. What I was capable of.

Her face screamed at me, her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth set in a deep scowl, her gaze disapproving as she stepped rather furiously into the room, her sword clinging to her waist by a string of multicolored flowers that I knew not the name of. Her facial features were so defined and I knew exactly what she wanted from me.

Revenge?

Highly unlikely.

She wanted the next step up.

She wanted sheer torture. For me to hurt almost as much as poor Alula did. At least this woman wasn't stupid. At least she knew that Alula wouldn't get away from me that easily. Just as she wouldn't. I wasn't rude, however. I glanced up at her with amused, lavender eyes and played with one of the shards of the cup with my index and thumb fingers. I-I just needed something else to occupy my thoughts.

Too much of her, and I'd lose this fight.

Under my thick, purple eyelashes I put my hands underneath my chin and close my eyes, sighing a sigh full of longing. I just couldn't wait to see her explanation... See the reasoning behind her carnage... See what she was planning. Still that woman stood tall, and I'd go on and on about the sheer beauty she possessed just standing there in one spot, staring me down like a dog would stare down bleeding, fresh meat, but my mind was all over the place. This woman came here for a fight. I'd deliver her one. And so, as I parted my perfect lips, I exhaled a cloud of peppermint breath, hoping she would catch a whiff of it.

"I'll control you, are you ready?" I asked, straightforward and diffident. Confidently, I opened my eyes again, never stopping the bouncing of my leg. "Don't tell me you of all people came here without taking into account the obvious repercussions of your actions..." I trailed, tilting my head and cupping it with my right hand before I fell into the table. Kohana's tenacity could do that to a person. "Out of all the things you could have been doing, dear, you came to see me. I'm honored in ways I could never fully express." And then I frown. Because the sight of her with her blue tail and blue Felinefolk ears sickens me to the very pits of my stomach. "I hope you're ready for this," I mentioned casually, my sweet voice ringing throughout the room. Even the chandelier on the ceiling ringed with my warning. Still she stood there, her hands to her side and her face pulsating in a rage I'd never be able to understand.

Did I honestly offend her that much?

Ah. Ignorance is bliss.

"Hmm, let me check on my list of things to do~" she declared, propping one hand on her waist. It was the third time I had heard her speak to me before, and yes, I kept count. How could I not? This woman was... Ah, I didn't really know how to explain it. Her voice sounded so lovely, with ups and highs only accentuated with the way she carried her vowels, each one long and drawn out. I loved the sound of her voice. So loud and easily understood... Like music played for me and me only. After a quick second of thinking, she gave me a wink and revealed her sharp fangs at me. Cute. "I have loads of things to do today, none of them you."

I snapped. Quick, sharp, and with a deepening frown. Who did she think she was talking to? That wasn't funny. It was making me lose all of my patience for her. I could have ended this fight before it even started. "Not many people would think you were funny with that shameful tongue, Wickedness."

"Ah~ Call me by that name again, it shows that you know some kind of respect, you insane bitch." The way her nostrils flared as she called me such a vulgar name...! I wasn't one to be provoked easily, but Kohana had some nerve. "Only a few people ever really call me by the name, and I'll be damned if you're one of them!" Her face darkened, the only thing being seen the bottom half of her face. The top half was hidden by her pink bangs. "Some nerve? I have some nerve—_kayhahhaa!_—I suppose so; it takes a special type of courage to invade some washed up bird's nest and destroy everyone I came across~! Isn't that right, Toreee~?" Impressive. So she read my mind. The edge of a dangerous smirk split the left side of her face and she threw both of her arms out, taking two bloodlusting, intoxicated steps forward.

She even wobbled to the side a little.

"If you can teach me while you're still alive, Toreee, I might just end your life much quicker~!" Obviously she was growing restless of the way I sat on my high tea chair, gazing into her eyes with a love-stricken gaze, my eyes half-lidded. As much as I hated this woman, I had a sort of admiration for people who dared to fight the impossible. That being me, of course. She wanted me to move. To be scared. I wouldn't grant her that satisfaction. What was there to be scared of? "What purpose does a word serve in describing the pain you're about to undergo~? Or explaining why the wall will soon support your weight because you're tied to a hook that hangs there~?"

"I'm flattered," I admit. "My, you do more talking than you do acting on what you say. Do you do that often, Kohana?"

She quirked a brow, tilting her head again. "Talking is music. Talking is a science~! I've never had a fight as serious as this one be completely silent~! That kills all the excitement, you see~" At this rate, I would never get tired of hearing her voice. "You don't seem to understand that I hold your life in my clutches! And when I draw my blade, get ready to scream Toree~eee, because it's your time to die! You took Alula's peace and sanity, so now I'm going to give you a nice little grave as_—tehehehe!_—a sort of... Consolation prize! Congratulations!" she exclaimed on the end of a maddening laugh. She also unsheathed her sword as she thanked me. For what I wasn't quite sure... "I'll rip you open! Kyahahha, you can bite and kick and scream and yell, but I'm gonna tear you wide apart because you're going to _pay_ for all those things you did to Alula!"

A chill ran up my spine, but for once I knew the exact reason why. It was because Kohana had no idea what I did to that hideous little girl! Ah, so ignorant. She knows so little, so I started to chortle under my breath, gracefully putting one foot on the ground and following it with my other. I pushed my chair in and nodded my head at the monster standing in front of me, taking note that she wasn't here in her own body. She literally destroyed someone else so she could have a place here. She's a demon, this Kohana woman. And I'm the only one fit to defeat her. Whipping around on my heels, I kept my gaze steady on her. I didn't know if she played fair or not. Didn't need to. Heh. "Dearest darling!" I said, bowing down and twisting my hand around in front of me, my wings perking up a little. When I stood back up, I was met with Kohana's quirked brow. Incredulously scanning me and my dramatic actions. "I assure you, no harm has come to Alul—"

"Shut your mouth," she demanded, stomping her foot on the ground. "I am not stupid." I believed her. To be the Wickedness, she had to be smart. Under her dark, chiding tone, I could sense a smart woman. "_I am the Wickedness!_ I hear all and see everything at ever single waking moment of the day. Just because I'm busy doing something else doesn't mean that I'm blind. I saw what you did, and I—_hahaha—_don't regret spying on your little show in the slightest!" Suddenly, there was an extreme change in tone... Something childishly malicious, bubblegum pop sweet and devious. Kohana clapped both of her hands together, her sword hanging loosely within her grasps. "Just know that I am _not _Alula. You will beg for me to end your pitiful life, and grant you the peace that you could never have. And you will tell me you're sorry for all the pain you've caused. Tell me that you_—ahaha—_didn't mean it. Tell me that it will never happen again." She paused, walking up towards me and touching my cheek with hers, the fangs in her mouth scratching up against my skin.

It was strange how I didn't think of striking her right then and there. I was tired of her speeches of what she was going to do to me. Shameful little tease she was. She ended up pushing back my hair and placing her lips on the lobe of my ear. And she whispered incoherent things to me until I could finally make some things out. "When I said I'd be back, I_ warned_ you too. A job well done for surviving this long. Too bad I'm going to be the one who has your last breath." I smiled. I couldn't help it. Her threats were so real, but so many questions popped up that I just had to have answered.

"This is such a pain! I don't like it when people challenge me, Toreeee~ And I especially don't like it when people challenge me right after I warn them! You'd think that I'd go out of my way to tell you people not to do what I so nicely ask for you to act smart about, but nooo~ Everybody's got to be so stupid around here, like you all lack brains or something! Well, that's not the only thing you'll be lacking after I'm through with you and that's such a shame~ I knew you were going to do something so silly as this, so I didn't waste any time getting here~"

"Such an honor, Kohana," I said, bowing down again. "Oh, you knew I was going to ignore your threats? That's very impressive, my dark entity. Are you clairvoyant?" It took her a while to decide how she was going to answer my question, but she did. Finally. I was tired of waiting for her.

"Err, something like that. I like to think I'm not, but as you can see...!" That beautiful woman got right back down to business again, resuming her rather serious tirade again. "Alula's no ordinary little girl, Tori. She plays all day in her mind, just as I told her to, with arrows in hearts and cracked mirrors. I doubt you really hindered her too much." In the back of my mind, I was dying with laughter. If only Kohana knew what was left of her. Then she wouldn't be so high and mighty right now, but no matter. My whip still hung by my side, being untouched. She on the other hand? She held the handle of her green, mysterious sword with both of her hands quite tightly, pulling it back and high, next to her head. I loved the look of determination she wore—she must have really wanted to exact revenge on me, but I couldn't see anger.

All I could see was sin. Her beautiful sin.

A pentagram ripped its way through the floor, spreading all over the room, its bright purple light coloring the walls. It was blinding, but not bright enough for me to take my eyes off Kohana. "My sword is the darkest blade in all of existence!" she screams on the end of a grunt. "A clouded glass just from out my hand, obsidian-like blade, raging eyes purple and green, would anyone have the nerve to challenge this dark beast to a match, their lives quickly frayed! An umbra form, a floating mass, moving without the slightest sound, sharpness so quickly—! A slice, a rip, a tear, a cry, the opponent now simply debris—_aaah!—_I love it~!" She swings her sword vertically in the air and then brings it down to her side in one swift swing, the steel of it glowing purple and then slowly ripping apart, the fragments staying around it for a few seconds and then disappearing. For a split second, those fragments looked like...

Looked like...

Multicolored flower petals...?

With the most psychotic, man-eating grin I've ever seen, Kohana inhaled and stared at the ceiling. "She moves upon the slightest slip, in the light's passing and brings silence to all of those following life's sacred decree! Teach this woman the meaning of revenge, Amaririsu! Kill her slowly, _kyahahaha!_" I quirked a brow, unfolding my lithe arms from behind my back. I could only assume Amaririsu was the name of her sword. I wouldn't judge her for that—I have had days where I've thought about naming my weapon also, but my victims do that honor for me. I wouldn't laugh or smirk at her, because that's rude, and I don't believe in treating my guests like I have no manners. When I look up, there are thousands—millions of colorful, innocent flower petals clinging above my head, swaying high in the air and floating up there with no cares in the world...

They look supple. Delicate. Smooth. Velvety. Rich and vibrant in there orange, yellow, red, purple, blue, green and violet hues. They're strewn across the air, like confetti on a breeze. It's the most un-intimidating I've ever seen. Is this what this woman is hoping to slay me with? Simple flowers? But of course, I wasn't going to be unimpressed by her little show. I know that even behind the brightest of all smiles hides a dangerous serial killer. She should have ordered those flower petals to kill me much more quickly. Oh well, that was a bad move for her, is all. I glanced at Kohana's blade, only to realize it wasn't there anymore. The cold steel had successfully managed to break into fragments of pure flower petals, one by one, slowly. And, despite the urge to look at her beautiful, maddening face, I let out a star-stricken sigh and caught a fleeting feather from my wings inbetween the grasps of my thumb and index fingers. After that, I brought the soft instrument to my arm delicate lips, kissing it before tossing it into the sky, both my hands and my eyes glowing a bright white.

This was all power I possessed for the Archfiend and only the Archfiend only. And he allowed me to have this power.

The feathery ends of my dress rode in the wind I created, and so did my hair to some extent. How foolish it was of Kohana to not notice I was up to something. A different kind of symbol appeared underneath my boots, but it did not share the same inscriptions of Kohana's damning pentagram. And, unlike hers, it did not stretch out across the room. Only under me. I pressed the tips of my fingers into the fabric shielding my chest and closed my eyes, that same white light escaping from my eyelashes. "Lady angel," I murmured, my voice velvety and smooth, laced with ivory. "White is a blank slate stretching for miles, innocent and naïve, bringing about a new beginning during your death. Lend me your army, so that this black darkness can be destroyed." I promised myself I wouldn't smirk in front of Kohana, so I just stood there while she was blissfully unaware of the white fleet shooting across the air like falling stars from behind her.

Streaks of that same, majestic white laid in their wake, blending into the color of the walls.

I'm not much of a talker in these kinds of fights, so my birds would do the honors for me. Each trail of white that clouded my vision made me want to smile a grin full of pride, but I didn't. So I merely closed my eyes and daintily blushed a little, holding my hands close to my chest. Hundreds, millions of Holy birds appeared, dropping feathers and making their way back towards Kohana, who was more-or-less scared. Why would a being such as herself be scared of such simple, white birds? Hmm, I wonder, with the utmost respect...

Kohana's face contorted, and each subtle movement in it was only amplified by the light scratching across the sky. It was such a lovely scene. With one frantic, worried diplomatic swing downward of just the hilt of her blade (or lackthereof), those once innocent flower petals that hung in the air without a care in the world completely tore through the birds one by one, successfully demoralizing the white of them. I always knew it would eventually come to this. This room destroyed by blood. Still, I stood in the same place, watching the epic battle between flower and bird, nature and nature—it was intriguing to watch; birds having their wings cut into threes and falling right towards the ground in a pulpy mess of clotty blood, being mercilessly impaled by six or seven of those dangerous petals... Some even burst the stomachs of those birds wide open, sharing their contents to the floor and to the wall. Only I stood, not effected by the brutal slaughter.

Not a drop of blood fell on me.

These birds? Those pretty, brave birds? They were fighting to protect me.

Kohana stood there gawking, her arms extended outwards in disbelief that her sword would prove absolutely no match for my fleet. For the first time since I met her, I saw a glint of fear in her eyes. No matter. I was sure I'd get to see that same look again in no time flat. I _promised_ her that. "No, no, no, no, no!" she shouted, punching at the air. "Toreeee~eee~!" Her voice melted into pure sugar again and she looked at me with sincerity in her eyes. "I don't appreciate cheaters."

And with the wind blowing my dress and hair towards Kohana, I put on a puzzled look and adjusted the pearls around my wrist. "Whatever do you mean, _love?_" I gushed, stressing that last word. She would think me passive aggressive, but I was anything but. That was me being honest. "I haven't yet dared to make a move on you." My silver ring, the one of two wings crossing above a sword glimmered in the light left behind from the birds. It was the same symbol as the one of the handle of my whip, which was still clinging to my side like a faithful warrior. "I haven't poked your eyes out, or made a cheap shot, or brought up the sour subject of Alula." Seeing Kohana flinch like that was what I lived for. It was apparent she wasn't in check of her emotions.

Oh, how would she react under my control, I wondered...? I'd find out soon. "Oh, you should have seen just how hilarious that girl was!" I declared in a fit of passion, trying to hide my face behind my arm and looking to the side. I even wore a slight toothy smirk, too. "Following my every order, begging me and giving me foolish ultimatums that I have no desire for...! She followed them, and she _kneeled,_" I spat, my voice cracking. My head cocked sideways sharp and fast as I threw my arms out in the air. "And every time she made even the slightest sound, I brought my fingers to her stitched lips—" Slowly, oh so slowly and dramatically I brought my right hand to my mouth, separating my fingers. "Pressed them against her lips, and told her, 'Shhh!'" After I was done demonstrating, I brought my hand back down. "And then I resumed my duties. And like the good little Wicked Spawn girl you taught her to be, she took everything I offered without fail, ah_aaha_ha_ha!_" Almost as soon as I started laughing, I touched my mouth with my hand, shocked that I let the sound come out of my lips.

And then I straightened myself out, tilted my head, and let out a petite giggle. And in my silvery, dainty breathy voice, I murmured, "I was merely protecting myself." Insisting I was. I even did a bow for her.

She didn't like that.

And seethed.

Meanwhile, the war overhead us was just about wrapping up, the dead bodies of my feathered soldiers hitting the floor in matted, battered messes. Fights like these are truly terrible! Kohana's blade was starting to retain its shape, but she didn't allow it too much time to come back. I swear to you, flower petals where still returning to the hilt of her sword but in a blind fit of frustration and rage, she launched towards me.

Me.

Both unarmed and not bothered by the bird bodies still raining inbetween us. In her unlawful attempts to slaughter me where I stood, she completely decimated an already dead bird, bisecting it with her sword. Ah, so it's that sharp? This would be fun, I was sure. Was I bothering her? Good. I wanted my calmness and sureness to completely upset her. And then, when the time was right, I'd throw this battle to the dogs. She didn't know what real fear was. I'd show her.

This livid woman with pink hair so bright and vivid and her radiant, inner beauty—her real beauty—launching towards me like she's done it millions of times before...

I must not have been her first.

And that excited me.

"You and your summoning magic!" she shrieked, her voice cracking and rippling, veins popping out of her forehead, lapis lazuli eyes screaming at me with the hairs on her tail standing erect. "Ahhh, Toreeee—!" She slashed at me and I could feel the anger of her blade, quirking my brow at the apparent heat coming from it. Swords aren't sentient, but it was almost as if the people that Kohana had slain with that very thing... The anguish of those would were trapped in that blade. Poor them, being decimated by that crazy woman... Such a shame, but that made her sword a threat too. Like it breathed killing and lived for reaping souls. I wouldn't let that sword touch me. I didn't move out of its way, however. I merely touched Kohana's hand with my delicate, lithe fingers, directing her swings an entirely different way all together. She was going to explode and burst into a million pieces if her face got any more redder.

"I'm going to_ murder_ you, Tori!"

"You can't even hit me, how do you ever hope to accomplish that, Kohana?"

"_Arrrgh, you're pissing me off—!_"

I smirked. "'Please stop! I'm choking, I can't breathe!'" I imitated Alula to the best of my ability, even replicating that nerve-wracking high-pitched voice of hers. What's amazing was that I could still hear her through her stitched mouth. "'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie! I'm not meant to die, I still need to live for my Mommy...!'" Kohana's eyes dilated. Any other emotion that might have been on her face was replaced by sheer anger and she snarled at me, her eyes glowing blue as she held her sword with a strong right hand. Silly girl! I stood there waiting for her, and when the time was right I shoved my hand into her face, possibly busting her lip open.

I didn't care. She ran into me first.

Her body naturally propelled backwards and I tugged her right arm towards me, swinging my free arm around her neck and smirking devilishly. For a split second, I could see how much eternal hate she felt for me in those narrowed eyes of hers. At least, until she hit the ground backwards, _ahahah! _With my arm cutting off her air supply, she gasped and choked, her fingers twitching around her sword. Ah, I was aware she still held her sword. Now, I was leaning over the full frame of her delicious body, watching her cough up blood as my grip tightened on both her neck and her left arm. My right foot was planted firmly next to her side—my other leg stretching across the floor at full length, my foot smashing the wrist that held her sword. Delighted, I watched her fingers writhe and twist, taking great glee in the way her bones smashed underneath the sole of my boot.

And I watched her pretty face.

And cracked a smile.

"Nice try, love," I coo, choking her even harder. I traced the lining of her beautiful neck. It pained her to even look at me. "That won't work now." I couldn't stop but stare at her own blood staining her perfect hair, or how I could see the look of desperation on her face. With her broken right hand laying flat on the floor and underneath the clutches of my foot, I knew I had taken out her last line of defense. My hand cradled her neck and made her turn to look at me—look at how my smirking face was just mere inches from hers. I made her look at my scrutinizing, enthused eyes and how they were just glued on the delicate bones of her neck. It wouldn't take much at all, but I wanted her to suffer. After I had gotten a good look at her, I tilted my head, my eyes slitting.

"So tell me. Could a worthless Felinefolk who serves the Archfiend do _this?_" It was an honest question, one I was sure she wanted to give an answer to, but her face contorted, her teeth clenched and her eyes shut tight, trying to get rid of the pain of me squeezing the dear life out of her throat and her broken wrist.

But when she didn't give me an answer, I burst out in laughter, a huge smile splitting my face. "Ahahaha! Could an idiot break your little Wicked Spawn toy doll into millions of pieces? Huh? _Hahaha!_ Could a worthless flying bitch like me order my men to capture your little girl—your innocent little girl—and wrap her up naked with a bright red bow and place her on the Archfiend's doorstep? Ah, what fun they're having—ahahaha! Could a pathetic flying bird bitch kill give your insignificant daughter to the Archfiend in less than a few seconds, and could someone... An idiot_—ha!—_like me go to their future wedding that you'll fail to stop because you're dead? Hahaha, I'm_ dying_ in laughter, someone save me!"

Something must have flashed before Kohana's eyes because they opened at the speed of a finger snap. They were dilated and narrowed. Somehow that woman found the strength to lift up her broken wrist and grabbed my arm with all the force of a lion latching onto a running dear. Once she had sunk her bright blue claws into my arm, she sat her hand there for three seconds. I was too shell-shocked to realize what had just happened, but before I did...

_Snap!_

She didn't just break my arm. She squeezed it so hard that it snapped into two broken pieces, bone fragments flying into different directions as the half I was holding Kohana's arm with fell to the ground, utterly and woefully disconnected from the rest of my body. I peered at my halved arm for a while before she grabbed her sword with her freehand and impaled me through the chest with it. It didn't stop there. With my nub of a wound leaking out rivers of blood and a sword cut clean through my chest, I thought that was all the surprises she was going to have, but she rolled on her back and produced another sword out of thin air, kicking my body upwards from my chin and slamming another sword into my throat.

I gasped, only to inhale bloody, dripping puss from my wound. She opened both palms of her hands and stabbed me in the kidneys in an 'x' fashion, causing me to stand on my knees for a few seconds, groggy with my eyes half-lidded. Then she took those same swords and launched them into my right wing, pinning me against the wall behind me. She just didn't throw her swords into my right right wing; she _waited_ for it to fold over itself and _then_ she struck me. I parted my lips to say something, but the dark red liquid I had inhaled started to spill through the black holes in my throat and I started to vomit nothing but pure blood.

Coughing, gagging, choking—my eyes were extremely bloodshot red and I watched as that woman with a broken wrist and a bloody nose, still a little winded by me choking her approached me with a certain murderous swagger in her step, the point of her blade scraping against the ground. Scrapping, scrapping...! I smirked violently, inhaling and exhaling, smiling at how beautiful she looked right now and then falling back against the wall, squirming involuntarily.

"_Die—!_"

"A-ah Ko-ko-ha-na," I said through broken coughs and wheezing, that same fanatical look on my face. "You're welcome."

And her face contorted and darkened at the same time, and before she could really catch on to what I was saying, the sword that she held in her hand shattered. Completely shattered. It broke into millions of pieces, just as it had when she used that strange technique on me. The look she wore was one of complete pain—her face dropped, her lower lip started to quiver, and she even let go of the mangled hilt of her sword, not daring to move. I bet she was asking herself when did it happen; when I had gotten a chance to obliterate that sword, but I did. Things like that didn't matter anymore, did it? I let out a small, weak giggle, and then I watched her world spin as she clawed at her hair with her sharp fingers. "_Why_ are you _doing _this to me?" It was the first straight question I had ever heard her ask. It made me smile. What, she couldn't take a proper fight? "Who are you? What do you want?"

I wouldn't grace that with an answer.

She's the Wickedness.

And must be stopped.

For she would interfere with the Archfiend and his wedding. And that wedding must commence. She must be eradicated. "Ohhh~ It's not like _I_—" Head tilt. "—Wanted to fight you first! You challenged _me!_" she shouted through gritted teeth. And then she went back to her moment of extreme sorrow. Perhaps she forgot that I was near death and pinned to the wall? "And now you go and break... Break my sword? What did I ever do to you to warrant a broken sword! Why why why why why why...!" That word went on and on forever, even when she collapsed on the bloodied floor on her knees with her eyes closed tightly. I thought this was it. I thought she was going to sit there angsting to herself until someone came to save me. Not as if I needed help to kill her.

I could kill her now, if I wanted to.

But seeing her so upset like this was better than any fatal wound I could give her.

Still, the ability for her to use that broken wrist of hers bothered me... While I was staring at it, I started noticing the hundreds of dead Holy bird bodies around us.

And then I noticed that those bodies were rotting.

I knew I smelled something.

But they hadn't been dead that long. The smell upset my stomach and made it twist into itself. That pink-haired woman in the middle of the room with streams of tears rolling down her cheeks didn't bother to look up at me. Did she know anything about that _horrible smell? _Oh God! It was_ so_ bad...! I think that smell was what would kill me, not her.

"Listen closely, love, because I'm about to _SCREAM!_ Amarirsu didn't deserve anything you put her through! Why would you break my sword! After everything we've been through, people we've killed, you decided to be a coward and break my sword? My throat is constricting with tears of physical pain for my sword, and you broke it!_ You broke it, you broke it, you broke my sword!_"

I decided then that it would be a good thing to get off the wall, so first thing's first, I pulled both of those swords out of my bloodstained wings, no matter how painful it felt. But by the time I got off the wall, the bodies of those birds started to glow some strange, blotted black color. What was that weeping woman planning?

That's the thing.

She wasn't planning anything.

All of this was just an involuntary body reaction towards extreme sorrow, wasn't it? My eyes dilated, but before I could move, that once crying woman cracked a smile full of malicious intent and threw both of her arms in the air, blind with rage. "_Kyahahha—!_" This might be bad... "I call him a special massacre! The Demon Massacre! For that word is the first brought to my mind~ With his canine features and beak of flesh—his mouth opened and facing the sky in his_—hahaha—_thrill of pain! Wading in a pool of blood with entrails dribbling down his spine... Hair lank and limp, clotted and burnt with the skin of your birds...! He's the color of diluted blood, you know~ And his eyes a rich, deep russet color with emptiness where his irises should be." She paused to tap her chin, lost in thought.

She was not lying.

At all.

This was the one time she was telling the truth.

As she talked, Holy bird blood started to pool towards the center of the room, and the demon from her imagination started to take shape. It was huge and colossal in size, resembling a vicious dog from the very pits of hell with everything she described. I was missing a large portion of my arm with some dangerous wounds. How was I even going to attempt to fight this thing? And she was so nonchalant about creating something so evil and vicious right in front of me... To rip me apart for breaking her sword. I thought this was a fight about Alula and her, not this thing—!

"His mouth has blood, veins, muscles, aaah~! Intestines dripping from it as I walk towards him~!" The worst thing was that she started petting him. It...? That thing...? It was made from pieces of Holy birds. _My _Holy birds! "Ah~ Darling Tori, his skin feels like muscles shredding in the night, and there are so many bird parts that make him up!"

It.

Looked.

Absolutely disgusting!

"_Keep it away from me!"_ I shrieked, taking more steps back than I already could. So I ended up smashing my back into the wall. Kohana smirked and propped a hand on her waist, her sword materializing in her hand. So she was just playing! Just stalling for time! Urgh! I can't believe I let her bounce back from how I had her. And the sword in my throat was starting to get in the way. I would have pulled it out, but without the proper medicare, I'd probably die. The dog started to howl as Kohana petted it, her palm the color of rich blood. I vomited, turning my head and then looking at her maddening expression.

Looked her right in the eyes.

And then she directed that thing in my direction. I didn't know what to do, honestly.

"I hope this runs like cinnamon gasoline down your throat and you swallow it all!" What...? "Drown her, my mighty champion~!"

It... That thing rushed towards me, and as soon as it did it exploded. I couldn't see Kohana at all, but with all of this blood she couldn't have been standing up unharmed. She had to have been washed in with the current, but before the actual texture of the blood hit me, the coppery, metallic, rotting, bitter smell of it hit me, making my eyes roll to the back of my head. My entire body was covered in sticky, gooey, pulpy blood and entrails... It was so thick that I couldn't lift up my wings. They were drenched. I-I couldn't swim, so I got more than a mouthful of blood down my throat, throwing it up only to swallow it back down again.

As angry as I was, I could only stand there in a quivering, shaking mess. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction, even if that blood would no doubt rush through the entire Church. I've failed Lysimachus... I've failed the entire Church...

"You've been vomiting a lot lately~!" Kohana sang, examining me. Finally, I touched both of my eyelids and wiped the blood off them so I could see clearly. This was single-handedly the most disgusting thing I've ever been in. "You didn't think that was all, did you?" _Twitch._ "You didn't think I was just going to wash you in pretty red, did you? Though, I must say, you look ador~raaah~ful~!" She paused, looking for something on the ground. When she couldn't find it, she glanced up at me and smirked. I was getting tired of that smirk. She could at least show a little bit of respect...! "Whoops. Lost your arm. Ah~ It's really my fault~ Oh well! I like you a lot better like this anyway. The arm was a little too~oo much."

I snarled at her, still stuck standing in the same spot. But then, after a couple of seconds I gave her a weak leer. "But it was the same arm that was going to snap your neck." She's so easily, deliciously riled. I loved it. This was, undoubtedly, one of her weaknesses. "And it was the one that made Alula bow to me as well." Kohana's face blanked and her grip loosened on her sword. And then she scrunched up her face.

"Those Alula references are really getting old."

As monotonous as that sentence was, she wasn't in her movements and tapped the air in front of me, drawing a rectangle with both of her hands. As soon as she did, I was encased in an invisible tub that was full of that Holy bird blood. Oh great. Not again. There was little room for air and I started freaking out, gasping spastically. Kohana stood above the invisible casing I was in, shoving my head into the crimson, chunky blood. That woman was chortling. She didn't care who heard her. She was laughing the loudest laugh I've ever heard her laugh, dunking my puffy, red face in the liquid without mercy.

"Did Alula flail like you're doing now? You're like a bleeding kitten with no arms and legs trying to swim away from a shark (that's me~) in the middle of Eglantine! You're fucked, Tori. Because I'm going to kill you right now! Bwahahahahah! I must admit, you have been quite the nuisance. If anything, you know how to fight. I wonder if they'll write that on your tombstone. But then, I suppose I should let Alula do the honors in slaying you herself, right?" Dunk after dunk, my lungs were filling with blood. I didn't know if I could take anymore... All right. I was done being humiliated and mocked. Kohana had driven me to my absolute breaking point and had used all of her trump cards. Her magic had to have been pretty much used. Or weakened.

I hadn't even started yet!

My hand shot out of the water and clutched Kohana beautiful, defiant one. But it was my arm in itself that made her stop, her eyes widening. My other hand grabbed her arm too, glowing an ominous white.

"Holy shit!" Kohana shrieked, staring at my perfectly healed arms. "That's not... This isn't...!"

"Stand back, you ugly thing!" I shouted, my irises turning a white, clear, translucent color. Kohana's blood prison disappeared and my gorgeous, gorgeous wings stretched across the air in full length, the tips of them dangerously close to the wall. My wings were things of beauty, symbolizing my power. Every single trace of blood vanished from my body and I stood unscathed. Unharmed. Not a scratch was on me. Now I had finally gotten some fear out of her! Hahaha! She even looked behind her to see if she had some time to run. I wouldn't allow her to. She started this fight and I'd finish it. I'd finish it in the name of the Archfiend.

"The defiled. The impure. The tainted! All must be purified in the name of—!"

The Holy magic coursed through my veins, caressed my hair, surged through my long feathers... I clutched the handle of my whip, unwinding it with nothing but finesse and grace. When I brandished my white, leather whip, Kohana's face tensed up and she grabbed her neck with both of her hands, hyperventilating. She couldn't even breathe. How delightful. My lengthy lavender eyelashes batted in response to her physical reaction. That look of anger was gone. I loved this woman; there was something about her that I couldn't explain. But she was dazzling. She made my heart beat out of my chest. Mmm, now that I was back in my beauteous state (my nails polished, my skin naturally rosy and smooth) I giggled and began to slide my free hand down my whip as much as I could.

My weapon was a long one, possibly seven feet long so it tumbled across the ground like a red carpet being laid down in front of a celebrity. Except, my whip was white, the handle of it beige. And then there was my insignia—the insignia of my people on the end of the handle. Right now, I was painfully close to being the last of a dying breed. So I had to be strong for the rest of the Featherfolk still alive. But Kohana here...

"You're such a piece of work," I murmured underneath the gaze of my half-lidded eyes, out of breath. Her tenacity, her brutality took my breath away.. "Before we started, Sweetheart," I whispered, flirtatiously touching my glossy, pink lips several times. Her eyebrows furrowed and she twisted her face at me. Oh, I was perfectly... Harmlessly in love with her. Except, I wanted to see her suffer under my petite fingertips to see how much she would bleed for me. God was she a work of art. Speaking through the gaps inbetween my fingers, I stared at her with longing eyes. "I asked you if you were ready for this. Well, are you ready?" She turned sideways, looked at me with narrowed eyes and started assessing the situation.

Kohana was astonished.

Then she gave me a flat laugh.

"Ohohohohoho, oh nooooo. No, no, no! This is _not_ happening," she insisted, giving me a forced, haughty laughter. How cute. She had to restore her confidence. "I am _not_ going to be treated like this. You have to be kidding me. This isn't happening. You aren't..." I nodded my head, grinning a charming smile.

"A practitioner of Holy magic?" I finished for her. "The best in my field."

"B-but Lady Kaelyn—!"

"Is the Holy Maiden. Known for her Holy magic. That's what they call her," I reassured, closing my eyes and opening them again. "It isn't an official title." Time to get right to the point. I never liked stalling for time. Step by step, I reduced some of the distance inbetween us. With my arms extended outwards, I grinned as I got closer. "You can do one of two things, Kohana, and honestly, they're very lovely choices," I said, my silvery voice cracking. I didn't mean for it to. "If you decide to go up against me and fight, then I will take the proper steps to make sure you're in extreme—" I stress, cocking a brow. "_Extreme_ pain."

"You've got to the the most difficult person I've fought in years!" Her lip quivered, but then she scowled. "Really, to be able to keep up with me... _Who_ are you? I haven't had a fight like this since Sayuri was a kid, Jesus H. Christ!" I told her who I was already. Why must she ask repetitive questions? "I'm not out of the count yet! I could kill you billions of times over if I really wanted to, just you watch—!"

"_Or_," I interrupted, getting something out of my teeth with my tongue. "You can work for me."

"You've lost your fucking mind—!"

Temper, temper! I don't think any situation calls for such foul words. Don't you agree? "You'll work for me, turn when I want you to. I take that statement back. You'll work for the Archfiend. The great Agathangelos himself! By working for me. You'll be doing the Archfiend a great deal of help, and with the Wickedness under my command..." I sighed a dreamy sigh, tilting my head. "You're excellent at combat, Kohana. Ditch the Summoners and come work with us, hmm?"

"Okay!" she roared, pointing her index-finger at me. "You seem to have me pretty twisted right now. I am not a damn Summoner, so don't treat me like one. I don't need your damn ultimatums, and just who do you think I am! I am a monster, not someone that will bend to your ever whim and command! I—you know what Tori? I told you, I'm not giving up, and I've never given up a day in my life. So hurry up, let's get this over with. I don't believe in losing." Wow... Even though she knew I possessed Holy magic beyond her comprehension, she still wanted to fight me. What's wrong with this woman? I offered her safety. To work against her enemies, correct? Well, that didn't bode well with me. I rubbed my temples with my fingertips and looked at her, gripping my whip.

"I hate it when people don't listen," I confessed, shrugging my shoulders. "It's your funeral, love. It's not like I _like_ to do these things to people..."

"And stop calling me that!"

I think we both knew that she couldn't fight anymore. I thought it was sad how she decided to keep on going. You could see the rapid decline in her actions. She was slower. She had a slow reaction time as well. Even still, she tried to swing her sword at me. It didn't take much to get out of her way. A tiny step here? A twirl there? This was sad, so I was going to end this while she was still ahead. I tripped her. Yes, that was right. I tripped her. Played a little unfair. But before she tumbled to the ground, I raised my right arm up and with a swift strike across the sky I lashed at her, an explosion of Holy light bursting through the room we were in.

The pressure wasn't that strong. But the _pain..._

Kohana took five steps forward, her back arching in before she dropped her sword all together and collapsed on her knees, instantly. Her face was blank, but her mouth was open. She couldn't close it. Was unable to. But her fingers started to convulse and shake uncontrollably and that's when she fell on all fours, looking down at the ground. "Pathetic," I seethed, kicking her in the stomach and making her double over. "I haven't even started yet and here you are, dying on me." She was so interesting a while ago! At least she was moving then. Frustrated, I grabbed a fist-full of her hair and pulled her up to her feet violently, throwing her into the wall.

Poor woman was so exhausted that she couldn't even move.

Couldn't fall down.

Couldn't do anything.

That one burst of Holy magic had her eyes rolling to the back of her head!

She would die here.

Slamming both of her wrists above her head and binding them with a ring made out of my white magic, I took a few steps back, marveling at what I had created. A victim. A prisoner. And, whether she wanted to or not, a new toy for me to play with. I told Alula I'd do Kohana an even greater justice. This wasn't where I usually worked, but for now, it'd have to do.

"It's hard to breathe, isn't it?" I asked, cradling her cheek with my delicate, soft fingers. My pearls started to shine in the light coming from outside. While she couldn't talk from the sheer force of my Holy magic, she could move her face. And the scowl she made was quite deep, like my touch was made from pure acid. "Heh." I turned away from her and looked at the ground dramatically, holding my whip with my right hand. Kohana looked a mess, blood splattered all over her body and cuts and bruises in random places... Her clothes were pretty much tattered. She didn't have any use for them anymore.

But the amount of wounds on her arms and legs...

Oh. And the one I just put on her back.

Very nice and bloody. "It's difficult, isn't it?" I questioned once more, watching her head hang low. "You can't fight my magic for very long, can you darling? You're exhausted. You've spent all of your energy on those ridiculous spells." I paused to turn towards her. "You're wrist is broken, your head is reeling... Wow. What are you going to do now? It seems bleak, Miss Wickedness." My eyes narrowed and I smirked. "You must be worried sick about your daughter. No one else can save her but you, but I know you're aware of that, right?" No answer still? M'kay. "But Kohana, let's make a new deal. You deserve one for being able to live this long." I took my whip and ran it up her stomach, tracing her cuts and bruises. Delicately, oh so delicately... I didn't want to mess up anything anymore than it already was, and it was difficult for me to not marvel at her body. "After I'm done slaying and apprehending your friends, we'll go to the Archfiend's wedding together, so you can pledge your allegiance to him. You'll be happy, won't you?"

And then I pushed her chin up with the end of it, so that she was forced to look at me. I wanted those blue eyes on me and me only. "It's worth it, in the end. So why don't you give up? I have Alula. She's mine. Forget about her and forget about Sayuri. They're the property of the Archfiend now." I didn't know how much wider my smirk could get. That infuriating woman, however, closed her eyes and laughed to herself, the blood on her face only making her more radiant in mine.

"N-no," she shakily murmured. "They're not—_caffpaaah!—_yours. They aren't toys. I'm—_eurrgh—_tired of failing to save the people I love, the people that I consider my friends. They're my family; you couldn't possibly expect me to let you give them away and sell them like pets." So, she thought she was really gutsy now, huh? Looking at me with an air of superiority, when _she_ was the one tied up right now and against a wall! I'd kill her! "I only came on this world for Sayuri. Nobody else, just Sayuri. I love her more than I love the air that I breathe. She has my full and complete attention."

I was not jealous.

I was not jealous.

_I was not jealous!_

I took a full step back, looking in the other direction and frowning. I wouldn't let that bother me. Damn Summoner Sayuri...! I'd make sure I killed her too—the Archfiend shouldn't be marrying a Summoner anyway! "That's unfortunate," I hissed, holding the end of my whip with both of my hands. "Then it seems we will never—!" I readied my stance, holding on to my whip with all the strength that I had. "Come to an agreement!" With a heavy hand, I swiftly turned on my heels, cracking my whip on Kohana's torso, the sound ringing through the room as if there were amplifiers placed everywhere. She involuntarily twitched, but her body did something weird. It propelled forward and then sat in one place again. Fah, she looked like dead meat hanging by a hook. Her fingers locked and then unlocked, and her legs did the same thing.

But her shaking was getting worse.

How many times had I hit her? Twice? Oh dear. She wouldn't last through this.

I grinned.

With one foot planted firmly in front of my body, I kept swinging at her, lash after lash after lash. She looked more than pathetic. Her body was reduced to a quivering mess, pools of drool leaking out of her mouth and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it. Her eyes were hazy and blank—at least until they rolled towards the back of her head altogether. Her soul wanted out of that body so bad that Kohana was making very violent jerky reactions.

"The unclean. The defiled. The dirty thing_—crack!—_Be destroyed. Be purified. This pain is blessed by the Archfiend! Blood is what you offer up for the expiation of sin! The cursed soul must be_—crack!—_purged with flame! You better beg me to—_crack!_—stop before you're reduce to a mere puddle of writhing flesh and blood, Kohana!_ Ah_aha_ha_ha!" But I knew she wouldn't answer. Which was to be expected. The woman was dying! Why would she answer?

I snorted and stopped my assault, fiercely squeezing her lacerated cheeks together and staring in awe at the crimson streams pouring from her wounds. With my face inches away from hers, I scowled, tilting my head. "Seducer that is what I call you," I said, trying to resist the urge to spit in her unworthy face. The muscles in it struggled to move, but they did, and if Kohana could put on a confused expression, I'm sure she would have. When her lips parted, however, I'm sure she knew what this was.

She repeated every word I said, and at that moment, I was sure she knew she had lost. "Go on, finish, Kohana."

"I am a slave to you, my leader. I am not immune to your stare and I will fall at your feet in worship even when you_—arrgh—_don't want me to—!"

"Humiliating, isn't it?" I inquired. "Keep going."

"You were an angel of beauty fallen into our grasp and I'll hold you and kiss your feet and beg you to sing, to be taken to Heaven with your voice!" I nodded my head in contentment. Even if she said those sentences in one big breath. "Eden in your eyes and sin from your body, I could never hope on resisting you. I dream of the day where I—_letmegoyouinsanebitch—!_"

"Where you make love to me and fall!" I cackled. "At least you won't be lonely anymore!"

"Stop manipulating me!"

"I am not_—crack!—_all about_—crack!—_teaching obedience, and you better learn some real quick, girl!"

"No, I___—_"

I paused, cracking a smile. I don't think she remembers, but I did ask her before we fought if—all right. I wouldn't bring that up again. Still. I wondered why someone like her still kept fighting, even though the odds certainly weren't in her favor. I was confused for a while, staring at all of the scars on her body—trying to figure out how she was still conscious when Alula fell out within the first three seconds of me torturing her. I was being harsher on Kohana than I was to her Wicked Spawn pet. And she still had enough energy to deny me, to go against me opposing my will on her... This woman had a strong will that'd take a while to break. "It's not too late for you to concede defeat, Kohana."

"Well then you better hurry up and kill me then," she snaps. "Because I'd rather die than live down on my knees, Tori."

Smart mouth... But it was a pretty one. My fingers roamed over her bloody, chapped lips, and I even tapped my fingers against them. Since she was my prisoner, I got to do whatever I wanted to her, right? I'm sure she noticed my heartbeat against her chest and my shallow breathing tickling the curve of her jawline.

"Don't you_ dare...!_"

Ha! Did she think she could stop me? She was clutching her fists so hard that her sharp claws were digging into her skin. She was going to kill herself with all of that blood she was letting drip out of her hands. But I guess that was the only way she could express her extreme anger. As long as she wasn't intruding on my plans. But when I saw how angry she was, the urge to act on the thought that lingered in my mind got to be too much to bear—to much to ignore, and before I knew it I wasted no time in closing the distance between us, my head tilting slightly as I bulldozed my way into the contours of her mouth. Ah, I could feel her trying to bite my tongue, but I had something to fix that! I kicked her in the stomach and I swallowed her gasp, grinning against her mouth.

For a moment, everything was silent, until my ears perked up and I turned around, swearing I heard something move. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I heard something getting closer and closer... The sound was accompanied with an echo, too. Fortunately for us, I could see someone's shadow on top of the ceiling, but it wasn't of anyone I knew. The steps started getting louder and louder until the owner of the steps finally came into few.

She was wearing a white coat with a distinctive yellow tie. I'd never forget it. A yellow tie and red shorts. She had three yellow tails, but the most memorable thing about her was the fact that she looked at us with a deadpan expression, throwing her hand into a bag of potato chips and smashing them ravenously into her face as if there wasn't anything wrong about Kohana and I's charade. I wanted to scream and shout at her for destroying what we had going on, but this woman walked towards us without a care in the world. Didn't chastise us, didn't question us... Just kept eating chips and staring at us.

Until she stopped several yards away from us and cracked her neck.

What the hell...!

"Look, I ain't got time for this shit," she complained, rolling up her bag of chips and putting them in her lab-coat pocket. "Tori, I'm totally not asking your weird ass for your cooperation. Unbeknownst to you my friend, I kind of need that block head alive!" Not another word was spoken. Janeavah did some sort of weird hand sign with her hands, pulled them apart, and the pain...! The sheer pain I started to feel was... I...! Kohana fell to the ground instantly, my Holy magic crumbling right before my eyes. I started screaming.

I thought my voice box would explode.

Screaming was the only thing I could do, because... I just couldn't see another way out. Blood started to seep through the bottom of my eyes so I closed them. To no avail, however. For no reason at all, my skin started to rip in front of me. Rip, bruise, bubble—some of my skin was hanging off my bones, tissue exposed and everything. I turned on my back to stop some of the pain, but as soon as I did, several pus bubbles that I didn't know I had burst and I was laying in a puddle of agonizing clear liquid and blood. And, despite all of this pain, my body was still undergoing several weird, unfortunate transformations. I couldn't find the source, so I screamed until I was literally forcing up blood from my stomach.

I could hear those heels of Janeavah's clacking against the ground as she made her way over to Kohana, who was coughing profusely. Servers her right. Janeavah touched her shoulder, but as soon as she did and noticed the glorious, beautiful shape I had put her in, she flinched. "Damn. Tori really messed you up, huh?" she muttered, raising a brow. Kohana didn't answer. She was too hurt to. I liked that. I... Liked that a lot. I was sure I was going to lose consciousness, though. "Don't worry about Tori. I transferred everything she dished out to you on her, so she's about to be looking really terrible in a second. It gets worse." She paused, stepping on her tip-toes and examining me. "You hear that, Tori? Just a heads up."

I shrieked at the top of my lungs, watching my fingers burn in front of me. But I never...! I never set Kohana on fire...!

"Jan-Janeavah...?"

"Yeah, asshole, it's me," she said sarcastically, pulling Kohana up on her feet. Of course the pink-haired woman tumbled over on top of her, but Janeavah had enough strength to pull both of their weight. Don't get me wrong, that Felinefolk Forsythian woman sort of buckled under Kohana's weight, but she bounced back. "Hurry up and start walking though, Kohana. I've got places to go and people to see." With her freehand, she pulled out her unfinished bag of chips and slammed a handful of them into her mouth, talking with her mouth full. There were crumbs _everywhere_. "Kohana, can you talk? Do you know what year it is? What day it is? Are you self aware? It's a wonder your ass can walk after everything it looks like you've been through."

"Janeavah, I—"

The two of them stopped walking. That's when Janeavah shoved the bag of chips into Kohana face. "Want some chips? They'll make you feel better."

So Kohana scowled and bit Janeavah's entire hand. The reaction the doctor had wasn't too forthcoming and she yelped in pain, taking back her snacks. "No! Just get me out of here, Piss Hair! Are you as bad as saving people as you are making remote sense?"

"Jeez, don't have to tell me twice. And they say I'm not caring. But what made you go out and fight _Tori _without help? Snotty little nutbar, too. She thinks that just because she's a "general" of the Church, she can go around saying whatever she wants." I would not have that silly excuse for a scientist mocking me, I...! She squinted her eyes and tried to imitate my perfect posture, but we both knew she could never match my charm. "'Oh, look at me, I have wings and I can fly!' Big whoop. She's stepped out of line before a few times with me. So I'm glad you fought her, Kohana. Gave me an excuse to kick her ass."

As the two of them disappeared, I still tried to find a way to put up with the new pain I was being challenged with. My whip was several yards away from me, and if I could pick it up, I could stop my pain... I bet I could...! But with Janeavah's magic still coursing through my veins, there was no way I could hop back on my feet.

But after the experience I just had today? Hah! I'd take all the pain if it meant me still being on the same plane of existence as Kohana, no matter how ugly I looked! I'd _fwahahaha—_take everything she dished at me! Our fight_—ouch!—_wasn't done yet! An angel's work was never done.

Mental issues?

Perhaps.

Maybe.

In a way.

But listening to Kohana screaming, crying, pleading when my whip split her pale skin and her eyes started to tear up—just blood! So much blood with a flick of my wrist...

A simple thought about Kohana is never simple, so it seems.

* * *

**A/N:** I thought Tori's narration wasn't bad in the beginning. But as you can see, it took an obvious dramatic incline from being sane to being outright batshit. XD;; I'm still trying to get over everything and I wrote this bad boy a day ago. XD;;; Intense fight scene. I really loved it from beginning to end, no matter how much Tori's narration left me confused most of the way there. XD;; What I was hoping to achieve from writing it in her point of view was... I dunno. I just wanted you guys to see how crazy Tori is. XD;;

And she's blatant crazy, but when you catch the small, subtle things she does, I think that's more shocking than anything she does outright. XD;; Now there is like, no room for surprises throughout the arc. You know Tori's crazy, so there. XD;;

Janeavah's entrance tickled me, though. XD;;

I'm glad she saved Kohana. XD;; Because man, I was freaking out for a moment there. Didn't know what was gonna happen to her and stuff. XD;; *shot* I meant her dying or not, obviously. XD;;

Next chapter, I'm writing something calm and collected because I can't take THIS again. Nooo sir, not for a whileeee. XD;; Okay, so, after I read back over the chapter, I'm pretty much over the content and I have come to a conclusion! XD;;

Man, I hit this narration spot on, no matter how terrible it is! XD;;; You can't even lie. XD;; That's great! Because, like, this was my first time writing Tori! Could this be a sign? XD;;; *shot*


	82. Distress Call Code Word

**A/N:** I had so much fun writing this chapter, but man, Circa Survive is just like the ultimate CCFA music for me. They're so powerful, man! XD;; I guess I should come out and say this now, since it's been bothering me for a while now, and though I think this little fact is way cool, some of you all might not think it to be so. I mean, what's cool about gore~? XD;;; That being said, Forsythia has way more gore than the Dark Ages could ever hope on producing. XD;;

This world is pretty violence-driven.

And as such, more gore will be written. I don't mind, because I love gore~ And you guys do too, since you've continued to read this story for 82 chapters... So I guess the gore doesn't bother you in the slightest...? XD;;; Think of fights like the Kohana vs. Saivan one, and the Saivan vs. Klaus one... Hmm, what else was a really gory fight in the Dark Ages? Oh yeah. The Chase vs. Adair one for suuure. Think of those. Stuff like that will be an over abundance in this arc. You've been warned, my pretties~

Gah, Circa Survive~! *eats fingers*

* * *

Half-lidded, sangria-colored glassy eyes look in the corner of the room.

They don't have a specific target.

The woman seems detached, staring at whatever seems to piqued her interest, as bored as her expression makes her come off as. With milky skin so pale and ivory, she extends her petite arm, thin, lithe fingers curling and then straightening. Those fingers—her fingers—can crush a boulder without even trying. It's amazing that she can feel the man in the white coat grab her arm... Run his hand down it. It makes her skin tingle. Such a benign feeling. … It scares her, but she doesn't show it. Instead, the hair on the back of her neck stands up on end, warranting a quirk of an orange brow from the scientist standing behind her.

Even though she can't see the purple-haired girl standing in front of her with her hands cupping the sides of her face in wonderment, she can feel her. Feel just how curious she is. The magnolette doesn't mind. Isn't that what humans do? Curiosity is a basic emotion. In truth, the red-eyed girl feels disconnected from this world. She sees things as facts, possible complications. The way she sees it, she's just a robot in the body of an attractive woman. She has no dreams in sleep, only necessary rest. No emotional ties to those around her—perhaps her creator? Yes, the man towering behind her. He seems... Nice. But weren't there... Two of them?

The bright man and the old, cranky one. For a moment, the robotic woman brings her her eyes towards the green-eyed girl in front of her, red eyes twinkling with a slight mirth. Very curious. Feeling curious is a very enthralling emotion. The girl with hair that tumbles down her back and to her ankles shifts her position, tilting her head and wearing a smile fit for a queen. Doesn't her world have a queen? Her creators talked about that queen a thousand times before. Yes... The creation doesn't need to recall anything. She knows everything already. She was built to know. Queen Aysel... That's her queen. And the Dark Ages? This is where she's from. Her name, however...? Her name is a completely different story. It's hazy. Does she even have one?

"Issaru!" the purple-clad girl chimes, punching her fist into her free hand. The sudden burst of sound from her makes the cyborg look straight ahead, adjusting her posture as she keeps her arm steady. "This is so cool. You have no idea... You mean to tell me this girl is a robot that you created? She looks so real, and she's _so_ pretty..." Another blink. Pretty? Is this something good? While her creators gave her countless information banks, they did not really give her the best grasp on slang. She's anything but pretty. She's a skinny-armed, catastrophic robot reincarnation of herself, living off nothing but battery acid. The child of ten thousand man-made monoliths and her two creators. 'Pretty' does not cut it. "And she's so responsive too. I can't believe you and Professor Nero didn't give her a name..."

Her creator steps from behind her and gives her a thorough look up and down, placing his gloved hands on his mouth before bending over a bit, humming to himself. With a grin, he stands back up straight but the smile is quickly replaced with a frown. "I was hoping she knew her name, Sayuri..." he responds, dusting off his pristine lab-coat. "Right. I do, however, think this is also 'cool'," he declares, doing a dramatic bow and turning on his heels, just so he can poke the intriguing girl in the nose. Her reaction is quite confusing. Instead of being violated, she giggles, covering her face and taking a few steps back. She takes a few jabs at the air, stepping towards the two again.

"You don't have to say 'cool' like you don't know what it means, Issaru," she says playfully, exhaling through her nose and shaking her head. This man... Issaru? Would it be polite for the machine to call him such a name? He runs his fingers down the cyborg's arm again, noting the responses. After he's done, he wags his index-finger at 'Sayuri', playing his freehand on top of the red-eyed woman's mouth.

"'Cool' isn't something we use around here in the Science Department, Sayuri," he reprimands, chuckling under his breath. "Are you trying to get me fired, Summoner brat?"

"Psh, that's so not nice, Issaru! Don't make me throw a plant at you!"

And for reasons the cyborg can't understand, the two of them start bursting out laughing, as if there's something funny. Porcelain lips curl into a slightly confused smile. What's so funny about throwing insults around? She can't understand it. Perhaps she never will. But she will never speak unless her creator designates her to. Speaking isn't a part of her programing. Therefore she wont.

She looks onward through plexiglass eyes at this shocking social interaction that she deems quite ridiculous. But she'll never admit that the very same shocking social interaction is what she desperately craves. To say her first words of freedom... Now, she's no longer locked in a room and placed in the corner of it. That purple-haired girl there? Laughing at her creator? She saved her from collecting dust. So the ivory-skinned robot must watch her every command. The creator is allowing her, after all. And almost abruptly he grabs either side of her cheeks with the utmost tenacity, gazing into her cleverly constructed pupils. She's learning every second. She can feel it.

There's the scent of silver on her skin.

And the taste of iron in her mouth.

And her luscious, artificially created lips part to let words tumble from them like water sloshing over the brim of a glass. Perhaps it was too early to talk. Having that thought in mind, she lets out a premature gasp—her chest rising, too. But Issaru nods his head, grinning at her. He has a beautiful, bright smile...

"No, no, it's okay," he coos. It's almost as if he's babying her. Telling her that everything will be okay, regardless of what she thinks will happen. Is that pity? "Because, darling, we all know that if you feel embarrassed, it means _you're alive_." So then what is he? A structure of thoughts and a voice. Merely skin stretched over muscle and bone. The angle of tendons where his neck slopes into his shoulders. The soul and heart and intention and wish moving through his life without a purpose. If that's what it means to be alive... Then maybe she's better off like she was. Pouting, he brushes some of her white ringlets out of her face, cupping her cheeks. "Won't you talk to me again, for me dear? It's okay. We're far away from the labs now. You're with Sayuri and I."

The creator and Sayuri.

Those voices—

—The sounds that they make

And the fun that they have—

Sayuri

and

Issaru.

Creator and...

The numbers run past her line of vision as her pupils focus on the shorter girl behind the scientist. Although leaders are ideally wise, they are not infallible to failure, and so the robot's gaze adverts from Sayuri's. Heavy-lidded, white lashes close simultaneous with a few dozen foreign noises. Pleased, Issaru takes an awaiting step backwards, folding his arms to see what the woman will do. She brushes her perfectly manicured fingertips across her forearm, studying the number nine tattooed on it, big and bold. That is her brand. She has already come to terms with it.

Issaru's smile could kill a hummingbird and make her malfunction.

She wishes he would stop that.

101000010100000110100001010

_I HAVE NO FACE_

_NOR IDEAS_

_I DO _NOT_ EXIST_

–Zrrrph!

**! RUNTIME ERROR !**

Program: Intelligence Processor

SEGMENTATION FAULT!

== FATAL SIGNAL: SEGMENTATION FAULT!

Memory access violation at 0x07ab2839

Memory access violation at 0x07ab2835

Memory access violation at 0x07ab2856

Memory access violation at 0x07ab2876

Red streaks across her vision—she's not sure where it came from, but she wants it gone. She can't concentrate and starts to clutch both sides of her head, squeezing... Pulling hair that probably doesn't belong to her. Her voice? … Not her artificial one? Does she even have one? Yes, she remembers talking. Playing. Laughing. Joking. Just like Sayuri and Issaru—Creator and Leader. And the more she thinks, the more the words get larger, and larger, and larger, obscuring her line of vision. Who is she, really...?

"Nine"?

Project nine?

_Memory access violation at 0x07ab2839!_

_Violation!_

Unable to proceed. Aborting programing...

Beginning memory recalibration.

Memory recalibration proceeding.

Bootstrapping initializing.

Waiting

...

...

...

**Welcome to Intelligence Processor.**

**Version 7.29_0l**

**See changelog for details.**

Her pupils dilate and her head sits upwards, releasing the grip she had on it. Confused, she looks at her small hands, blinking a couple of times before setting her sangria-colored eyes on orange and green ones. "I'm afraid I do not understand why I am here." Her voice is cold. Monotonous. Unfeeling. Perhaps this is merely an aftereffect to her unfortunate endeavors. "I must ask what took place here. The things that I've done." She pauses. "Creator," she murmurs, glancing at Issaru. "Leader," she says with a bit more emphasis, gazing at Sayuri.

"Are you serious!" Sayuri squeaks, gasping. "You totally destroyed half of the Science Department and set Professor Nero on fir—_aamsdjhaaah—!_" Again, the shows that these two put on are rather upsetting... Why would the Creator go out of his way to slap his hand over the Leader's face? "_Issaru—!_" she grunts behind a hand, fangs resting on his flesh.

"Don't you understand this is a dangerous weapon you're talking to?"

"Don't you understand that this is my _Summoner?_" she retorts, pushing the man off her and whirling around on her heels, scowling. "She's my teammate, all right? I don't care how dangerous she is; I'll talk to her how I damn well please!" Releasing her, he straightens out his coat and sighs.

"Touche, Sayuri."

"Duly noted, Issaru." Now the purple-haired girl's attention was completely aimed towards the cyborg. With her arms outstretched, she walks towards the taller woman, nodding. "Um, how do I explain this..." she muses, tapping her chin. "Let's see. I was sneaking in Professor Nero's office, and I found you all doubled over... And then I touched you, and your eyes kind of sparked up and I yelled and Isleen started growling so loud that I thought she was going to kill me. Hahah, Nina was about ready to summon Shiva... And then you just were surrounded in this fire and you stood up... It was so cool." She whispered that last part, closing her eyes and clapping her hands together. "And then you went on this rampage, destroying everything! And then there was this other blue person... Another robot, I think. Said her name was Cecelia—"

_Let all my anger and sadness and tension and emotions and feelings and thoughts and worries, let all my memories of this world, of this life be released into a beautiful collage of crimson red of crimson red of crimson of crimson of crimson blood of blood of blood…_

_Blood and _**fire.**

Indeed, it's all starting to come back now. Cackling flames lapping up any and all desire, displaying the emotions she couldn't hope on doing alone... And they lick her devilish lips that gulp down the smoke and smites those human wants of others and their insatiable screams.

"—Anyway! You're the Summoner of Fire! Congratulations!" Sayuri shouts, jumping in the air. "I can't wait to introduce you to the others. There's Isleen, and Hiroyuki, and Nina, and, well, myself, but ha, you've already met me—"

_It's striking. Always look twice. White hair illuminating and red eyes dancing. _

_I'm your worst nightmare in the form of an angel._

_You want fire?_

_I'll show you fire._

...

...

...

Professor Nero.

Paying Sayuri's rambling no mind, the magnolette turns around and strikes her dainty finger against the wall. It combusts into flames, dancing eternally and glowing in all its splendor. The cyborg finds herself enthused by the perpetual motion—staring as it moves her, luring her in. It's felt by all and is known by all in its presence. Fire lasts forever, burning bright with passion—

An abrupt turn around. She clenches her fist and the flame quickly dies out. It's very unnatural.

—and will never be gone completely.

Kneeling down in front of both Creator and Leader, the cyborg shuts her eyes, placing her freehand where her heart would be, had she been real. "I am at your whim and command." Issaru and Sayuri both look at each other, grins splitting their faces. And then they start to bicker again.

"Oh, what should we call her, Sayuri?"

"You're letting me name her?"

"Yes. Go ahead. She is your partner, after all."

More than just excited, Sayuri skips towards the waiting machine, prompting her to stand up and that's just what she does. Grabbing her warm hand, Sayuri pulls a marker out of her pocket and sticks it in her mouth, yanking the pen out of its top with her freehand. After she's done inscribing the robot's new name on her palm, the red-eyed woman tilts her head, trying to decipher it. "I'm naming a lot of you now-a-days. I named Isleen, now I'll name you. Hmm, what to name you... You're pretty enough. You need a pretty name."

"Le-yee-ko..."

"No, it's Leiko! Lee-ko!" She pauses. "But I like Leyiko better. Like you named yourself, huh?"

Odd. The way she winks at her and flicks her nose is even stranger.

But she's an odd girl. Standing up straight, "Leyiko" looks up at the both of them, her eyes twinkling with the same mirth has before. "I am Leyiko, Summoner of Fire. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

Creator—

—Leader

...family.

* * *

**-: Chapter Eight-Two: Distress Call Code-Word :-**

_It starts out like a season in reverse_  
_A way to set your mind above and over words_  
_(Like) attached means (your) identity_  
_Erases things so how can we record?_  
_Distress call code-word is I wanna live_  
_He makes it up as it goes and it goes away_  
_To places he can only hide in other peoples minds_  
_He makes it up as it goes_

_With an effortless smile you pervade to be_  
_Always in-between aisles (they said you must stare to see)_

_An optimistic daring me._

— "Living Together" — Circa Survive_  
_

Crazy insane psycho angel bitch?

Check.

Big dumb, stupid muscular men trying to cut our ankles off with these really sharp pole things?

Oh hell yeah. Check.

Losing track of where that weird Kohana lady went, and Janeavah? And Mahlon? And Lady Kaelyn? Now I was just scared. Hello! We had no idea where we were. We were just running in whatever direction brought us farther away from that crazy lady with the purple hair and the silver wings. And you know how I know she was crazy? She tried to chase all ten of us by herself. No sane person tries to chase and kill ten people. We have the numbers. That should have stopped her in her tracks right then and there, but it didn't. As soon as we came to this world I had bad vibes right from the start. This place was no good. First we had to plow our way through freaky bees and gigantic mountain rats, and now we were here. Morta says this place is a church. Doesn't look like any old church I've ever seen. This was how it was going to play out.

We were either going to get caught, or get caught.

There was no way I was going down without a fight, though. Just because I was a fresh-off-the-belt Summoner didn't mean I was a sissy. I probably knew how to fight better than half the people on this team, y'know. And Miyuki said that I had one of the strongest Essences, too. … I never would have thought I would feel good about controlling the power of lightning. In truth, I'm kind of scared of the stuff. Look at me. I'm a guy who lived with nothing but women back on my world. They were all scared of thunder storms, flinched whenever the sky would light up white. I guess I had every good reason to be afraid too. But now look at me. I can flex my fingers and the stuff'll dance in my hand.

Makes me feel good.

I just got the title of the Summoner of Lightning, and there's no way I'm going to die here. I happened to lead all of us running down the corridor f the Church, but even I get tired. I could feel my knees starting to shake, and the sound of my heart drumming against my ribs, so I let myself do a roll on the ground and stopped right next to a wall, laying down flat on my back with my eyes closed shut. Everyone else followed suit. Chio with her long, brown bramble-colored hair staggered a bit in front of me, slumped over as she dropped her staff on the ground. Before it hit the ground, though, it vanished into thousands of small, blue sparkly things—almost like glitter. And before I heard an impact it just disappeared. It was cool I'd admit, but Chio didn't look very cool. She was heaving—very exhausted. Her Summoner outfit melted away in a flash of blue, her long-sleeved, form fitting coat being the first to go.

I think everyone else pooled in after that and we kind of just stood there, gathered up. Just the five of us.

Ruby... Heh, that bright-haired girl was bent over on her knees, staff on hand. And then she looked at us with her red eyes, heaving. "That... Was close..." she murmured, standing up straight. "Who was that woman? She really wanted to hurt us..." What? 'Really wanted to hurt us' was an extreme understatement! Did Ruby see that look in her eyes? And that creepy leer she gave all of us? Whoever that angel lady was... She's downright crazy. Absolutely no marbles left in her head. She's way up there having a good ol' time with all the rest of the crazy people that live in her head. I parted my lips, getting bored of looking at the ceiling. But then I didn't want to get up. Because I was just in so much pain... So tired.

So through with running around and looking for Sayuri.

I crossed my legs and put my arms behind my head, closing my eyes and pursing my lips. "Yeah, yeah," I replied, quirking a black brow. "It's just gonna get worse from here on in." Somebody had to be the realist here. It might as well be me. "We probably only lost the chick because she went chasing Lady Kaelyn or Kohana or Janeavah or one of them. Aren't they more important than we are anyway?" I had to pause to get my breathing together. I still wasn't back to one hundred percent yet. Isn't that sad? That just goes to show you how fast and how hard I was running. When you think your life is in danger, you don't look back. You just press forward. It's human nature. Too bad not all of us here are human...

That babe Morta was leaning on her scythe, the sharp end of it, of course, piercing into the ground and splitting the carpet as she did so. Wow, that girl was dangerous. I liked the dangerous, I must admit. I turned around on my back staring at those legs of hers before locking with her furious dark eyes. "Quiet, Damien," she commanded, lifting up her weapon and staring down the hallway. "If Tori went to go chase them, I think it's better off that way." The Lithuanian props the bar of her scary, diamond incrusted scythe against her shoulder, grabbing her shapely waist with her freehand. All the right curves in all the right places. I'd gladly work under her jurisdiction any time she wanted me too. And if any other guy said he wouldn't enjoy that...! He's_ crazy_. "Although they're small in numbers, they are stronger than us."

"Mmm, right!" Ruby exclaimed, nodding her head. Oh great. Here it comes. Now everything's about to be dictated by little girls. I rolled my eyes, looking at Kokoro. The man's completely zoned! He just listens to anything these guys tell him to, and like an obedient puppy he listens. Sickens me. Dude, he's in a team composed of straight chicks! He should be the one pulling the strings, not Morta. And definitely not Ruby. She's new to all of this. At least I've gone through training and stuff with everyone back on Spectra. Ruby was put to sleep in a tower by that Suzuki guy and his flamboyant-ass team of other Essences. Urgh, the guy's too nice. Gets under my skin. There's just something about him, y'know? Suzuki... Just the name leaves a bad taste in my mouth. He almost got me killed! And then made a joke about it. Well hahaha, jokes on you.

Now Sayuri's doing the tango with an Archfiend. And, as much as everyone's complaining about how they did nothing to prevent it, I'm quite happy that I didn't get blasted six ways to Sunday. "Lady Kaelyn's famous and known for her power." Ruby continued, pacing around in a circle and dragging her staff across the ground. "Janeavah's got Mahlon with her, and Kohana's a monster if I'm right, so they should be able to handle that Tori person!" In a burst of determination, she slammed her balled-up fist into her free hand, scarlet eyes twinkling. "But now we have to decide where we're going to go from here..."

That's my cue to get up.

Because I'm not just going to sit here and play pet rock with these guys. I got up and brushed some of my red bangs out of my face, yawning. "As much of a sexy fine girl you are, Morta," I said, closing my eyes and waving my hand in the air. See, look at that. First you compliment the girl, and then you drop the bomb on them. I really meant what I said, though. Morta was so _freakin'_ hot. Now for the change. I sneered, swiping my arm across the air. My earring jangled with the quick movement. "Who died and made you the new leader of the team?" I dunno... After I said that the atmosphere around us just _dropped_. I could never tell if Morta was mad, because she always had the same deadpan look on her face. Unemotional is more like it, but it did add to how serious she was most of the time... I knew Chio was still trying to collect herself but she looked like she was in so much pain.

I guess what I had said did it for her, and she tried her best to look at me.

"I can't do this anymore!" she said, closing her eyes tight. Tears started rolling down her face and it was a quick transition from almost-crying to full-blown crying. When she opened her chocolate eyes again, tears were at the brim of her eyelids, collecting there. "I try so hard!" she mutters bitterly, clenching her fists. "I try so hard, but no matter how much I try with my Aeons, my friends, Sayuri always ends up being taken away from me!" Chio pauses, looking at Kokoro and putting on a sour smile. It's like she was trying to grin right after eating a lemon. It just looks wrong. We all know it's staged. You just don't smile after you've eaten a lemon. "Sayuri told me you guys had fought Shiva so you could bring me home, y'know! And when I woke up, guess who wasn't there?"

The Summoner of Fire tilted his head. Hearing Chio's voice cracking like that must have been instantaneous heartbreak for the poor guy. "Chio, please don't say things like that," Kokoro murmured, reaching out towards her as if he wanted to touch her. They were on opposite sides of the hallway, but that didn't matter. She still recoiled, despite the fact that they had so much space inbetween each other. This was going to be interesting. "This isn't your fault. We were all sleep, see!" Now he's smiling all big and goofy. "But now we're awake, and we can save her!"

You see, I always thought of Chio as the bright, vivacious girl on the team.

Yeah... No.

"Then we need to stop being sleep!" she snaps, yelling at the poor guy. "I am_ sick,_ and I am _tired_ of not doing anything for the people of these worlds!" Wow, there's bass to her voice now. It's brittle, but there's a whole bunch of animosity in it. She turns around, refusing to look at Kokoro when she realizes what she just did. Poor girl doesn't even look at the wall. She looks straight at the ground, balling up her fists. "I want so bad to be a better Summoner. To save everyone. To stop people from—" Her eyes wander around on the ground and she breaks out into a cold sweat, perspiration sliding down her forehead. And then she gulps. "Passing." Suddenly the anger comes again two-fold and she whirls around on her heels, opening up the palm of her hand. Even though she's not transformed, her blue staff still appears inbetween her fingers. Chio holds it horizontally across the air, getting into a defensive stance. "In the Dark Ages I was learning. I'm through learning."

Ah, now she's back to normal. Now I can hear the sweetness in her voice and she wipes both of her eyes with a quick brush of her arm. "Now what were you saying, Damien?"

Oh no, not me! I didn't say squat, y'know? I got up, waved my hands in front of me and took a few steps back. "Oh, nothing. Just talking about how Morta is really good at planning things, and I agree with Ruby saying those other guys will be better off on their own, haha!" I really have got to stop making things worse for myself. Miyuki's been listening to everything that's been going on, but she hasn't really said anything. I think she rarely says anything. Only when she thinks she has something good to say. Except now she's done leaning against the wall and the Celestial Being is standing in front of all of us, arms folded. My Ixion, she's so short... Everyone's looking down on her, and it's actually kind of funny.

"You all do need another leader figure while Sayuri's gone. Damien has a point in that retrospect," Miyuki admits, sighing. "I've seen teams fall apart by not having a definitive leader. So which one of you will it be?" Psh, like Sayuri was ever a good leader. Leaders don't let themselves get captured. If I was the Summoner of Time, I would have given that Archfiend a big boot to the face! Shoot! Let me catch an Archfiend trying to molest me out in the streets of some town I've never been into. And then I'd kill the guy and bring back his dead body just so I could show everyone how weak he was!

Awkward glances were exchanged.

Ruby looked at me, I looked at Kokoro, Kokoro shook his head and looked at Morta, who was the only one not looking stupid. Gah, I'd have to give her points for that. How was I supposed to know who was going to be the new leader of the team? I just got here, and I know this is more difficult for Ruby who's more of a noob than I am. I bit my lower lip, hoping that we came to an agreement sooner or later. I didn't want to be attacked by any of Tori's goons any time soon, and standing around in a random hallway was sure to get us killed. Chio was playing with her staff and she seemed so adsorbed in it. Poor girl. I really don't think she should be fighting with us.

She's so sweet...

I hate that.

Nice girls like her shouldn't have to fight in wars like these. Chio's trembling, you know. But she's trying to look so strong for us. I just can't take it... I can't take the way her lip is quivering, or how her eyebrows keep tensing and then flattening out. She's nervous. In an attempt to ease her pain, Morta walks over to the girl—towers over her and places her petite hands daintily on her shoulders. The Summoner of Convene lets out a squeak and glances up at the taller girl through the corner of her eyes, her glasses sliding down her nose. "I think..." Morta begins, giving a small smile. "That Chio would make a good leader until Sayuri comes back. Wouldn't you guys say so?"

What.

How are you going to put the most un-intimidating person as the leader! Chio'll get eaten up out there! Eaten up I say! If she was going to recommend anyone as the leader, she could have said she'd do the job herself. I can't stand it! I just said that Chio being involved in all this fighting bothered me, and now Morta's trying to get her to be leader? Scrap that. I don't even have to say anything. The red flush that covers Chio's face tells it all.

Good.

Now I can calm down.

"B-but Morta!" Chio protests. It's like words are just falling out of her mouth like a faucet left on by accident. She's babbling, stumbling over her words... "You're such a better fighter than I am! Eeeep! It's so obvious that you should be the leader! You're so strong and pretty and you're like the mother hen that watches over us all!" Her voice drops in tone and is reduced to a mere whisper. "...And I admire you so much. You could handle people on your own. You even took out Lucrecia's Shadow on the Dark Ages by yourself! You saved Klaus!" she exclaims, jumping up in the air and raising her fists up in recognition. Wow, didn't know the babe did all of that... "If you weren't there, he would have died, and they would have gotten away with it..."

Morta just nods at all of that, letting go of Chio's shoulders. She actually does something I never thought she would do. The wavy-haired girl stands in front of the Summoner of Convene, getting down on her knees with her hands cupping Chio's. Ol' 'Glasses Girl' doesn't know what to do so she settles for crying, silent tears streaming down her face. "You were sleep when I told Sayuri this," Morta whispers, her small grin gaining a bit of width. "Sayuri told me she made a bad leader too when we were in the Dark Ages. Told me that I should have been the leader too. Sounded just like you sounded, but without the crying. Cheer up, huh?"

"But I can't...!" Chio begged, her body shaking from the tears racking through her body. Her sniffling was out of this world, too. She did it every second.

"Chio, you're really strong. You and your Aeons. And if Shiva weren't busy messing with Tori, she'd be here agreeing with me. Being a leader isn't about skill. It's about drive. And you have a lot of it." Erm, I guess she's right to a certain extent... "You want to help so bad that it's got you all red-faced. We need someone like you to hold the reigns down, and Sayuri would say the same. She was born into being a leader. Leaders aren't born, they're made. And you're shaping up into being a fine one." Well, at least Chio's done crying. I wouldn't have lied to the girl like that, though.

I could have still been the better leader.

Just saying.

The chocolate-eyed girl nods her head, allowing Morta to get up and stand on both of her feet. "Those who say they want to be leaders aren't fit for the job, Damien." Guh! How did she know—! Whatever. It didn't matter anymore. I couldn't argue with her even if I tried. Not when Chio was smiling again, which made everyone else smile. Ruby started grinning, and then Kokoro started laughing... For the first time in a while, everyone was happy again. I put my arms behind my head and walked towards the girl, yawning.

"Well then, I'm ready when you are Chio," I said, opening my eyes. "Can't be too bad listening to you." Better than Sayuri, anyway...

"All right!" Ruby yelled, giving an overdue thumbs up. "That's what I'm talking about! Leader Chio! It has a nice ring to it, don't you think Kokoro?"

"Hahaha, yeah. I like it a lot!"

Jeez, it's really time for those guys to stop playing around. We should really get moving, hint hint nudge nudge! Chio probably felt that I was getting really impatient and snapped her fingers, her Summoner outfit replacing her civilian one. Holding her wand with both of her hands, she takes a big step forward before giggling her ass off. "Alrighty then! I'm the new leader, the Summoner Convene, and we're gonna kick some major Church butt!" It's easy the say that. Urgh... We were walking for a little while before Chio stopped, looking like she just had a heart attack or something. So she turns around and her eyes got bigger. "Guys, I don't feel Shiva anymore..."

"That means Tori managed to defeat her," Ruby spat, furrowing her eyebrows. "I didn't know that lady was _that_ strong... I mean, Shiva's an Aeon!"

"Right, and that means she could be chasing us again," I added sarcastically. "So let's get a move on!" No one wanted to complain about that. So... I guess the walk down the hallway led to another hallway.

And another hallway.

And then after we got out of that hallway, we ended up in another hallway.

It was like this stupid, dumb Church was an endless labyrinth! I guess we were the stupid ones in this situation, but Kohana's the one who insisted we just storm into the Church, take this 'Alula' chick and then leave. Alula _better_ be pretty, because I just don't risk my life for ugly girls, y'know? But there was hope yet, because after we got done walking towards the end of what seemed like our ninetieth hallway, we were lead into a square room. It was still a part of the hallway, but at least it had a different shape... I slumped my shoulders and put on a frown, blowing my hair out of my eyes. "This is torture!" I complained. "Tell me when we actually find a room...!"

I thought someone'd answer, and I did get an answer, you know...

But it wasn't one of the guys.

Someone started laughing out of the blue. It was creepy, but you could tell the voice belonged to a guy. At least I think it belonged to a guy. It was very... I dunno... Flamboyant? Definitely some sugar in the guy's tank, either way you slice it. That's when everyone turned around. The initial response is to look behind yourself whenever you suspect funny buisness going on. Nope. Not me. I look straight ahead. Because that's how you end up getting stabbed in the chest. I know these things, man. I've seen too many movies. As such, I was probably the only person to see a strip of ice lay itself down on the floor in front of us and then vanish. Vanish!

All right.

Thoroughly freaked out now.

"Holy crap!" I shouted, getting my lance situated. I wouldn't hesitate to use that thing! "Did anyone else see that?"

No?

Of course they didn't.

They weren't paying attention, but_ I_ was!

"Oh~ They think you stupid, Summoner. How awful of them." There's that voice again. Except its echoing through all of our ears. We can all hear him. We just don't know where they are. This is the first time a bad guy pointed me out. Right. He didn't call out Miyuki or Morta. He was talking to me, and I felt obliged to answer. That lance made me feel pretty badass. "Though I must admit, you probably saved everyone from being encased in ice and shattered on impact. It's absolutely nerve-killing that you had to see it... I would have been successful! Five Summoners and their Guardian killed in one attack. Impressive, it would have been~" Enough is enough! No gay dude is going to talk to me like that!

"Can it, fruitcake!" I demanded, feeling the electricity in my body go haywire. It was time for some ass-kicking. "Like I was just saying to myself; I watch movies. I knew something bad was going to happen if I looked behind me. Must be my lucky day, huh?" I paused, feeling pretty damn good about myself. "Time to come out now, faggot. Come get your butt kicked." Probably unnecessary taunting, but eh, I was bored. At least the guy listened to reason.

Come to find out that this guy wasn't alone. He had someone else with him. But the other person was in a wheelchair. And they both kind of showed up out of nowhere. Okay, so I guess I should describe what the fruity guy looked like, since he was the first person that caught my eye. He was tall and lanky, but had endeavour blue-colored hair. It was a faded, dark blue kind of color... His eyes were a darker shade. Midnight blue, actually. But you could see slits for his pupils, and ears poked out from on top of his unkempt, shoulder-length hair. This guy was a Felinefolk all the way, dressed in tasteful dark clothing. His jacket wasn't buttoned up all the way and showed a chiseled collarbone.

As for the lady in the wheel chair? Cotton candy pink-colored hair that hung to her shoulders as well, but she wore a black eye-patch over his left eye. Err, the lady looked like she was just put in a wheel chair, because she had a bunch of scars all over her body. And bruises. And scratches. And there was dried up blood on her fingers, too. The eye that wasn't covered up was red, but it was so weird... Can't even put my finger on it. She didn't have a pupil or an iris. There was a bunch of white inscriptions written on her eye that formed some kind of pattern... A picture! I just didn't know what that picture was supposed to be. The red v-top she wore barely contained her boobs, but she had a necklace... That's what caught my eye, I swear!

Oh. And the pink-haired lady had bunny ears! Really fluffy, adorable bunny ears. She was cute. But the expression she gave us was bitter. And so the cat guy rolled the wheelchair closer to us with a grin on his face, bobbing his head to a song. It was creepy.

"'F' is for friends who do stuff together~!" The scary part about him singing is that he was doing it perfectly. Every move he made complemented his words. Even the rolling of the lady's chair. "'U' is for you and me~!" Dude tilted his head to every word. "'N' is for anywhere and anytime at all!" You've got to be kidding me. This guy is _singing to us._ "Down here in the deep blue sea~!"

"Save it," Morta said, readying her scythe for a real beat down. The blue guy looks down at her and quirks a brow, tail swaying gracefully behind him.

"Oh dear!" he gasped, covering his mouth with a blue clawed hand. "Miss Summoner doesn't like my singing. Well, dear, would you like to sing me a song? You look like you're pretty enough to know how to sing~"

Hey!

Nobody flirts with my girl but me!

"Dude, just tell us who you are," I hissed, rolling my eyes. I guess he got mad and started leaning on the back of the lady's chair. Oh, speaking of that lady, her expression never changed. She still looked at us with a critical eye. Heh. Critical eye. Because she has one weird one.

"My name is Sky~lar~! And this is Cynthia! As you can see, poor woman is in a wheel chair, but that's okay, because I take care of her only as a friend would~!" he purrs, running his fingers down her arm as if he's flirting with her. Woah, I didn't think the guy had it in him to flirt with a woman! I get surprised each and every day. "But you Summoners must be stopped. We're elders~!" And what the hell is that? "I know you Summoners have no idea who elders are, but we're really important and we deal with the Church." Great. So they want to kill us now. Oh my Ixion... "And regardless of who you are, Summoner or not, you must die here because you've seen things ordinary people don't get to see."

"Wait..." Ruby mumbles, putting two and two together. "You're going to fight us here? Now?"

"I only_ wish_ I were fighting you all," that flamboyant crazy dude Skylar said, holding on to that one lady's wheelchair. That guy scared the straight Jesus out of me. It's just the way he looked, I guess. I never saw anything like that guy on Betsaida, that's for sure. He was nonchalant and all chill, but I couldn't stop looking at those damn feet of his. His freaky cat ears were trouble enough, but I could have sworn I saw him come in on a sheet of ice. But then that wouldn't make sense, seeing as that weird rabbit chick was sitting in the chair... Urgh! Whatever, I'd figure it out later. I wasn't used to fighting all these kinds of people. For Pete's sake, I had just started being a Summoner... Just now! Everything we did on Spectra? It was nothing compared to this crazy world.

People were dying.

Dying.

And we were doing most of the killing I think. It's a hard life for Summoners, man. Can't get with them, can't live without them. But they were kinda trying to kill us first. You don't know how many people I've fried on accident trying to not be stabbed. Hey, it's survival of the fittest. I'm just saying; I'd rather it be them on the floor than me. So that Skylar guy started leaning on the arm bars of that rabbit chick's wheel chair, his hand cupping his face and he let out a sigh. "If only, if only. Cynthia here said she'd do me a favor if I let her handle you allll~ first—"

"Absolutely intolerable!" she shot, clutching that weird staff of hers. I threw my arms out and took a step back.

"Woah, woah, watch that, lady," I insisted, a pleading look on my face. "No need to wave around sticks of wood...!"

"Wood is the very_ least_ of your problems, Summoner, I _assure_ you," Cynthia said, closing her weird, pink eye. There was something wrong with it, I swore! But maybe I was just seeing things. She opened her eye again and then looked to the left, straight down the hallway. "To play in this Church means going against the elite. We do not tolerate intruders—people who want to undermine us." The scary part was that she sounded mad, but not mad at the same time. She definitely had an air of no-bullshit about her.

That was for sure. "I hope you all planed on coming here prepared, for my magic takes a toll on everyone I fight."

"No way!" Kokoro said, stomping his foot on the ground. Yep, that was my very expression. The guys know just what's wrong in this time. "We're not fighting you, right? We're fighting the man behind you, right? Skylar, right?"

"Wrongo," he murmured, snapping his fingers and laying down again. "You think because Cynthia is in a wheelchair she can't fight?"

"You aren't assuming we can't just simply turn her over," Morta challenged, bringing her scythe to the side and crouching down into her usual fighting stance. So glad we have a powerhouse like her on the team. And she isn't a bad sight to look at, either. "It'll take me about three seconds with my scythe. You shouldn't lie like that. It's unbecoming. Now, we only want to rescue our friend."

Neither one of them said anything for a while. They just stared at us. And then Cynthia and Skylar looked at each other with bemused expressions. And then they looked back at us, their expressions never changing. "I've never seen such a cocky group of Summoners before," Skylar murmured again, tapping his clawed fingers on the bars of Cynthia's wheelchair. "I guess the defeat will be just that humiliating then," he yawned, leaning on her chair again. Cynthia didn't reply; she just nodded her head a bit. Just a little.

"I don't intend to let them live."

"Aww, why not? The Guardian has a smart mouth, and the one in the dress is rather pretty, and the one with the Aeons is really cute~"

And then it happens. You know, nobody really knows how to fight a person in a wheelchair, despite what they say. You kind of feel sorry for them, so you freeze up. That's what we did, I guess. Cynthia lifted up her eye-patch and... She actually had an eye there! But it was pink. It had a symbol etched into it too in this scratchy, black penmanship. I've never seen someone have a symbol etched into their eye! That had to hurt like a third hell. It made me hiss just looking at it. Subsequently, my stomach dropped for no reason and I started to feel really sick...

"'F' is for fire burning the whole town!" Here we go. This guy again. "'U' is for uranium... Bombs! 'N' is for no survivors~!"

Skylar made his way in front of his partner, I guess, and then he started to rip her teeth out right in front of us. Just yanking them out, letting gooey blood fly towards us. It was weird... I couldn't move... I don't think anyone could...! And this guy is hitting me with her teeth! Yuck. At the same time though, I started to feel a burning sensation in my mouth. That's when I knew that... That... This was some freaky magic going on. And he was just _mutilating_ Cynthia. Pulling out hand fulls of her pink hair and pulling the skin off her face...

I didn't have a clue as to what was going to happen. I thought I was going to lose my lunch or something, but there's people were crazy! Grade-A batshit! My stomach wanted to eat itself I was so woozy, but I knew that if I collapsed on the ground I'd probably die. That's never a cool thing to do, dying, especially when I've got a family at home to report back to. See, I live with a bunch of women, and without the man of the house, they might not know what to do for a while. Good thing I got my best bro helping my mom with stuff while I do this Summoner crap, _but_ _what is this?_

Why is the cat guy breaking Cynthia's neck? What is going on? And he's just breaking all kinds of stuff. Her fingers, her hands, and we're not staying in one place because we're scared; it's because the sound of her bones breaking is actually locking us in place. It's weird and I just want to get out of here. All of this isn't worth saving Sayuri. Nah-uh, no way. I only knew that chick for a little while anyway! It's not like she's my friend or anything, and I'm not ready to admit that I work for her because she's my leader either!

Next thing I know, this arrow comes shooting through the sky!

You can literally hear the the sharp sound, like everything everything just got out of the way for that arrow and that arrow alone. I caught a quick glimpse of the end of it and a prettier-than-normal flower decorated it, with red ribbons fluttering from the wood and everything. It was made out of dark wood. Dark, natural wood, but the sharp part of the arrow was so sick. It was toothed, razor sharp, and it ripped through the center of Cynthia's eye just as she was lifting up her eye-patch.

I'll never like bunnies again.

All I heard was a huge _squelch!_—a very weird, squishy sound and her eye exploded. Not collapsed on itself, not bleeding a lot, but it exploded! For some reason, the front of her eye was still hanging on to the arrow, but the rest of the visceral fluids and blood and small never endings started to pour down her face and into her nose and mouth. Her face looked like some abstract painting... Grey fluids and red fluids splatted on her once perfectly white teeth, pink muscles hanging from her barren eye socket... I shuddered, trying not to look at it, but I just couldn't. Cynthia seemed—and this is what really upset me—relatively calm as there was a huge fucking arrow stuck in her head. It flew so deep through the back of her head that it was impaled into the back of her wheelchair and almost flew straight through her body.

It should have hurt.

She should have been screaming in nothing but agony. Every delicate, teeny-tiny fiber in her eye socket was now barely connected to the inside of her skull. I don't know about you, but that's painful as hell to me. There was just so much nasty liquid collecting at the bottom of her chin from her eye bursting... That alone made me want to vomit. But then, just as I thought I would, this bombshell of a babe came walking down the hallway. I don't think anybody ever saw her before in their lives—I sure as hell didn't, but she didn't look like these freaks by far. Sure she was wearing no shoes, which was weird, but her feet were beautiful. Just sayin'. No weird stuff.

I did, however, notice the three guys behind her.

It was that big Water guy from Earth, and that Silence kid... And that Fire Essence lady. Those were Suzuki's people. He saved us? He had to have! Man, I respected him even more for that, but that new lady with the fiery red hair... It draped all the way down to her mid-thigh in luscious, bouncy waves, the heads of roses laced within her ponytail. It was so big and bouncy at the top, and it even had another rose head were she tied it up from. Long bangs covered her left eye and left her right, red eye untouched—I could see her eyeliner and how rosy her cheeks were, the tendrils of her hair resting on top of her chest. Man, I'm a guy, and I think I'm allowed to marvel at her huge boobs, just saying. And it was bad enough that she wore an extremely low v style corset dress thing with this big, ruffly collar that hugged the back of her neck before connecting down underneath the sides of her semi-exposed breasts and below them with a big, red heart thing.

The same color as her hair.

Her white corset leotard dress didn't have any sleeves, so I saw the light brow rose silhouette tattoo on the side of her right arm as she held her ridiculously long bow. There was a rose head, and then the silhouette of a vine twisted down her arm and stopped right below her wrist. She had a similar tattoo going down her leg, and it stopped right above her ankle bracelets. Those had small, miniature red hearts hanging from it, too. From her perfectly painted toes and fingernails, I could tell she was all about looking as pretty as possible, her left wrist laced with pearls and exotic jewelry... She wore a light brown ring on her index finger, and another on her middle finger.

And with that long, white train trailing behind her as she held her bow with both of her hands—her loaded bow—she kept it steady towards Cynthia, never taking her gaze off her. Man, I could stare at her for days...

"Cynthia Lamarre," she said, parting her plump, red-painted lips. Ah, she had a voice that just put you to sleep. It was sweet and smooth, like red silk and as soothing to the tongue as chocolates would be to any woman. It was like what you would imagine a mermaid's song to be like. Rich and vibrant, flowing and hauntingly pure. You couldn't hear the malice in her voice, but you could definitely see it in her actions. They way she was locked in huntress mode, daring to shoot another bow through Cynthia's other eye. "I'm going to have to ask you to stop. In the name of Suzuki Negaigoto, King of Essences and dream Essence of Royaume Rêveur, we have been asked to intrude on your endeavors to make sure Sayuri, the rightful princess, is safe and sound."

Wait! So they are together then! I knew it! But wait, wouldn't that make her the queen, then?

Cynthia didn't look like she was at all intimidated by that woman, but I sure as hell was. The way she came in and did work like nobody else's business was impressive. That crazy lady grabbed the arrow with her fist clenched tight and she pulled it out slowly... Just to torture us with the sound of it slipping through all the blood and ooze in her skull. And puss. Eww, puss. "_Who_ are you?"

"Cynthia, it is not a matter of who we are. It's _what_ we are. We are a part of Suzuki's brigade, and I assure you, there are more people who would be very willing to knock down you and your cult a few notches. King Suzuki has asked us to do this peacefully, but I guarantee you that my next arrow will tear your very body apart pore by exfoliation pore. The only thing that will ever come between the tip of this arrow and the unfortunate end of your life is your wise decision. I am not a person. I am the Queen of Roses; the Flower Essence herself. You're fighting your _gods_ here."

Silence.

Nothing but silence.

And the grip on her bow gets_ tighter._

"I'm assuming you've already realized you both are unable to use your powers?" she acquiesces, raising a red eyebrow, but only slightly. You can barely tell she did it. This woman, Flower, is ultra composed. "That is because I've cut off your ability to do so. From now on, your abilities are no more until I deem you two fit to hold them. Now I imagine we can come to some sort of agreement for the well-being of these Summoners, people cared dearly by the Princess? My, we wouldn't want to upset her, would we?" And then her grip tightens on her bow! Like a boss! It's even shaking! She's got a straight face on, but there's an obvious fire in her eyes, and she's trembling with anger. Makes her threats all the more real. She could kill both of these guys on _accident._ The subject of Sayuri must be really touchy. "Especially since you disregarded my first warning."

Cynthia looked shocked, her eye coming back together and her bones mending into place. Thank God. "Isn't this a treat? First the Wickedness, then the Summoners, and now the gods," she says, taking note of Flower's high authority. "Forsythia—my world—is _very_ popular right now, hmm?"

"If you deem it to be so," Flower answers. "Now, an agreement or your deaths?"

These two can't even compete with this woman! Nah-uh, no way. I kind of wanted them to say the wrong thing so Flower could load them up with arrows. They just tried to kill all of us at the same time just a second ago! I know voodoo when I see voodoo! And it all would have happened so damn fast! No way, I want them dead. Flower's doing them a solid just by giving these guys a choice to take the smart way out. She's doing too much. Slay them now, Flower! Cynthia and Skylar look at each other and nod. I guess it didn't take them long to come up with an agreement. Or words, for that matter. Skylar smiles at Flower, raising a blue brow.

"Oh sweetheart! We accept your offer. We'll let the Summoners go this time, but only if they leave the Church immediately after. I assume they came here for something~? Why yes, they can get it, but they cannot cause anymore trouble~ Or else we will be forced to come after them as our status as elders. Is that enough, cutie?" Gah! Skylar gets under my skin, flirting with my women! In a flash, Flower turns from being deadly to being a flailing mother, squeaking and scooping Miyuki up in her arms... Probably because she was the closest person to her. She even managed to shock the Celestial Being, which isn't easy, and Flower starts hugging the dear life out of her, swinging the significantly shorter woman around as she makes her way across the room, showering everyone with kisses on the forehead and tight hugs.

Um.

This lady went from threatening to kill Skylar and Cynthia to... This?

"Oh you guys are so adorable!" Flower exclaims, shutting her eyes closed and gasping. "So fleshy and human! And my have you Summoners grown!" She skips towards Chio and gives her a long hug. I think Chio likes hugs. That's why she's giggling. "My... Has the Church been treating you well?"

Chio's smile just falls straight off her face like a flimsy piece of paper would if it were knocked off a desk. And then her eyes start watering. Y'know, I've had just about enough of her crying. "Flower, please don't—!"

Didn't even let her finish. Flower narrowed her eyes and aimed her loaded bow towards the both of those Church goons.

"Because, my dear Summoner of Convene, if they _haven't,_ my bow will teach them manners."

"Waaaaaah! Please don't, Flower! Don'tkillthem_ohplease!_"

Flower needs more reason to kill them? Oh yeah. I've been wanting Flower to kill Cynthia and Skylar for so long! Of course they've been bad to us. Skylar would have killed us if I hadn't seen that ice stuff, and Cynthia was going to turn us into toothless, no-neck-having dolls! There's no way I'm letting them go unpunished. Finally there's someone here who can give these two a taste of their own medicine. "Flower!" I yelled, flailing my arms. "They were terrible to us!" Cynthia's currently glaring a hole in my head. "I was so terrified... I didn't know what to do! I thought I was gonna pass a big one in my pants until you showed up. Being in the Church has been hell for me. Y-you don't know how many dead bodies I had to see on the way here! I say you kill them right now so they don't ruin anybody else's innocence, because they killed mine dead! I'll never be the same!" ... I thought Flower was gonna buy what I said. I guess she felt that Ruby was more interesting and skipped over to her, a smile on her face.

"Flower?" Ruby asks. "Pardon my asking, but who are you and why are you here?"

"That's an easy question!" Flower says with that beautiful grin of hers, tapping her cheek with an index-finger. "I'm from Suzuki's court. I've been his assistant for the longest... Since he became King of Essences, my dear. I've gone through many names in my life time, but if you all tire of calling me just regular old 'Flower', my human name is Chicorée. Just like Suzuki's human name, yes?"

She pauses, taking a few steps forward and looking up at the ceiling. "In all the years I've been alive, I've never seen anything quite as beautiful as the gorgeous bond Suzuki and his family has with each other. They love that girl, Sayuri, with everything they have—everything they're possibly unable to feel now. It's poignant and completely indescribable, the sheer amount of affection they harbor for one another. The Summoner, the Wickedness and the King of Nightmares. Such dastardly players in this game, but they are a _family,_ and nothing will break that." And then she smiles, of course. Because she does that the best. "Her parents are quite insane, might I add! They'd probably do worse to these two!" How can anyone laugh at something like that? "But on to more serious matters."

I gulp in response to Flower's sudden tone change. She looks at all of us individually, and then looks at Skylar and Cynthia.

"This is not a matter of Church vs. Summoner or Summoner vs. the Archfiend," she states, matter-of-factly. "Sayuri cannot get married to the Archfiend. For what results will mean the death of both this _and_ my world." Sneering, she swipes her hand across the air, red eyes livid with anger.

"And I will kill _each and every_ Forsythian here one by one, pick by pick if it takes that. Instead of looking for the problems,_ I will destroy you all_."

Oh my Ixion.

Flower's batshit too. She forgot to add that teeny, tiny part in...

With a flick of her wrist, she puts both of her arms down and starts smiling.

"Any questions?"

* * *

**A/N:** Indeed.

So much fun was had writing this chapter. XD;;;

You know, I just now noticed the effects of narration in CCFA. I never really liked Morta too much, but I guess that could be blamed on how much Sayuri puts her down in her narration. But now that there's someone else on the team talking about her in such a good light, Morta's actually a pretty good person, and Sayuri's terrible for talking about her like she's just this monster! XD;; I know why Sayuri talks bad about her though; Morta "supposedly" killed Tariku, but that was so long ago and she needs to get over it. It wasn't even Morta. That was Kohana controlling Morta. But I digress. What she did for Chio was the sweetest thing I've written in a long time. XD;;;

And the flashback was oodles of fun.

You guys never really got to see Issaru, but there he is! XD;;;

He's the guy you people imagined him to be, right? XD;; And Leyiko's probably my second favorite Summoner of Kohana's team. XD;;

AND FLOWER. Oh man, Flower. She made the chapter for me. The way she took chargeeee! XD;; Okay, I'm going to leave you people with your thoughts. Next chapter, we're going to be walking with Janeavah and Kohana! Let's see what Tori did to her, huh? And let's see if Janeavah healed Kohana or something... Can't be totting around a half-dead person, right? XD;; And... Maybe Ryder might show up!


	83. Stockholm Syndrome

**A/N: **Welcome to another exciting chapter of CCFA, and I'm your author, Chiharu~

In this super tense chapter, readers, we'll be exploring what the heck Janeavah and Kohana are doing. Last time we saw the two, Kohana had just gotten her ass kicked by Tori, which can be reviewed again in chapter 81. Poor Kohana, right? But there's more! See, this chapter is a two for one deal! One unlike anything you've ever seen! If you read now, you'll get a flashback about Lysimachus and Tori throwing cookie dough at each other! Sounds wildly out of character for our bird Forsythian woman but aaaah, Tori likes doing these things for her men. Isn't she the sweetest thing~? I apologize for the short flashback, but the chapter was so huge that I didn't want to put too much on your plates.

But wait!

Read beyond the bonus flashback and you'll be hit with a 14k chapter staring Janeavah as the narrator, and wait! Lady Kaelyn makes an appearance? Without Flarence? And Ryder's here? And woah, the elders are fighting the Summoners? Ffff, there's too much in this jam-packed chapter! I think the author's gonna faint from the suspense! Oh wait, the author's me! D:

But if the author knows one thing, it's that Tori's rekindling the fire that is her love for torture. Someone tell her to stop. Before the next thing you readers see published is a 14k torture fic... And nobody wants that... XD;;;

* * *

Now isn't this a treat?

It's nice to see Lysimachus smiling, his grin stretching from ear to ear as he clutches the cookie dough inbetween clawed, white fingers. What's rare about this scene, however, is Tori standing next to the elusive Leader_—_her smile just as bright and vivacious. "Tori, this is really sweet of you," he murmurs, closing his eyes and directing his grin towards her. "Making cookies for everyone in the Church!" Honestly, Lysimachus could never understand how kind the Featherfolk is. Her compassion for others stretches for miles. She's so sweet and adorable and beautiful, so the white-haired man decided to help her. With elegance and modesty seeping from her, Tori closes her eyes and continues to mix the dough with her hands.

"Sweetheart," she utters in her silvery, calming, breathy voice. Her wings flutter behind her, stray feathers floating dainty down to the ground. As she softens the batter, her pearls dip in it. "You're going to make me blush, love." Psh. Lysimachus takes his fingers out of the bowl and flicks batter at her, making her flinch. Her response is a soft smile as she attempts to stifle a laugh.

"Tori, you're amazing," he says, wiping off his claws with a towel. "Don't ever change." But she doesn't intend to. How admirable is it to be the General of the Cult of the Archfiend, to lead the men and still return to the kitchen, making delicious confectionery treats with her leather, white whip still hanging heroically by her side, should there every come a time when she needs to protect Lysimachus, or more importantly her faith. The wolf Forsythian stands there in awe at her radiant, angelic beauty, tilting his head and sighing.

She's so pretty she even gets to him sometimes.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Tori replies, grabbing a wooden spoon and placing globs of dough on a cookie sheet. Making him happy is part of her job, isn't it?

* * *

**-: Chapter Eighty-Three: Stockholm Syndrome :-**

_Maybe I look good in leather  
In my bed I pluck your feathers  
We should fucking be together  
Now look alive and say you've gotta go_

_You're right I am addicted_  
_The point I guess I missed it_  
_It's not your fault, but I'll blame it on anything, but myself_

— "Alex English" — Dance Gavin Dance

Of course I'd get stuck with garbage duty.

I absolutely _loved _carrying around Kohana, who was half dead, by the way. This is what I've always wanted to do-carry around dead weight. I sucked in my teeth, furrowed my eyebrows and put on a very disapproving scowl on my face. Nobody told this blockhead to fight Tori by herself, and if she wanted to she could have always brought me along, but no. Kohana's an asshole. And that's why Tori almost tore her a new one. She's lucky I'm generous and I like to help out people in dire need of medical attention, otherwise she'd still be back there as Tori's living play thing. It gives me the creepy crawlies all over trying to imagine what torture that would be like.

I love the smell of fresh blood caking on top of my hair. And hearing Kohana wheeze and hiss over my shoulder because her open wounds are scratching against my labcoat really did my heart wonders, too. Her eyes were half-lidded, and when she actually managed to open them up wide enough to look like she was still conscious, they just drooped back down again. Even though her body was wracked with pain-with every sharp intake of breath she made, I could tell she was still struggling to move. To walk perhaps? Why is she so stupid? She can't even talk, let alone walk. And I could tell she wanted to go back and try to kill Tori.

"That didn't work the first time, all right?" I murmured sarcastically, placing my freehand into my coat pocket and resting Kohana's bleeding body against a wall. It took a few seconds for me to get her comfortable... Hell, I didn't even know what could have been 'comfortable' for her at this point. I just wanted her to get her breathing together. Cracking my clawed fingers, I closed my eyes and adjusted my blood stained, yellow tie. Kohana's head hung down low as she struggled to look up at me. Serves her right for thinking she could just come in here and fight her way towards Alula.

It's harder than that.

The Church isn't a cakewalk, and I _told _her that.

"She cut you up into ribbons," I said, my eyes widened slightly as I took a couple of steps back, my hand underneath my chin. "That, and you have a broken wrist. It's a simple break, though. Something I can fix in a few seconds." She wouldn't say anything to me. She couldn't. Tori had messed her up that bad. I shook my head, propping my hands on my waist. All the more reason to deem Kohana the most idiotic person I've ever come across. I had her weird sword hanging from my belt, and I even managed to get her sheath, too. I had no clue if she wanted it now or not-probably not. She couldn't do anything with it even if she tried. "And, I don't know if you know this or not," I added, scratching the back of my head and turning around, looking at the wall. "But she also broke a couple of your ribs."

As unfunny as this situation was, I had to let out a short laugh. Had to.

Taking her sword off my belt and holding it up into the air, I unsheathed it and stared at the blade. Quite an interesting weapon Kohana totes around. "Next time when you fight Tori, bring a brain, not a sword." So I tossed it to her. Obviously it hit her right in her face since she doesn't have enough feeling in her hands to catch it. "Better yet, bring me. We hate each other, but we have the same enemies and the same corporations to bring down. This," I said, looking at her up and down. "Is unacceptable. You agreed to work with me. So work with me, Kohana. You may be the Wickedness, but you're nothing without a wingwoman."

And I guess there was a small part of me that was really upset by how wounded she was, honestly.

Shaking my head, narrowing my eyes and cracking my fingers, I sought to get to work. "Here we go. This is probably going to hurt a lot, but it's your own fault, asshole." I lifted her head up to make sure she could see me, then I stuck my finger into the center of her forehead, seething. "You're supposed to be this big bad creature who strikes the fear into millions of people all over the universe?" I ended that by shoving her head into the back of the wall.

"So far, am I'm not impressed. To win my fear, you have to be, I don't know. _Scary. _Almost dying fight Tori? Very not scary. Don't give me a reason to call you Cream Puff." I yanked her arm down, still snarling. My grip was like a death vice around it. "You're the Summoner who saved the universe, right? You can't even save yourself. I hardly believe that story. Make me believe, Kohana. Make us believe. That's the only way you're going to save Forsythia." And as I slammed her arm back down, her wrist was as good as new.

"Give these people another thing to believe in, aside from an Archfiend hellbent on killing everyone and recreating _my_ world."

This went far beyond whatever beef Kohana had with Tori. That blockhead needed to understand that I couldn't do this alone. I never could. I knew that from the beginning. That, while a resistance group was my first food forward, there's no way I could walk through this hell by myself. I need more than my friends and fellow scientists at the New World Older. More than just Lady Kaelyn and her stupid apprentice. Kohana's the only hope Forsythia's going to get—I'm no messiah. That's Kohana's job. And she needs to stay alive. As I was busy trying to put her ribs back into place, I started to hear someone walking towards me. Of course, those footsteps were normal; they sounded like someone was switching their legs too hard in an attempt to impress male onlookers.

Lady Kaelyn, naturally.

My lips curled into a faint, faint smile. It's hard to look hopeful when your only hope is half-dead. And no, I'd never tell Kohana how much I actually need her. I'd never tell anyone else, either. But Lady Kaelyn knew. She always did. I let my hair hang in my face as I tried to feel through Kohana's chest for her bones. Why is it so hard to—ah. There it is. Found I. Finally. This was starting to look very weird for a second. Lady Kaelyn, with her green eyes, peered down at me. I could hear the sound of her long Felinefolk tail swishing against her skirt. Yep, it was her. I felt somewhat relieved. For a while she didn't speak and looked behind me as if there was something interesting down the hallway. Eventually she grew tired of the silence and parted her luscious lips, placing a hand on her hips.

"Silly blackguard," was the only thing she uttered before setting her attention back towards the end of the hallway. Her voice was cold and acrid—she didn't seem disappointed, but she didn't seem like she cared all too much, either. "Always brash. Always rushing in. She never stops to think." The augurist paused, and I don't know if my ears were playing tricks on me or not, but I could have sworn I heard a chuckle. A small one, but a chuckle all the same. "Sayuri was the same when she first graced our world with her presence." I arched a brow.

"So her name was really Sayuri?" At first I found it hard to believe, but when Lady Kaelyn said it... Well, it had to be true, huh? Finished tending to her broken bones, I dusted off my knees and stood up straight, yawning.

"Yes. Sayuri Outtaike. She beat it into my head, unfortunately."

Psh, yeah, I can believe that. I ran my hand across my forehead and sighed. Taking care of Kohana is hard work. "What made the idiot change her name?"

"Guilt."

I was expecting her to say something else, but she didn't. She just walked over to Kohana's body and stared at her for a little while longer. "Guilt is a faceless monster that burrows its way into the mind of the person trying to rid themselves of it. It does not go away, only festers. I go along with Kohana's name change because I know not of what she's been through. I do not question it. However, what is peculiar about the blackguard's name change is the fact that it's her mother's name." Okay, whatever. Sounds to me like Kohana was crazy enough to change her name because she couldn't get over spilled milk. Wah, wah, cry me a river. If Kohana keeps acting like this I'm really going to make fun of her. I should have made it an effort to call her Sayuri until she decided to take her old name back.

I rubbed my temples, tonging one of my fangs. "And why did the idiot decide to take her mother's name? Wouldn't that be even more confusing?"

"It is as I said," the augurist said, clasping her hands together. "Guilt. She killed her mother, Doctor Janaevah."

"Seems like some batshit thing she'd do, yeah."

Now Lady Kaelyn's chuckling again. Well, is she laughing at me, or is she laughing at Kohana? "Don't be silly, Doctor. Kohana changed her name a little before she killed her mother. It was a situation of circumstance; not done impulsively. It was a choice she had been teetering on making even before she met me. I still believe that she's the same Summoner Sayuri I met two years ago. The same Summoner with her colorful bunch of Summoner friends. I recognized them well. They all had different-colored hair. And now they are gone. Replaced by a new generation. And the only thing left of her friends is guilt. So she carries it around, like a name. That name is 'Sayuri'." Another pause, but wow. I was lost in her words. Lady Kaelyn is the only one that can move me with something as insignificant as words. "She gave the name to her daughter for it to be redeemed, not out of spite. She also bears her mother's name for the same reason. Give the blackguard some slack. She's smarter than you think, Doctor."

I found that hard to believe. I jerked my head back so I could catch Lady Kaelyn's full attention. I was done talking about Kohana, even though she was fresh on my mind and was a top priority right now. "Kohana has Holy Radiation," I mention, quirking a yellow brow and grabbing my waist with both of my hands. "I'm not going to sugar-coat anything, either. Pardon the pun but _holy shit_ is it bad." The thing I liked about Lady Kaelyn was that she was just as direct as I was. She already assumed Kohana was in a bad state. She didn't freak out. She just tilted her head and her mouth remained in a straight line.

"I see. Has she waken up yet?"

"No, she's just been this incredible asshole. I've been carrying her around for a while and finally decided to set up post in this hallway. Lady Kaelyn, I don't know how to heal someone with Holy Radiation." I flexed my fingers and started to pace around, shaking my head. "Holy Radiation is a devastating sickness. Holy magic is forced into the bloodstream of the person ailed. As is, Holy magic isn't supposed to be used in an offensive manner. But, used by someone who is incredibly skilled with the art, they can do stuff like _this_," I said, gesturing towards Kohana. "Holy magic inhabits the bloodstream, causing the color in the eyes to fade away until they eventually become colorless with a glowing hue. The person then becomes unable to use simple motor skills, like walking and talking, and becomes a drooling mess. And then the hallucinations start..." I was glad Kohana didn't reach that stage yet. "I mean I could try..."

"No, you'd only exasperate things," Lady Kaelyn answers. "Kohana's a fighter. While I don't doubt her idiocy, something like this won't kill her."

My shoulders dropped down, my face deadpan. "Oh, gee. I was really hoping it would."

I guess this was our cue to go ahead and haul Kohana's ass out of this hallway. She wasn't really heavy, considering who I was and what I was capable of doing. I could carry around an entire army on my back. I was just that strong. Lady Kaelyn actually understood and spoke my language, so when I had said that last line she simply turned around, expecting me to pick up the slack and prepare Kohana for 'travel'. But then it kind of clicked in my head. Y'know, all that stuff Lady Kaelyn said about Kohana taking her mother's name because of guilt. Did Kohana actually tell Lady Kaelyn all of that stuff? I mean, she did just come back to Forsythia, and as far as I know Lady Kaelyn's been avoiding Kohana like a wild fire. Before I bend over to sling Kohana over my shoulder, I take a look at Lady Kaelyn and of course her back is facing me.

She's... Creepy.

She knows more about Kohana than Kohana knows about herself.

And then my throat constricts, because... What if she knows more about me than I could ever fathom?

But as we both were looking towards the direction Lady Kaelyn came in, some sort of dark substance started to build up and Ryder, of all people, showed up in front of the green-haired augurist. Let it be known right now that Ryder is blind. I need to say this over and over again because some people don't understand or it slips their minds because he acts like he can see. Ryder. Is. Blind. Due to the reason why he is blind, his irises don't have any color to them. In fact, they're colorless. Just like Kohana's eyes right now. If another person says Ryder doesn't have eyes, I will scream. His eyes are open 24/7. There's just... Not much to look at. He keeps himself up and dresses nice, though, and now he had his arms behind his back, his spear held tightly in both of his hands.

And he had a smile on his face as his body finished materializing from the black, misty stuff on the floor. He's closets to Lady Kaelyn, and he would never get her and I mixed up just because he's unable to see. "Hello, Janeavah! Hi, Lady Kaelyn!"

That's impressive.

Do I really need to explain why it's impressive? Good? Good.

"Wow, not only do I get to run into beautiful Janeavah once, but I get to do so twice," he teases, his smile widening slightly. And then he lets out a cool laugh—an inconspicuous one. He didn't want soldiers to come running in his direction. Was that a nod to wanting us both to be safe? ... I can't even take Ryder seriously. He pisses me off, especially with his flirting, and I'm sure he can sense it. That's why he seems to be looking towards me. "Oh, and let's not forget the famous Lady." Ryder gives Lady Kaelyn a bow, still holding his spear. "Kaelyn, is it?"

"Do not say my name backwards lightly, ragamuffin," she warns, arching a brow. "Say it the right way, or not at all. I shall not be made a fool of." And she's the last person anyone wants to make mad.

"And a fool you won't be," he insists, extending his arms out. "Ah, Lady Kaelyn! Salutations from both me and the Church—"

"Cut the crap, Ryder. You came here because Kohana is here, and extremely wounded at that, did you not?" Oh, he better have not come here because Kohana's sick and can't take care of herself on her own. My expression darkened and I found myself looking at the blockhead, watching her eyes flicker open at the sound of her name. Well, let's see. First of all Kohana's delirious. She probably only responded to her name because it sounds familiar. Second of all, she can't stand. Third of all, I think I don't even have to kick Ryder's ass. Lady Kaelyn sounds like she's volunteering to do it herself. Which I don't mind, of course. Ryder cocked his head and slumped his shoulders, looking just as confused as ever as he tapped his index finger on his chin.

"Ko-ha-nan? Ko-ha-nah?"

"Kohana," I corrected. With all of that stuff Lady Kaelyn was talking about regarding Kohana's name, I wouldn't have this idiot slandering it just because he couldn't enunciate simple vowels.

"So that's what you call_ it_?" he mutters to himself, trying to get a good look at Kohana even though he's _blind_. That's a pet-peeve of mine about him. He needs to stop doing that. It unnerves me. So much. "That's what you call the Wickedness? Hmm, I thought it was a genderless being like our ancestors used to think the Archfiend was. But I suppose it has a pretty name. And looks female, from my understanding." Now, you see, I really didn't care what Ryder thought of Kohana. I like to think of Kohana as a man too, honestly, but Lady Kaelyn was over here boiling. She doesn't make her anger known through her facial expressions, but when her tail starts swaying back and forth really fast like it's doing right now, that's a sure-fire way to know when you've just ended up in her bad graces.

"Are you calling my former student an 'it', Ryder?" Former student? I learn something new every day. "I think you should learn to silence yourself before I do it for you."

"Oh, I'm very sorry Miss Kaelyn, but what else would I call it?" The terrible part about all of this is that Ryder is generally very confused. He isn't playing around. He might just be being a jerk on purpose, but he honestly has no idea what to call her. "Should I call it Kohana like you two do? Is that some sort of a pet name? How silly it is to name a monster!"

Forget what I said about Lady Kaelyn not showing her anger through her face. Now she's sneering. "You've got one last warning, ragamuffin. I _will_ kill you. You _will_ show Kohana some respect." And, before he can say something smart back to her, Kohana attempts to stand up in all of her deliriousness. She placed her hand on the wall and started rasping, long and hard, her eyes half-lidded and glinting with a murderous intent. So of course I do the right thing and walk over towards her, boxing her in with my arms looking down at her. Of course she didn't have enough energy to look up at me, but that's okay. Any and all attempts of her trying to stand up on two feet ended with her crashing right down on the ground again, almost as if she was slipping and falling. I'd give Kohana one thing, though. At least she tried hard.

"I'm... Going. To. Kyahahahha... ha_—blegh!_ Kill whoever it is talking about me...! _Rruaaargh!_"

I hate my job. While she was in the middle of spewing madness, she started chucking up vomit. All over my shoes. It was red, just sayin'. I think she had some of Lady Kaelyn's roast before she came here. Great.

I guess you could say I was frustrated and angry.

Trying to keep Kohana from getting up and beating the crap out of Ryder was like trying to keep a lion from mauling an unsuspecting deer.

That, and I was trying not to get her puke on me. She was vomiting violently and all over the floor. It was disgusting, but nothing I couldn't stomach. I'm good with almost any kind of sticky situation, so I pull out my chips and open the brand new bag, staring at Ryder with bemused eyes. The rest of my face, of course, was blank-my eyes narrowed and my mouth in a straight line, only parting to shove chips in my mouth. The sound of them was blocking out my anger, definitely.

I love you, heavenly, soft chips.

So then Ryder lifts a brow, running his hand through his unkempt, black hair_—_his colorless eyes studying me. It was weird. This man could not see. I had to keep telling myself that. He was blind. He didn't have a hue in his irises. All you could see were his black pupils, and in retrospect, that's exactly how Kohana's eyes looked too, but for a different reason. He was blind. She wasn't. But his pupils were slit like they should have been. He was a snake Forsythian man, after all. It made me choke on my chips, that's for sure. He was standing there with that spear of his-tricky little thing.

I made that for him, back in the day.

Unfortunately.

It's not a spear_—_just two swords that turn_ into_ one.

"It's a shame you're a leader of a resistance group, Janeavah," he said with a shake of his head rather solemnly. Cry me a river. It's a shame I've got two legs too. But it's not like I can just give them up. Being the head scientist for the NWO has always been my dream. To start something as big as this... He can kiss my _ENTIRE_ ass. "Most people associate leaders of terrorist groups with people who look downright horrible, but you're still very pretty..."

Now I choked on multiple chips.

"_Excuse me?_" I shrieked, dropping my bag. And then my eyes focused on him and that frown. "Did you say _terrorist group? _Are you drunk? High? Is there something I should know about, Ryder? If there's anybody who's a part of a terrorist group, it's you and this Church full of loons! Hello! The Archfiend wants to burn you all down and destroy the world and you worship him? Don't make me...!" I ended that sentence with a very feral growl, my tails fighting with each other behind me. Now I was angry. He did not just call the NWO a terrorist group. There was no way he called the NWO a terrorist group... Okay, calm down Janeavah. You're not a lion. You're a calm, nice woman. But now my nostrils were flared and there was a permanent, deep scowl on my face.

Oh, and my chips.

... My poor babies.

I picked up the bag again, regaining my calm demeanor. "I'll go terrorist on you if you ever say that again." My threat was dark, amplified only by my constant chewing. Ryder didn't make anything of it and simply blinked in confusion. And then he frowned again. What did he have to be so sad about? He's trying to kill_ us. _God.

"Isn't it strange?" he inquires, holding his spear with both of his hands behind his back. "You call us the terrorists, but there the Wickedness is, sitting right behind you, and you're _shielding_ her. A danger to us all. She wants nothing more but to see us destroyed only for her own gain and personal thrill." It wasn't like that. It wasn't like that and he knew it. Dirty little liar. How can he just stand in front of me and fabricate stories like that? "Janeavah, sweetheart, let me save you," he insists, reaching out towards me. "Before she threatens to kill you again."

"She was threatening to kill _you_," I corrected with a quirk of a brow. "Not me."

Next thing I know, Lady Kaelyn is not having this. She instantly hisses under her breath like the Felinefolk she is, swiping her arm across the air. "Kohana is not a coldblooded killer," she interrupts, her voice slicing through our conversation like a hot knife pierces through butter. "I will not have her name slandered here. Blackguard, don't view Kohana as a monster. Before this woman was the Wickedness, she was a Summoner, and once upon a time she saved your world. And for what? You wishing her death? I will not stand for it. Before you kill this woman who granted you the gift of life so long ago, you will have to face my wrath. And the wrath of an augurist is not a kind one."

Ryder actually readies his spear, holding it in his right hand and getting into a defensive stance. Tch. Not Lady Kaelyn. I wouldn't let him fight freakin' Lady Kaelyn, of all people, so I snarled and clench my fists.

"Ryder, if you lay one hand on her, I'm going to make you wish you didn't have any to lay hands on her with. And that's both a threat and a promise."

"It's wonderful that you care so much about me, Doctor Janeavah, but I would appreciate it if you stayed out of this." That wasn't a suggestion. She was literally telling me to stay out of this. To which I shrugged my shoulders and sat next to Kohana, who was muttering a bunch of nonsense about how she was going to tear Ryder apart. Great. I retrieved my bag of chips and started slamming them in my mouth. You see, I'm not someone who cares a whole lot about eating properly in front of other people. And dammit, I didn't care that Kohana was violently vomiting on the side of me, either. She was starting to get really crazy now and started clinging to me, whimpering and grabbing my hair...

Hiding her face into my chest.

And then I had to shove her away, because that's an invasion of my personal space. But she brought her face back to my chest in no time flat, acting like a little child because she was scared to see Lady Kaelyn and Ryder fight... It was somewhat adorable. ...But she really needed to remove her face from my rack. So, for some reason that black misty stuff showed up, and then corpses. Just... Corpses. Corpses everywhere. Dead, decaying people suddenly surround Lady Kaelyn, but she stands tall, not even the least bit worried. The little nutbars actually came up from the ground, skin hanging off their cheek bones... Some of them didn't even have heads. Actually, the headless one kind of looked familiar. The zombies all looked like they were despairing. And they were. They looked like they were in so much pain. But they couldn't sleep. Because Ryder disallowed it.

And he was smirking, hands behind his back as he stared at Lady Kaelyn, who was surrounded by fifty of those things. I wanted to get up and help, to do something, but I know what she told me, and it was in my best interests to listen to her. "Lady Kaelyn!" Ryder said, doing a small bow. "You're the Holy Maiden. Yet, I am a necromancer. What you're looking at are all the soldiers that died trying to protect the Church from your people's tyranny as you intruded this place. My, the mark of the Wickedness is a sadistic one. Surely the beheaded ones belong to her...?"

And low-and-behold, he looked towards Kohana, who, for some reason, felt him do that and just started hyperventilating. Convulsing, twitching, shaking just as violently as she was vomiting... It was bad. And then she looked towards me, grabbed my shoulders like I was going to die right at that moment and started weeping, crying her eyes out. "I-Isleen...! Isleen, is that really you?"

"_What._"

She was looking right at me. There was no why she was really going to sit here and call me... Who?

I gritted my teeth, smacking her hands off my shoulder. "Dude, get a_ grip!_"

Of course that only made her more upset and she went onto this spiral of madness, attempting to stand up but falling down on her ass time after time after time. Finally she decided to give it a rest but her wailing was absolutely unbearable. Jeez, I just wanted to shove my tail into it. Kohana started moving her hands like she was piecing together a puzzle, a bunch of burbling noises falling out of her mouth before she finally shut her eyes tight, falling into me and shaking. "Isleen, are you still mad at me? Y-you're still mad at me, aren't you? I-I didn't mean to... I never wanted you to_—_"

"My. Name. Is. Janeavah!" I shouted at her, thumping her nose with my claws. "Janeavah Deidre. _Doctor Janeavah_, you idiot! I don't like being called other people. It's insulting." I recoiled, folding my arms and leaning against the wall, but apparently none of that got through Kohana's thick skull. Lady Kaelyn turned around to look at me. She wasn't even bothered by Ryder and his fleet of zombies. Not even.

"Play along with it, Janeavah," she said. I guess I'd have to now. "Isleen was one of Kohana's Summoner partners. They shared an interesting past together. Be thankful. She thinks you someone important to her." Yeah, that's a bunch of bullshit, but I'd bite my tongue. Isleen. What a dumb name. "Holy Radiation rewrites memories. Remember that." Psh, did she think I was a doctor for no reason? Of course I knew that. I just didn't like being called someone else.

"I-Isleen..." Great. How many times was she going to call me that? She kept shifting and turning her head. I didn't know if she was going to pass out or what, and her eyes were barely open. "Isleen, don't let the other Summoners see me like this." It came out in a whisper, but it was full of so much pain... It even made me twitch a bit . I knew she was talking about her old team... But she really wanted to tell me not to let the new Summoners see her. Like that blockhead Damien and Chio and that Miyuki Guardian person. That's... Very sad. "I-I don't want them to..." But it's not like I can just hide her behind a wall. Stupid bitch.

"But Kohana, I've got to. We've got to go back to them, okay?"

And then she started smiling. Smiling for no reason. "Going back to them...? Sounds really___—_ackaaah!_—_nice... I wonder... If they'll still remember me... When I'm with them again..." Now the woman was drifting inbetween talking and falling right the heck out. If she was going to die, she needed to do it away from me. I didn't want to be sitting next to a dead body. Excuse the pun, but there were hundreds of dead bodies standing around us now. What was Lady Kaelyn going to do...?

"Aww, how cute," Ryder said, clapping his hands together the best he could. "The Wickedness has a friend that she misses dearly. I wonder if this 'Isleen' would want to be here to watch her die___—_"

Lady Kaelyn didn't even give that an answer. It looked like she was going to be outnumbered, but that wasn't the case. She didn't even move. A whirlwind of Holy magic started twisting around her, getting bigger and bigger until everyone's hair was riding in the wind she had created. The wind sliced through the walls, the concrete, and even cut Ryder some but he wasn't her intended target. With darkened eyes and a twitching lip, Lady Kaelyn's Holy magic tore through each and every zombie standing, chucking their parts across the hallway in various distances. Once her magic died down and she was the only one left standing, with a clutched hand she looked up at Ryder, fangs bared.

And she only gave one response.

"_Don't_ underestimate me."

You could see the shock on Ryder's face. He couldn't even put up a fight against that woman. She was too good. I guess this was the part where he went on one of his Archfiend rants, though, because he slumped his shoulders and let off a rye smile. "Oh, that's too bad... Hmm, the Church will clean all of these bodies up, for sure. I love the Cult in ways you both could never understand. They're my family. If I had to, I'd fight you to the death, Lady Kaelyn, to ensure the safety of Lord Agathangelos. Is that such a bad thing? The Cult works wonders all over the world! We feed people, bathe them in the Archfiend's everlasting light...! Ah. It's sheer beauty!"

How could Ryder stand in front of me, look me in the face and rant on and on and on about how the Cult was this glorious thing that should be put on a high pedestal? News flash, it was the same messed up organization that took away his ability to see. The more I thought about it, the more I started to clench my fists up. That's right... Because that's what this government does.

I fucking hate this government. I hate the people that run it—everything about it makes me sick to the bottom of my stomach.

What the fuck is wrong with Forsythia?

Am I the only one who sees what's happening to everyone? How they're being manipulated and brainwashed to follow these deplorable high-ups. Ryder is nothing more than a blind sheep being herded by the big guns. And yet he speaks about the Cult of the Archfiend with such conviction. They should have taken away his ability to speak. Y'know. Since apparently they've taken away his spine too.

He's not the only one who's been twisted. Hell, how do you think the Church has so many followers? Seven out of every ten people worship the Archfiend without fail. The Archfiend's got followers, hoes, bros, you name it. Everyone's tripping mad acid to be able to make this man happy. _For absolutely no reason at all._ No, I take that back. They want to worship him because he'll destroy the entire world and then recreate it in his name or some shit. These people are happy about being incinerated. M'kay. And they say I'm weird because eating junk food makes me happy. Perhaps I'll just go around lighting myself on fire. That's more socially accepted. So I can't help but stare at Ryder, holding Kohana's body in my arms rather clumsily. Lady Kaelyn can sense my discontentment with that man, and acknowledges it with a slight twitch of a green brow.

If that wasn't enough to know she meant business, her lower-thigh length, green tail started wagging too. An obvious sign of anger in us Felinefolk. But, of course, Ryder knows nothing about that. Because everything in his mind equates to the Archfiend. I feel so damn sorry for people like him. And it hurts my soul to the core to think that there's nothing I can do to save them. Sure, you can change how someone does something, maybe adjust the way they write with a pen, or fix some kind of grammatical error in their work... Teach them how to ride a bike, even. But a belief is a belief. It's hard to make someone change what they believe in. It's just messed up how our 'government' here has made the Archfiend-

It's painful.

This is painful.

Only so few of us are aware of what's happening, and in my frustration to chide Ryder out with everything I have, I gently place the Kohana (and all of her babbling glory about 'Isoooleeen') up against I wall. She's starting to drift to sleep, I think, but she needs to stay awake, so I narrow my eyes and kick her in the stomach, my scowl returning to grace my lips. Of course her reaction is immediate; she turns to the left, lets out a grunt full of pain and even wails before she vomits again, her head spinning. Bringing my hands back to my sides, I kneel in front of her so that we can be eye-level. You had to talk to Kohana like she was a baby. Which, she still is, by the way. Because if you didn't, she wouldn't understand. I've had my fair share of stupid people to take care of, before. "Don't go to sleep, you hear me blockhead?" I hissed, my tails having an oh-so-fun frenzy behind my back. And then I dug my claw into her chest, watching blood trickle from the puncture wound.

Pain keeps you awake.

Tuh. It's not like I want to break Kohana in half, after all. Honestly.

I kick her again in the stomach for extra-protection and she doubles over, laying on her side with her eyes closed shut and moaning for absolutely no reason other than to just be an asshole. Oh well. She can at least do that. It helps me know that she's still awake and conscious. If Kohana goes to sleep, she _will not wake up, _and I mean that. Holy Radiation is one hell of a sickness, I tell you that. And if she, by some miracle, does wake up... Let's just say she'll wake up with three different personalities. Probably.

I turned back around to face Ryder, my face livid with rage. My fangs were beared, my pupils were slitted, and I couldn't stop myself from hissing. Underneath my hisses, there was that ever-so-present feral growl erupting from my throat. Heh, when I was little, I didn't know how to growl. Ryder taught me. When he was still sane. He hated this Archfiend business as much as I did. Ryder was the one who made me think twice about worshiping the guy. And now look at him. Reduced to a mere pawn. I'm not going to let them get away with his. But first—"Bullshit. Your delusions amuse me."—I have matters to handle. I stroke my chin, daring to inch closer to the disarmed man. I was a little disconcerted by the way he seemed to watch my every move with his colorless irises... The man really was blind, y'know... "I find it funny how words hold leverage over you. That's pathetic. You're pathetic. You're pledging your soul to the Cult that almost had you killed. And don't say I don't understand the situation. I was _there,_" I stress, throwing out my arms and pursing my lips. "But I guess you like being toasted in 3.6 billion degrees. Very kinky, Ryder."

I let out a sigh and hunched my shoulders, my eyes droopy from lack of sleep. And patience. Definitely the latter. As soon as I did though, I stood back up and fidgeted with my tie, trying to get it looking straight again. "Ah, whatever. You can worship any Archfiend you please. I think Kohana was telling me that she told the last leader of the Cult that before she slaughtered him. Deserved it, the blockhead," I rambled, looking down at the blasted thing. "But don't let the rest of the world have to suffer because of it." Ah. Success. Now I can look intimidating again. It was almost an instant switch from distracted to mad. "My whole life has been surrounded by that blasted Archfiend," I spat, pointing at him. "Even when he wasn't on our same plane of existence. He already caused me so much pain, and you want me to put on a uniform? Learn the anthem? The salute? The chant? After he killed both of my brothers? After my father pretty much doesn't want anything to do with me now that I'm the leader of the NWO? Riiiiight." I had to pause there, giving Ryder my famous, deadpan facial expression, head slightly cocked to the left with my arms folded.

"Should I give you my legs too? Just an idea."

"Why would I need your—"

"—Probably need my feet too."

"What?"

"You're cannibals," I added, extending my arms and squinting at him. He worked here. He should know. Why is he so stupid? "That's what you people do. Ah, the animalistic urge is in all of us, but _I don't go around eating sacrifices of real people_. Yet another reason why you and your Cult of the Archfiend is terrible, but that's a touchy subject for me, and that's not why I'm lecturing you." Casually, I walked towards a random baseball just sitting on a shelve against the wall in this... Weird hallway. That has... Shelves. Whatever. I tossed the ball in the air a couple of times, catching it with ease thanks to my yellow claws. "The point is, your devotion to the Cult really ups—_Kohana wake up I'm not going to tell you again!_"

Accompanied with the ball smashing her dead square in her face, I think it's safe to say she's going to be up for a while. Lady Kaelyn kind of watched the ball bounce off down the hallway, but Ryder chuckled, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Some sense of humor you have, Janeavah," Ryder admitted, bowing a bit. And then he scratched the back of his head—He was completely different than he was a few seconds ago when he was telling me how he loved the Archfiend and blah de blah blah who cares?

"The same," Lady Kaelyn cut in, arching a brow. "Quite the show, Ryder."

Huh?

Wait.

What.

I narrowed my eyes. I knew this was too batshit to be true. "So you were just kidding?" In response to my question, Ryder shrugged his shoulders and retrieved his spear, putting on a playful grin. Gah. I hate that guy. I looked at Lady Kaelyn, my eyes still droopy. I think she knew he was playing too all along and didn't want to tell me. Great. So now, basically, I looked at her like she was crazy, and then I glanced at Kohana, who was still trying to fall asleep. … And then I glanced at Ryder, because he was the biggest offender. And then I rubbed my temples.

"You guys are assholes," I murmured, shaking my head.

"What can I say?" Ryder laughed, smiling. "The augurist you have with you is quite a woman."

"Uh-huh."

I looked back at Lady Kaelyn.

… Nope, not even worth it. She probably already knows what I want to say to her anyway. Wow, Lady Kaelyn's good. She closed her green eyes (she had some really long, grass-colored eyelashes, too) and glanced at me, her mouth straight-lined. Her expression indifferent. Wise. I guess she was suppose to be the epitome of wisdom. She earned her name, after all. "Ragamuffin," she started, looking at Ryder. "You are a strange one." Now she's looking at him with a more critical eye. "I don't think I quite understand you." Another pause and then she starts walking forward. "However, I have been told to look at a man's friends to gauge his character." For the first time in my life, Lady Kaelyn actually smiled at me.

Shocking.

"You have good friends."

There she goes. Walking off again. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but Lady Kaelyn has a distinctive walk. You can hear the sound of her heeled boots really well because it's like she stomps on the ground, switching her hips with every step she takes. But she's not in a hurry. Nor does she care about who sees her. Heh. She thinks she's _so _cool. Voluptuous ladies will be voluptuous ladies, I guess. But wait.

"Hey!" I shouted, flailing my arms in the air. "How did you know Ryder and I are friends—Goddammit! I meant_ used _to be friends?" Stress.

Lady Kaelyn waved her hand out, keeping her pace and not looking back at me. "What. You look as if you think I'm talking nonsense." There my mouth goes again—ready to ask her what she meant by that. But I kept it closed. That women knew more about me than I did. Turning around scratching my head and quirking a brow, I murmured to myself and then looked at Kohana. Jesus, what was I going to do about her? But first, _Ryder._

"You're not my friend," I corrected, sticking my index-finger in the air.

"Aww Janeavah! I don't mind your friendship. Really!" Just the sound of this voice makes me want to twich. Oh wait. I already did that. Noticing that Lady Kaelyn was really about to leave us, I adjusted my cufflinks and pointed at Kohana. "It's adorable when you do that~"

"Put a sock in it and get Kohana," I muttered under my breath, placing my hands in my pockets and looking up at the ceiling. I refused to look at him.

Enemies means enemies.

Not friends.

We're done being friends.

I already know that game.

I don't set myself up for failure. Therefore, Ryder and Lady Kaelyn should both stop trying to. People like Kohana set themselves up for failure. That's why she's on the ground right now, completely zoned out. Sure. Like I want to be like that asshole. Who aspires to be like that _thing? _Certainly not me. Certainly not _winners._

"If you're going to be going against orders, Ryder, at least get caught being of worth to me." Ryder didn't hesitate. That nut bar listened to every word I said, and he wasn't at all grossed out at all the vomit on Kohana's chest. I wasn't either, but it was bad enough that I was covered in that idiot's blood. I was going to raise hell when Kohana woke up, make no doubts about it. How dare she make us tote her around. All of this was her fault. Everything. Coming to the Church, getting split up... Ryder flung Kohana's body over his shoulder and secured his hand around her stomach. Her hair hung down the floor and her arms were as limp as noodles, hanging down to the ground as well. She was completely out of it.

At least Ryder looked like he didn't mind how heavy she was. If it were me I'd be scared. Kohana might somehow rub off 'dumb-ass idiot' on him. But then again, I think they're both suffering from that particular illness. Anyway. I rolled my eyes and went back to pick up Kohana's weird, green sword and put it in the loops of my shorts.

"Can you believe it?" I said, walking a bit past Ryder but making sure we were walking together. I stretched my arms out and looked at the ceiling, letting out a premature yawn. "That woman slung across your shoulder is the Wickedness. Do you even know what the Wickedness is?" Most people would say that the Wickedness is an enigma. An anomaly. But the Wickedness obviously has a being, a conscious. The Wickedness can fall in love, get sick, be a pain in the ass... The Wickedness is just as human as the rest of us are. "I find it interesting that nobody knows how these beings were created. The Archfiend and the Wickedness are one in the same, two sides of the same coin. Both equally destructive. And yet, Kohana isn't anything like him..."

As much as I didn't want to believe it, it's true. The Archfiend is... I didn't believe Kohana would let a cult get this far out of hand. I didn't understand Agathangelos. But I do understand Kohana. To a certain extent. "She was willing to get her brains bashed out for the sake of one person," I mused, closing my eyes. I was impressed. "Imagine the extent she would go to for an entire world."

Ryder, as always, had a differing opinion. He always agreed with everything I said, but I knew he didn't think Kohana was that nice. "Oh Janeavah," he sighed, shaking his head. "Don't assume you know so much about dark entities. They only have one goal in mind, and that's to destroy everything..."

"Then why do you worship the Archfiend?" I shot back, clenching my fists and gritting my teeth. He's _such_ a hypocrite. I can't stand it.

"Same reason you work with the Wickedness," he counters in a sickly-sweet voice. Again. Hypocritical. He just told me not to assume I know things about dark entities. I think he should take his own advice, but you know what? I'm tired of talking about that bullshit. Fuck the Wickedness and the Archfiend. Neither of them are really charming... For a while there was this thick silence between the two of us. Nobody said anything. Not even Kohana. … Actually, I think she was sleep. Oh well. I was done worrying about her. Ryder had pissed me off.

Does he even care about me...?

Wait.

This is impossible.

I just can't shake the feeling of being completely—

"_Ryder!_" I snap, stopping in place and stomping my foot on the ground. My pupils slit as I bring my eyes to match colorless ones. "Do you think that this is a game?" I demand. "I don't like your snide little confusing attitude. You hate the Archfiend, yet you still worship him and work for his cult? Doesn't make a bit of sense. To me, you're just a slimy little traitor. Look! You've not only betrayed your 'god'," I said, emphasizing my point by making quotation marks with my fingers. "But you're stomping all over any and all trust I may have had for you. It's hard to trust the enemy, Ryder, and you're making this really hard for me. We were friends," I murmured, looking down at the ground. "You're the one who told me that this cult shit was crazy. Don't tell me they've changed you too..."

Lady Kaelyn must have turned the corner, assuming we would follow steadily behind her.

I was going to storm off and catch up with her, but as I continued to look into Ryder's eyes, my eyebrows starting twitching. He wouldn't...

He would.

I twirled around on my heels and low-a-behold, a very pointed spear was aimed at my neck, just itching for a chance to pierce through skin. I was angry. My insides were boiling. I could smell them. But I looked down at the enormous spear-head calmly, albeit a drop of sweat hitting the steal. "Ryder...!" I growled underneath my breathe, snarling. I couldn't believe he'd stoop down to such lows. And there he is, gripping the damn thing was if I'm just a toy to be played with... A smile on his face. That smile just makes me snarl. And when I looked to my left, I saw Kohana laid up against the wall.

And now I was smiling. "Give me a reason to break your neck, I_ dare_ you."

I guess he didn't think I was serious. But once I saw that spear move I grabbed it, twisted my arms around and jumped on top of it, snapping it in two and swinging my right arm towards him, smashing the spear head into his forehead, ripping through both bone and brain. I took great satisfaction in seeing the nut bar tumble down to the ground, but I knew that wasn't the end of this tirade. Ryder's skin had melted away from the body and what was left behind was a rotting corpse. Tch. So that wasn't the real him. "Ryder! Come on out _you coward!_" I yelled, hissing like the descendant from cats I was. My tails were irate behind me, fighting with each other.

When he didn't show, I walked towards the wall and started bashing my head in.

Yes.

That's how I relieve my stress.

"Janeavah, did you really think I was going to let you leave me with Kohana?" Ohey, look. Ryder's sneaky little voice. Rat bastard. Of course I was inclined to start hissing like a prissy little kitty as my tails seemingly watched zombie Ryder's body dissolve. But his voice sounded nice. You know how you can hear a smile in someone's voice? He sounded like... Suddenly I'm not as mad anymore as I saw the real Ryder wave frantically at me, his expression softening as he looked at me, confused. "What's wrong, Jellybean? You look like you just saw a ghost." If this were Lysimachus, I'd have a retort fit for the Gods to throw in his face. I'd be all, "No, I haven't seen anything aside from your white ass."

Honestly though, I was a lot put off by the pet name. Jellybean. He hadn't called me that in such a long time. Not since we were dating, and—

"Sweet Siren, Ryder, if you keep proclaiming how I look despite being blind, I will throw you on a table and start poking in your insides," I snap. "How can such a blind man be so frustrating?" My face reddened and I kept my gaze fixated in front of me, grinding my teeth. But it's true. I really was looking a little shocked. Of course he couldn't see the zombie that Lady Kaelyn forgot to kill. I dusted off my shoulders, narrowing my eyes with my infamous deadpan expression. "Jellybean?" I murmured, my brow twitching as I picked Kohana up and dragged her across the floor.

"I still think it's cute. Just like you are," he mentioned, shrugging his shoulders and giving me a coy smile. What_ever,_ Ryder, who cares what the hell he thinks. He needs to—_argh!_ He's making me lose my badass composure.

"Stop fraternizing with me," I spat, slugging Kohana's body across the floor a bit more recklessly now. "What are Tori and Genevieve going to say when they find out you're lavishing me with creepy comments like that, you stupid." And yes, I did use 'stupid' as a noun. If you don't like it, come and bite me.

"Um," he said, tapping his finger against his chin, lost in thought. But it isn't long before that goof ball puts on an equally goody smile. "I think they'll give us their best wishes when we get married." Pfffft. Suddenly there was a huge cramp in my stomach and I recoiled, stepping on my tail and shrieking, dropping poor Kohana on top of her head. Ryder's colorless eyes illuminate and he looked at me, startled. "What's wrong, Janeavah?" Oh gee. Did he deduce something was wrong with me from the sound of Kohana's head busting against the concentrate? That made me feel _so_ much better. "Did you hurt yourself?" Oh now he wants to decide that he can't see. Great. At least he picks Kohana off the ground and carries her bridal style, her head cocked back and arms dangling. He was actually being very gentle with her, placing his callused fingers underneath the nape of her neck and neck and cradling her legs. I think he liked carrying her.

"I stepped on my tail," I mewled, wincing as I held my poor little tail inbetween my fingers. All of a sudden, Ryder put on the most concerned look and those crystalline, colorless eyes of his—for some reason—latched on perfectly to mine.

"That's no good," he said, shaking his head. We were almost caught up with Lady Kaelyn, but she was taking her time walking down the hallway, so we'd catch up to her in no time flat."I know you said you're done with the Church and all, but I really like to think of things like the way they were." He has no right to preach to me. I didn't like the way things were, so I left. Quite simple. And if he thinks I'm going to let everything I worked for be destroyed, he's got another thing coming. "I know you say that there are no friends in war, but I still like to think I'm your guardian. Y'know, the person in charge of looking over you when the leader was gone." Urgh. I just about died in my skin hearing that one.

"Those days are over, Ryder!" I just about shrieked that out towards him, stomping my foot on the ground and my nostrils flaring, fangs bared, roar ready to be unleashed if he gave me anymore lip. The pretty, stain-glass windows shook at the sound of my voice. Well... I was sorry for that, but not for dishing out my anger on Ryder, that was for sure. "I am not that same, brainwashed little girl. I work for the Church no longer! I am not an apprentice for the Leader. You're only doing this so you can remind me of the 'good times'. There were no 'good times'!" I shook my head, looking down at the ground and balling up my hands. Perhaps I was being a little too harsh on him, but he needed to understand I wasn't a baby anymore. I didn't need protecting.

And then he bites his lip and furrows his eyebrows. "Kohana's becoming a real hindrance."

"Why?" I state, matter-of-factly.

"Because Janeavah, I want to hug you. But I couldn't possibly do that with her in my arms." Bleh. I hate hugs anyway. "Listen, Janeavah... I think you forgot the reason of me vowing to make sure you were safe. With the Church or not, I told you and thousands of others that you would not fall as long as I was around. And not that I see you're safe after all these years, I'm the happiest I've ever been. I'm so proud of you, Jellybean. I'm amazed. It's breathtaking to see what you've done with your resistance group. You found a way to get out." I—what...?

It's hard.

It's so hard to look Ryder in the face and not be reminded of how blue his eyes used to be before he almost died saving me. Little old me. The New World Order could have been his group. My throat went dry when he said that and I clutched my hands. I'd give anything for he and I to switch places. Because then maybe his eyes would still be blue. And I wouldn't feel like such a monster. "I still have a ways to go before I leave this place."

I swear to you, there was about three seconds of this thoughtful silence—the most pleasant thing I've ever heard all day until Lady Kaelyn turned around, harlequin-colored hair whipping around with the rest of her body as her brows furrowed, hand glowing white. I think what happened next was too fast for both Ryder and I to see. "Move!" is what Lady Kaelyn yelled at the both of us before an explosion of Holy light blinded me entirely. As soon as I was able to look above my damn arm, I saw a multitude of sharp, crystal icicles rolled out in front of us. Now I was on my guard, and I definitely wasn't happy. It seemed to me like Ryder was going to tell me something important for once in his life and then the message gets cut short by stupid nutbars...!

"Janeavah—!"

Then it hits me.

Lady Kaelyn was talking about me? But I wasn't in danger. I looked to the left and the wall came crashing towards our direction, bricks and debris clouding my vision but I could make out the people clearly. That stupid Damien boy was on the ground, writhing, holding his lance with both of his hands in front of him while his Summoner friends were beating the holy crap out of some lady in a wheelchair—Chio was giving it to her the most, hysterically punching her in the mouth and screaming at her whilst doing so. And Ryder looks none-the-wiser. Like an innocent child. I've lost that innocence years ago when... Did Ryder ever lose his innocence? Maybe he discarded it when he decided not to receive his eyesight back.

Damien quickly rolled on his stomach and hopped on his feat, gave Ryder and I one quick glace before his eyes widened, a confused look dominating his facial features. "Janeavah, is that you?" That's the second person who's called my name, and so far I couldn't tune in on anything. Nothing at all. I felt like I was watching all of these events unfold. Even if I could reply to the Summoner of Lightning with something substantial, a blue blur flew past my line of vision and Damien readied his lance. The impact that blur had against Damein's weapon was so substantial that the very foundation began to crumble. It was then, when everything was clear, that I was able to see who he was fighting.

Some blue-haired freak with... Ice skates?

Pfft. Church goons are the strangest people.

Whatever.

Instead of hitting Damien with a weapon, the guy must have slammed his leg into his lance. Which is pretty amazing. I can't even get my leg up that high. Panting, Damien narrows his eyes, electricity dancing around his weapon as he seethes. "I've had just about enough of you! Go back to where you came from, Skylar—!"

"Not a chance in seven hells, kiddo~ Get rid of me and maybe I will, hahahha~!"

That guy had the words to back it up, it seemed. Skylar wasn't the least bit intimidated by Damien's lightning show and even started smirking a grin full of teeth. Within the next few seconds, Skylar had managed to turn his lance into pure ice. "Oh, look here~ You Summoners were so strong in numbers before. You and your Essence gods and goddess. Don't you all realize that we've seen you before? Toppled you countless times before? We know all of your tricks. Your flaws. Your weaknesses~ Tahahahha~ This is all too easy! Wait until I tell Galilee that I managed to take you out! I'll bring him your head, darling dear~ And it is quite a handsome one~!"

Jeez. I better go help the blockhead—

"It was so easy. That Flower woman? How easy she was to get her away from us. To tell her that her queen was close to near death~ She'd do anything for her, y'know. She didn't even care about saving you all. Because that's all servants do, kiddo~" Flower? Who the hell was he talking about now—

"_Galilee?_"

It's strange; I heard myself say his name, I even heard the name come out of my throat, but I never wanted it to. If that blue-haired man knew Galilee, then that meant he was an elder. Jesus Christ! What's going on around here? And, before I get a chance to move something pierces straight through the side of my chest. It's extremely unpleasant—the pain from the wound itself didn't hurt, but my lung did and I found myself hyperventilating. My eyes dilated, my fingers locked up and I almost wanted to fall down on my knees but the object that punctured my lung in the first place didn't allow me the ability to do any of that. All I heard was Skylar's laughter and Lady Kaelyn smacking the man dead in the neck, knocking him unconscious. As my eyes became half-lidded without fail, Lady Kaelyn gave Damien a hand.

Things were so hectic around here, it was difficult to focus on one thing, unfortunately.

I did know that if I found out who stabbed me, I was going to _end their lives!_

Finally I was starting to see my own blood seep through my labcoat and onto the floor, dripping down to the ground like a left on faucet—there was an puddle of it caking underneath me. Ryder must have got a whiff of it and scowled. His... Face was really blurry... But it was the angriest I've ever seen him.

"_Tori!_"

Tori stabbed me? Tori's the one who was behind me? She's about to catch hell! I thought I left her ass back in that hallway! As if she was responding to Ryder, she tore the sword out of my chest and I was inclined to crumble down to the ground. Except I didn't. I was better than that. And even though I couldn't muster up a rightful glare, I'm sure she could feel it as she twirled on her heels like a madwoman, my blood staining the left side of her face and covering her hair. She looked just as twisted as ever. "Ah. Ryder. It's nice to hear your voice and I see you've prepared Kohana for me." What? That bitch is insane. I wanted to hiss, but I ended up exasperating my wound and falling down on one knee. Shit! Now I had to really stand here and listen to Tori's babbling in that fake, sugary-sweet tone of hers. How velvety it sounded. Crap. "As is, you're the only one I could ever trust in taking care of such a sweet, sweet delicate woman."

If I could breathe, I would have...!

Would have...!

"Now, Ryder, be a dear and hand Kohana over to me, and I promise no one else here will have to die. Aside from Janeavah. Janeavah doesn't count." … Say what? "I'm afraid she's dying as we speak. Poor woman missed the cut off by a couple of seconds. I think she swallowed something she wasn't supposed to. Perhaps Genevieve made her swallow some cement? Mmm, poor woman. Her death came all too fast..." Screw Kohana getting her revenge on Tori. Now I wanted a piece of this. As if cutting me down wasn't bad enough. Now she's lying to Ryder. She's manipulating him into thinking that I was wounded. By Genevieve. There's so many things wrong with Tori. I can't even name them all. I don't care who she blames me dying on—she's the one who stabbed me, and just because Ryder's blind doesn't mean that he can't see what kind of games she's playing...! Tori glanced back at me, her nose quirking in disgust as she looked at me as if I was inferior—something so ugly to look at.

As if I was unworthy of her concern.

And just like that her expression changed. Her face contorted.

I bet she was thinking that she thought I was talking about her in my mind. Well, I was. She was right for once, that's for sure. The thing about Tori was, though, she didn't like being talked about at all, even if you didn't say anything (and trust me, I would have said everything if I could). "Hah... ahaa... Does it hurt, Janeavah?" Tori gloated, a twisted smirk splitting her face until it looked like it was going to jump right off it. She looked inhumane. Definitely not like the same old Tori she would have liked to be seen as. You know, the pretty, gorgeous one. Instead, her eyes were bulging out of her head, big and round, and that creepy smile—! "Does it hurt Janeavah? Can't breathe, can you? Well did you really think that you'd be able to knock me out with such a weak attack and get very far with me? Huhhh? Huh? Did you honestly think that would work? Hmmm? Tell me about all of your disillusions and watch me break them in front of you, just like I shall break every bone in your body, a_hah_aha_hha_! And rid you of the pain, darling~ The pain of not being able to breathe! Or can you breathe? Are you lying to me? Don't you lie to me, Janeavah—ka_haha_ha!"

Okay...

Aside from the batshit mess that just vomited itself from her throat, I think it's safe to say she's intimidated by me. "Tell me it hurts, Janeavah. You don't deserve a moment without pain. T-tell me all about it."

Now I'm snarling. I didn't want to have to do this, but I'm not one to stay down on my knees and do what I'm told for the well being of the rest of my team. I've been lucky enough to get Tori's attention away from the Summoners trying to hold their own against Skylar and Cynthia, but this is getting to be a little bit too much. … So I let my wound heal just a little bit... Just enough to give this bitch a piece of my mind. "What... Kind of teammate... Are you...?"

That obviously wasn't the reply she was looking for, and she looked so thirsty just to hear me plead with her for my life or something, like a dirty vulture trying to get its next meal. At any rate, her eyes dilated and that smile of hers vanished. She also started swinging that sabre of hers around rather carelessly. I didn't care if she ended up hurting me, but if she touched Ryder with it, he had better _cut her back...! _

"You're adorable, Janeavah! Absolutely as cute as a button. Who wouldn't want to have you as their number one prisoner? You're trying to avoid all of my demands but I can see pain written all on your face. That's not anger, dear, hahahah, that's pure pain. When I'm finished with Kohana, I'll see to it that I come back and tend to you. But you wouldn't last long at all, so I might as well tend to you now, haah... hah~ You're insignificant; at least Kohana will play my little game. I'm not so accustomed to speaking with rodents such as yourself, I have to admit, but why won't you answer me, little girl—!" Now she's hitting below the belt. Now she just grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me up so high I thought my hair was going to snap and I wasn't going to have anything left on my head.

I thought I was floating off the ground.

"You love your hair, right? Riiiight~! It's gorgeous, isn't it~ I'm jealous, hahahah! Really I am! I just don't know to to caress pretty hair like this the right way. I suppose I'm a bad person, but I know this has to hurt, Janeavah dearest, doesn't it? Doesn't it h_aha_ha! I don't think you deserve all this pretty hair. I think I'm going to pull it all out and see how you look without it!"

The truth was that Tori liked doing this stuff. This is what she was hired to do. And as my breathing had taken a gagged plunge and gotten more rigid and short, she stood me up by my hair and threw me against the wall, stomping her foot in the puddle of my blood before stabbing that sabre through my hand and into the back of the wall. So I wouldn't fall? So I wouldn't move?

Jeez lady, I can barely breathe...!

"You're beautiful! You're really beautiful! Look at your face and how humiliated you are! Such a joy Ryder can't see you now~ Hah... hah... Ryder~ do you think Janeavah would look better without her hair? I want to pull out each strand one by one while the elders make quick work of those Summoners, yes~ Isn't she so uggggly~"

I had been waiting for Lady Kaelyn's signal. I think she wanted me to do this, believe it or not. Because if Tori got a hold of Kohana, who knows what would happen. And, despite me wanting to bust Tori's head across the wall, I can't do that. So playing like I have no powers of my own is the best option for right now. But I assure you, when Lady Kaelyn gives me that signal, Tori's ass is _mine. _

So I would hold on to the thought of eventually being able to crack Tori's skull open. Oh, how I hated that nutbar. Just looking at her made my teeth grind. It was just the way she looked at me from the bottom of her purple eyes... How she assumed that I was so inferior to her. She put me under her. Less than the dirt. Tori thought I wasn't worthy. I assume that's why she thought it was a good idea to put a sword through my hand, but I was going to make sure she never looked at me that way again. I wasn't one of these people she scared on a daily basis. Just because she wore an official Cult of the Archfiend seal on her choker—wore expensive pearls and walked with an army of men didn't mean anything.

"I've always thought you were a problem, little girl~" If she called me a little girl one more time, I wouldn't be responsible for what happened to her. "How could someone like you, someone who doesn't wield a weapon, someone who doesn't know how to fight be able to create an entire organization dedicated to seeing the Church fall? Oh swee~eeetheart! Do you really want to see me and my people suffer~? I suppose we've been rather inhospitable to you. I apologize, dearly I do~ I tried to welcome you into my lovely abode with open arms, hah... aah... But then you pushed me down on my face, and I didn't like that, Doctor Janeavah." Too bad! I didn't exist just to make her happy. Anyway, she ended up grabbing my hand—y'know, the one she didn't impale with a fucking sword.

And then her expression softened and her voice was distilled down into it's pure, silvery, innocent, breathy form. Her cheeks flushed and she closed her eyes, her thick, purple lashes fluttering as she started, I dunno, _fondling my fingers with her cheek?_ What a weirdo. Tori smiled gently into the palm of my hand before she put my index finger in her mouth. I guess you can imagine my reaction.

My face contorted and I let out a shrill yell that even got Skylar and Damien's attention down the hallway. They stopped fighting just to look at me.

I wasn't screaming because of the sword in my hand.

I was screaming because Tori had put my finger in her mouth and smashed it so hard in it that my finger broke in every way humanly possible. Screw Lady Kaelyn's signal. This meant war. My body instantaneously healed my poor finger as I ripped my hand out of Tori's mouth, prying my other hand out of the wall. It was accompanied with the sound of that stupid sabre falling down, too. Gripping my hand around that chick's tongue, I had a mind to pull it out of her mouth as far as humanly allowed, but she looked up at me with a leer and towered over me, both of her hands placed on either side of my head.

And then she pressed her body into mine, successfully invading any personal space I had left. Jesus Christ I was going to kill Kohana! How dare she leave me to fight this psycho alone! I mean, honestly...! I let go of her tongue because I was in so much shock and she _leered_—and in that breathy voice of hers she started cooing, running her fingers down my cheek as if she was examining me.

This was too creepy.

Too creepy.

Maybe I just freezes up at all of this. It's not everyday that you run across someone like Tori. I always knew she was crazy, but I didn't think she was _this_ crazy. This was a whole new level of crazy, something I had never seen before in all my years of going against the Cult of the Archfiend. "Aah... ahh~! Did I find something that would get you to scream~ Hahahha, did I finally find something that would make you squeal, Doctor Janeavah~?" Now I tensed up. _Bitch, you bit my finger and broke it_. Who wouldn't scream at something like that! What did she want me to do? Prance around and start a singing? "That hurt didn't it~? Didn't it, love? Kyahaha, let's see you scream like that again. You're cuuu~te when you make noises like that~ I'll treat you so special~ I'll promise I'll be gentle, okay?"

Special for what? Well I did know one thing. Now she was straddling my hips and pressing hers downward into mine and I just got dizzy. Very dizzy and sick. But then the hilt of Kohana's sword brushed past my hand and then I realized that this was about to get messy really quick. I promised Lady Kaelyn I would stall for time, but time had ran out. When I unsheathed Kohana's sword, I cut clean through Tori's arm, blood launching itself all the way across the room. She actually took a step back and I swiped the sword to the side, staring at how her fresh blood was sliding down Kohana's blade. ... That was an accident, what I just did. I hadn't used a sword in my life.

Tori saw this as a challenge and put on the most twisted smirk I've ever seen, opening the palm of her hand. Holy magic flashed before my eyes and another sabre appeared in her hand. It was probably the one I knocked on the floor. It looked the same, anyhow.

"Oh dear," she said, shaking her head and sighing. This was the most normal I had ever heard her. "You've managed to hurt me, Janeavah. Oh well, spilled milk. We can always continue what we had started, can't we love?" No, no, no. That was not fun. That was terrifying. I snarled, gripping Kohana's sword with both of my hands. That blockhead made fighting with a sword look easy, right? This is nothing. All I have to do is swing it around, right? Right? "Now you need a matching scar so we can look alike, ha_haha_hh_aha!_"

As I stood there holding a weapon I've never wielded before, one thought passed in my mind.

I'm going to kill Kohana when she wakes up.

Definitely.

* * *

**A/N: **I think we've concluded that Tori's superbly batshit and surpasses anyone in this art. XD;; I've got to say, I'm wildly impressed. Out of all the displays of batshit we've seen from various people in this story like Kohana and Atropa and Lucrecia and pretty much everybody at a certain point, Tori has to be the worst character I've ever written as far as this stuff goes because she's so freakin' blatant with the batshitness. Not saying everyone else isn't either but oh my God everyone else ain't talking about stuffing people's fingers in their mouth and biting down hard on them until they break... e_e

Welp, that's Tori... XD;;;

Being blatant with the batshitness... XD; We're going to have to have a look at the rest of this fight, though. I'm not sure if it's going to go down next chapter, because I know you guys are dying to know what Flarence, Mahlon, Genevieve and Lysimachus are doing. XD;; Right? I mean, it's much better than Tori straddling people. XD;; So, what's the deal with Ryder and Janeavah? Of course they've had some history together, and it's finally been revealed that Janeavah used to work for the Cult. XD;;

I guess we should all assume she left for all the right reasons. XD;;

We've got some foreshadowing here and there, Skylar and Damien fighting with Lady Kaelyn assisting the Summoner of Lightning, the others giving Cynthia a rightful Chicago south side beat down even though she's in a wheelchair... XD;; These fights are starting to get ridiculous. XD;; That's all I have to say about this chapter. Anyway, CCFA has a tumblr where I post blurbs and drabbles and take oneshot/drabble requests and prompts and whatnot. I know many of you stalk me there, but for anyone that wants to get facts on characters and see what I'm planning or doing, hit up this link right here. XD;; Without the spaces. It's also affectionately named. Just for Tori. XD;; *shot*

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http:/ kohana-is-not-in-your-fanclub. tumblr. com/


	84. And Still You Choose Surrender

**A/N**: Hello guys! Holy crap, it's been a while, hasn't it? See, let me explain. XD;;

I actually graduated this year, and life has been a little bit more than hectic. I was taking an AP English Literature course that gave me like six essays every week, it was terrible, and that class was actually every which way kind of hard no matter how much of a beast I thought I was, so I actually had to work my brain in order to earn that A so, needless to say, during the four months I was away I got no pleasure writing in. Which, you know, actually sucks after four years of writing this baby. It's actually routine for me to sit down and write CCFA and love doing it, so I went through an _extensive_ withdrawal. XD; I just haven't felt happy like I used to without this baby. Also, salutations to those who've faved this thing and alerted it and what have you while I was gone! My hat's off to you; 750,000 words is no feat to consume. XD;

And to new readers, holy crap I couldn't explain this to you if I wanted to. This is currently a new arc, the Forsythia Arc, and this arc started, uh, since chapter 63. Technically, though, we've been in Forsythia for about eleven chapters or so...?

So let's get to the beef. Last chapter Janeavah clued us in on the state of Forsythia, Tori's actually trying to fight her, Kohana's still unconscious (Siiiiigh. XD;;) and the Summoners are fighting Cynthia and Ryder, two Elders. This chapter, however, we're going to see what our darling Mahlon, Flarence, Lysimachus and Genevieve are doing! Y'know it's particularly difficult to get all of these guys in one place. XD; The flashback is from the days, of course. Summoner!Kohana old days.

* * *

Back pressed up against the wall, purple brows furrow as Sayuri touches the impediment with fidgeting fingertips, gazing at Hiroyuki's ship being seized and ventured into. The Summoner of Time had only wanted to take Leyiko and Isleen out of the vessel to explore the strange new world they had crash-landed on, and after talking about it amongst themselves the magnolette and the wolf girl decided that they were thrown back in time on the planet Earth. Startling? Hardly. It has nothing on the fact that their airship is now within enemy territory, blockaded by some sort of huge, towering gate. Narrowing her enhanced eyes and utilizing her sharp vision, pools of malachite capture fleeting images of black-clad soldiers taking things out of the Spectrian spacecraft and examining the ship as they see fit. Sayuri's teammates also stand next to her, following suit, trying to make sense of the situation at hand. Witnessing those people ravish something that obviously doesn't belong to them makes Sayuri's blood boil, a cerise hue laying claim to her otherwise peachy face. "The Spectre!" Sayuri exclaims, gritting her teeth. "Dammit, when did they get here?" Because she could have sworn they were only in that abandoned gas station for a few minutes. Maybe even twenty, tops. Surely that wasn't long enough for an army to pick up a seven ton space ship and deposit it into a military base.

"They seem very well-regulated," Isleen murmurs, laying her back flat against the wall and letting silver absinthe tendrils wisp against her face. "They must be an army base of some sort."

"Even so," the imperturbable cyborg adds, bright red eyes half-lidded and arms folding. "They have arrived much too quickly. They must have a base of operations near by."

"Right. It would seem this was more than just a ghost town." The Summoner of Change growls under her breath but tries her hardest to keep the gnarling at a minimum. Heavy-lashed lids open up a bit as Isleen starts to examine her nails, wondering how they would look with the blood of those soldiers tainting them. But when Sayuri finally digests what her two other partners are talking about, she snarls and swipes a dainty arm across the air, stomping on the ground. Damn the ship and damn the soldiers, they both are forgetting important factors.

"This isn't 'let's swap theories time'," she snaps, giving both of them an equally disdainful look before looking at the base again. "Riona, Nina, and Jessica are still inside that ship! Not to mention Hiroyuki!" Those are her friends, and she'll be damned if any of them get hurt because she was too reckless with her thoughts, her orders. She never intended to leave them to fight on their own. The urge to stay in one place and not make a sound is quickly overtaken by the want to save her friends and Sayuri takes a couple of steps forward, much to Isleen and Leyiko's dismay. There are hundreds of soldiers in that base-that much is certain and Sayuri is just going to run into them all. She doesn't know anything about this time period, so before she goes and does something stupid, she should-

"Wait."

The three of them turn around and Sayuri stops dead in her tracks, pivoting on her heels to rest her resplendent tourmaline eyes on a man with dusty blonde hair. He looks rather studious; donning a vest and brown pants that are complimented with heavy-laden boots. She supposes he would have to wear those types of shoes to get around on this version of Earth-the land is very dusty and tinctured red. She's surprised soil even exists here. Even the sky is a harsh shade of bittersweet. Why, it almost looks like they've landed on Mars. The man looks slightly old-perhaps his circular glasses gives him that look but he puts his hands in front of him and gazes at the plum-haired warrior as if he's telling her to hand him mercy, taking a few small steps back. Surely witnessing the three Summoners isn't as welcoming as he would have thought. One has animistic features, the other is a robot, and Sayuri has oddly-colored rich, vibrant purple hair and a sword clinging to her waist. "All they want is to capture the Extraterrestrials inside. If nothing else, I can assure you no one will be harmed. I wouldn't go recklessly provoking them if I were you," comes the man's voice of soothing contralto. -Of course his words only elicits a long, awkward silence until Isleen barks out a rather demanding sentence:

"Who are you? You refer to us as 'Extraterrestrials' quite casually." That was said with a heavy abundance of disdain; Isleen doesn't like that term. It seems degrading, as if the people who use it think they are better in some shape or form. It's definitely a separating term-something that divides instead of unifies. Also, there's the simple fact that Isleen doesn't like being called an 'alien' no matter what term is said. Shaking her head, Sayuri begins to walk up towards the meek male, holding her hands behind her back but that probably isn't a good move, as he'd think she has something to hide. Snarl still etched onto her features, she gets into a fighting stance and places her right hand on the hilt of her katana looking at the man from the bottom of her eyes. No normal person would come out of nowhere and just tell them to stay put without there being some kind of double alternative.

"Are you with those soldiers over there!" she demands, melodious voice high-pitched and sharp. Sayuri doesn't care who hears her. If her friends are not okay-if one hair on their heads has been tampered with she promises she will rip this world asunder, Alternate Earth or not. "What do you people want from us?" And Isleen joins her side, opening the palm of her hand and letting her proverbial staff appear within a wake of red and black sparkles. Like the frightened pedestrian that he is, he raises calloused hands in the air, staring Sayuri right into pools of verdant.

"M-my name is Fane Mallory. You have to believe me..."

It takes him a while to get that sentence out beneath the blanket of fear, but once he does the purple-haired girl continues to stare at him. ...Until she realizes that he looks quite scared, so her face eases up and she stands up straight. Fane lets out a relieved sigh, placing his hand on his chest as he lets his arms down.

"Mr. Mallory," Leyiko questions, her locutions flowing freely from underneath her artificial palate. Lithe, porcelain arms are extended outwards as she keeps a look of impassiveness on her pulchritudinous face. "I must request an explanation. On what grounds should we consider you to be our friend?" As the wind caresses whisper white tresses, the shorter man gazes at the ground.

"Fair enough. But first we must find a better place to talk. You'll all be found if we stay here." Looking at the complex of houses just a little ahead the group, Fane points in that direction. "You see the house with the red paint over there? That's my home. Come with me. I'll give you the details there." Without waiting for an answer, the blonde begins to walk off, waiting for Sayuri and her party of two to follow like obedient pets. Enraged, Isleen whips around and clutches her fists, baring her fangs.

"Sayuri! Are you really going to trust him! I'd rather rip him to shreds, take him prisoner, and then march into that base and-!"

"We must keep in mind that this might be a trap," comes Leyiko's voice of reason.

"—_Or_," Sayuri intervenes, taking a few small steps forward. "He might really want to help us. If nothing else, he presented himself to us unarmed. Besides. He has no idea who or what we are, and yet he shows his back to us? That's not the kind of man I really want to doubt." Though Sayuri doesn't notice Fane turn around while she's talking, the blonde nods his head and closes aquamarine eyes.

"Thank you."

And that's when she, Isleen, and Leyiko look up at the brown-clad male, staring at him once more until the cyborg cuts the silence. "That is very like Miss Sayuri," she admits.

"Yes," Isleen adds, smiling a grin full of sharp teeth. "I am truly no match for her."

* * *

**-: Chapter Eighty-Four: And Still You Choose Surrender :-**

_Just know that I am in debt for you defending all our dreams. _  
_ I hope you tell your family this shit ain't what it seems. _  
_ But y'all the reason for a lot of my devotion. _  
_ You know I spend money because spending time is hopeless. _  
_ And know I pop bottles 'cause I bottle my emotions. _  
_ At least I put it all in the open._

— Drake — "Fear"

Where does Tori bloody get off? Does she think just because she's the general that she can leave both Lysimachus and I behind with two infiltrators? To be quite honest, Lysimachus and I did not know what do do at this point. Tori left the two of us for so much dirt in the sniveling ground! All for what, to go capture the Summoners, Lady Kaelyn—who is that scary Holy Maiden—_Janeavah_, and the Wickedness? Was she insane, going off to fight them all by herself? Never mind, I've never understood her and I doubt I ever will. If she wanted to get her head ripped apart from her body then so be it, but I wouldn't be ordered around and treated like trash. After all, it is that blubbering fool's fault that the Wickedness is here in the first place. After that brilliant display of wide, silvery, majestic wings spreading against the length of the hallway Tori kicked herself off the ground and took flight, leaving a few parting gifts in the wake of her absconding from us. To be sure, there was a distinctive look of determination plastered across her heavenly visage, one that illuminated ianthine optics and made her feel like more of a force to be reckoned with. Lysimachus and I must have looked at her for a couple of seconds before silence befell the four of us.

Well, what would we do now?

With my cane within my gloved clutches I simply shook my head, reviewing all the damage inside of my mind. I felt as if my peace of mind was slowly being eaten and I couldn't come up with words to throw around in friendly conversation with my superior. Poor Lysimachus. He's always more scared when it comes to situations like these so I assumed he would be freaking out any moment now. When I turned around, however, he had a dumb grin on his face, bright blue eyes shimmering as he bowed down to that ugly little catgirl freak and began to pat her hooded head. "Hey Flarence," he murmurs, seemingly massaging those black ears of hers protruding from the top of her head. What a peculiar hooded outfit she's donning. "Don't worry about that lady, okay? She's, ah—Tori's special, okay?" He spoke in a soothing tone, but the pitches within his countertenor voice still had trances of respect for the youth as he he viewed them as equals on the same plane of existence. Urgh, Lsyimachus! He will never understand, will he? He thinks that he can just coast through the duties of being the Leader of the Cult of Hyboria but he must understand that everyone is to be looked at as a threat. Even an unsightly girl such as this one.

The more I looked at her, the more she unsettled me. Her face was completely pitch black, hidden underneath a pink hood with I could assume was a part of some kind of dress, though the dress was short in and of itself; it stopped above her upper thigh and exposed a chocolate complexion, taut, muscular legs revealed without any form of modesty. A black tail swung frivolously behind her short form, but I digress. Her face... The only thing I could make out was a Cheshire Cat grin, sharp incisors peering at me and red, beady little eyes. What sort of worn was within my presence, and how did she get into the Church? Where were the guards? Aside from that little menace, there was also the subject of Janeavah's little pet can, the huge metal monstrosity standing behind me, towering to what can only be seven feet in the air, high above my head to be certain.

"Oh! You mean the Angel Lady?" Flarence exclaimed, waving her arms in the air like an excited child, sleeves too long for her that they sway within the wind. "Merrrooow, I'm not scared of the Angel Lady! She's really pretty and her wings, wow! Flarence likes the pretty feathers! We'll see her again, right? I love feathers, they remind me of yummy chickens!" And for some particular reason her demeanor changed, that upsetting grin flipping itself upside down and still retaining its initial form. "Do you think the Angel Lady tastes like chicken Hero Guy? I'm willing to bet, meow! Let's go chase her down!" I refuse to give Lysimachus a chance to answer that abysmal question. I thump the end of my cane into the concrete, scaring the absolute tar of Lysimachus. Oh dear, even the girl doesn't flinch. She merely does a playful little twirl on the end of her heels, craning her neck up to peer at me with those disconcerting red _beads_. Placing her hands behind her back, her smile warps into an 'o' and she even makes the sound associated to the vowel.

"Who are you, you beslubbering varlot?" I demand, narrowing my eyes at her. "I don't have time to play babysitter to anyone's children and last time I checked, you have to have an appointment to be able to wander the halls of the Church freely." I wanted to give her a fair chance, however. There might have been a chance where she would have gotten swept up within all the commotion, but if I remembered correctly this girl was Lady Kaelyn's successor. Heaven forbid I was actually right; I couldn't see this girl committing any kinds of crimes.

"Ble—slubearaashatageah."

"—What. I don't understand stupid, girl. Answer to your crimes or face the consequences. I am Genevieve Ambrosine, the Commander of the Church of Hyboria and third in command." Since Lysimachus wasn't asserting himself for some reason, I would do the honors! Besides, I really liked flaunting my status because it's something I worked hard for. This is what I live for, making my name known and it sounds even better when it has a long title tacked on it. I don't know if Flarence was actually listening to me since she had her hands in her mouth and was running her tongue against them, slobbering on them, that stupid grin still on her face! Was she taking me even the least bit seriously?

"Those are big words," she finally stated, swinging her arms to her side and looking at me, her tone falling flat before it picks up again. "Just like your chest, hehehehe~ Meat buns~ Meat buns yay~!" How do I even form a retort to that? Immediately I put a hand over my cleavage and glared a hole into the side of Lysimachus' head and oh, I am _certain_ that he felt the intensity of my stare. He staggered back for a moment and regained his composure, waving his hands out and grinning as best as he could.

"Now Flarence, those aren't nice words—"

"But Hero Guy~ Fluffy Tail Lady is really pretty!" 'Fluffy Tail Lady' is my name now? Okay, this was starting to become a little too taxing on my head and I took a few steps towards the Leader, shaking my head and exhaling. The child was still muttering a bunch of things about me, sauntering behind me, trying to grab my tail and pet it, seemingly.

"Lysimachus you can't be serious!" I whispered, despite the intensive anger dripping from my words, face contorted and brows furrowed. "Is this your friend? How could you befriend a motley-minded idiot like this? You look stupid trying to talk to this fool. What was her name, Flarence? Well I'm taking her to the oubliette. Along with Janeavah's metal pet who seems to have been very complacent..." Trailing off, I look at the gargantuan beast, mulberry eyes trailing the cerise of his bulging muscles. As strong as he is, it looks as if he could have ripped Tori in half if he had a mind to, so that makes me gulp myself. I guess Lysimachus must have forgotten we were within his presence and he promptly hid behind me, fear etching into his visage. Placing gloved, elfin digits on my chin I take three steps back to revel in the impressive, masculine body this tin can possesses and I sigh.

"The barmpot must belong to you, yes?" I inquire, giving Flarence a brief look over before my eyes return to amber ones. "Tell me, you're Mahlon, correct? Janeavah's lovely assistant, her bodyguard of sorts. I'm not Tori and I agree, she's lost her bloody marbles. You probably are still thinking of the 'interrogation' she showered you with, but I have a few questions to ask you myself." Twirling my black cane in front of me at a horizontal angle, I closed my eyes briefly before opening them again. "You both are my prisoners. Do not take me lightly. Just because my Leader would rather stand behind me and cower in the face of your... Grotty countenance, I won't do the same. Just to confirm my suspicions, how many of you are there?" I already knew the answer myself, but it wouldn't hurt to get an accurate number in any shape or form. Mahlon simply looked at me, refusing to move but I assumed this was how he always was.

"Genevieve," comes his reply, still standing in the same place, unwavering. "What does it matter if I truly tell you? It will do nothing to help your cause."

"Correct. But any form of information you give me might help your friends." And it would be within his best interests to spill everything he knows, tottering skainsmate. "Tori is intent on bringing them to justice, and I think I should remind you that the woman is the general of the Cult's army. She's ruthless. She'd turn your friends inside out, skin them and wear the leftovers like victory pelts." For some reason I felt a slight tinge of pain emitting from the hulking giant which had me shaking my head. If it wasn't apparent that this bumbling fool had some sort of infatuation with Tori it was now. "Aye, be sorely disappointed if you must, but I don't think Tori is the type of woman you should pursue. Beauty is only skin deep."

"I believe the conversation was not geared to Miss Tori, Genevieve—"

"Who gives a blasted damn what the conversation was geared to?" Honestly, the mind of a man is a strange one. Shaking my head, I bought my arms akimbo and licked my lips, exhaling through my mouth. "Do you not understand English, dimwit? Tori is going to do terrible things to your friends, don't you see? She already made quick work, _very_ quick work of that Wicked Spawn girl. No one has seen the sorry state she's been left in, but everyone in the entire Church could hear the cries through some sort of muffled mouth. Inhumane things had been done." In saying that I brought both of my hands together, gazing at the ground because I knew with every fiber of my being that Wicked Spawn was the reason_ the Wickedness_ was here. My face paled at the thought of that menace and my peachy complexion was traded in for a chalky white one. With shaking hands I grasp my cane with a tautening grip. "I don't want that to happen to them."

There was a long silence and I couldn't tell if Mahlon had been contemplating those words or not, but eventually he raised a strong hand and placed it on top of my head, which startled me. "I believe in them." And that was the only thing he said for a while while I was left flinching underneath his touch. "They are strong individuals, Genevieve. The Summoners, they carry the burden of saving worlds all over the cosmos, they're blessed from the worlds they hail from. Lady Kaelyn is the famous augurist, The Holy Maiden. Miss Kohana is the Wickedness. That alone should inform you of her power. Janeavah is the scientist who saved my life. How can I doubt their abilities in battle? Myself, able to level an entire city with my strength, and Flarence the one girl Lady Kaelyn intrusts with her techniques. I think they are quite safe from Miss Tori."

Tuh. Hopeful words from a walking dumpster, but I wouldn't say anything to dissuade him from his beliefs. Individuals like Mahlon have no idea what it's like within the Church, behind these walls. It's Hell reincarnate. People may think what they are looking at is a legitimate sacellum but there is an overabundance of death and destruction within these walls and it used to scare me until I realized that this is the Archfiend's will. We do this for Lord Agathangelos. We bleed for him, kill for him, do whatever it takes to ensure his everlasting happiness and I love him with every fiber of my being. Words of optimism do nothing within the face of unhinged devotion, and that is exactly what Tori possesses. Maybe this is my own selfish pit in my stomach sinking even deeper, the thought of the Wickedness killing us all. I know that no matter how strong Tori is, she's nothing in the face of an anomaly like that... Thing.

"Kohana?" I ask, folding my arms and exhaling, my features drenched in somberness. "The Wickedness has a human name now? How idiosyncratic." For some reason Lysimachus is done being scared and he places his arms around my waist, holding me close and burrowing his head within the space between my head and my shoulder, closing those heavily-lashed lids and I could feel his long, spiky white hair brushing against me. With his fangs protruding over thin lips, he whispers reassuring words into my ear which causes me to only feel sadder. I shouldn't need the Leader to tell me that everything is going to be okay, but now both men were comforting me. It's... Odd. Both the enemy and my comrade understood the central problem of my anxiety. Mahlon had retracted his hand once he made note of Lysimachus giving me a hug and he turned to the side, looking at the hallway Tori had flew down.

"When a world is in crisis, the Summoners appear to alleviate the problems and to assure peace among the lands," the cyborg acquiesced, walking forward. "Not only have we been graced with the Summoners, but the Wickedness has shown as well. Have you two ever seen a phenomenon as that one? Something bad is brewing and Janeavah's been talking about it for a while now. She felt something within the air chance, and Lady Kaelyn is aware of that change as well. It is okay to feel the way you do, Genevieve, but you must realize that we are in a perpetual state of war now. Things are starting. With the kidnapping of Summoner Sayuri to the infiltration now, this will only get worse. Kohana may be on our side, but kindly remind yourself that you have the Archfiend should you all choose to go up against us."

"A-as the Leader," Lysimachus answers, stepping away from me and putting on a look of determination on his face. "I refuse to let anything of the sort happen. War is a big thing that could end with the destruction of everything Forsythia is. I won't let it happen! We either settle this like men, or not at all. Summoner Sayuri slaughtered the previous Leader when she was here, and that made the grounds for her being captured justifiable. I sent her to answer to the Archfiend himself, as I felt only he would give her a deserving punishment. This has nothing to do with the Wickedness or your add-ins, but if a fight is what you want, trust that my men will deliver."

And as I watched my beautiful Leader answer to Mahlon, my eyes grew hazy and my body felt like paperweight. We were all really such good friends in reality. Lysimachus loved being within Janeavah's company. They laughed together, tossed around jokes; sure they were on two separate teams but they still knew how to be civil, be friends. Now I was beginning to realize that having different beliefs tears people apart. I knew that before, but it was actually playing out in front of me. My working for the Archfiend and Janeavah making the New World Order organization split us apart in a way I can't even place a name to. Am I really ready for a war? The thought made the pupils within my eyes dilate. This... this wasn't what I wanted. I just wanted to worship someone I felt I wasn't even worthy to share the same ground with. Mahlon turned around to face my Leader, impassiveness written on his visage as a brown brow quirks up.

"Don't forget," he briskly informs, flexing his hand, "that I am a part of the infiltrating party as well. We came to find the girl. That is what Kohana begged us to come here for, and we will not return empty handed. Those were the orders Janeavah informed us of. She can be quite scary when she's persuaded to do things she doesn't like. The pedagogue can be quite lazy and she doesn't like to be bothered with trivial matters. I will fight you if you stand to impede my goal with your men or not."

What. No. I wouldn't let that happen. My face flushed red with ire and I lashed out towards the towering cyborg, snarling and flinging my cane into all sorts of directions. "I'm tired of you—!" I hissed, gritting my teeth. My ears involuntarily twitched at that comment as well. "You and that damned Janeavah. First I fought her, and now I have to fight_ you_? You and your silly team of people trying to denounce magic and vanquish the Archfiend...! You're all gluttons for punishment, aren't you!" Truthfully, I wasn't as strong as Lysimachus or Tori or Ryder. I was probably the weakest one out of all of them, and no matter how much they all got on my last bloody nerves I wanted to protect them with everything I had. This is the Church's dream, to convert everyone to Hyborism and we're so close... "Don't you forget that you're my prisoner, you and the sleeping brat over there! If you need a pair of handcuffs, I will be happy to administer them!"

I ended that sentence with fierce hyperventilating.

I hadn't meant to, but I did.

And even though Lysimachus is a scared little boy, he can be quite gormless when he wants to. Like now. Opening both of the palms of his hands milky-white, phosphorescent light burst through the hallway and his infamous rig saw blades appeared within callused palms, white claws brushing against the steel and his tail beginning to move with adrenalin. "Please Mahlon. I don't like fighting." And yet here he is, the Leader to the Church, standing tall with his weapons armed but there's a deep sorrow within his voice, crystalline aquamarine eyes weighed down by the threat of this man. "You're both my friends, you and Flarence. Don't make me do something that I'll regret."

This is what happens when the opposing side sticks their noses in things that don't concern them. Difficult choices must be made. Lysimachus is a practitioner of Holy magic, but his real strength resides in alchemy, using Holy magic as his extension. By no means is he a genius at the art like Tori is, but he gets the job done like he demonstrated on that Alula girl. If my Leader was rushing in to fight then so would I. Holding my cane in front of me with both hands, the cement around me began to liquidate and float within mid-air, itching for a chance to be given a command. I could stop anything with my cement no matter how big and strong it is. Cement is a very resilient bonding agent and with my manipulation I could put this man in a mobile, stone cage!

However, for the first time since I've been within Mahlon's presence his cool demeanor fell down before us and he put on an unsure look, arching his brows and poking his index fingers together. "I don't think that would be a wise idea."

"—Wise idea _this_, tin can!"

Fury danced within my eyes as a waved my arms across the air, directing the flow of cement towards the ferocious fiend, engulfing his entire body in the grey substance and solidifying on top of him, actually managing to knock him on the ground as he became a helpless block of nothing! I had refrained from encasing him in a tomb because I was sure if I did that he would die from lack of air, but once Mahlon hit the ground there was a deafening thud. Hmm, so he really does weigh a ton or two. Interesting. Nevertheless, my magic had managed to render him useless and that I was proud of. Lysimachus glanced at me with this incredulous look on his face, mouth agape and wolf Forsythian teeth peeking out at me. "This is why I love you, Genevieve. Holy..."

"I would assume so," I snap back, shaking my head and letting tendrils of my thick, chestnut hair splay behind me in a look of superiority and arrogance. Now I felt like smirking again. It was such a long time since the corner of my lips took that lovely incline upwards. "Everyone always forgets that I can manipulate cement and that what we're currently standing in is a domain fit for me. This is an arena. Cement everywhere, you impertinent blockhead." The insult made me feel good and for now I was back to my normal state. It was good to know that Mahlon was on the ground and rendered helpless, but now I wanted to make sure that irritating monkey of a girl wasn't going to cause any trouble. "Now let's apprehend that tottering whey-face—" My insult would have been complete if I wasn't completely taken by surprise.

Flarence had managed to get up without making a sound and she jumped up in the air, readying her foot and kicked me in the side of my face and the impact stung like a third hell. Without a doubt I was sent flying into the western wall, colliding into the construct and pieces of the wall actually started to come undone on top of me, the infrastructure cracking around me as tiny driblets of blood escaped from my perfect lips and landed a few feet on front of me. And Lysimachus stood there absolutely shocked, the breath taken out of his form as his mouth remained agape, ring saw blades vanishing. I suppose Flarence hadn't liked what I had done to her friend, her mouth now taking the shape of an upside down 'v', red eyes half-lidded as if pulled down with a scowl.

"Meanie Fluffy Tail Lady!" she growled, clenching her fist and then pointing at me. Why was I always the one running into brats and having to fight them? First Alula and now her, but fine, I would play her childish little game. I almost fell over trying to regain the proper balance but I did, and with that I brushed my hand across my mouth to get rid of any stray traces of blood. "Let my friend gooooo! I don't like to see my friends in pain and you've messed with the _wrong_ kitty, meow!" What an uncouth brat! Did she really think a cheap shot would keep me down on the ground? Granted it really hurt when she kicked me and my world was still spinning trying to get everything to stop spinning but I wouldn't falter to the likes of her. Seething, I tried to dismiss the sharp pain whizzing from within the bridge of my nose and between my eyes but Mahlon started moving, which really startled me.

"Assistance won't be necessary, Flarence."

Just like that he stood up tall, body still encased in cement until he broke out of it like a hulking monster, chips of dried impediment falling bare into the ground and my eyes widened alongside the incessant clapping and cheering of Flarence, who assumed a fighting stance and focused her attention more on me. "Thanks for freeing Robot Guy, but you still need to be taught a lesson, meow~!" Floundering fool, I had nothing to do with him somehow freeing himself from my magic, but whatever. Staggering and holding myself up with my cane, I dashed towards the little menace and took a direct swing to her head, carrying more than just of few pounds of my cane with the intention of seeing her head knocked off but she expertly ducked my assault, popped her animated head under my weapon and then she kicked me in the jaw again to the point where I felt suspended in midair once more. She also tugged on my sleeve and brought me back down to the earth just so she could slam my face into the concrete which I had to soften to make sure my face was still intact. Flarence certainly didn't look the part, but she was very strong.

Everything written on Lysimachus' face screamed, "Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope!" and I could sense him not venturing to get involved with any of this; he was scared of Flarence but I, for the life of me, couldn't figure out why. I tried to cement the demon's feet on the floor but she walked on the liquid as if they were steps, finding great glee in climbing up into the air and then she fell on top of me, grinning like an idiot and taking my cane out of my exhausted hands, making fun of me possibly? —I was too tired to fight with her. I had just undergone a battle with Janeavah of all people. I-I couldn't possibly... My Leader must have mustered up enough courage to reprimand the little beast, but by now I was already starting to lose conscious. "Flarence!" he screamed, red with ire and twitching from the rage of seeing me laid out on the ground. "That's my friend, why did you do that? Get off her right now!"

"No!" she defiantly replies, continuing to play with my cane. Oh dear. Babysitting 101 here. I had to remind myself that Tori is the one who left us with these two. Was it because she trusted in our abilities to detain them? Or was it because she knew that they would be a handful to take care of so she left us for smaller fry? I couldn't help but think she was the scum of the earth now, in all honesty. "She hurt Robot Guy, so I hurt her, meoooow! Where's Boobie Lady? She would side with me!"

"You're taking the piss out of me, aren't you, brat?" I shouted, flailing underneath her heavy weight. "I have no idea who this 'Boobie Lady' is but you haven't seen a _fraction_ of my power!" Lysimachus finally found it in him to pike his blades into the carpeting of the floor and he walked over to where we were, kneeling in front of the daft girl and holding his hands out in front of him, babying her.

"Flarence, please..."

"Why are you friends with such an ugly woman! Bleeeeh! If she didn't have boobies, Flarence would have thought she was a witch!" Aside from me bubbling up in anger right now? I was pretty good. She would pay with her life. For some reason however she paused for a brief moment and then without the slightest hint of warning she crashed her lips into his and Lysimachus blinked quite a few times before his nose twitched and he began whispering because he knows I'm about to really kill this girl. Pushing his body back in a cartoon-like fashion, her brings his clawed hands up to his mouth and shakes his head.

"_Flarence!_"

"Iyyyyum just wanted to make sure Evil Fluffy Tail Lady knows what the score is, meow! I know she likes you, it's oooooovvvbiouuuuus!" The little brat can't even talk, let alone decide that I suddenly have feelings for my Leader! With my strength I flipped her off me and dusted myself off, retrieving my cane and stabbing the floor with it, placing my freehand on my shapely waist.

"Right. Shut your mouth. Like I said. You guys are prisoners! Stop it at once! I won't have you doing that again to Lysimachus, so you better not be getting used to it because... Because..." My ears dropped down and I closed my eyes. Maybe witnessing that hurt more than I would ever say. But then again my entire body was screaming in pain. I can't take being attacked very well and I fall like paper in the face of someone stronger than I am. Between the four of us I really was the weakest one here and it hurts to know that. "Because he belongs to me, okay?" I finish in an inaudible whisper. Lacing my aching fingers together—digits that have forgone too much stress from gripping my cane so tight. Lysimachus peers up at me with those brilliant hues of cerulean and the make my heart stop beating a bit because he's so beautiful and I... Just don't want him to get hurt. I'd become a pillow for Flarence to sit on if it means him not being hurt.

Before I can say anything, however, there's a big explosion that ends up knocking all of us off our feet. Well. Everyone except for Mahlon. I'm on the ground, Flarence is on the ground, Lysimachus is on the ground and the explosion isn't too far off from where we are. The Church is one big labyrinthine and I've created the twisting halls with my cement abilities. It is quite easy for one to get lost within the Church. The secret, however, lies in the fact that all the halls are actually laid next to each other but it doesn't seem like that because my cement puts forth an illusion. From the force of the sound, I could assume that the source of such a reverberation was just a few feet up ahead, that we would review fairly easily. I endeavor to scrape myself off the floor but while I get up someone helps me. I would have assumed it was Lysimachus, naturally, but those hands felt far too nimble, far too elfin to belong to a man, especially a Forsythian man and I knew Flarence was too short to help me up.

From the corner of my eyes I saw the most beautiful goddess gracing my presence.

A woman with lustrous red hair, almost like it was on fire... Tumbling down her back and full, bouncy, wavy and strewn with rose heads. Every inch, every dip, ever arch of her body was libidinous, to die for, and it was almost as if she was the embodiment of women all over the world. She stood tall, fiery eyes examining me for a moment before she laid those chilling, igneous optics on all four of us, white, skin-tight dress flowing behind her with that majestic train. Beauty reincarnate. I was instantaneously jealous and I had no idea who she was. I did know, however, that she was an intruder. But Agathangelos was I scared... This woman. There was something about her. And she looked straight ahead, right where the smoke and debris was coming from and opened the palm of her right hand, a brown bow appearing in it made from tree bark. It looked like an incredibly important weapon. An antique, maybe.

"Genevieve Ambrosine." She knew my entire name. Said it with such grace. Her voice sounded like a running river, calm and tranquil. Her tones sounded elegant, unlike anything I've ever heard. Not only was she striking, but the sounds that come from underneath her palate were exquisite. With this redhead around, I felt like nothing could touch me. I found my eyes drawn to the brown rose silhouette tattoo spinning down her left arm and I couldn't help but just... Be in awe of everything that she was. If only I could be pretty like her... "I am the Flower Essence." —That definitely just snapped me out of any dream I might have been in. An Essence? Here? Now? Great. So now we had Summoners, a Holy Maiden, _Janeavah_, the Wickedness and an Essence? What could go wrong, sweet Siren! "Now does not look to be the time for formalities, does it? Also, hello Flarence, Mahlon and Lysimachus. It is nice to see you all well, but I was told that the Queen was in very deep distress and I promptly left the Elders—" Strike two. There are Elders here? Who else wants to show up at this terrible time? We're all going to get into so much trouble... "—To find the Queen. If she's not with you all, then I imagine she's up there with the slew of them, correct?"

"Who is your queen, Gorgeous Lady?" Of course Flarence would say something like that. "We can help you if we know who she is and Flarence likes helping pretty ladies!" Whilst the Flower Essence asked that question, she was already fitting an arrow within that bow of hers, an arrow that had a heart on the end of it. The point, however, was terrifically jagged. It looked like it would definitely hurt if it pierced through something. Closing one resplendent cerise eye, she purses plump, succulent lips together and pouts while she aims.

"Kohana."

One word, one phrase, but it doesn't make sense. Isn't that the Wickedness' name? I suppose the others were down there fighting. That explosion wrecked of Tori, and if some of the Elders were here they were no doubt mixed within the fray of that noise. Perhaps the Summoners were down there as well and, bloody hell! What if they were all fighting in the same place right now? Tch, what are the odds of that? Get a hold of yourself Genevieve. Hahahaha, if the Wickedness was fighting right now the entire establishment would have been burned to ash! Urgh, nothing made sense anymore, so I gripped both sides of my head and crashed down onto my knees trying to regulate my breathing. Flower looked at me from the corner of her eyes and put on a warm smile, bringing the arrow down for a brief second. "Genevieve, do not fret. I come here in peace. I have gotten permission from my royal liege to end the ceaseless violence. I need to protect the queen, so that is what I will do. You are precious, young woman, but no need to lose yourself within all this commotion; you are a soldier, are you not?"

Yes, but... Why is she aiming that arrow down the hallway?

At any rate, she shoots it from her bow and it flies with deadly precision, straight into the smoke and debris. Turning her back to us, she waves her hand out and her smile returns ten-fold. I have no idea what she shot at but I can assure you that whatever she hit, it outright exploded in a furry of fire, smoke, and flower petals. Whatever was in that hallway surely didn't just survive that blast and Lysimachus slammed his hands over his ears because the explosion made them pop. I was used to things exploding today so it didn't really bother me, but that bow of hers vanished and she revels in the sound. "Do not worry. I just shot Kohana. That arrow had a serum in it that gives her a brief immunity to the Holy Radiation she has. At the same time, it blew up anyone who might have been terrorizing her and her teammates. I have to go now," she adds hastily, her form vanishing within midair. Odd. "Tell Kohana that I said hello when you see her, m'kay?"

Whatever. I nodded my head and looked back down the hallway which was riddled with a thick fog. For the most part, Mahlon, Lysimachus and Flarence and I were rendered speechless at the information we had just received, but we knew sooner or later we had to make an appearance within the face of the others. So, swallowing our fears, weapons were brandished and the others got into their fighting stances. Tori? Ryder? The Elders? I had to make sure they were okay.

I was the first to run down the corridors.

* * *

**A/N:** And there we have it!

Nothing but banter this chapter but now Kohana's back in action for a little while, so maaaan this is going to be bad! And what's up with all the others? Did they really get blown up, and you know Flower just saved Janeavah's life, considering she was about to fight Tori using a sword she didn't have any idea how to use, but this is perfect. XD;;


End file.
